Phil Taylor has continued his 100% record in World Matchplay finals to lift the trophy for an unbelievable 14th time, also extending his unbeaten run in Blackpool to six years. It was a fantastic final between himself and European Champion, Adrian Lewis. Taylor managed to maintain an average of around 111 throughout the match with Lewis, aided by countless 180s, averaging around 106.
The first four legs of the final would go with throw, including Taylor hitting an 88-checkout on the bull in leg three, before Lewis broke in the fifth leg to go 3-2 in front. All five legs of the second session would go with throw, meaning that Lewis now had a 6-4 lead. The third session was definitely the turning point when Taylor won all five legs, with checkouts of 130 and 123 in legs 12 and 13, to move 9-6 in front.
It didn't completely ruin Lewis at this point though and he did manage to find a break that allowed him to make it 10-8 before 11-9 at the end of the fourth session. That became 11-10 before Lewis made a crucial mistake. After hitting single-20 with his first dart he decided to go for single eight to leave double top instead of single-16 for the double of the same bed. But because the first dart had lay in such a way, Lewis had no chance of finding double top and ended up hitting the first dart before hitting the floor. This allowed Taylor to move 12-10 in front and added another nail in the Lewis coffin.
The mistake hurt Lewis and Taylor smelt blood, he managed to win the following three legs of the fifth session to make it 15-10. Lewis began to fight back once again in the sixth session. After both players missed two darts to win the 16th leg, Lewis managed to finish off ten before finding a terrific 127-checkout to reduce the deficit to 15-13. Lewis would then miss two darts to move within one of victory and Taylor all but sealed the match with a terrific 136-checkout to make it 17-13. It was a rather more common tops finish for Taylor to win the match and claim his colossal 14th victory.
It was also a poignant final as commentator John Gwynne was hanging up his microphone for good. The sporting world wishes Gwynney a fantastic retirement and thanks him for his incredible time as a voice of sports.
Showing posts with label Darts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Darts. Show all posts
Sunday, 28 July 2013
Power of the Jackpot Hits Blackpool
It will be an all Stoke final in the 2013 World Matchplay after both Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis progressed from their semi-finals. Both produced fine performances to lead virtually throughout their matches, leaving Lewis to try and create history if he is to win the tournament. In his previous 13-World Matchplay finals, Taylor has not been beaten.
Lewis managed to see of Michael Van Gerwen in a rematch of the European Championship semi-final, which Lewis won. Lewis got off to a flyer hitting checkouts of 121 and 119, after the pair had initially shared the opening two legs, to go in at the first break 4-1 in front. Van Gerwen managed to pull it back to 4-3 and then 5-4 after Lewis missed a dart to win the ninth leg, but Lewis managed to win the tenth the make it 6-4 at the second interval. Van Gerwen missed three darts to win the 12th leg and allowed Lewis to to make it 8-4. But the Dutchman fought back and a 164-checkout meant he had taken the remaining three legs of the third session to pull it back to 8-7.
Van Gerwen would then make it four consecutive legs as he levelled the match. Lewis managed to stem the tide with a 106-checkout before winning the last two legs of the fourth session to again lead at 11-9. That became 12-9 before Lewis would miss two darts to win leg-23 and Van Gerwen posted a checkout of 84 on the bull before finding a 112-checkout to level the match once again. But Lewis again maintained his lead to make it 13-12 at the fifth break. Van Gerwen would finally take the lead in the match with a stunning 121-checkout to make it 15-14 and then missed two darts to go within a leg of victory, allowing Lewis to level the score. Lewis then took the following two legs to win the match 17-15 and progress through.
Taylor also managed to start like a train against James Wade. A 106-checkout from The Power put him 3-0 in front before he took a 4-1 lead, after he missed two darts to win the fourth leg, in to the first break. Taylor would then extend that advantage to 6-1 and then 7-2 before Wade managed to win the final leg of the second session to go in 7-3 behind. That became 7-4 when Wade found a huge 124-checkout and it was then 7-5 when Taylor missed two darts to win the leg. Taylor also missed two dart to win leg-14 as Wade made it 8-6 before Taylor made it nine with the 15th leg.
Wade returned from the break with a fantastic 146-checkout, only to be cancelled out by a 124-finish from Taylor. But The Machine would reel off the remaining three legs to complete his comeback from 7-2 down to level the match at 10-10. Two double 20's from Wade to perform an 80-checkout levelled the game again in leg-22 before needing to win the 25th leg to make it 13-12 in Taylor's favour. That would be the last leg he would win though as Taylor took the next four legs, with Wade missing four darts to win leg-28, to win the match 17-12 and book his place alongside Lewis.
Lewis managed to see of Michael Van Gerwen in a rematch of the European Championship semi-final, which Lewis won. Lewis got off to a flyer hitting checkouts of 121 and 119, after the pair had initially shared the opening two legs, to go in at the first break 4-1 in front. Van Gerwen managed to pull it back to 4-3 and then 5-4 after Lewis missed a dart to win the ninth leg, but Lewis managed to win the tenth the make it 6-4 at the second interval. Van Gerwen missed three darts to win the 12th leg and allowed Lewis to to make it 8-4. But the Dutchman fought back and a 164-checkout meant he had taken the remaining three legs of the third session to pull it back to 8-7.
Van Gerwen would then make it four consecutive legs as he levelled the match. Lewis managed to stem the tide with a 106-checkout before winning the last two legs of the fourth session to again lead at 11-9. That became 12-9 before Lewis would miss two darts to win leg-23 and Van Gerwen posted a checkout of 84 on the bull before finding a 112-checkout to level the match once again. But Lewis again maintained his lead to make it 13-12 at the fifth break. Van Gerwen would finally take the lead in the match with a stunning 121-checkout to make it 15-14 and then missed two darts to go within a leg of victory, allowing Lewis to level the score. Lewis then took the following two legs to win the match 17-15 and progress through.
Taylor also managed to start like a train against James Wade. A 106-checkout from The Power put him 3-0 in front before he took a 4-1 lead, after he missed two darts to win the fourth leg, in to the first break. Taylor would then extend that advantage to 6-1 and then 7-2 before Wade managed to win the final leg of the second session to go in 7-3 behind. That became 7-4 when Wade found a huge 124-checkout and it was then 7-5 when Taylor missed two darts to win the leg. Taylor also missed two dart to win leg-14 as Wade made it 8-6 before Taylor made it nine with the 15th leg.
Wade returned from the break with a fantastic 146-checkout, only to be cancelled out by a 124-finish from Taylor. But The Machine would reel off the remaining three legs to complete his comeback from 7-2 down to level the match at 10-10. Two double 20's from Wade to perform an 80-checkout levelled the game again in leg-22 before needing to win the 25th leg to make it 13-12 in Taylor's favour. That would be the last leg he would win though as Taylor took the next four legs, with Wade missing four darts to win leg-28, to win the match 17-12 and book his place alongside Lewis.
Saturday, 27 July 2013
Jackpot Again For MVG
The second of tonight's semi-finals was confirmed yesterday in the other two thrilling quarter finals. European Champion, Adrian Lewis, had to fight tooth and nail to continue his fantastic recent form and progress through. It'll be a repeat of the European Championships semi-final as Michael Van Gerwen will be looking to exact some revenge after also making it through.
Lewis needed extra time to see off the formidable Andy Hamilton in a tough battle of the Stokies. The first four legs all went with throw due to Lewis missing six darts to move 3-1 in front. It looked costly as Hamilton broke in the fifth leg to leave the stage 3-2 in front. But Hamilton then missed three darts to hold in the sixth leg and then needed a colossal 170-checkout to level at 4-4. The Hammer then secured a fantastic 127-checkout to move in front once more, only for Lewis to level the match before the second break with a ton checkout, courtesy of two double 20's. After losing the first leg of the third session, Lewis would again move in front at 7-6, only for Hamilton to turn it around once more by winning the remaining two legs of the session.
Hamilton would then make it four consecutive legs to move 10-7 in front which would become 11-9 at the fourth break. Lewis continued to worm his way back as the score went from 12-9 to 13-10 before Jackpot took the remaining two legs of the fifth session to move to within a leg of Hamilton. Hamilton then crucially missed two darts to win leg-26 and Lewis was now level. Hamilton responded with a 101-checkout and did sit 15-14 in front, only for Lewis to force a tie break. Lewis needed to find an unbelievable 161-checkout to level the match at 16-16 before finding a break, after Hamilton missed a dart at double, to move 18-17 in front. Lewis was now throwing for the match and managed to clear up-86 to emerge victorious.
Van Gerwen wasn't ever really in trouble against Dave Chisnall, but the world number nine did give him a match. Chisnall missed a crucial dart to break in the third leg, allowing Van Gerwen to retake the lead with a 105-checkout. The Dutchman did lead 3-2 at the first break before Chisnall managed to find a break in leg-7 and then produced a 112-checkout to move 5-3 ahead. It should have been six but he missed three darts and Van Gerwen swooped in with a 110-checkout. Van Gerwen then managed to the match at 5-5 after Chisnall missed a further dart to win the leg. The first three legs of the third session all went with throw before Van Gerwen broke in leg-14 only for Chisnall to break back and make it 8-7 to the Dutchman at the third break.
Van Gerwen found an edge, and two consecutive legs, to move 10-7 ahead only for Chisnall to find a brilliant 144-checkout to make it 11-9 after four sessions. The writing would end up being on the wall though as Van Gerwen reeled off the first three legs of the fifth session before then making it 15-10, leaving him one leg away as they left the stage for the final time. Chisnall did manage to hold the victory off for one more leg but Van Gerwen managed to check-out 20 to win 16-11.
Lewis needed extra time to see off the formidable Andy Hamilton in a tough battle of the Stokies. The first four legs all went with throw due to Lewis missing six darts to move 3-1 in front. It looked costly as Hamilton broke in the fifth leg to leave the stage 3-2 in front. But Hamilton then missed three darts to hold in the sixth leg and then needed a colossal 170-checkout to level at 4-4. The Hammer then secured a fantastic 127-checkout to move in front once more, only for Lewis to level the match before the second break with a ton checkout, courtesy of two double 20's. After losing the first leg of the third session, Lewis would again move in front at 7-6, only for Hamilton to turn it around once more by winning the remaining two legs of the session.
Hamilton would then make it four consecutive legs to move 10-7 in front which would become 11-9 at the fourth break. Lewis continued to worm his way back as the score went from 12-9 to 13-10 before Jackpot took the remaining two legs of the fifth session to move to within a leg of Hamilton. Hamilton then crucially missed two darts to win leg-26 and Lewis was now level. Hamilton responded with a 101-checkout and did sit 15-14 in front, only for Lewis to force a tie break. Lewis needed to find an unbelievable 161-checkout to level the match at 16-16 before finding a break, after Hamilton missed a dart at double, to move 18-17 in front. Lewis was now throwing for the match and managed to clear up-86 to emerge victorious.
