Lakeside 2012 – A Preview By Phil Haigh

Posted on January 6th, 2012

The 2012 Lakeside World Championship kicks off in style on Saturday afternoon with 16 players taking to the famous stage in eight matches, including defending champion Martin Adams who is looking to make it three titles in a row as he begins his defence against Scott Mitchell.

Wolfie is bidding to become only the second man after Eric Bristow to win three consecutive BDO World Championships and is joint favourite with the bookies to win the fourth World title of his illustrious career.

The England captain will have to navigate his way round Mitchell though, who despite being handed arguably the toughest opening match possible, was absolutely thrilled with the draw.

“I watched the draw live on ESPN at home,” Scotty Dog explained, “Up came Ron (Meulenkamp) first at number 16 seed, then Martin (Adams) as number one seed up next and I was shouting at the tv pick me, pick me, pick me and them out I came. I was running round the room punching the air.

“It will be an honour to play him on such a big world stage. When I told my Dad I had drawn Martin he said: “Oh no. You’re gonna have to get back next year to get the first round hoodoo out the way then”. Nothing like a bit of family confidence to back you up. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: BDO World Championship Preview, Dean Winstanley, Lakeside 2012, Martin Adams, Ted Hankey
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New World Order – The Winners and Losers from the World Championships

Posted on January 5th, 2012

As the PDC board select the competitors for this year’s Premier League, the fallout from the sensational 2012 World Championships is complete and whilst some will still be celebrating, others will be looking back at the tournament with nothing but regret.

The Winners

Andy Hamilton

Coming into the competition as a 200/1 outsider may have been a little harsh on a player as consistent as the Hammer, but considering he was in the same quarter as Phil Taylor and Raymond van Barneveld next to no one gave him a chance of improving on his previous best performance of the semi-finals. However, Hamilton proved all the doubters wrong and battled his way to the final of the competition. This is reward alone, but throw a cheque for £100,000 and a subsequent place in the Premier League into the equation and you are left with a very happy Hammer.

Dave Chisnall

Chizzy Rascal may not have reached the latter stages of the tournament, but he did something that has truly put him on the darting map – beat Phil Taylor. Chisnall’s debut in the PDC World Championships couldn’t have dealt him a tougher second round draw but he prevailed with a resounding 4-1 victory and became the first man to turn off the Power at such an early stage since Kevin Spiolek in 1993. Crucially, the £15,000 he picked up also took him into the coveted top 32 for the first time. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Adrian Lewis, Andy Hamilton, Kevin Painter, Paul Nicholson, PDC World Championship 2012, Phil Haigh, Premier League Darts 2012, Simon Whitlock
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The Class of 2010 Part 2: The Debut Year, by Callum Harris

Posted on January 4th, 2012

By Callum Harris, Missed Part 1? Click here

Part 2 – The Debut Year

The new boys announced their arrival with Nigel Heydon reaching a semi final during his first weekend of competitions and taking out a range of famous names along the way.

Alcinas reached a quarter final, steadily picking up valuable prize money for the European Order of Merit and the European Championships later in the year.

The rest began in mixed fashion – Farmer plodded steadily toward the UK Open but did not trouble the Pro Tour events.

Hylton struggled to come to terms with playing players who had inspired him, players he had only watched on TV. He failed to qualify for the first major of the year, the UK Open.

Farmer departed at the last 96 stage so it was left to Nigel Heydon to fly the flag for the newcomers. And fly it he did with a fine run to the last 16 that included a victory over 2005 World Championship finalist, Mark Dudbridge. It was a decent start for the trailblazers but yet to set the world on fire.

It wasn’t long before we saw signs of the newcomers really starting to settle into the challenge. Scott Rand & Ian White were now on board while Farmer and Hylton were beginning to show signs of what they could do. A sprinkling of impressive victories over players such as Colin Osborne, Andrew Hamilton, Kevin Painter and Jamie Caven backed this up.

The annual jaunt to Las Vegas proved a turning point for Hylton who secured some important victories earning him valuable prize money to get his campaign going.

