Lakeside World Championship Semi Finals
Posted on January 10th, 2010
Chizzy crushes O’Shea in dramatic 92-minute semi final
Outsider Dave Chisnall cruised into the final toppling top seed Tony O’Shea in a thrilling 92-minute thriller.
Chisnall from St Helens, who has motored through his opponents this week in dramatic fashion moved up a gear for his all-northern clash with Stockport’s Silverback who finished runner up in the competition 12 months ago.
The Lancashire county player was in devastating form firing out 13 180s and four 100 plus checkouts including 164, the week’s highest finish, which puts him in line for a £3000 cash prize.
Despite a maximum and 95 finish for Chisnall, the opening set went with the throw, O’Shea narrowly missing double 18 for a blockbusting 156 finish, eventually going out with double four.
A 180 in the third leg of the second set steered O’Shea to double 12 for a 2-1 lead, against the throw and he then hit double four in the next to extend his lead.
Chizzy annexed the opening leg – against the throw – to lead the third. But he nervously missed five double attempts before hitting double four, both players hitting 180s before O’Shea hit double 16. Chisnall then wired double eight for a set-winning 140, Silverback swooping to level against the throw. Chisnall missed double tops for a 139 checkout and then a further three, O’Shea missing double tops for 80, Chisnall holding his nerve to clinch the set with his second bid for double 10.
Both players missed doubles before O’Shea hit double six to steal the initiative in the fourth, following up with the next. Chisnall hitting his fifth 180 and then two treble 18s and double 16 for the week’s highest checkout of 140, nicking the next on double eight after O’Shea missed a 101 finish. Chizzy held his nerve to take the deciding fifth after notching up his sixth 180.
Silverback raced through the fifth hitting finishes of 62 and 96 and his fourth maximum to steal a 3-2 interval lead.
Refreshed from the break, the 29-year-old swept unchallenged to a 3-0 success, finishing each leg on his favourite double 18, the winning leg on a 102 checkout to again level the match.
Growing in confidence, two 180s steered Chisnall into a 2-1 set lead against the throw, a further couple of 180s paving the way for the 29-year-old St Helens man to lead the match for the first time.
He then swept through the next unchallenged as the top seed faltered from the barrage of the exciting St Helens sharpshooter, as Chisnall opened up a 5-3 lead.
He took the opening leg of the ninth against the throw and then bettered his earlier checkout, his 164 (treble 19, treble 19 bull) putting him in line for the prize for the top checkout of the tournament.
Both players hit maximums in the next, Chisnall blasting in a bull finish for a match-winning 121 flourish.
Clearly overwhelmed by the importance of his victory. Chisnall remarked: “I’m over the moon, I just can’t believe it.
“It was great having my parents here in the crowd watching me. They have not been able to get down to the event because of the bad weather. It meant everything having them in the crowd.
“I am going to get drunk tonight because I have not had a good drink all week,” declared the St Helen’s sharpshooter, who was a 40/1 outsider at the beginning of the tournament.
Defeated O’Shea was not surprised by Chisnall’s victory: “He has brought the form to the tournament this week that we see week in week out.
“I felt really good early on in the match but then he came back at me. I expected him to do the 164 finish and turned away.
“But I did not play my best darts and that is no disrespect to Dave,” said Silverback.
Howls of excitement as Wolfie reaches his third final after humdinger with Phillips
England skipper and third seed Martin Adams scrambled into the final after a 91-minute thriller with Welsh captain Martin Phillips.
Adams had charged into a 4-0 lead and then after the break had moved to 5-1 – within one set of victory.
But then nightmare memories of how Phill Nixon blazed back in similar fashion in 2007 began to play on his mind as the battling Welsh ace pulled back to 5-4, Wolfie hanging on to clinch the deciding leg in the 10th set.
Adams admitted: “I lost it a bit. Martin started to relax. I looked at his face and saw he was enjoying himself and I knew then he was dangerous.
“When he started coming back, I thought to myself, we have been here before, how do we resolve that problem. I tried play as I did at the start of the match and it worked.
“It should be a great final because you always get great players in the final in a tournament of this stature,” declared Adams.
The England skipper used the benefit of experience of 17 years in the world championships to pressurise the fast-throwing Welsh skipper Phillips by slowing his naturally fast game.
After edging to the opening set 3-2 with the darts, he then took a 2-0 lead, wrapping up the second set 3-1 including a 12 darter after 18 minutes play.
Annexing the following two sets aided by an 11 and two 13 dart checkouts, the man from Peterborough, who was bidding to reach his third world final, took the opening leg of the fifth set with the throw but then went 2-1 down, levelling but losing the fifth leg, as left-hander Phillips blasted in a 78 checkout, finished on double tops to pull back a set.
The third seed blazed in his fourth 180 of the match to start the sixth set, finishing with 89 completed on double tops, notching another maximum in the next and firing in a 124 finish on double eight.
Phillips nipped in with double tops to take the third leg but rampant Adams hit his sixth maximum of the match and then took the set on double eight with his third attempt for a double.
The almost customary 180 came from Adams in the opening leg of the seventh set as he flashed in an 11-darter, finished with 81, finished on double 12.
There were agonising double misses by both players in the next leg, Phillips keeping his title hopes alive as he hit double four to hold his throw. Again in the next both missed doubles before Adams hit the required double 16 with his sixth attempt.
Phillips responded with a 12 darter, including a 180, finished on 81 to take the set to a deciding fifth leg.
The Welshman fired in his fourth 180 and then agonised as he missed bull for a match-saving 121, Adams then missing double 18 and double nine to win through, Phillips coolly exiting to rack up his second set, which was won against the throwing advantage.
And then as memories of the Phill Nixon comeback in the 2007 final came flooding back, Adams conceded the eighth set, Phillips firing in double 16.
An 11-darter, including a 180 and finished on double 16 gave Phillips a dream start to the ninth and he added the next with the same double, Adams blasting in his eighth 180 as he pulled back a leg in 12 darts finished on double 16.
Phillips missed three doubles for the set, Adams nipping in for double 16 to level the set, Adams racing down to a double but the Welsh skipper pounced with a blockbusting 116 finish on double tops.
The opening legs of the 10th set were traded, Philliips taking the third after Adams missed double 18 for a sensational 116 finish. Despite a shaking hand Adams levelled and then held his nerve to take the deciding fifth leg with double 12, ending the dramatic 91-minute gripper.
Tags: Lakeside World Professional, Results, Review
Filed under BDO-WDF, Lakeside World Professional |