Van Gerwen wasn't ever really in trouble against Dave Chisnall, but the world number nine did give him a match. Chisnall missed a crucial dart to break in the third leg, allowing Van Gerwen to retake the lead with a 105-checkout. The Dutchman did lead 3-2 at the first break before Chisnall managed to find a break in leg-7 and then produced a 112-checkout to move 5-3 ahead. It should have been six but he missed three darts and Van Gerwen swooped in with a 110-checkout. Van Gerwen then managed to the match at 5-5 after Chisnall missed a further dart to win the leg. The first three legs of the third session all went with throw before Van Gerwen broke in leg-14 only for Chisnall to break back and make it 8-7 to the Dutchman at the third break.
Van Gerwen found an edge, and two consecutive legs, to move 10-7 ahead only for Chisnall to find a brilliant 144-checkout to make it 11-9 after four sessions. The writing would end up being on the wall though as Van Gerwen reeled off the first three legs of the fifth session before then making it 15-10, leaving him one leg away as they left the stage for the final time. Chisnall did manage to hold the victory off for one more leg but Van Gerwen managed to check-out 20 to win 16-11.
Thursday, 25 July 2013
TaylorWade For A Semi-Final
The first two quarter finals of the 2013 World Matchplay Darts were completed today, meaning that the first of Saturday's semi-finals has now been confirmed. The reigning champion, Phil Taylor, will meet James Wade after both players managed to get through against tough opposition in their quarter finals.
Taylor booked his place in the top four with victory over a Justin Pipe that looked to tire towards the end. Taylor began the night with a 122-checkout to level the match in the second leg before going 3-1 in front. The score would be 3-2 going in to the first break but Pipe soon retaliated. Pipe would hit a fantastic 136-checkout to level the match at 4-4. Taylor needed to make it 5-5 at the second break before Pipe levelled the match in the 12th leg. Taylor finally found a break and won three consecutive legs to lead 9-6 at the third break. That became 9-7 before Taylor again stepped up a gear, reeling off the remaining four legs of the fourth session, including a 100-checkout in leg-19, to make it 13-7. The five legs of the fifth session all went with throw, meaning that Pipe won it 3-2 and did hit a 104-checkout in leg-23, this meant Taylor was 15-9 in front before Pipe prolonged the defeat until after the break. The 26th leg was completed with an 18-checkout, giving Taylor the 16-10 victory.
Wade needed extra time to battle back and overcome Simon Whitlock in his quarter final. The match see-sawed throughout and it began with Whitlock winning the opening leg against the throw. Wade retaliated and took out 120 to move 2-1 in front before leading 3-2 at the first break. After sharing the first two legs, Whitlock responded with the following three legs to turn it around and lead 6-4 at the second, Wade did miss two darts to make it 5-5. The third session saw Wade turn it around again, taking the first four legs of the session to end up going 8-7 ahead. Whitlock had missed two darts in leg-12 to make it 7-5 but he soon made it 8-8 with a stunning 130-checkout. The Aussie did go 9-8 ahead only for Wade to make it 10-9 before Whitlock levelled the match going in to the fourth break. A 124-checkout from Whitlock was the second of three consecutive legs to move ahead once again at 13-10, only for Wade to take the remaining two legs of the session to reduce the arrears to 13-12 at the final interval. Whitlock then managed to move 14-12 in front only for Wade to hit a 135-checkout to level before Whitlock needed make it 15-15 to force a tie break. That became 16-16 before Wade finally managed to see off the Aussie and win 18-16.
Taylor booked his place in the top four with victory over a Justin Pipe that looked to tire towards the end. Taylor began the night with a 122-checkout to level the match in the second leg before going 3-1 in front. The score would be 3-2 going in to the first break but Pipe soon retaliated. Pipe would hit a fantastic 136-checkout to level the match at 4-4. Taylor needed to make it 5-5 at the second break before Pipe levelled the match in the 12th leg. Taylor finally found a break and won three consecutive legs to lead 9-6 at the third break. That became 9-7 before Taylor again stepped up a gear, reeling off the remaining four legs of the fourth session, including a 100-checkout in leg-19, to make it 13-7. The five legs of the fifth session all went with throw, meaning that Pipe won it 3-2 and did hit a 104-checkout in leg-23, this meant Taylor was 15-9 in front before Pipe prolonged the defeat until after the break. The 26th leg was completed with an 18-checkout, giving Taylor the 16-10 victory.
Wade needed extra time to battle back and overcome Simon Whitlock in his quarter final. The match see-sawed throughout and it began with Whitlock winning the opening leg against the throw. Wade retaliated and took out 120 to move 2-1 in front before leading 3-2 at the first break. After sharing the first two legs, Whitlock responded with the following three legs to turn it around and lead 6-4 at the second, Wade did miss two darts to make it 5-5. The third session saw Wade turn it around again, taking the first four legs of the session to end up going 8-7 ahead. Whitlock had missed two darts in leg-12 to make it 7-5 but he soon made it 8-8 with a stunning 130-checkout. The Aussie did go 9-8 ahead only for Wade to make it 10-9 before Whitlock levelled the match going in to the fourth break. A 124-checkout from Whitlock was the second of three consecutive legs to move ahead once again at 13-10, only for Wade to take the remaining two legs of the session to reduce the arrears to 13-12 at the final interval. Whitlock then managed to move 14-12 in front only for Wade to hit a 135-checkout to level before Whitlock needed make it 15-15 to force a tie break. That became 16-16 before Wade finally managed to see off the Aussie and win 18-16.
Wednesday, 24 July 2013
2013 World Matchplay Darts: Day Five
The quarter final line-up was completed as the four remaining second round matches were played out in this year's 2013 World Matchplay tournament. A terrific 105 average from Michael Van Gerwen was enough to produce a fantastic performance to progress. There were wins for Andy Hamilton and Adrian Lewis before Dave Chisnall made it in to the quarter finals of the Matchplay for the first time in his career.
Hamilton continued his fantastic record by seeing off Ian White. After White missed a dart to hold his throw in the opening leg, Hamilton managed to move 2-0 in front. The Hammer then missed two darts to make it three and White ended up winning the fifth to somehow only be 3-2 behind at the break. Hamilton returned from the interval with a 107-checkout to move 4-2 in front. All five legs of the second session went with throw, meaning that Hamilton was now 6-4 in front. The first three legs of the third session would then go against the throw before Hamilton finally held in leg-14 to move 9-5 ahead. It was a consistent performance from The Hammer and, on another day against someone ranked higher than White, his mistakes would have been punished. White did manage to make it 10-7 before Hamilton took the next three legs to win the match 13-7.
Lewis continued to win ugly as he makes his way in to the last eight, taking full advantage of Brendan Dolan's horrific double trouble. After winning the opening leg, the Northern Irishman missed six darts to hold throw in the third leg. Lewis secured a 4-1 lead with a 101-checkout before winning every leg in the second session to make it 9-1. Jackpot managed to get in to double figures before Dolan finally found a double and, as is typical, a second came straight after to make it 10-3. The remaining two legs of the third set went with Lewis to move him a leg away from victory. Dolan put up some resistance with a 108-checkout and then an unbelievable 170-finish before Lewis finished the match off, 13-5.
Van Gerwen continued to make a statement, and become joint favourite for the tournament again, with a demolition job over Peter Wright. The first five legs all went with throw, giving the Dutchman a 3-2 lead. But Van Gerwen soon found another gear and a 104-checkout put him 7-3 in front before Wright took the final leg of the second session. The overdrive button was then hit by Van Gerwen as he stormed out and won all five legs of the third session to go within a leg of victory at the third break. The interval was rather pointless though as Van Gerwen came back and won the 16th leg to ease through to the quarter finals.
The match of the night was definitely between Chisnall and Jamie Caven. It was a game of firsts as neither player had made in to the second round of this tournament before. Chisnall missed three darts to go 3-0 in front but did manage to win the fifth leg to go 3-2 in front at the first break. Caven missed two darts to win the seventh leg as Chisnall ended up taking the first three legs of the second session to lead 6-2. But Caven began to fight back and scored a 109-checkout to make it 6-4 at the second break. Caven managed to make it three consecutive legs by wining the first leg of the third session. Caven would then turn the match around by winning a further five legs on the spin to move 10-7 ahead. The game would turn again as Caven missed two darts to make it 11-8 and then four darts to back ahead after Chisnall had levelled the match. The world number nine then hit a superb 116-checkout to make it 12-10 against the throw before winning the 23rd leg to win 13-10.
Hamilton continued his fantastic record by seeing off Ian White. After White missed a dart to hold his throw in the opening leg, Hamilton managed to move 2-0 in front. The Hammer then missed two darts to make it three and White ended up winning the fifth to somehow only be 3-2 behind at the break. Hamilton returned from the interval with a 107-checkout to move 4-2 in front. All five legs of the second session went with throw, meaning that Hamilton was now 6-4 in front. The first three legs of the third session would then go against the throw before Hamilton finally held in leg-14 to move 9-5 ahead. It was a consistent performance from The Hammer and, on another day against someone ranked higher than White, his mistakes would have been punished. White did manage to make it 10-7 before Hamilton took the next three legs to win the match 13-7.
Lewis continued to win ugly as he makes his way in to the last eight, taking full advantage of Brendan Dolan's horrific double trouble. After winning the opening leg, the Northern Irishman missed six darts to hold throw in the third leg. Lewis secured a 4-1 lead with a 101-checkout before winning every leg in the second session to make it 9-1. Jackpot managed to get in to double figures before Dolan finally found a double and, as is typical, a second came straight after to make it 10-3. The remaining two legs of the third set went with Lewis to move him a leg away from victory. Dolan put up some resistance with a 108-checkout and then an unbelievable 170-finish before Lewis finished the match off, 13-5.
Van Gerwen continued to make a statement, and become joint favourite for the tournament again, with a demolition job over Peter Wright. The first five legs all went with throw, giving the Dutchman a 3-2 lead. But Van Gerwen soon found another gear and a 104-checkout put him 7-3 in front before Wright took the final leg of the second session. The overdrive button was then hit by Van Gerwen as he stormed out and won all five legs of the third session to go within a leg of victory at the third break. The interval was rather pointless though as Van Gerwen came back and won the 16th leg to ease through to the quarter finals.
