Steve Beaton defeated Raymond van Barneveld in a battle of the legends in Leverkusen, while Glen Durrant enjoyed a winning start on his European Tour debut on Friday night as the European Darts Open kicked off in style.
Continue reading “2019 European Darts Open – Day One Report!”
Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson and Peter Wright all crashed out on a dramatic opening day of the Ladbrokes UK Open, while former champions Adrian Lewis and Raymond van Barneveld also bowed out as the 159-player tournament kicked off with a bang at Butlin’s Minehead Resort on Friday.
Continue reading “Van Gerwen, Anderson & Wright crash out of UK Open!”
Raymond van Barneveld will compete in his first European Tour event for almost two years in March after being amongst the qualifiers for the year’s opening two events, as three-time BDO world champion Glen Durrant produced a series of stunning displays in the first qualifier to seal his European Tour debut.
Continue reading “Van Barneveld secures European Tour return!”
The entries for the opening two European Tour events of the year have been confirmed ahead of the two UK Qualifiers and two West & South Europe Tour Card Holder Qualifiers at the Barnsley Metrodome on Friday February 22. Continue reading “European Tour 1 & 2 Qualifier Entries!”
Michael van Gerwen has branded Mervyn King as ‘a disgrace to darts’ following their bizarre semi-final tussle at Players Championship 3 at Wigan’s Robin Park Tennis Centre on Saturday afternoon. Continue reading “Van Gerwen labels King ‘a disgrace’ after Players Championship tussle!”
Mensur Suljovic became the latest big name to crash out of the William Hill World Darts Championship after losing 3-1 to debutant Ryan Searle, whilst two-time world champion Adrian Lewis eased through to round-three on a dramatic Thursday night at the Alexandra Palace. Continue reading “PDC World Championship – Day Eight Report!”
The 2018 BetVictor World Matchplay gets underway at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool in just under a fortnight’s time. Josh’s Dartistry picks out four of the most intriguing first-round ties and runs the rule over the respective tussles…. Continue reading “World Matchplay 2018: The Four Standout Ties!”
Peter Wright crashed out to home favourite Max Hopp in a dramatic double-session of action at the German Darts Open on Saturday, as Dave Chisnall and Rob Cross turned on the style to register impressive whitewash wins in Saarbrucken. Continue reading “German Darts Open 2018: Day Two Report!”
Rob Cross produced a sensational display to dismantle two-time world champion Adrian Lewis in Leverkusen, as Peter Wright returned to form in emphatic style on a dramatic day of second-round action at the European Darts Open on Saturday. Continue reading “European Darts Open 2018: Day Two Report!”
Ian White clinched his first PDC title for over 18 months after claiming a dramatic deciding-leg victory over Dave Chisnall at Players Championship Six in Milton Keynes on Sunday afternoon. Continue reading “Players Championship Six Report & Results!”
Two-time world champion Gary Anderson stormed into the second-round of the World Championship with a comprehensive straight sets win over Lakeside finalist Jeff Smith, as four seeds were dumped out on a dramatic double-session of action at the Alexandra Palace on Saturday. Continue reading “PDC World Championship 2018: Day Three Report!”
Michael van Gerwen kicked off the defence of his European Championship title with a convincing win over his fellow countryman Jan Dekker, as the Huybrechts brothers were both condemned to deciding-leg defeats on a dramatic opening night in Hasselt on Thursday evening. Continue reading “European Championship: Day One Report!”
Michael van Gerwen will begin the defence of his European Championship title against fellow countryman Jan Dekker, whilst home favourite Kim Huybrechts takes on last year’s finalist Mensur Suljovic in Hasselt later this month. Continue reading “2017 European Championship Draw!”
Tournament favourite Peter Wright produced a classy comeback to defeat Mervyn King and set up a quarter-final showdown against recent Champions League of Darts winner Mensur Suljovic at the Citywest Hotel on Wednesday evening. Continue reading “World Grand Prix: Day Four Report!”
Peter Wright survived two match darts to edge past Stephen Bunting in a nail-biting first-round tussle in Dublin, as Steve West dumped out two-time Grand Prix winner James Wade on another dramatic evening of darts at the Citywest Hotel on Monday evening. Continue reading “World Grand Prix: Day Two Report!”