Nigel Heydon twice battled gamely against Phil Taylor knowing victory would secure a dream place at the World Matchplay in Blackpool. Although The Undertaker was not successful, Taylor was given a scare and notice had been served.

Scott Rand was now beginning to make an impact, already earning over £2000 on the Pro Tour. Ian White had also got into his stride and had already reached the last 16 of a Pro Tour event. Despite no appearance at the World Matchplay, the newcomers were represented by Antonio Alcinas at the European Championships, having qualified via the European Order of Merit.

Mark Hylton was the only traveller to Australia for the sole Players Championship event. Mile High sensationally reached the final where he was defeated by former World Champion, Dennis Priestley. Things were looking good for the boys of 2010.

The following month saw the Class of 2010 move up a gear. Steve Farmer reached a Pro Tour final and then superbly won an event several weeks later while Ian White reached a semi final shortly after. This secured Farmer a place at The World Grand Prix in Dublin where a scrappy first round loss to Steve Brown would be an important milestone on Farmer’s steep learning curve.

Nigel Heydon had evened out but was steadily improving while Ian White was homing in on an Ally Pally World Championship place.

In November it was Mark Hylton’s turn to come to the TV party. He won through to the Grand Slam of Darts, via the wildcard qualifier, where, in the final match, he reversed his previous defeat by Dennis Priestley. In a Group of Death that included Gary Anderson, Mark Webster and Wayne Jones, Hylton bowed out at the group stage but his valiant performances had left their mark and given a glimpse of better to come from the former airline cabin manager.

At the end of the 2010 season Heydon, Farmer, Alcinas & Hylton had qualified for the World Championships, while Ian White had missed his chance of entering the record books by a single place. Scott Rand’s late start to the season meant that he would have to wait until the end of 2011 for his chance of a crack at the World Championship.

All of the newcomers automatically retained their tour cards for the 2011/12 season so, with next year safely in the bag, who would impress on the biggest stage of all?

Steve Farmer was the first to make his appearance on the Ally Pally stage and despite a late rally he went down tamely to The Asset, Paul Nicholson.

Nigel Heydon got off to a bad start and despite his best effort was shaded in round one by Robert Thornton.

Antonio Alcinas had drawn the short straw and despite some great legs succumbed 3-0 to James Wade.

Having got off to the slowest start in 2010 it was Mark Hylton who was finishing the season the strongest and he continued this in London by defeating Steve Beaton in round one and Colin Lloyd in round two. By the time he went into his last 16 clash with Mark Webster, Hylton had hit the most 180’s in the tournament but couldn’t get past the Welshman who went on to beat Phil Taylor in the next round.

So the class of 2010 had started well – one Pro Tour win, one runner up, 3 semi finals and a smattering of quarter finals was a decent haul for year one. Mark Hylton & Nigel Heydon had reached the last 16 of two major tournaments while Steve Farmer still had one major to go at having qualified for the Player Championship Finals.

Three of the guys were deservedly on the short list for the PDC’s 2010 Newcomer of the Year award and Mark Hylton’s World Championship performance ensured he claimed the trophy to join the exclusive newcomer’s club.

2010 Summary

Pro Tour Results: Wins – 1 | Runner Up – 2 | Semi Final – 3 | Quarter Final – 5 | Last 16 – 16

Majors:

UK Open – 3 Qualified (1 x L16)
World Matchplay – 0

European Championship 1 (1 x L32)

World Grand Prix – 1 (1 x L32)

Grand Slam – 1 (1 x L32)

World Championships – 4 (3 x L64 + 1 x L16)

In part 3, Callum looks at the difficult second year……..

Missed Part 1? Click here

Tags: Antonio Alcinas, Ian White, Mark Hylton, Nigel Heydon, PDC Pro Tour, PDPA, Scott Rand, Steve Farmer
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The Class of 2010 Part 1, by Callum Harris

Posted on January 2nd, 2012

By Callum Harris

Part 1 – The Class of 2010

For some time now it has seemed to me that the 2010 intake of new PDPA members was something rather special. I can be accused of bias, due to one of that intake being my friend, Mark ‘Mile High’ Hylton, but a look at the tale behind the scenes will confirm that this was a special moment for professional darts.