The match of the night was definitely between Chisnall and Jamie Caven. It was a game of firsts as neither player had made in to the second round of this tournament before. Chisnall missed three darts to go 3-0 in front but did manage to win the fifth leg to go 3-2 in front at the first break. Caven missed two darts to win the seventh leg as Chisnall ended up taking the first three legs of the second session to lead 6-2. But Caven began to fight back and scored a 109-checkout to make it 6-4 at the second break. Caven managed to make it three consecutive legs by wining the first leg of the third session. Caven would then turn the match around by winning a further five legs on the spin to move 10-7 ahead. The game would turn again as Caven missed two darts to make it 11-8 and then four darts to back ahead after Chisnall had levelled the match. The world number nine then hit a superb 116-checkout to make it 12-10 against the throw before winning the 23rd leg to win 13-10.
2013 World Matchplay Darts: Day Four
Half of the quarter finalists were confirmed as the 2013 World Matchplay moved on to day four yesterday. After reaching that stage last year, Justin Pipe secured a career high victory to take him to the last eight again this year. The reigning Champion, Phil Taylor, managed to continue his defence with a very close fought victory. There were also victories for Simon Whitlock and James Wade as the draw becomes ever more exciting.
Pipe was the first man in to the quarter finals after a match that had a lot at stake. It was eighth versus ninth as Raymond Van Barneveld took on the man from Taunton. Barney did miss a dart to instantly break the throw before Pipe missed two darts to go 3-0 in front. Van Barneveld managed to level before a fantastic 170-checkout put Pipe 3-2 ahead at the first break. Pipe missed another three darts to make it 4-2 but was able to make it 4-3 after Barney missed two darts of his own to win the seventh leg. The Dutchman did manage to level with a 117-checkout but another great 129-checkout from Pipe meant that he was now 6-4 in front at the second break.
Pipe managed to extend his lead again with a 90-checkout on the bull. But Van Barneveld retaliated with a ton checkout followed by a 90-finish before levelling the match after Pipe missed another five darts at the double. A win in leg-15 meant the Dutchman managed to take the lead for the first time in the match. That did become 9-7 to Van Barneveld until he hit the proverbial wall, allowing Pipe to take the following six legs to win 13-9. Not only does it put Pipe in to the last eight, it also means he overtakes Van Barneveld in the world rankings.
Whitlock managed to overcome Kevin Painter in a slightly tempestuous affair. The first three legs all went against throw before Whitlock managed to hold in the fifth to only be 3-2 behind at the break. The first three legs of the second session also went against throw and this time it was Painter who held in the tenth leg to level the match at 5-5. The theme continued as the first two legs of the third session went against throw before Whitlock held to move 7-6 in front. At this point, Painter had dropped off and in frustration within his own game, he seemed to take offence at something the Aussie said and it only harmed his game more.
Whitlock would end up winning the final four legs of the third session to lead 9-6 at the third and final break. Painter did look slightly rejuvenated at the beginning of the fourth session but the players would only trade legs. Painter did manage to hit a 122-checkout to make it 12-10 before Whitlock put the game to bed with a huge 91-checkout.
The first tie break of the tournament came in a fantastic match between Taylor and Terry Jenkins. After Taylor took the opening two legs, Jenkins needed to win the fifth leg to only be 3-2 behind at the first break. Taylor would extend that advantage by winning the following three legs before Jenkins found a 118-checkout. But Taylor looked ever more likely to win the match when he responded with a colossal 127-checkout to lead 7-3 at the second break.
Jenkins began to fight back during the third session, bringing it back to 7-5 before missing seven darts to move within a leg of Taylor. Jenkins did manage to win the 15th leg to make it 9-6 at the third break. But The Bull wasn't finished and he would win the next three legs to level the match, including an 88-checkout on the bull in leg-17. Taylor was slightly rattled and missed four darts to move back in front and Jenkins would take the lead for the first time in the match at 10-9. Taylor levelled with a 109-checkout and would then find a crucial break to end up throwing for the match at 12-11. But The Power would uncharacteristically miss five match darts and Jenkins forced the tie break. Jenkins would miss two crucial darts to hold the throw, again allowing Taylor to throw for the match. This time Taylor wasn't going to be denied and he managed to squeak through to the quarter finals with a 14-12 win.
The final match of the night was just as big as Wade took on Gary Anderson. The first four legs went against the throw including a fantastic 121-checkout from Anderson in the third leg. Wade finally managed to hold his throw to leave the stage 3-2 in front. The Machine didn't return from the break and Anderson was able to reel off four consecutive legs, with another great 120-checkout in leg seven, to take a 6-4 lead in to the second break after Wade managed to stop the rot in the tenth leg.
Wade did manage to pull it back to 6-5 before Anderson took the next two legs with a 99-checkout which included two double 19's in the 13th. But Wade again began to fight back and took the remaining two legs, with a 110-checkout in leg-15, in the third session to only be 8-7 behind. This time it was Anderson who failed to come back from the break and this time it was catastrophic. Wade was able to reel off four consecutive legs this time to move 12-8 in front. Anderson couldn't come back and Wade would progress with a 13-8 victory.
Pipe was the first man in to the quarter finals after a match that had a lot at stake. It was eighth versus ninth as Raymond Van Barneveld took on the man from Taunton. Barney did miss a dart to instantly break the throw before Pipe missed two darts to go 3-0 in front. Van Barneveld managed to level before a fantastic 170-checkout put Pipe 3-2 ahead at the first break. Pipe missed another three darts to make it 4-2 but was able to make it 4-3 after Barney missed two darts of his own to win the seventh leg. The Dutchman did manage to level with a 117-checkout but another great 129-checkout from Pipe meant that he was now 6-4 in front at the second break.
Pipe managed to extend his lead again with a 90-checkout on the bull. But Van Barneveld retaliated with a ton checkout followed by a 90-finish before levelling the match after Pipe missed another five darts at the double. A win in leg-15 meant the Dutchman managed to take the lead for the first time in the match. That did become 9-7 to Van Barneveld until he hit the proverbial wall, allowing Pipe to take the following six legs to win 13-9. Not only does it put Pipe in to the last eight, it also means he overtakes Van Barneveld in the world rankings.
Whitlock managed to overcome Kevin Painter in a slightly tempestuous affair. The first three legs all went against throw before Whitlock managed to hold in the fifth to only be 3-2 behind at the break. The first three legs of the second session also went against throw and this time it was Painter who held in the tenth leg to level the match at 5-5. The theme continued as the first two legs of the third session went against throw before Whitlock held to move 7-6 in front. At this point, Painter had dropped off and in frustration within his own game, he seemed to take offence at something the Aussie said and it only harmed his game more.
Whitlock would end up winning the final four legs of the third session to lead 9-6 at the third and final break. Painter did look slightly rejuvenated at the beginning of the fourth session but the players would only trade legs. Painter did manage to hit a 122-checkout to make it 12-10 before Whitlock put the game to bed with a huge 91-checkout.
The first tie break of the tournament came in a fantastic match between Taylor and Terry Jenkins. After Taylor took the opening two legs, Jenkins needed to win the fifth leg to only be 3-2 behind at the first break. Taylor would extend that advantage by winning the following three legs before Jenkins found a 118-checkout. But Taylor looked ever more likely to win the match when he responded with a colossal 127-checkout to lead 7-3 at the second break.
Jenkins began to fight back during the third session, bringing it back to 7-5 before missing seven darts to move within a leg of Taylor. Jenkins did manage to win the 15th leg to make it 9-6 at the third break. But The Bull wasn't finished and he would win the next three legs to level the match, including an 88-checkout on the bull in leg-17. Taylor was slightly rattled and missed four darts to move back in front and Jenkins would take the lead for the first time in the match at 10-9. Taylor levelled with a 109-checkout and would then find a crucial break to end up throwing for the match at 12-11. But The Power would uncharacteristically miss five match darts and Jenkins forced the tie break. Jenkins would miss two crucial darts to hold the throw, again allowing Taylor to throw for the match. This time Taylor wasn't going to be denied and he managed to squeak through to the quarter finals with a 14-12 win.
The final match of the night was just as big as Wade took on Gary Anderson. The first four legs went against the throw including a fantastic 121-checkout from Anderson in the third leg. Wade finally managed to hold his throw to leave the stage 3-2 in front. The Machine didn't return from the break and Anderson was able to reel off four consecutive legs, with another great 120-checkout in leg seven, to take a 6-4 lead in to the second break after Wade managed to stop the rot in the tenth leg.
Wade did manage to pull it back to 6-5 before Anderson took the next two legs with a 99-checkout which included two double 19's in the 13th. But Wade again began to fight back and took the remaining two legs, with a 110-checkout in leg-15, in the third session to only be 8-7 behind. This time it was Anderson who failed to come back from the break and this time it was catastrophic. Wade was able to reel off four consecutive legs this time to move 12-8 in front. Anderson couldn't come back and Wade would progress with a 13-8 victory.
Monday, 22 July 2013
2013 World Matchplay Darts: Day Three
The first round of the 2013 World Matchplay came to an end with the in form players making it through alongside a great first round performance. There was a shock victory for Ian White whilst Jamie Caven and Adrian Lewis came through to continue their recent good runs. Andy Hamilton completed the round two line up.
Robert Thornton continued his awful form in Blackpool against White. The Scot hadn't won a leg in the Winter Games in his previous two appearances and that showed throughout the match. White won the opening four legs after Thornton had missed ten darts at a double between legs two and four. Thornton finally managed to break his duck in the fifth leg and then made it 4-2 after White missed a dart to win that leg. But White continued to take control and would win the following three legs to make it 7-2. The ninth leg was won with an amazing 125-checkout as White went bull, 25, bull. Thornton did manage to make it 7-3 going in to the second break before White took the next three legs to win the match 10-3 and won it with an 81-checkout on the bull.
Caven continued his great recent form with a good comeback over Wes Newton. A 104-checkout from Caven was required to to level the score at 2-2 after Newton won the opening two legs. Newton then regained the lead with the next three legs to move 5-2 and then 6-3 in front. That then became 7-4 before Caven roared back to level the match. Newton would move ahead once more before Caven again levelled before making it three consecutive legs to win 10-8 and go through.
The European Champion wasn't at his best but it was enough to see off Ronny Huybrechts. The Belgian did level the match in the second leg but Lewis left the stage 4-1 at the first break. It could have been a lot closer but Huybrechts was guilty of missing a few chances. Lewis managed to make it 5-2 with a great 127-checkout and then 6-3 after Huybrechts missed three darts at the double before the leaving the oche with a seventh leg at the second break. The next five legs were shared, giving Lewis a 10-5 ugly victory.
One of the performances of the round goes to Hamilton who saw off the local lad, Ronnie Baxter. Hamilton got off to a great start with a 104-checkout before going off stage 5-0 in front. That would be extended to 8-0 before Baxter finally hit a double, much to the appreciation of the crowd. It didn't change the game and Hamilton would win the match in style with a 111-checkout.