Michael van Gerwen will begin the defence of his World Grand Prix title against John Henderson, whilst two-time world champion Gary Anderson will take on debutant Richard North, after the draw for next month’s tournament was made this morning. Continue reading “2017 World Grand Prix Draw!”
Phil Taylor kicked off his final World Matchplay campaign with victory over Gerwyn Price, to set up an enthralling second-round showdown with his old rival Raymond van Barneveld after a thrilling double-session at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool on Sunday. Continue reading “2017 World Matchplay: Day Two Report!”
Former champion James Wade and Scottish stars Gary Anderson and Peter Wright will open the BetVictor World Matchplay on Saturday July 22nd, whilst defending champion Michael van Gerwen will begin his title defence on Monday 24th July, after the schedule of play was confirmed last week. Continue reading “2017 World Matchplay Schedule of Play!”
Michael van Gerwen will begin the defence of his BetVictor World Matchplay title against former Lakeside world champion Stephen Bunting, as Phil Taylor’s Blackpool farewell kicks off with a potential banana-skin against Gerwyn Price, after the draw for this month’s event at the Winter Gardens was made on Tuesday evening. Continue reading “2017 World Matchplay Draw!”
Peter Wright secured his fourth European Tour title of the year after producing an imperious display to defeat Mervyn King and win the European Darts Open at the Ostermann Arena in Leverkusen on Sunday evening. Continue reading “European Darts Open: Finals Day Report!”
Former European Tour winners James Wade, Vincent van der Voort and Mervyn King triumphed on an eventful opening day of the European Darts Open, as James Richardson produced the performance of the first-round in Leverkusen. Continue reading “European Darts Open: Day One Report!”
Michael van Gerwen and Peter Wright safely progressed through to finals day at the German Darts Open, as Dave Chisnall and Jelle Klaasen both recorded brilliant whitewash wins to set up a tasty third-round clash, on a dramatic day of darts in Saabrucken on Saturday. Continue reading “German Darts Open: Day Two Report!”
16-year-old host-nation qualifier Nico Blum sent the German crowd into raptures with a brilliant debut victory on the European Tour, as Vincent van der Voort, Mervyn King & Paul Nicholson also triumphed on a dramatic opening day of action at the German Darts Open in Saarbrucken on Friday. Continue reading “German Darts Open: Day One Report!”
Five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld enjoyed a successful return to the European Tour, as Daryl Gurney survived three match darts to dump out Adrian Lewis on a dramatic opening day at the German Darts Masters in Jena on Saturday. Continue reading “German Darts Masters: Day One Report!”
Adrian Lewis will take on Daryl Gurney in the first-round of the German Darts Masters on Saturday, whilst five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld will face his fellow Dutchman Michael Plooy, after the draw and schedule for this weekend’s European Tour event in Jena were confirmed. Continue reading “German Darts Masters Draw!”
Daryl Gurney has leapfrogged world number one Michael van Gerwen to top the Players Championship Order of Merit, after enjoying the best weekend of his darting career in Barnsley. ‘Super-Chin’ won his maiden PDC title at Players Championship Seven on Saturday, before losing out in the final of Sunday’s event to Joe Cullen. Continue reading “Players Championship Order of Merit Update!”
Joe Cullen secured his maiden PDC ranking title after recording a thrilling victory over Saturday’s winner Daryl Gurney in the final of Players Championship Eight at the Barnsley Metrodome on Sunday afternoon. Continue reading “Players Championship Eight Report!”
Robert Thornton, Mervyn King and Paul Nicholson were three of the high-profile names to secure qualification through to the HappyBet German Darts Open on Friday evening, as Steve Beaton landed a spectacular nine-dart finish on a dramatic night of action in Barnsley. Continue reading “European Tour 3- UK Qualifier Report!”
s
Michael van Gerwen returned to winning ways on the PDC Pro Tour, after thrashing his old adversary Peter Wright to win Players Championship Six at the Arena MK in Milton Keynes on Sunday afternoon. Continue reading “Players Championship Six Report!”
