If we just managed to escape the blankets in day five then we most definitely needed blankets and coffee to persevere through day six. The entertainment was still high but with games going into extra time we had passed the midnight mark before we had finished. The first game of the night was possibly the closest match on paper between Scot Gary Anderson and Dutchman Jelle Klaasen and indeed it proved to be the closest match of the night as we needed extra time to find a winner. Klaasen took an early 6-2 lead to be nearly half-way to victory but Anderson went on to win six of the next seven legs to turn the advantage to 8-7 his way. Klaasen then managed to equalise at 10-10 and with the game now reduced to first to three it already looked like extra time was inevitable. Anderson missed a hat-ful of doubles and eventually it cost him the match as Klaasen progresses through to the quarter finals after just edging it 14-12.
The second match of the night proved just to be as close between Kevin Painter and Mark Walsh, again it needed extra time to separate the two. Master of the comeback, Painter, was at it again as he found himself 4-1 behind and although it was less of a deficit than against Colin Lloyd it was still hard work for Painter. But he did manage it and went 8-5 ahead and turned the tables on Walsh who, despite his best efforts, couldn't emulate Painter's comeback. However he did level the match at 12-12 although Painter missed eight darts at a double to seal the 13-11 victory. The missed doubles didn't throw him off his stride and Painter won the final two legs to win 14-12 and like Klaasen finds himself in the quarter finals.
With the two close matches on paper and on the stage out of the way everyone would have thought the final two matches would be far from close. In Phil Taylor's case you were right as he was next to enter the fray up against Steve Beaton. Beaton did take a surprise lead however as he found himself 2-0 ahead in no time at all. But Taylor wasn't having any of it and soon found his way through the gears to take the rather nervous Beaton to the cleaners. After two quick double success Beaton failed to get more of them and Taylor stormed in to pounce and he won convincingly 13-4.
The final match saw 'The Wizard of Oz' Simon Whitlock take on Bristolian plasterer Steve Brown, with Whitlock apparently suffering from the flu Brown had a good chance of overcoming the Aussie and possibly creating the shock of the tournament so far. And Brown took his chance very well and made Whitlock go all the way. With Whitlock uncharacteristically missing doubles Brown kept with Whitlock up until 8-8 with both players breaking their opponent's throw twice. But Whitlock found his adrenaline and sneaked to an 11-8 lead but with victory in sight Brown was still hanging on and clawed it back to 12-10 with Whitlock throwing for the victory. Which he did and the Australian just creeps into that quarter final line-up where he'll take on dark horse Jelle Klaasen.
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