Robert Thornton continued his awful form in Blackpool against White. The Scot hadn't won a leg in the Winter Games in his previous two appearances and that showed throughout the match. White won the opening four legs after Thornton had missed ten darts at a double between legs two and four. Thornton finally managed to break his duck in the fifth leg and then made it 4-2 after White missed a dart to win that leg. But White continued to take control and would win the following three legs to make it 7-2. The ninth leg was won with an amazing 125-checkout as White went bull, 25, bull. Thornton did manage to make it 7-3 going in to the second break before White took the next three legs to win the match 10-3 and won it with an 81-checkout on the bull.
Caven continued his great recent form with a good comeback over Wes Newton. A 104-checkout from Caven was required to to level the score at 2-2 after Newton won the opening two legs. Newton then regained the lead with the next three legs to move 5-2 and then 6-3 in front. That then became 7-4 before Caven roared back to level the match. Newton would move ahead once more before Caven again levelled before making it three consecutive legs to win 10-8 and go through.
The European Champion wasn't at his best but it was enough to see off Ronny Huybrechts. The Belgian did level the match in the second leg but Lewis left the stage 4-1 at the first break. It could have been a lot closer but Huybrechts was guilty of missing a few chances. Lewis managed to make it 5-2 with a great 127-checkout and then 6-3 after Huybrechts missed three darts at the double before the leaving the oche with a seventh leg at the second break. The next five legs were shared, giving Lewis a 10-5 ugly victory.
One of the performances of the round goes to Hamilton who saw off the local lad, Ronnie Baxter. Hamilton got off to a great start with a 104-checkout before going off stage 5-0 in front. That would be extended to 8-0 before Baxter finally hit a double, much to the appreciation of the crowd. It didn't change the game and Hamilton would win the match in style with a 111-checkout.
Sunday, 21 July 2013
2013 World Matchplay Darts: Day Two - Evening Session
The second night of the 2013 World Matchplay saw the two heavy favourites enter the fray. Phil Taylor performed the best show of the tournament to set out his stall before Michael Van Gerwen also progressed with a very solid performance. Gary Anderson also produced a good performance to make it through with Dave Chisnall somehow squeezing in to the second round.
After pulling out the European Championship with illness, Anderson returned to the oche and looked to be in top form for the first time in a while. The Scot began the match with a 101-checkout before leaving the stage 4-1 ahead after winning the opening three legs. King won the opening leg of the second session before Anderson took the following four legs to extend his lead to 8-2. King did try to mount some sort of comeback and managed to make it 8-5 before Anderson took the next two legs to win 10-5 and set up a second round match against James Wade.
The cagiest match of the tournament definitely goes to Chisnall and Paul Nicholson. It was a match where neither were at their best and it left Nicholson visibly upset. Nicholson did start the better by winning the first two legs before taking a 4-1 lead at the first break. Chisnall came back after the break to level the match before missing three darts in following leg to take the lead for the first time. Chizzy did win the tenth leg with a 102-checkout which meant the players were locked together at 5-5 at the second break. Chisnall added a 121-checkout to take the lead for the first time before going 7-5 in front. This time it was Nicholson to fight back and did so by winning the following three legs to regain the lead at 8-7. Chisnall managed to find a 76-checkout on the bull to again level the match before breaking Nicholson to go 9-8 in front. This also seemed to break him mentally as The Asset was having to fight back the tears during the 18th leg. Chisnall also managed to win that to win the game 10-8 and progress through to the second round. Thoughts do go to Nicholson though in the hope he is okay and recovers his form.
It was perhaps no surprise that the tournament favourite pulled off the best performance of the tournament so far. Taylor faced Matchplay debutant Stuart Kellett and sent out a chilling statement. The Power took the first five legs with a 161-checkout in the fifth. Kellett did miss the odd dart at a double but finally avoided the whitewash in the eighth leg after Taylor missed two darts himself. It didn't change the outcome and Taylor hit a 134-checkout in the tenth to make it 9-1 at the second break. The players returned for Taylor to also take the 11th leg and easily win the match 10-1 to set up a second round tie with Terry Jenkins.
Van Gerwen also looked to make his mark against Colin Lloyd with a beginning checkout of 107 and then a 120-checkout in leg three as he went 5-0 in front. Unlike many, Lloyd was fazed and he retaliated after the break by winning the following three legs before also finding a 120-checkout to make it 6-4 at the second break. Van Gerwen would miss two darts in the 13th leg as Lloyd made it 7-6. But Van Gerwen stopped the comeback with an 85-checkout on the bull before then making it 9-6. The Dutchman would then win the 17th leg to book his place in the second round.
After pulling out the European Championship with illness, Anderson returned to the oche and looked to be in top form for the first time in a while. The Scot began the match with a 101-checkout before leaving the stage 4-1 ahead after winning the opening three legs. King won the opening leg of the second session before Anderson took the following four legs to extend his lead to 8-2. King did try to mount some sort of comeback and managed to make it 8-5 before Anderson took the next two legs to win 10-5 and set up a second round match against James Wade.
The cagiest match of the tournament definitely goes to Chisnall and Paul Nicholson. It was a match where neither were at their best and it left Nicholson visibly upset. Nicholson did start the better by winning the first two legs before taking a 4-1 lead at the first break. Chisnall came back after the break to level the match before missing three darts in following leg to take the lead for the first time. Chizzy did win the tenth leg with a 102-checkout which meant the players were locked together at 5-5 at the second break. Chisnall added a 121-checkout to take the lead for the first time before going 7-5 in front. This time it was Nicholson to fight back and did so by winning the following three legs to regain the lead at 8-7. Chisnall managed to find a 76-checkout on the bull to again level the match before breaking Nicholson to go 9-8 in front. This also seemed to break him mentally as The Asset was having to fight back the tears during the 18th leg. Chisnall also managed to win that to win the game 10-8 and progress through to the second round. Thoughts do go to Nicholson though in the hope he is okay and recovers his form.
It was perhaps no surprise that the tournament favourite pulled off the best performance of the tournament so far. Taylor faced Matchplay debutant Stuart Kellett and sent out a chilling statement. The Power took the first five legs with a 161-checkout in the fifth. Kellett did miss the odd dart at a double but finally avoided the whitewash in the eighth leg after Taylor missed two darts himself. It didn't change the outcome and Taylor hit a 134-checkout in the tenth to make it 9-1 at the second break. The players returned for Taylor to also take the 11th leg and easily win the match 10-1 to set up a second round tie with Terry Jenkins.
Van Gerwen also looked to make his mark against Colin Lloyd with a beginning checkout of 107 and then a 120-checkout in leg three as he went 5-0 in front. Unlike many, Lloyd was fazed and he retaliated after the break by winning the following three legs before also finding a 120-checkout to make it 6-4 at the second break. Van Gerwen would miss two darts in the 13th leg as Lloyd made it 7-6. But Van Gerwen stopped the comeback with an 85-checkout on the bull before then making it 9-6. The Dutchman would then win the 17th leg to book his place in the second round.
2013 World Matchplay Darts: Day Two - Afternoon Session
There was no time for a lazy afternoon by the seaside in Blackpool. This afternoon was filled with more darting drama as we reached the halfway point in the first round of the 2013 World Matchplay tournament. There were wins for the P's as Justin Pipe, Kevin Painter and Peter Wright all made it through, joined by Northern Ireland's Brendan Dolan.
Pipe managed to see off an injured Mark Webster in another match where the person starting the better ended up losing. Webster was suffering from damaged ligaments in his right ankle following a five-a-side football match. But it didn't really hamper the left-handed Welshman as he took a 2-0 lead courtesy of a 101-checkout. Pipe did level the match but a 76-checkout on the bull was enough for Webster to go 3-2 in front at the first break. Webster probably didn't want the break as Pipe returned with five consecutive legs to take a 7-3 lead at the second break. Pipe took the next two legs to go within one of winning the match before Webster added another leg to his belt. Pipe would still win 10-4 to comfortably progress to meet Raymond Van Barneveld in the second round.
Painter had a tough job in seeing off the young Jamie Lewis. Lewis managed to win the opening leg after Painter missed four darts at the double only for The Artist to go 2-1 and then 3-2 in front at the first interval. Painter gained an edge with a superb 164-checkout before then going 5-2 ahead. The plucky Lewis tried to come back and managed to make it 6-5 with a 104-checkout. But Painter continued to stay ahead and extended his lead to 8-5 and then 9-6 before Lewis tried to keep himself in the match. Painter would take the 17th leg of the match to win the game 10-7.
Wright continued his fantastic recent run of form with his first ever victory over Kim Huybrechts. The first six legs all went with throw as the match began to live up to its 'hard to call' nature. But Wright managed to gain a real foothold as he took the next four legs to go 7-3 in front. Huybrechts struggled for long periods during the game and after winning his fourth leg, Wright managed to win the following three legs to book his place in the next round.
The closest match of the afternoon saw Dolan creep past Steve Beaton to also make it in to the second round. The game began in extraordinary fashion; Dolan took the first leg with a 112-checkout before Beaton riposted with a 118-finish. Beaton would then go 3-1 in front before making it 5-2. But Dolan battled back and the Northern Irishman managed to take the next three legs to level the match at the second interval. Dolan then managed to make it five consecutive legs to go 7-5 in front before Beaton fought back to level, with a 117-checkout in leg-13. The next three legs were shared to put Dolan 9-8 in front but a sudden death shoot-out was avoided as the Northern Irishman managed to win the 18th leg and squeeze through.
Pipe managed to see off an injured Mark Webster in another match where the person starting the better ended up losing. Webster was suffering from damaged ligaments in his right ankle following a five-a-side football match. But it didn't really hamper the left-handed Welshman as he took a 2-0 lead courtesy of a 101-checkout. Pipe did level the match but a 76-checkout on the bull was enough for Webster to go 3-2 in front at the first break. Webster probably didn't want the break as Pipe returned with five consecutive legs to take a 7-3 lead at the second break. Pipe took the next two legs to go within one of winning the match before Webster added another leg to his belt. Pipe would still win 10-4 to comfortably progress to meet Raymond Van Barneveld in the second round.
Painter had a tough job in seeing off the young Jamie Lewis. Lewis managed to win the opening leg after Painter missed four darts at the double only for The Artist to go 2-1 and then 3-2 in front at the first interval. Painter gained an edge with a superb 164-checkout before then going 5-2 ahead. The plucky Lewis tried to come back and managed to make it 6-5 with a 104-checkout. But Painter continued to stay ahead and extended his lead to 8-5 and then 9-6 before Lewis tried to keep himself in the match. Painter would take the 17th leg of the match to win the game 10-7.