Raymond van Barneveld and Adrian Lewis were among the eighteen players to secure qualification for next month’s German Darts Masters on Friday evening. The former world champions both came through the 83-man field at the UK Qualifiers in Milton Keynes, to seal their spots in the second European Tour event of the season in Jena. Continue reading “Barney & Lewis among qualifiers for German Darts Masters!”
Paul Nicholson, Kevin Painter and Mervyn King were among the high-profile names to register victories in the opening round of the German Darts Championship, as the 2017 European Tour got underway in a marathon double-session of darts in Hildesheim on Friday. Continue reading “German Darts Championship: Day One Report!”
Two-time world champion Gary Anderson remains top of the Players Championship Order of Merit after the second double-header which took place at the Barnsley Metrodome over the weekend. ‘The Flying Scotsman’ was knocked out in round-three by Daryl Gurney on Saturday, before succumbing to eventual winner Simon Whitlock on Sunday. Continue reading “Players Championship Order of Merit Update!”
Rob Cross won his maiden PDC Pro Tour title with a dramatic deciding-leg victory over Mervyn King in the final of Players Championship Three at the Barnsley Metrodome on Saturday afternoon. Continue reading “Players Championship Three: Report & Results!”
Peter Wright will be the top seed heading into next month’s Coral UK Open Finals in Minehead, after winning three of the six qualification events at the Robin Park Tennis Centre in Wigan over the last fortnight.
Wright tops the Order of Merit after defeating Adrian Lewis, Michael Smith and James Wade in the respective finals, as he amassed a staggering £35,000 in prize money across the qualification campaign.
Simon Whitlock finished in second position after maintaining his excellent Pro Tour form. ‘The Wizard’ won two of the six UK Open qualifiers to record his fourth PDC title in as many months, as he finished with a total of £21,250 in prize money.
World champion Michael van Gerwen was the only other player to win one of the qualifying events and finished in third position as a consequence. MvG endured a disappointing triple-header last week, but performed magnificently in Friday’s fourth qualifier. Continue reading “UK Open Order of Merit: Final Standings!”
Benito van de Pas and Michael Smith edged out the veteran duo of Terry Jenkins and Mervyn King in pulsating seven-set tiebreaks, as Ian White also eased through to round-three in a stunning session of darts at the Alexandra Palace on Friday afternoon.
Van de Pas survived an inspired comeback from nine-time major finalist Terry Jenkins to prevail in an epic seventh-set tiebreak in the match of the tournament thus far. Jenkins landed 28 14o’s and 7 180’s in a brilliant scoring display, but Van de Pas recorded a huge victory with a 95.79 average, seven maximums and 37% on the doubles.
Van-de Pas clinched a hard-fought opening set with a moment of magic. The opening four legs all went with throw, before the Dutchman crashed in a stunning 177 to set up a 12-dart leg to break Jenkins’ throw.
However, Jenkins responded strongly to level up proceedings with a whitewash second set. Jenkins took out a clinical 81 combination for an 11-dart break in the opening leg of the set, before registering six perfect darts en route to a second successive 11-darter. ‘The Raging Bull’ was flowing, and pinned tops at the first time of asking for parity. Continue reading “Van de Pas and Smith prevail in stunning deciders at the Ally Pally!”
Two-time world champion Adrian Lewis kicked off his campaign with an emphatic straight sets triumph; Joe Cullen saw off Corey Cadby in the match of the tournament so far, whilst Mervyn King fought back from 2-0 down to edge out Steve West on an epic night of darts on day five at the Alexandra Palace on Monday evening.
Lewis began his assault for a third World Championship crown with an emphatic straight sets victory over veteran Swede Magnus Caris. The two-time world champion averaged 93.25, landed five maximums and converted 31% of his doubles, to maintain his record of having never lost a first-round tie at the World Championship.
Lewis won the opening set relatively comfortably. Caris claimed the opening leg on 56 after Lewis missed two darts at tops to break, but ‘Jackpot’ responded with a majestic 10-darter. The two-time world champion was experiencing difficulties on the double but completely outscored the Swede, pinning D5 in successive legs to seal the set.