GRANDPRIX RD2 HYLTON13 The Class of 2010 Part 1, by Callum Harris As we come to the end of their second season it seems an appropriate time to review the story of `The Boys of 2010’.

In the Birmingham area in late 2009 a remarkable coincidence took place; in an area of the city a new darting venture under the banner `This is Darts’ was looking for players to support its effort to create a new darts brand.

The players selected were chosen by one of their number, Ian McFarlane, and included the strongest and most consistent local performers in what was a hotbed of quality amateur competition.

Recommended were Nigel Heydon, Tony Randall, Trevor Frost, Mark Hylton, and, a little later, Scott Rand. All except Mark Hylton were given the opportunity to play PDC darts that year by the `This is Darts’ initiative.

On the other side of the city an amateur player/enthusiast had been watching Mark Hylton for a year whilst also studying what it would take to succeed in the PDC. Following an initial discussion it was decided he would become Hylton’s manager rather than supporter.

And so, the Birmingham branch of the 2010 intake was formed, consisting of players based in Staffordshire and Leamington Spa as well as the second city itself.

Forty miles away another player was deciding to make the leap from rising BDO star to PDC newcomer. Telford’s Steve Farmer made the tough decision to leave his comfort zone and cross into what some describe as the shark pool of PDC organised tour events.

Despite being well known as a quality thrower Steve had not won a significant BDO event nor had consistent business end results. However showing great courage in backing himself Steve joined the class of 2010 with many people quietly thinking that he could do well.

Meanwhile in Stoke-on-Trent a forgotten man was weighing up a big move from BDO to PDC. Despite a couple of outstanding seasons in the BDO, with several tournament wins, as well as pairs triumphs, the frustration of an early exit from the Lakeside Championship had seen him start 2010 still a BDO player.

With the support of a number of illustrious PDC names, and a determination to make darts his living, Ian ‘Diamond’ White finally made the decision to join the PDC and attempt to become one of a select few to play both World Championships in a calendar year.

With three months of the season already gone, our final member of the Class of 2010 would be playing catch up from the start.

As the UK contingent of the class of 2010 prepared for their debut events in Gibraltar another equally remarkable assault was being planned on the holiday isle of Mallorca. 32 year old Antonio Alcinas, a relatively unknown Spaniard who’s best result was reaching the last 64 of the 2005 Winmau World Masters, was preparing for his entry into the fray.

In 2009 ‘El Dartador’ had discovered a renewed passion for the game and the belief that he could make an impact on the big stage. The vagaries of the PDC system meant that his European passport gave him the irresistible opportunity and winning the Spanish National title filled Alcinas with confidence.

This confidence was borne out later,with a run to the semi finals of the PDC World Cup that included a victory over Gary Anderson inspired Scotland and only ended at the hands of eventual winners, Holland. Antonio Alcinas had arrived.

So there we have it, the new intake that would play with intent over that year: Heydon, Hylton, Farmer, Rand and White, with Alcinas representing Europe. How would they fare?

Part 2 of Callum’s article will be published shortly……..

Tags: Antonio Alcinas, Ian White, Mark Hylton, Nigel Heydon, PDC Pro Tour, PDPA, Scott Rand, Steve Farmer, This is darts, Tony Randall, Trevor Frost
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Crowd Issues Provide Easy Excuse For Misfiring Players

Posted on December 15th, 2011

After what was a hugely entertaining Players Championship Finals, with big finishes a plenty and shock results generously sprinkled over the competition, there has been an issue that has left a bitter taste in the mouth of some of the bigger name players.

The two highest ranked, and widely recognised men in the tournament, Phil Taylor and James Wade both went out of the competition surprisingly early, and both have put their premature exits down to issues with the crowd and with their opponents over-celebrating.