Wright continued his fantastic recent run of form with his first ever victory over Kim Huybrechts. The first six legs all went with throw as the match began to live up to its 'hard to call' nature. But Wright managed to gain a real foothold as he took the next four legs to go 7-3 in front. Huybrechts struggled for long periods during the game and after winning his fourth leg, Wright managed to win the following three legs to book his place in the next round.
The closest match of the afternoon saw Dolan creep past Steve Beaton to also make it in to the second round. The game began in extraordinary fashion; Dolan took the first leg with a 112-checkout before Beaton riposted with a 118-finish. Beaton would then go 3-1 in front before making it 5-2. But Dolan battled back and the Northern Irishman managed to take the next three legs to level the match at the second interval. Dolan then managed to make it five consecutive legs to go 7-5 in front before Beaton fought back to level, with a 117-checkout in leg-13. The next three legs were shared to put Dolan 9-8 in front but a sudden death shoot-out was avoided as the Northern Irishman managed to win the 18th leg and squeeze through.
Saturday, 20 July 2013
2013 World Matchplay Darts: Day One
The Winter Gardens in Blackpool opened its doors once again for the week as the 2013 World Matchplay Darts began in full swing. There were wins for the five time World Champion, Raymond Van Barneveld, who is yet to win in Blackpool. The 2007 Champion, James Wade, also made it through along with The Bull Terry Jenkins. The European Darts Championship runner-up Simon Whitlock also won after fending off a Jelle Klaasen comeback.
Jenkins ended up progressing comfortably past Andy Smith. It didn't start that way as The Pie Man rattled off a 116-checkout before going 2-0 in front. Jenkins did manage to battle back to still went off at the first break 3-2 behind as Smith managed to hit a 101-checkout. But that would be the last leg Smith would win as Jenkins managed to reel off seven consecutive legs, with a little help from Smith missing doubles when Jenkins did, to win the match 10-7.
It was a similar story for Van Barneveld as he made Mensur Suljovic's World Matchplay debut a nightmare. It was a good start for the Austrian as he levelled the match with a brilliant 120-Shanghai finish before then going 2-1 in front. But Barney would reply with a 101-checkout to leave the stage 3-2 in front at the first break. The Dutchman would then take the following four legs, including an 81-checkout on the bull, before Suljovic made it 7-3 at the second break. Suljovic would also win the first leg of the third session only for Barney to prevent any type of comeback with a 121-checkout, again on the bull. The Dutchman would then wrap the game up with the following two legs to win 10-4.
The first real contest was between Wade and John Part. After Wade missed three darts to level the match, Part took a 2-0 lead. Wade did fight back to level but would still leave the stage 3-2 down after the first interval. Wade was guilty of missing another three darts in leg seven which allowed Part to hit a 104-checkout to go 4-3 in front. Wade responded with a 110-checkout before taking the following two legs to end the second session 6-4 ahead. The Machine did manage to extend that to 8-5 before Part pulled it back to 8-7. That became 9-8 and the 18th leg turned out to be a rather tense one. But Wade emerged with a 24-checkout to win 10-8 and progress without really being at his best on the doubles in parts of the game.
Whitlock was the third man to go 2-0 ahead only for Klaasen to level the match. Klaasen again levelled to make it 3-3 before Whitlock went on to win the next five legs and go 8-3 in front. Klaasen wasn't really anywhere for most of the match but he did summon up two consecutive legs to make it 8-5. Whitlock went within a leg of the match and then went on to miss two match darts, allowing Klaasen to make it 9-6. Out of nowhere, The Dutchman somehow hit a magnificent 158-checkout followed by a 118-finish to make it 9-8. With fears of becoming the victim of yet another Blackpool comeback, Whitlock managed to compose himself and take the next leg to win 10-8.
Jenkins ended up progressing comfortably past Andy Smith. It didn't start that way as The Pie Man rattled off a 116-checkout before going 2-0 in front. Jenkins did manage to battle back to still went off at the first break 3-2 behind as Smith managed to hit a 101-checkout. But that would be the last leg Smith would win as Jenkins managed to reel off seven consecutive legs, with a little help from Smith missing doubles when Jenkins did, to win the match 10-7.
It was a similar story for Van Barneveld as he made Mensur Suljovic's World Matchplay debut a nightmare. It was a good start for the Austrian as he levelled the match with a brilliant 120-Shanghai finish before then going 2-1 in front. But Barney would reply with a 101-checkout to leave the stage 3-2 in front at the first break. The Dutchman would then take the following four legs, including an 81-checkout on the bull, before Suljovic made it 7-3 at the second break. Suljovic would also win the first leg of the third session only for Barney to prevent any type of comeback with a 121-checkout, again on the bull. The Dutchman would then wrap the game up with the following two legs to win 10-4.
The first real contest was between Wade and John Part. After Wade missed three darts to level the match, Part took a 2-0 lead. Wade did fight back to level but would still leave the stage 3-2 down after the first interval. Wade was guilty of missing another three darts in leg seven which allowed Part to hit a 104-checkout to go 4-3 in front. Wade responded with a 110-checkout before taking the following two legs to end the second session 6-4 ahead. The Machine did manage to extend that to 8-5 before Part pulled it back to 8-7. That became 9-8 and the 18th leg turned out to be a rather tense one. But Wade emerged with a 24-checkout to win 10-8 and progress without really being at his best on the doubles in parts of the game.
Whitlock was the third man to go 2-0 ahead only for Klaasen to level the match. Klaasen again levelled to make it 3-3 before Whitlock went on to win the next five legs and go 8-3 in front. Klaasen wasn't really anywhere for most of the match but he did summon up two consecutive legs to make it 8-5. Whitlock went within a leg of the match and then went on to miss two match darts, allowing Klaasen to make it 9-6. Out of nowhere, The Dutchman somehow hit a magnificent 158-checkout followed by a 118-finish to make it 9-8. With fears of becoming the victim of yet another Blackpool comeback, Whitlock managed to compose himself and take the next leg to win 10-8.
Sunday, 7 July 2013
Third Time Lucky For Lewis
Adrian Lewis has managed to win European Darts Championship after making it to his third final. After seeing off Michael van Gerwen, Lewis set up a final date with the reigning champion Simon Whitlock who managed to beat Ronny Huybrechts in the first semi-final.
The final was a little bit one sided overall. It began with Lewis smashing a 106-checkout before storming in to a 6-1 lead after Whitlock had missed two darts to take a 2-1 lead. Lewis was definitely back to his best even when he missed six darts to win leg to win leg nine, allowing Whitlock to make it 6-3. Legs either side of a fantastic 125-checkout made it 9-3 and put Lewis in the most commanding position.
It wasn't completely over as Whitlock had already come back from this scoreline earlier the day to win his quarter final against Jamie Caven. After Lewis missed two darts to make it 10-3, Whitlock hit double top then double ten to win the tenth leg and then made it 9-5. Lewis would miss two darts to win the match two legs later, but then managed to take out ten to win the game 11-6 and win his first major tournament since his two World Championships.
Lewis' semi-final victory over van Gerwen was something of a spectacular nature. It was a match where the Dutchman looked tired and was a bit like in his first round, much below par. Lewis took a 3-0 lead after taking a ton checkout in the second leg. That lead became 4-1 before van Gerwen missed five darts to level the match. Those missed darts helped Lewis take four legs on the spin to make it 8-3 before a fantastic 141-checkout put him 9-4 ahead. van Gerwen threatened a comeback by taking the next legs to make it 9-7. That became 10-8 when the Dutchman managed to hit a superb 150-checkout. But Lewis nipped any comeback in the bud by surpassing that and hitting a 160-checkout to win the match 11-8.
It was slightly easier for Whitlock against Huybrechts, but only by a leg. Whitlock took the first two legs before going 5-1 in front after the Belgian missed three darts to level the match at 2-2. Whitlock did miss four darts to make it 6-1 but by the second break, the Australian was 7-3 ahead. Huybrechts continued to hold his throw before he finally managed to break with a great 150-checkout to make it 9-7. But Huybrechts would miss a dart to go within a leg and Whitlock took it along with the following leg to win the match 10-7.
Quarter Final results:
Ronny Huybrechts 10-9 Robert Thornton
Simon Whitlock 10-9 Jamie Caven
Michael van Gerwen 10-7 Jelle Klaasen
Andy Hamilton 3-10 Adrian Lewis
The final was a little bit one sided overall. It began with Lewis smashing a 106-checkout before storming in to a 6-1 lead after Whitlock had missed two darts to take a 2-1 lead. Lewis was definitely back to his best even when he missed six darts to win leg to win leg nine, allowing Whitlock to make it 6-3. Legs either side of a fantastic 125-checkout made it 9-3 and put Lewis in the most commanding position.
It wasn't completely over as Whitlock had already come back from this scoreline earlier the day to win his quarter final against Jamie Caven. After Lewis missed two darts to make it 10-3, Whitlock hit double top then double ten to win the tenth leg and then made it 9-5. Lewis would miss two darts to win the match two legs later, but then managed to take out ten to win the game 11-6 and win his first major tournament since his two World Championships.
Lewis' semi-final victory over van Gerwen was something of a spectacular nature. It was a match where the Dutchman looked tired and was a bit like in his first round, much below par. Lewis took a 3-0 lead after taking a ton checkout in the second leg. That lead became 4-1 before van Gerwen missed five darts to level the match. Those missed darts helped Lewis take four legs on the spin to make it 8-3 before a fantastic 141-checkout put him 9-4 ahead. van Gerwen threatened a comeback by taking the next legs to make it 9-7. That became 10-8 when the Dutchman managed to hit a superb 150-checkout. But Lewis nipped any comeback in the bud by surpassing that and hitting a 160-checkout to win the match 11-8.
It was slightly easier for Whitlock against Huybrechts, but only by a leg. Whitlock took the first two legs before going 5-1 in front after the Belgian missed three darts to level the match at 2-2. Whitlock did miss four darts to make it 6-1 but by the second break, the Australian was 7-3 ahead. Huybrechts continued to hold his throw before he finally managed to break with a great 150-checkout to make it 9-7. But Huybrechts would miss a dart to go within a leg and Whitlock took it along with the following leg to win the match 10-7.
Quarter Final results:
Ronny Huybrechts 10-9 Robert Thornton
Simon Whitlock 10-9 Jamie Caven
Michael van Gerwen 10-7 Jelle Klaasen
Andy Hamilton 3-10 Adrian Lewis
2013 European Darts Championship Round Two
Jelle Klaasen 10-6
Justin Pipe: The Dutchman has returned to darts in fine form and continues
that by booking his place in the quarter finals for first time in three years
on television. Pipe had actually started the better by taking a 3-1 lead. But
Klaasen fought back with checkouts of 127, 121 and 110 to go 4-3 in front. Pipe
managed to turn it around once more by taking leads of 5-4 and 6-5 before the
pair were locked together after 12-legs. But Klaasen again found an edge,
hitting checkouts of 167 and 106 before also winning the following two legs to
take the match 10-6.