Lewis continued his dominance to take out 65 and draw first blood in set two, but Caris somehow drew level after the Stoke-on-Trent star squandered a further five darts at double. ‘Jackpot’ regained the lead with a 13-darter, but Caris followed his first maximum with a 14-darter, only to miss one set dart at tops as the fourth seed doubled his lead. Continue reading “2017 PDC World Championship: Day Five Report!”
The draw and schedule for next weekend’s Players Championship Finals at the Butlins Minehead Resort has been confirmed, with Raymond van Barneveld locking horns with Mensur Suljovic and Adrian Lewis taking on Robert Thornton in the stand-out first-round ties.
The expanded Players Championship Finals sees the list of participants doubled in size this year, as 64 players compete for £400,000 in prize money across three days live on ITV4. The qualification criteria is based solely on performances across the twenty Players Championship events hosted throughout 2016.
Michael van Gerwen tops the final Order of Merit with £72,750 after winning five Players Championship events this year, and the defending champion will face former World Championship finalist Andy Hamilton in the first round.
Hamilton originally finished 65th on the Order of Merit, although Kyle Anderson’s withdrawal due to his ongoing VISA issues has given ‘The Hammer’ an opportunity to compete in Minehead. Continue reading “Players Championship Finals: REVISED Draw & Schedule!”
Defending champion Michael van Gerwen survived a match dart in a thrilling tie against Simon Whitlock, as world champion Gary Anderson was whitewashed by James Wade in the opening-round of the European Championship in Hasselt, Belgium, on Friday evening.
However, the match of the night saw Michael van Gerwen come back from 5-3 down to edge out the rejuvenated Australian in a barnstormer. Van Gerwen endured a nightmare in the finishing department in the early stages, hitting just two of his 19 double attempts as Whitlock took out a stunning 170 outshot to lead 4-2.
Nevertheless, the world number one showed his class, landing four maximums, two 177’s and a 171 to instigate the fightback. MvG then spurned two match darts with Whitlock sat on 150 and ‘The Wizard’ found the requisite trebles, before wiring his match dart at D15. MvG returned to pin D8 to avoid a shock first-round exit.
Elsewhere, world champion Gary Anderson endured a horror show in Hasselt, as he was whitewashed 6-0 by James Wade. ‘The Machine’ averaged 94.93 and converted 75% of his doubles to secure his first ranking TV victory for ten months, after the world champion averaged a miserly 77 and had just two shots at double in the entire match. Continue reading “European Championship Day One Report: The world champ is whitewashed in Hasselt!”
World number one Michael van Gerwen has extended his lead at the top of the PDC Order of Merit after storming to his third World Grand Prix title with victory over world champion Gary Anderson at the Citywest Hotel, Dublin, on Saturday evening.
‘The Green Machine’ has now taken his tally on the Order of Merit to a staggering £1, 337,000, after scooping the £100,000 winner’s cheque in Ireland. He now leads world number two Gary Anderson by £462,250, although the world champion added £45,000 to his total, by virtue of reaching his maiden Grand Prix final.
Yet, one of the biggest movers on the Order of Merit was five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld, who climbed up three places to 11th following his fine run to the semi-finals, seeing off Mervyn King, Adrian Lewis and Benito van de Pas without dropping a single set.
Elsewhere, Dave Chisnall has reclaimed his spot in the world’s top eight after also reaching the last four at the Citywest. Chizzy, a finalist back in 2013, overcame Robbie Green, Brendan Dolan and Daryl Gurney to reach the semi-finals, before he was edged out in a thriller by Michael van Gerwen.
Chisnall has leapfrogged his St Helen’s counterpart Michael Smith on the Order of Merit, after ‘Bully-Boy’ suffered a first-round defeat at the hands of Alan Norris. Smith now sits just £2,500 above Jelle Klaasen in 10th, after the Dutchman was also beaten in round-one by Adrian Lewis. Continue reading “PDC Order of Merit Update!”
