Lakeside 08 Review - Day 4
Posted on January 9th, 2008
DARRYL FITTON 4-0 GARY ROBSON
Dazzler Darryl Fitton, the ninth seed slashed his odds with a sparkling 32 minute 4-0 drubbing to tumble Gary “Big Robbo” Robson.
The two off-stage friends served up a sporting encounter but it was all one way traffic as Fitton drove home seven 180s in his pulverising demolition of the eighth seed from Northumberland.
And the secret of his success – peace of mind.
I have moved to a quiet part of Stockport with a river running past the house and this has helped to remove all the stress in my life. Everything is going well.
“The player I feared most in this tournament – Gary Anderson – has gone and I think that I can now win this title. That was the best game I have had at the Lakeside.
“I was delighted with my performance. Gary (Robson) did not start well and I capitalised on this. Anything can happen this week though. The crowd were fantastic tonight,” said Fitton.
He made his trademark entrance to the stage with his stomping dance to the vibrant Madness song “One Step Beyond.”
A semi finalist in 2005, the Stockport sharpshooter hopes this week himself to go one stop beyond and reach his first Lakeside final.
The Cheshire ace took the opening leg of the match and then seized the initiative in the second after Robson, with the throwing advantage, missed five doubles, Big Robbo sweeping back to take the third.
But a showpiece 106 checkout (60, 6, double tops) saw the blue –shirted Stockport sharpshooter scoop the set.
Two maximums and power-scoring from Fitton saw him turn the throwing advantage and claim the second set unchallenged.
The rout continued in the next as Fitton blasted out 180s in each of the opening legs to move ahead and turn the set advantage to his favour, coolly moving into a 3-0 match lead with double nine.
For the third set running Fitton blasted in a maximum to start but Robson nipped in to take the leg on double 16, Dazzler producing another 180 in the next leg, exiting in 13 darts and following up with a 156 checkout for a 12-dart leg and 2-1 match lead.
Throwing first in the fourth leg, two 140s and a ton helped Fitton reach the double first as he clinched the match-winning 60 checkout with two darts to the tumultuous delight of the capacity crowd.
MARTIN ADAMS 4-0 MARTIN PHILLIPS
England skipper Martin Adams gave a polished performance to clinically dispose of Welsh veteran Martin Phillips 4-0.
It took Wolfie just 41 minutes to topple the left-hander who will rue a series of missed doubles throughout the game.
Adams admitted he was feeling a great weight of expectation on him to do well as the England skipper.
“It really is England expects….Just as there is expectation on the England football team there is an expectation on me and you just have to try to do your best. There are so many guys and girls who come here expecting English success.
“I have never played Martin without expecting a tough game but the match showed you cannot afford to miss doubles,” said Adams, who admitted to feeling “a little bit different up on stage as the defending champion.”
Both players had seen their odds slashed in half by the bookies before the eagerly awaited England-Wales encounter as the opening set went with the throw in the first four legs.
The Welsh left-hander had the opportunity to take an early psychological blow but nervously wired double 10. Adams’ right hand with its trademark shake, requiring 56, hit single 16 and planted a perfect dart in double tops.
It was a similar story in the second with the game going with the throw, Adams missing three attempts for double 18 after Phillips had missed two. Requiring five he hit single one and double two.
Phillips was first to the double in the fifth leg but fluffed his attempt for double 14, Adams missing double tops but recovering to take a 2-0 match lead on double 10.
The most capped Welsh international surged into a 2-0 lead in the next set but then squandered four doubles, Adams clinching double eight and double 16 in the next to pressurise Phillips.
There were howls of delight as Adams clinically struck treble 13 and double 12 for a comfortable 3-0 lead.
The story of woe continued for the man from Dolgellau as he missed three double tops to take the opening leg of the fourth set against the throw. Adams responded by hitting the double tops and then added the next leg, leading all the way to hitting the match-winning double eight.
TONY O’SHEA 2-4 ROBERT THORNTON
Robert “The Thorn” Thornton produced the sports top checkout of 170 as he pulled off a shock 4-2 victory and dismiss the fifth seed Tony O’Shea.
The Scot proved to be a real thorn in the Cheshire man’s title plans during the 64 minute encounter with power-scoring and pinpoint finishing as he ended the match with a 30.64 average.
“I was delighted with my performance. I played a power game and punished him with big scores. It was a grand game of darts.
“The leg in which I hit 170 was a good leg and important for me to do but that is what the game’s all about.
“It is the second time I have reached the last eight and the longer format will suit me but I am just taking each game at a time,” said the Scot.
The Stockport grandfather had cruised into a 2-0 lead but saw the battling Scot level and then miss double 18 to sneak the opening set against the throw - O’Shea hitting double eight.
Trailing in the second after Thornton blasted out a 180 in the opening leg, the Cheshire marksman produced a pulsating 161 checkout (60, 51, bull). Thornton took the third leg with double nine and then narrowly missed bull for a 130 finish, scooping the set with his next throw on double four to level the game.
The black-shirted Thornton led the third set 2-1 and then stunned the crowd with the game’s top checkout – 170 to open up a 2-1 lead, adding the third set 3-1, despite a maximum from “Silverback.”
O’Shea raced into a 2-0 lead in the fifth, Thornton taking the third leg with the aid of maximum but the fifth seed replied in the next with a 180 to leave himself 66. On his next throw he hit treble 10 but a wayward second dart hit double one but he recovered to hit the set-winning double 17!
Thornton struck a psychological blow in the opening leg of the sixth set, exiting on double 16 against the throwing advantage. He held his throw in the next, notching his fourth 180 in the third leg and then coolly exited on 98 with two darts to move into the last eight and a guaranteed £6000 payout.
MARK WEBSTER 4-1 GLENN MOODY
Top seed Mark Webster kept the Welsh dream of world championship glory alive, sweeping up “house husband” Glenn Moody with a hard-fought 4-1 success.
The gulf between the two players was enormous as the Welshman from Denbigh who holds the World Cup and Europe Cup singles nailed his title intentions to the board.
It took the Denbigh based left-hander 65 minutes repel the challenge of the slow-throwing blue and black shirted smiling newcomer from the North East of England.
Without doubt, Moody is one of the most popular players to have appeared on the Frimley Green stage. Normally slow players are not “adopted” by the audience – Moody takes an average of 15 seconds to throw his 3 darts.
But the infectious beaming smile, swaggering walk along the oche and little jigs endeared him to the enthusiastic crowd with virtually everyone chanting “Moody, Moody” after every leg of darts.
Webster took seven successive legs before the people’s favourite notched his first double success – double eight. Surprisingly he added the next and when the top seed missed “tops” Moody fired out on double eight to take the third set, much to the delight of the audience.
The Welshman saw his 1-0 lead turned around in the fourth but then levelled, taking it into a tense fifth leg. Moody missed 11 doubles to level the match and Webster only extending his lead to 3-1 after 11 attempts for the winning double five.
Moody raced 2-0 in front in the fifth set but Webster fought back, a 180 and double tops taking the set into a deciding fifth leg which the Welshman finished with a 17-darter finished on 56.
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