Andy Hamilton 10-8
Paul Nicholson: The Hammer sees off Nicholson in a tight affair but this
game may be more remembered for Nicholson’s spat with Eric Bristow on Twitter
afterwards. The first four legs went with throw before both players proceeding
to break, making the score 3-3. Hamilton missed four darts to win the eighth
leg and Nicholson was soon 6-3 in front. That became 7-4 before Hamilton
managed to fight back and level after The Asset missed a dart to win the 14th
leg. Nicholson would then miss a further four darts in the next two legs,
putting Hamilton just a leg away from victory. The Hammer would then see of
Nicholson in the 18th leg, 10-8.
Simon Whitlock 10-6
Colin Lloyd: The reigning champion is through after a comfortable second
part to this match. The first eight legs went with throw before Whitlock
finally broke and managed to take a 6-4 lead with a hold in the tenth. The
score would then translate to 8-6 before Whitlock took the next two legs, with
Lloyd missing darts to win the 15th leg, for Whitlock to win 10-6
and continue his defence.
James wade 2-10 Jamie
Caven: The surprise of the afternoon was definitely Caven’s fantastic
victory over Wade. With seven points between them in the averages the key was the
finishing, Caven managed a 56% checkout rate with Wade only a 22%. Caven
started like a train, taking a 4-0 lead with Wade only getting one chance at a
double, in the fourth leg. Wade did manage to pull two legs back before Caven
reeled off six straight legs to win in emphatic fashion, without giving Wade
much of a chance throughout the contest.
Adrian Lewis 10-6
Kevin Painter: Lewis continues his hunt for a major since his double world
triumph. Checkouts of 158 and 103 put Jackpot 3-2 ahead before Painter managed
to level the match. Lewis, somewhat back to his best, went in to a 5-3 lead
which would become a 6-4 one. Lewis would then take the next four legs to power
through and win the match 10-4 with an average of 100.34.
Robert Thornton 10-9
Raymond van Barneveld: There was a piece of personal history as Thornton
managed to beat van Barneveld for the first time ever in a competition. Barney
crucially missed four darts to take a 3-1 lead and Thornton actually went in to
the first break 3-2 in front. Thornton was next to miss a great chance, missing
three darts to go 4-2 ahead and, after missing another five darts, van
Barneveld actually managed to 5-4 in front. But Thornton again came back and
turned it around to lead 6-5 and would then miss two darts to make it 7-5.
Checkouts of 133 and 142 either side of a 64-finish put the Scot 9-6 in front a
one leg away from victory. The beleaguered Barney then managed to pick himself
to hit a 164-checkout before managing to force a deciding leg after Thornton
had missed three match darts in leg-17. Thornton threw first in the final leg
and managed to get to the double first, but missed his first three attempts.
Barney stepped up but missed his two match darts, allowing Thornton to take the
final leg and squeeze through.
Phil Taylor 5-10
Ronny Huybrechts: The Belgian performs one of the shocks of the tournament
against a very un-Tayloresque performance. Take nothing away from Huybrechts
though, he took the match to Taylor from the get go and, after losing the
opening leg, would storm in to a 5-1 lead. Huybrechts would miss six darts to
win leg eight and Taylor had managed to fight back to 5-4. But instead of
crumbling, Huybrechts picked it up a gear and again continued the offensive.
The Belgian won the next three legs to go 8-4 in front before missing a dart in
the 13th leg to move to within one of winning. Again, it didn’t faze
Huybrechts and, after Taylor missed three darts, he managed to get to the line
before crossing it with a fantastic 104-checkout to round off a 10-5 victory,
the best of his career so far.
Mervyn King 3-10
Michael van Gerwen: If van Gerwen was extremely flat on Friday; he
definitely got his together against King to remain the man to beat in this
tournament, and the world of darts at the minute. After sharing the first two
legs, the Dutchman moved in to a 4-1 lead with a 136-checkout in leg four. Van
Gerwen then added a 130-checkout to that in leg seven before King replied with
a 111-checkout to make it 5-3 to the Dutchman. Van Gerwen would the win the
next five in an astonishing ten minutes, with a second 136-checkout on the way,
to win it 10-3 in devastating fashion.
Saturday, 6 July 2013
2013 European Darts Championship Day Two
Day two of the European Darts Championships saw the
conclusion of the first round but it left more disappointment on the lips of
many. The action, like yesterday, was exciting and dramatic but the German
crowd was so lacklustre that the atmosphere was unbearable. Just like on
Thursday, the world’s top players looked like they were just down the local,
albeit rather large, tavern with the odd punter shouting out.
ITV haven’t helped much and to be honest, the darting world
should remain split between the BBC and Sky because their coverage cannot be
beaten. With very little advertising and the only allowing of some games,
including the whole Saturday afternoon session, to be viewed via the internet
is absurd and does nothing to help promote the sport.
For those that did watch the second part of the first round,
they managed to see the favourite Michael van Gerwen and double world champion
Adrian Lewis win their matches. There were also victories for Justin Pipe, Paul
Nicholson, Andy Hamilton, Mervyn King, Jelle Klaasen and Kevin Painter as
Germany’s final entrant exited the stage and a magic 170-checkout was hit.
The hosts’ participation ended when Nicholson managed to see
off 16-year old Max Hopp. Thanks to ITV, those who were unaware of the internet
coverage could only join this match with Hopp 3-2 in front. That became 4-3
before Nicholson managed to dig deep in front of the partisan crown to take the
following three legs and win it 6-4. Before that, internet viewers would have
seen Pipe see off Finland’s Jani Haavisto 6-3.
Hopp’s match was probably the only time the German crowd
lifted their voices and added something to this tournament.
The lack of
atmosphere may have affected some of the performances as van Gerwen was
noticeably flat against Belgium’s Kurt van de Rijck. It would have taken a
miracle for van de Rijck to have won the match anyway, but he certainly didn’t
need the devastating news that his grandfather had passed away a few hours
previously. The Belgian did manage to win leg four which ended up being in the
middle of van Gerwen’s blocks of three consecutive legs. Van Gerwen wasn’t
anywhere near his best though and, with a lot of missed doubles, he’ll be
hoping to improve in round two.
The first deciding leg came in to play when Hamilton faced
Terry Jenkins. After a nervy start with missed doubles aplenty, Jenkins managed
to take the opening leg. Hamilton turned it around before Jenkins fought back
with three straight legs to lead 4-2. Ever the fighter, Hamilton again roared
back with a 112-checkout before going 5-4 in front. The Bull managed to set up
an 11th leg which Hamilton ended up winning to progress. There was
also a deciding leg in the following match when Ronnie Baxter faced King. It
was a very rare occasion where the bull to decide who threw first was the most
crucial dart in the match. Every single leg went with throw, despite Baxter
having two chances to break in a couple of legs, to leave King with a 6-5
victory.
Last year’s runner-up, Wes Newton, failed to make it past
the first round this year after losing to Klaasen. It was a topsy turvy affair
as Klaasen had taken a 2-0 lead before Newton reeled off four consecutive legs
to go 4-2 in front. But the Dutchman responded with four consecutive legs of
his own, including a 129-checkout with two double-18s in the ninth leg and a
112-checkout in the tenth, to win the match 6-4.
6-4 was the same scoreline in the other two matches as Lewis
faced Austria’s Mensur Suljovic and Painter faced Canada’s John Part. Suljovic
began his match with a 111-checkout and took a 3-1 lead before missing darts to
make it 4-1. That turned out to be the turning point as Lewis took the next two
legs to go 4-3 in front. Suljovic did level before Lewis took the following two
legs to progress. The crucial darts in the final game came in the third leg
when Part missed five darts to level the match at 2-2. The lead was 4-1 before
Part came back and ended up taking out a colossal 170-checkout in the seventh
leg and then levelling in the eighth. But Painter would take out the next two
legs to also take the final place in the second round.
Friday, 5 July 2013
2013 European Darts Championships Day One
The 2013 European Darts Championships begin in fine fashion
last night, not that many people from Germany would know. The tournament is
being held in Mulheim but it was a shame to see the venue half empty and
without much of that fantastic atmosphere that is becoming entwined with
darting majors.
Maybe it was because it was the opening round or that it was
a Thursday or a combination of both, either way it didn’t stop eight great
games to begin the tournament. There were mixed results for the Huybrechts brothers
and wins for the World Champion, world number four and the reigning European
champion along with wins for Jamie Caven, Colin Lloyd, Robert Thornton and
Raymond van Barneveld.
Ronny Huybrechts started the night with perhaps his best
performance in a major tournament. The older of the Belgian brothers managed to
score an average of over 100 on his way to beating Stuart Kellett 6-3. Younger
brother Kim didn’t have the same fate, but he did have the unenviable task of
facing the reigning champion, Simon Whitlock. Huybrechts missed too many
doubles and soon found himself 4-1 down after initially winning the opening
leg. But the Belgian managed to fight back and level the scores before missing
three darts to go 5-4 in front. Whitlock then completed the 6-4 victory with a
great 110-checkout to keep his title defence alive.
Phil Taylor was magical last weekend as he managed to win a
PTC in Minehead. He looked to continue that form here with a first round
victory of Netherlands’ Vincent van der Voort. A ton checkout ensured that The
Power had a 3-0 lead before missing five darts at the double and allowing van
der Voort to claw it back to 6-2. The doubles seemed to be the only real blip
in a steady Taylor performance that saw him lead 5-2 before winning the match
6-3.
James Wade possibly proved that it doesn’t matter who you
play against, it’s how you play the board. This is because The Machine was due
to play Gary Anderson before the Scot pulled out with illness, with everyone
hoping he will be okay to play in the World Matchplay later this month,
allowing Mark Webster to take his place. But the change obviously didn’t faze
Wade as he took an instant 3-0 lead. That would become 4-2 before Wade
continued his efficient performance to seal a 6-2 victory and comfortably
progress.
On the face of it, 6-2 and 6-1 scorelines for Thornton and
van Barneveld would suggest they had relatively easy matches and played well,
but neither match was quite that simple. Thornton did play extremely well
against Brendan Dolan and was 4-0 ahead without any real trouble. The only
problem for Thornton was the fact that he had pulled a muscle in his back and
it was proving very painful for him. But he battled on and hit a 100-checkout
to go 5-1 ahead before taking the eighth leg to win the match 6-2.