World number one Michael van Gerwen will face the legendary Steve Beaton in the first-round of the World Grand-Prix, whilst reigning champion Robert Thornton will begin the defence of his title against Stephen Bunting at the Citywest Hotel, Dublin, next week.
The draw for the 2016 World Grand-Prix, which begins on Sunday October 2nd, was made live on the PDC’s official Facebook page, ahead of the final day of Champions League of Darts action.
Van Gerwen will take on 1996 Lakeside world champion Steve Beaton in round-one. Beaton has enjoyed a mini-resurgence this year, reaching the quarter-finals of the recent World Matchplay. However, ‘The Green Machine’ will be hoping to clinch a third World Grand-Prix title.
Robert Thornton, who defeated Van Gerwen in a thrilling final last year, takes on another former Lakeside champion Stephen Bunting. ‘The Thorn’ has endured a slump in form since winning his second major title last year, but he’ll be hoping that a return to Irish soil will have a galvanising effect on his fortunes.
Phil Taylor will go in search of an unprecedented twelfth World Grand-Prix crown against debutant Steve West. West secured his spot for this event by virtue of reaching the final of Players Championship 16 in Barnsley last week, which saw Vincent van der Voort miss out on qualification. Continue reading “2016 World Grand Prix Draw!”
Kyle Anderson, Vincent van der Voort, Jamie Caven and Joe Cullen all made it through to the second-round of the European Darts Trophy, whilst Mervyn King, Robbie Green, Max Hopp and Jamie Lewis all suffered early exits at the RWE Arena in Muelheim on Friday.
Kyle Anderson produced one of the performances of the first-round, as he whitewashed Darren Webster to set up a second-round clash with International Darts Open finalist, Kim Huybrechts. ‘The Original’ was in fine form, averaging 95, landing three maximums and hitting 6 of his 11 attempts at a double.
Former European Tour winner Vincent van der Voort breezed into round-two with a convincing 6-1 win over home-favourite Max Hopp. The World-Youth champion was considerably below par; Vincent took full advantage, averaging 95.5 and hitting three 180’s, to set up an enthralling second-round clash with his compatriot Jelle Klaasen.
Jamie Caven and Devon Petersen overcame major scares, as they survived match darts to defeat Kevin Munch and Matthew Dennant respectively. Munch took out a fine 100 finish to force a last-leg decider, but he squandered darts for victory. Caven snatched the win with a brilliant 95 checkout, to set up a meeting with Dave Chisnall on Saturday.
Phil Taylor will lock horns with world champion Gary Anderson in the BetVictor World Matchplay semi-finals, after both players overcame major scares in the last eight at the Winter Gardens on Friday evening.
Taylor remains on course for a record 16th Matchplay crown, after edging out a tenacious Mervyn King 16-14 in a pulsating affair. ‘The Power’ began strongly, firing in a 10-darter en route to a 5-2 lead. However, King responded superbly, reeling off three successive legs to restore parity.
Taylor was scoring well, but missed doubles were proving expensive for the Stoke-on-Trent star. King posted his third maximum and hit tops for an 8-7 lead, before breaking Taylor’s throw with a fine 13-darter; hitting D16 having hit a majestic 174 in the preceding visit.
Despite this, the 55-year-old broke back instantly and levelled up the contest at 9-9. The next seven legs went with throw as King forged a narrow 13-12 advantage, but Taylor enjoyed a trademark ‘Power’ surge to seize the initiative.
Taylor hit back-to-back maximums at the start of the 26th leg, to set up a nine-dart possibility. He added a seventh T20, but the T19 proved elusive, and he converted D16 for a 10-darter to draw level once more.
Continue reading “Taylor & Anderson survive major scares in Blackpool!”
Phil Taylor and Gary Anderson produced impressive performances to ease through to the quarter-finals of the World Matchplay, whilst Steve Beaton and Mervyn King rolled back the years at the Winter Gardens on Wednesday evening.
Taylor’s quest for an unprecedented 16th Matchplay crown continued with a comprehensive 11-5 victory over Mensur Suljovic. After a shaky opening-round win against Robbie Green, ‘The Power’ was much improved against the Austrian, averaging 101 and converting 48% of his attempts at double.