Van Barneveld began his tournament against Germany’s own
Tomas Seyler and, without disrespecting the world 93; the Dutchman would have
had problems against someone with a higher calibre. Barney stormed in to the
game with a fantastic 156-checkout in the opening leg. Seyler did equalise but
would then miss a total of 16-darts at the double to help Barneveld secure a
6-1 victory. The Dutchman’s performance can be monitored by noting that he
required four double fours to win two thirds of his legs.
Perhaps the ‘biggest’ upset of the night goes to Lloyd who
managed to see off the in form Peter Wright. Lloyd had managed to go 2-1 in
front before Snakebite retaliated with an 84-checkout on the bull. Lloyd
returned to go 4-2 and then 5-4 in front before winning the match with an
impressive 116-checkout. But the performance of the night was to go to Caven
who managed to whitewash the world number ten, Dave Chisnall. Caven is in the
form of his career after recently publishing a book and managed to beat Chisnall
with a ton plus average and a highlight of a 118-checkout in the penultimate
fifth leg.
Sunday, 9 June 2013
Taylor Will Not Be Toppled
Phil Taylor has laughed in the face of his critics, those who said he was finished and Michael Van Gerwen was the new king. The Power is still very much on his throne and shows no sign of leaving it, he stormed past Peter Wright in the UK Open semi-final before winning his fifth UK Open crown against Andy Hamilton.
Taylor was imperious throughout and never gave Hamilton a chance. Hamilton did miss two darts to retake the lead in the third leg but he did reply in the fourth with a fantastic 140-checkout after Taylor missed two darts of his own. The players departed the stage at the first break with Taylor leading 3-2.
The Power returned and in full throttle; a 167-checkout was just the start before opened up a 6-2 lead. Hamilton stopped the rot with a ton checkout of his own before Taylor made it 7-3 going in to the second break with another unbelievable 121-checkout. Hamilton then missed four darts to win the 11th leg and Taylor was now 9-3 in front. Hamilton made it 9-4 before Taylor posted a 106-checkout and then a 32-checkout to win the match and still be the best player to throw an arrow. The defeat for Hamilton means that he becomes the 11th different loser in a UK Open final. As for Taylor, he takes his crown knowing that he averaged over 100 in each of his games in this tournament
Taylor got to the final as a result of seeing off the impressive Wright. Unfortunately, Wright wasn't in the sort of form he has been throughout this tournament. Taylor won three of the first four legs before the players left the stage at 3-2 to The Power. Taylor would take full advantage of Wright's lesser performance by taking the following three legs to make it 6-2 before making it 7-3 at the second break. Wright's semi-final highlights were definitely the 101 and 109-checkouts in legs 12 and 13 to make it 8-5 before Taylor took the following two legs to book his place alongside Hamilton in the final.
Hamilton survived five match darts to beat Raymond Van Barneveld in a titanic tussle. Hamilton missed three darts in the first leg but would take the following three to lead 3-2 going in to the first break. Hamilton began the second session with a 116-checkout before Barney responded with three legs in a row to lead 5-4. The Dutchman then had a dart to make 6-4 going in to the second break but he squandered it and Hamilton managed to level. A 132-checkout rounded off the straight legs at the start of the third session to give Hamilton a commanding 8-5 advantage.
Barney responded with three legs of his own to once again level the match, but the crucial leg was the 15th as Hamilton missed three darts to go within a leg of victory. Hamilton did make it 9-8 and then missed two darts to win it in the next leg as Barney followed up with a ton checkout to force a deciding leg. Barney looked to have the final leg in the bag but he missed two match darts to give Hamilton a shot. The Hammer then missed two more darts of his own to give the advantage back to Van Barneveld. But Van Barneveld again missed all three darts to seal his place in the final and this time Hamilton wasn't going to throw it away.
Taylor was imperious throughout and never gave Hamilton a chance. Hamilton did miss two darts to retake the lead in the third leg but he did reply in the fourth with a fantastic 140-checkout after Taylor missed two darts of his own. The players departed the stage at the first break with Taylor leading 3-2.
The Power returned and in full throttle; a 167-checkout was just the start before opened up a 6-2 lead. Hamilton stopped the rot with a ton checkout of his own before Taylor made it 7-3 going in to the second break with another unbelievable 121-checkout. Hamilton then missed four darts to win the 11th leg and Taylor was now 9-3 in front. Hamilton made it 9-4 before Taylor posted a 106-checkout and then a 32-checkout to win the match and still be the best player to throw an arrow. The defeat for Hamilton means that he becomes the 11th different loser in a UK Open final. As for Taylor, he takes his crown knowing that he averaged over 100 in each of his games in this tournament
Taylor got to the final as a result of seeing off the impressive Wright. Unfortunately, Wright wasn't in the sort of form he has been throughout this tournament. Taylor won three of the first four legs before the players left the stage at 3-2 to The Power. Taylor would take full advantage of Wright's lesser performance by taking the following three legs to make it 6-2 before making it 7-3 at the second break. Wright's semi-final highlights were definitely the 101 and 109-checkouts in legs 12 and 13 to make it 8-5 before Taylor took the following two legs to book his place alongside Hamilton in the final.
Hamilton survived five match darts to beat Raymond Van Barneveld in a titanic tussle. Hamilton missed three darts in the first leg but would take the following three to lead 3-2 going in to the first break. Hamilton began the second session with a 116-checkout before Barney responded with three legs in a row to lead 5-4. The Dutchman then had a dart to make 6-4 going in to the second break but he squandered it and Hamilton managed to level. A 132-checkout rounded off the straight legs at the start of the third session to give Hamilton a commanding 8-5 advantage.
Barney responded with three legs of his own to once again level the match, but the crucial leg was the 15th as Hamilton missed three darts to go within a leg of victory. Hamilton did make it 9-8 and then missed two darts to win it in the next leg as Barney followed up with a ton checkout to force a deciding leg. Barney looked to have the final leg in the bag but he missed two match darts to give Hamilton a shot. The Hammer then missed two more darts of his own to give the advantage back to Van Barneveld. But Van Barneveld again missed all three darts to seal his place in the final and this time Hamilton wasn't going to throw it away.
2013 UK Open Quarter Finals & Semi Final Draw
A Dutchman, Lowestoft Scotsman and two men from Stoke will battle it out in a couple of hours time to be crowned the 2013 UK Open Champion. Raymond Van Barneveld came back to win a last leg decider to squeeze through in the opening quarter final of the day. Andy Hamilton just about got the better of James Wade in a match that went another 18-legs. The battle between the best in the world and the best right now saw Phil Taylor silence the Michael Van Gerwen roar and, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, Peter Wright will complete the semi-final line up and seeing off the two time World Champion, Adrian Lewis.
Van Barneveld started like a train against Ronnie Baxter, quickly taking a 3-0 lead. But the Dutchman's doubling completely left him and it allowed Baxter to fight back and win five legs on the spin. The Rocket would take a 6-4 lead going in to the second break with Barney shaking his head in disbelief. Baxter continued his great performance with a 121-checkout in to make it 7-4 before Van Barneveld found two legs from nowhere to move to within a leg of Baxter. The crucial leg turned out to be leg-15 where Baxter missed three darts to go 9-6 in front and Barney was able to again go within a leg of the Blackpool man, 8-7. Two more legs followed for Van Barneveld to allow him to take the lead for the first time since leg five at 9-8. The Dutchman then missed a match dart as Baxter forced a deciding leg. This time it was Baxter to miss one match winning dart before Van Barneveld took out 16 to somewhat fall in to the final four.
In a slower paced but just as entertaining match, Hamilton and Wade began their match with The Hammer hitting a 111-checkout before Wade cancelled that out with a 104-checkout. Hamilton managed to win the fifth leg to go in at the first break 3-2 down but checkouts of 118 and 100 before also taking leg eight, saw The Hammer turn the game around and he now led 5-3. Hamilton then missed two darts to extend his lead further and Wade managed to win the tenth leg to level the match going in to the second break. Hamilton stopped any momentum Wade had just gained by hitting a 112-checkout to make it 6-5 and the remaining legs were shared to make the score read 8-8. Wade missed a dart to take the lead in leg-17 and Hamilton took advantage by taking out 84 on the bull before also taking the next leg to avoid a deciding leg and win the match 10-8.
The most anticipated quarter final was always between Taylor and Van Gerwen. Despite winning the first leg, Van Gerwen didn't really have a sniff of victory as Taylor always kept the Dutchman behind him. Van Gerwen had to win the fifth leg to only be 3-2 behind going in to the first break. Taylor missed three darts to extend his lead to 5-2 and The Power also missed a dart to win leg ten which allowed Van Gerwen to level the match up at 5-5. Taylor missed a further three darts to win leg-12 and Van Gerwen levelled once more. But Taylor did manage to take the next three legs, including a 125-checkout in leg-15 to go within a leg of victory. Van Gerwen made it 9-7 before missing three darts to keep the game alive and the best player in the world secured a 10-7 victory to take the penultimate semi-final place.
The performance of the quarter finals has to go to Wright as he continued his fantastic form to beat Lewis. After levelling up in the second leg, Lewis didn't another leg until the tenth where he found himself 8-2 behind. This was a combination of missed doubles from Jackpot but also some great darts from Snakebite. Lewis did manage to win four legs on the spin to make it 9-6 but it was too little too late as Wright won the 16th leg to superbly win 10-6.
Semi-Final Draw
Raymond Van Barneveld v Andy Hamilton
Phil Taylor v Peter Wright
Van Barneveld started like a train against Ronnie Baxter, quickly taking a 3-0 lead. But the Dutchman's doubling completely left him and it allowed Baxter to fight back and win five legs on the spin. The Rocket would take a 6-4 lead going in to the second break with Barney shaking his head in disbelief. Baxter continued his great performance with a 121-checkout in to make it 7-4 before Van Barneveld found two legs from nowhere to move to within a leg of Baxter. The crucial leg turned out to be leg-15 where Baxter missed three darts to go 9-6 in front and Barney was able to again go within a leg of the Blackpool man, 8-7. Two more legs followed for Van Barneveld to allow him to take the lead for the first time since leg five at 9-8. The Dutchman then missed a match dart as Baxter forced a deciding leg. This time it was Baxter to miss one match winning dart before Van Barneveld took out 16 to somewhat fall in to the final four.
In a slower paced but just as entertaining match, Hamilton and Wade began their match with The Hammer hitting a 111-checkout before Wade cancelled that out with a 104-checkout. Hamilton managed to win the fifth leg to go in at the first break 3-2 down but checkouts of 118 and 100 before also taking leg eight, saw The Hammer turn the game around and he now led 5-3. Hamilton then missed two darts to extend his lead further and Wade managed to win the tenth leg to level the match going in to the second break. Hamilton stopped any momentum Wade had just gained by hitting a 112-checkout to make it 6-5 and the remaining legs were shared to make the score read 8-8. Wade missed a dart to take the lead in leg-17 and Hamilton took advantage by taking out 84 on the bull before also taking the next leg to avoid a deciding leg and win the match 10-8.