Taylor raced into a 3-0 advantage, but Suljovic responded impressively and cut the deficit to 3-2 at the next interval. ‘The Power’ then won four of the next five legs, to establish a commanding 7-3 cushion.
Suljovic continued to display great tenacity, converting finishes of 103 and 104 to remain in contention, but the 55-year-old Stoke star was unperturbed, firing in his fourth maximum and taking out 68 to seal victory, and book a place in the last eight on Friday.
World champion Gary Anderson began his bid for a maiden World Matchplay crown with a comprehensive win over Alan Norris, whilst Adrian Lewis and Peter Wright also eased through to round-two. However, former winner James Wade suffered a surprise first-round exit at the Winter Gardens on Sunday.
Wade was beaten by an inspired Mervyn King in the opening match of Sunday’s evening session. ‘The King’ averaged 99.45, hit three maximums and converted an impressive 67% of his attempts at double, to dethrone ‘The Machine’ by a 10-5 scoreline.
Wade was uncharacteristically profligate on the doubles, as King stormed into a commanding 6-1 advantage. The left-hander missed three darts at double in the opening leg, and King capitalised on his opponent’s wastefulness, taking out finishes of 82, 100 and 120 to put one foot into the last 16.
Wade scored strongly in the latter stages of the contest, but it was to no avail. King missed D8 for a match-winning 136 outshot, and he was almost punished as Wade wired the bullseye for a 161 finish. However, King, a semi-finalist at the Winter Gardens in 2009, returned to post D4 and seal his second-round spot.
Michael van Gerwen will begin the defence of his World Matchplay title against Jamie Caven, whilst world champion Gary Anderson takes on former Lakeside world finalist Alan Norris, after the draw was made live on Sky Sports News on Thursday morning.
The prestigious 32-player event, televised by Sky Sports, will be held at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens from July 16-24. Van Gerwen, who defeated James Wade in last year’s final, is faced with a tough assignment against Caven, a winner of seven Pro Tour titles.
Arguably the tie of the round sees world champion Gary Anderson take on Alan Norris. Norris has been in tremendous form over the last twelve months, which saw him reach the quarter-finals of the PDC World Championship on debut. Anderson has never gone beyond the last four in Blackpool, and this promises to be a quick-fire contest.
Phil Taylor will begin his bid for an unprecedented 16th World Matchplay title against Robbie Green, who just managed to secure his spot on the final day of qualifying.’Kong’ is making his first Matchplay appearance since 2004, but Taylor will be hoping to win his eighth Blackpool title in just nine years.
Michael van Gerwen retained his Dutch Darts Masters title with a brilliant victory over Daryl Gurney. The world number one was in sensational form, averaging 112.26 in Sunday’s showpiece final against the Northern Irishman in Venray.
Van Gerwen has won the Dutch Darts Masters crown for three years in succession and this is his eighth European Tour crown. This was Gurney’s maiden European Tour final, which sees him climb into the world’s elite top 32 for the first time in his career.
The final kicked off in explosive fashion. MvG held throw courtesy of a magnificent 152 checkout, but Gurney responded strongly; posting his first maximum before taking out 116 to level up proceedings.
The pair traded maximums in the third leg, but ‘The Green Machine’ held throw in 13-darts on D14. The Dutchman was throwing superbly and threatened a nine-darter in leg four, missing the elusive eighth dart at T19. Nevertheless, Michael broke throw in 11 darts to establish a two-leg cushion, as his average exceeded the 118 mark.
Continue reading “Van Gerwen retains Dutch Darts Masters crown with 112 average against Gurney!”
Benito van de Pas and Michael van Gerwen delighted the home crowd in round-three of the Dutch Darts Masters, whilst Daryl Gurney produced an incredible comeback from 4-1 down to stun world number five Peter Wright on Sunday afternoon in Venray.
Michael van Gerwen maintained his hopes of defending his Dutch Darts Masters title by defeating Justin Pipe in a repeat of last year’s final. van Gerwen averaged 102.65 as he cruised to a 6-3 win over Pipe, who could only boast a 90 average.
Nevertheless, the biggest stories of the afternoon were created by Benito van de Pas and Daryl Gurney, who produced stunning displays to overcome James Wade and Peter Wright respectively.
Van de Pas was in sensational form as he dismantled eight-time major winner James Wade 6-1. Wade performed well and averaged over 100, but the 23-year-old averaged 103.67 and was extremely clinical in the latter stages of legs, to beat ‘The Machine’ for the second time in succession.
Continue reading “Dutch Darts Masters- Last 16 Report & Results”
Mervyn King sent world champion Gary Anderson packing in the second-round of the Dutch Darts Masters, with a fantastic performance on Saturday evening. King was in tremendous form, averaging 100.54 and posting four maximums to Anderson’s three, to set up a last 16 tie against Devon Petersen on Sunday afternoon in Venray.
King led 2-0 in the early stages, but Anderson fought back strongly to level up proceedings. Yet, Mervyn produced a fantastic 11-darter to steal a march, before eventually completing a memorable 6-4 victory over ‘The Flying Scotsman’.
Michael van Gerwen began the defence of his Dutch Darts Masters title with a routine 6-3 victory over John Henderson. Van Gerwen stormed into a 5-0 advantage, but the Scot avoided the dreaded whitewash with a fine 13-darter.
MvG then missed five match darts in the seventh leg, allowing Henderson to double his tally, before ‘Big Hendo’ clinched his third leg in succession with a fine 14-dart hold culminating on D12. However, van Gerwen eventually sealed the triumph in the ninth leg, posting his third maximum and converting an 81 checkout on the bullseye for a 12-darter.
Continue reading “Dutch Darts Masters- Round Two Report & Results”
New-Look Simon Whitlock began his Dutch Darts Masters campaign with a comfortable 6-2 victory over exciting Belgian star Mike De Decker, as ‘The Wizard’ sported glasses on the big stage for the very first time in Venray.
Whitlock, who won this title back in 2012, averaged 90.55 as he took advantage of a nervous De Decker, to set up a thrilling second-round tie against world number 12 Ian White tomorrow.
Whitlock showed glimpses of real quality, but struggled to sustain a high-level throughout. However, the Australian grew in confidence as he closed in on victory and sealed his progression to round-two with a superb 12-darter, rounded off with a clinical 102 checkout.
De Decker struggled for fluency, averaging just 83 in a disappointing afternoon. His young compatriot Dimitri van den Bergh also endured a frustrating afternoon, as he missed four match darts to defeat John Henderson in a scrappy contest. van den Bergh led 3-0 at one stage, but missed darts at D20 and D10 in the decider, enabling the Scot to sneak through.
Continue reading “Dutch Darts Masters: Round One Report & Results”
Raymond van Barneveld has returned to the world’s top ten on the PDC Order of Merit, following his phenomenal run to the semi-finals at last week’s William Hill World Championships.
The five-time world champion was 18th in the world prior to November’s Grand Slam of Darts, but his run to the semi-final there, where he defeated the likes of James Wade and Mark Webster, saw the Dutchman regain his top 16 spot.
As a consequence, Van Barneveld was seeded 16th for this year’s World Championship, but victories over Stephen Bunting, Michael Smith and world number one Michael van Gerwen, saw Barney reach the World Championship semis for the third time in the last-four years.
Continue reading “PDC Order of Merit: Barney back in World’s Top 10, as Lewis overtakes Taylor!”
Five-Time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld kicked off his World Championship campaign with an emphatic 3-0 victory over his compatriot and close friend Dirk van Duijvenbode at the Alexandra Palace on Sunday evening.
Ironically, it was van Barneveld who encouraged van Duijvenbode to take up darts professionally, and Raymond was key to the youngster gaining sponsorship from Unicorn. However, the master prevailed against the apprentice on this occasion.
Barney edged through in a tight opening set. There was a significant disparity in the averages, but this wasn’t reflected in the scoreline. Raymond was averaging 13 points higher than his opponent, but Van Duijvenbode took out 100, and then 110 to force a fifth and deciding leg, but van Barneveld held comfortably to clinch the set.
Continue reading “Barney breezes through to World Championship second-round!”