The most anticipated quarter final was always between Taylor and Van Gerwen. Despite winning the first leg, Van Gerwen didn't really have a sniff of victory as Taylor always kept the Dutchman behind him. Van Gerwen had to win the fifth leg to only be 3-2 behind going in to the first break. Taylor missed three darts to extend his lead to 5-2 and The Power also missed a dart to win leg ten which allowed Van Gerwen to level the match up at 5-5. Taylor missed a further three darts to win leg-12 and Van Gerwen levelled once more. But Taylor did manage to take the next three legs, including a 125-checkout in leg-15 to go within a leg of victory. Van Gerwen made it 9-7 before missing three darts to keep the game alive and the best player in the world secured a 10-7 victory to take the penultimate semi-final place.
The performance of the quarter finals has to go to Wright as he continued his fantastic form to beat Lewis. After levelling up in the second leg, Lewis didn't another leg until the tenth where he found himself 8-2 behind. This was a combination of missed doubles from Jackpot but also some great darts from Snakebite. Lewis did manage to win four legs on the spin to make it 9-6 but it was too little too late as Wright won the 16th leg to superbly win 10-6.
Semi-Final Draw
Raymond Van Barneveld v Andy Hamilton
Phil Taylor v Peter Wright
Saturday, 8 June 2013
2013 UK Open Quarter Final Draw
(8) Raymond Van Barneveld v (20) Ronnie Baxter
(6) Andy Hamilton v (4) James Wade
(1) Phil Taylor v (2) Michael Van Gerwen
(23) Peter Wright v (3) Adrian Lewis
(6) Andy Hamilton v (4) James Wade
(1) Phil Taylor v (2) Michael Van Gerwen
(23) Peter Wright v (3) Adrian Lewis
2013 UK Open Fifth Round Results
Raymond Van Barneveld 9-7 Robert Thornton: There will be a new UK Open Champion on Sunday after Barney dispatched the current champ. Thornton missed five darts to go 3-0 ahead but did end up taking 4-1 lead after the Dutchman missed darts to win the level in the fourth leg. Thornton would miss a further three darts in the sixth leg to make it 5-1 and Barney followed that up with a 121-checkout to make it 4-3. Van Barneveld took the following two legs to end up taking the lead for the first time in the match at 5-4. The Dutchman could have made it 6-4 but he was next to miss two darts at the double and Thornton turned the tables by going 6-5 in front. Something clicked for Van Barneveld and the Dutchman won legs 12-14 to make it 8-6 and, after missing a number of doubles, Barney wrapped the match up in leg 16 to win 9-7.
Phil Taylor 9-8 Brendan Dolan: Dolan missed two match darts to knock the 16-time World Champion out of the UK Open. The game was full of fantastic checkouts and it began in the third leg when Dolan took a 2-1 lead with a finish of 102. The Northern Irishman followed that up with a 101-checkout in leg five followed by a 124-checkout to break the throw and go 4-2 in front. The next three legs also went against throw before Taylor managed to hold in leg ten to level the match at 5-5. A 132-checkout was needed by Taylor to level the match up again at 6-6 before both players traded checkouts of 103 in legs 14 and 15, Taylor being first, to make it 8-7 to Dolan. Dolan then missed those two crucial darts to win the match 9-7 and Taylor forced a deciding leg. The Power managed to break the Dolan throw one last time to squeeze in to the next round.
Michael Van Gerwen 9-3 Terry Jenkins: The Dutchman continues his imperious form to make it in to the last-16. Van Gerwen took the opening five legs without missing a double, including a ton checkout in leg two and a 121-checkout on the bull in leg five. Jenkins did manage to go from 6-0 down to 8-3 behind before Van Gerwen finished the job.
Adrian Lewis 9-6 Kevin Painter: Jackpot finished this off in a harder way than he started it. Lewis quickly took a 5-0 lead before Painter finally got on the board with a 110-checkout before managing to pull it back to 5-3. Lewis missed six darts to make it 7-3 but two consecutive legs made it 8-4 and put him one away from victory. Lewis then missed two darts to win it and allowed Painter back to 8-6 before the two time world champion won the match.
Steve West 4-9 Peter Wright
Andy Hamilton 9-1 Terry Temple
Ronnie Baxter 9-7 Jelle Klaasen
John Henderson 4-9 James Wade
Phil Taylor 9-8 Brendan Dolan: Dolan missed two match darts to knock the 16-time World Champion out of the UK Open. The game was full of fantastic checkouts and it began in the third leg when Dolan took a 2-1 lead with a finish of 102. The Northern Irishman followed that up with a 101-checkout in leg five followed by a 124-checkout to break the throw and go 4-2 in front. The next three legs also went against throw before Taylor managed to hold in leg ten to level the match at 5-5. A 132-checkout was needed by Taylor to level the match up again at 6-6 before both players traded checkouts of 103 in legs 14 and 15, Taylor being first, to make it 8-7 to Dolan. Dolan then missed those two crucial darts to win the match 9-7 and Taylor forced a deciding leg. The Power managed to break the Dolan throw one last time to squeeze in to the next round.
Michael Van Gerwen 9-3 Terry Jenkins: The Dutchman continues his imperious form to make it in to the last-16. Van Gerwen took the opening five legs without missing a double, including a ton checkout in leg two and a 121-checkout on the bull in leg five. Jenkins did manage to go from 6-0 down to 8-3 behind before Van Gerwen finished the job.
Adrian Lewis 9-6 Kevin Painter: Jackpot finished this off in a harder way than he started it. Lewis quickly took a 5-0 lead before Painter finally got on the board with a 110-checkout before managing to pull it back to 5-3. Lewis missed six darts to make it 7-3 but two consecutive legs made it 8-4 and put him one away from victory. Lewis then missed two darts to win it and allowed Painter back to 8-6 before the two time world champion won the match.
Steve West 4-9 Peter Wright
Andy Hamilton 9-1 Terry Temple
Ronnie Baxter 9-7 Jelle Klaasen
John Henderson 4-9 James Wade
2013 UK Open Last-16 Draw
(86) Steve West v (23) Peter Wright
(6) Andy Hamilton v (83) Terry Temple
(2) Michael Van Gerwen v (17) Terry Jenkins
(40) John Henderson v (4) James Wade
(1) Phil Taylor v (19) Brendan Dolan
(8) Raymond Van Barneveld v (11) Robert Thornton
(20) Ronnie Baxter v (45) Jelle Klaasen
(3) Adrian Lewis v (12) Kevin Painter
(6) Andy Hamilton v (83) Terry Temple
(2) Michael Van Gerwen v (17) Terry Jenkins
(40) John Henderson v (4) James Wade
(1) Phil Taylor v (19) Brendan Dolan
(8) Raymond Van Barneveld v (11) Robert Thornton
(20) Ronnie Baxter v (45) Jelle Klaasen
(3) Adrian Lewis v (12) Kevin Painter
2013 UK Open Fourth Round Results
Dave Chisnall 2-9 James Wade
Phil Taylor 9-2 Adrian Gray
Gary Anderson 7-9 Kevin Painter: The Artist goes through after being 7-3 behind in one of darts' greatest comebacks. There were missed darts aplenty at the double throughout the match, it began as early as the second leg as Anderson missed four dart to break the throw and go 2-0 in front. Painter then missed two darts in the fourth leg to allow Anderson to get the break this time at 3-1. That became 4-3 before Anderson managed to get in to a stride and take the next three legs, making it 7-3 going in to the second break. But Anderson failed to turn up from the second break and a combination of an improved Painter and missed doubles allowed him to take the seven consecutive legs to win 9-7.
Michael Van Gerwen 9-3 Michael Mansell: Mighty Mike eases in to the last-16 with a win over Mansell. The Northern Irishman missed four darts to win the opening leg and that allowed Van Gerwen to storm in to a 6-0 lead, the highlight being a 113-checkout in the second leg. Mansell managed to take the following two legs to avoid the whitewash and would win a third in the 11th leg before Van Gerwen finished it off at 9-3.
Brendan Dolan 9-6 Matt Padgett
Joey Palfreyman 3-9 Raymond Van Barneveld
Terry Jenkins 9-6 Kim Huybrechts
John Part 4-9 Andy Hamilton
Ronnie Baxter 9-6 Lee Palfreyman
Jelle Klaasen 9-3 Stuart Kellett
Kevin McDine 8-9 John Henderson
Wes Newton 8-9 Adrian Lewis: Newton hits a nine dart finish but ended up missing three match darts as Lewis wins this classic.
Terry Temple 9-7 John Bowles
Robert Thornton 9-5 Kirk Shepherd
Stephen Bunting 2-9 Peter Wright
Steve West 9-6 Richie Burnett
Phil Taylor 9-2 Adrian Gray
Gary Anderson 7-9 Kevin Painter: The Artist goes through after being 7-3 behind in one of darts' greatest comebacks. There were missed darts aplenty at the double throughout the match, it began as early as the second leg as Anderson missed four dart to break the throw and go 2-0 in front. Painter then missed two darts in the fourth leg to allow Anderson to get the break this time at 3-1. That became 4-3 before Anderson managed to get in to a stride and take the next three legs, making it 7-3 going in to the second break. But Anderson failed to turn up from the second break and a combination of an improved Painter and missed doubles allowed him to take the seven consecutive legs to win 9-7.
Michael Van Gerwen 9-3 Michael Mansell: Mighty Mike eases in to the last-16 with a win over Mansell. The Northern Irishman missed four darts to win the opening leg and that allowed Van Gerwen to storm in to a 6-0 lead, the highlight being a 113-checkout in the second leg. Mansell managed to take the following two legs to avoid the whitewash and would win a third in the 11th leg before Van Gerwen finished it off at 9-3.
Brendan Dolan 9-6 Matt Padgett
Joey Palfreyman 3-9 Raymond Van Barneveld
Terry Jenkins 9-6 Kim Huybrechts
John Part 4-9 Andy Hamilton
Ronnie Baxter 9-6 Lee Palfreyman
Jelle Klaasen 9-3 Stuart Kellett
Kevin McDine 8-9 John Henderson
Wes Newton 8-9 Adrian Lewis: Newton hits a nine dart finish but ended up missing three match darts as Lewis wins this classic.
Terry Temple 9-7 John Bowles
Robert Thornton 9-5 Kirk Shepherd
Stephen Bunting 2-9 Peter Wright
Steve West 9-6 Richie Burnett
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