There were a number of big-name casualties in the opening session of the Players Championship finals today, with Kim Huybrechts, Terry Jenkins, Jelle Klaasen, Stephen Bunting and Mervyn King among the seeds to tumble in Minehead.
The performance of the afternoon was undoubtedly delivered by Daryl Gurney, who produced his best ever TV performance in thrashing Kim Huybrechts 6-2.
Gurney averaged 101. 38 and hit 46% on the doubles en route to stunning the Belgian, who was seeded fifth in Minehead. The Northern Irishman has always possessed immense natural ability and perhaps now he will showcase that talent more regularly on the big stage.
Continue reading “Big names tumble in Minehead, as Gurney shows his class!”
Martin Adams maintained his 100% record at this year’s Grand Slam of Darts, beating his old adversary Steve Beaton 5-4 in a high-quality contest, to set up a last 16 clash against Kim Huybrechts.
Adams led 4-1, but Beaton produced a valiant fightback to secure his last 16 spot and force a last-leg decider. ‘Wolfie’ won the opening leg with a clinical two-dart 80 finish, but Beaton responded impressively with a classy 117 finish. Adams usurped this in the following leg, with a 118 checkout.
Andy Fordham’s Grand-Slam fairy-tale continued, as he beat local-favourite Wayne Jones to keep his hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages alive, whilst Dave Chisnall hit a perfect 9-darter in his incredible victory against Peter Wright!
Fordham, who averaged 99 in losing 5-2 to Adrian Lewis on Saturday evening, didn’t produce the same level of performance against Jones, but he held his nerve in crucial moments to secure an extremely poignant 5-3 victory.
Jones missed 6 darts at double in an error-strewn opening leg of the contest, allowing Fordham to capitalise, by hitting D10 with his last-dart to break throw. ‘The Viking’ then extended his lead on the same target in the following leg.
There were a number of surprise qualifiers for the Grand Slam of Darts in Coventry today, as Winmau trio Mark Webster, Mervyn King and Steve Beaton were the most high-profile names to secure qualification.
Beaton whitewashed Prakash Jiwa and Matt Clark 5-0 to seal qualification, whilst Mark Webster was an emphatic 5-1 victor over James Richardson in the final round of qualifying.
They will be joined in Wolverhampton by Wayne Jones, who beat Devon Petersen in the final round of qualifying, to secure a place in his hometown event.
Former BDO man Robbie Green, who reached the last 16 of last year’s Grand Slam, performed superbly well to qualify, thrashing both Andy Hamilton and Vincent van der Voort 5-1 to seal his spot.
Continue reading “Beaton, King and Webster Qualify for the Grand Slam, as other Big Names Tumble!”
Phil Taylor and James Wade both suffered sensational first-round exits at the World Grand Prix in a night of shocks at the Citywest in Dublin.
11-time Grand Prix Champion Taylor was beaten at the first-round stage for the fourth time in his career, as Vincent van der Voort produced one of his finest television performances to record a straight-sets victory over ‘The Power’.
In addition, James Wade was sensationally dumped out by Mensur Suljovic. The former Grand Prix Champion was highly fancied to challenge for the title given his affinity with the tournament and his recent excellent form, but he was outplayed by ‘The Gentle’.
However, the headlines will inevitably go to van der Voort, who secured his first ranking victory over Taylor since 2009. Over such a short format, the top players are always vulnerable in the early rounds and the Dutchman was tremendous throughout.
Continue reading “Taylor and Wade suffer Shock First-Round Exits in Dublin!”
Michael van Gerwen continued his dominance on the European Tour in 2015, whitewashing Justin Pipe 6-0 to win the Dutch Darts Masters in Venray. Roared on by a boisterous home crowd, van Gerwen survived scares against both Mervyn King and Terry Jenkins to secure his fourth European Tour title of the year.
Continue reading “MvG continues European Tour Dominance in Venray!”
Raymond van Barneveld recorded a comprehensive 9-3 victory over defending UK Open Champion Adrian Lewis on day one in Minehead, whilst World Champion Gary Anderson, Michael Smith, Terry Jenkins and Simon Whitlock were also early casualties.