These issues, especially that of crowd noise, could potentially be genuine reasons for poor performance, but in this case it just seems that the toys are being thrown out of the pram more than anything else. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Crowds, James Wade, Justin Pipe, Mark Webster, PDC Darts, Phil Haigh, Phil Taylor, Players Championship Finals, Scott Rand, World Championship
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The Seeds of Doubt – Tough Draws for World Championship

Posted on November 29th, 2011

With 32 players seeded for the biggest event of the PDC year, there are fewer draws than usual that the big boys on the circuit would be worried about, but there is still a lot of quality outside of the elite double sixteen and there are some seeds that got it really tough, here are my picks. (Full draw details can be found here)

Mark Dudbridge v Dave Chisnall

GRANDSLAM GP1 CHISNALL 08 The Seeds of Doubt – Tough Draws for World Championship Probably the man that every seeded player wanted to avoid was Dave Chisnall and if the non-seeded dartists were hand-picking their draw, I think they would have gone for Mark Dudbridge, and here they are together.

There is no doubt that Chizzy is a top 32 in the making and that he has risen to just one place away from that group in under a year on the PDC circuit proves that. He is 11^th in the Players Championship order of merit, reached the last eight of the UK Open and appeared at the Grand Prix and Matchplay.

The same can’t be said about Flash though. Although still only 38, it seems his best years (’02-’05) are behind him and it seems very unlikely that the Bristolian will be seeded for the 2013 World Champs. Compared to Chisnall he is 48^th in the Players Championship order of merit, went out in the third round of the UK Open to Joe Murnan and didn’t make it to either the Matchplay or Grand Prix. Who is the seeded player again? Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Ally Pally, Dave Chisnall, John Part, Ladbrokes 2012, PDC World Championship, Phil Haigh
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Two Worlds Collide II – The Aftermath

Posted on November 24th, 2011

Two weeks ago I wrote how the Grand Slam was likely to see the boys from the BDO step under the bright lights of the PDC and show them what they are made of, and I believe they did just that, although it is somewhat up for debate.

On first glance at the fallout of what was a great tournament in Wolverhampton, the plain facts are that only PDC players reached the semi-final stage and Ted Hankey cut a solitary figure as the lone BDO man in the quarters. Furthermore, one round back and only Dean Winstanley and Martin Phillips were alongside Hankey in the last 16, meaning only three of the six that ventured in front of the Sky Sports cameras for the first time this year got beyond the group stage.

These are indisputable facts, but it is also a pretty harsh way to look at the BDO players’ performances. First of all, there were only six of them out of a field of 32, and Scott Waites was the only one of them to be seeded, so the odds were hardly in their favour from the off.

Also, although the likes of Waites, Hankey and Tony O’Shea have competed in this competition a few times before, the nature of the PDC tournaments is considerably different to the more serene BDO tournaments, and will take some getting used to for the likes of 21-year-old debutant Jan Dekker.

Although the glory that went with Waites winning the tournament last year wasn’t there for the BDO this time out, their performances and contribution to the Grand Slam will be something that they as an organisation can be extremely proud of. Hankey, until his exit, was the man that everyone was tuning in for, not just for his antics with the crowd, but because he was playing great darts in exciting matches, leading to talk of a Premier League invite.

Winstanley, although he went out in the second round, was one of only five men to win all three of his group games and in averaging 104.5 in round two, was extremely unlucky to crash out at that stage.

It was not just the performances though that were a treat for the sky viewers, the entertainment the BDO boys provided on the oche was first class, and the relationship with the PDC players also seemed to be incredibly good.

Rarely have I seen as many hugs during and after a match before Winstanley narrowly lost to Mark Walsh, and the respect between Phillips and Mark Webster in their second round tie was plain for all to see. It just makes you think that darts as a whole would be hugely better off if all these great players could play together more regularly.

Phil Haigh – twitter follow @philhaigh_

Photo – Lawrence Lustig

On demand highlights of this years Grand Slam can be viewed here.

Tags: BDO, Grand Slam of Darts, PDC Darts, Phil Haigh, Scott Waites, Ted Hankey
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The Rise and Fall of Raymond van Barneveld

Posted on November 18th, 2011

After one of the most abject performances of his career at the Grand Slam, fears of the demise of Raymond van Barneveld are again being voiced as his fall from grace continues at a worrying rate.

It seemed that the Dutchman was showing some good form as he turned up for two Players Championships (a rare occurrence in itself) last month, reaching a semi-final and a final and seemingly playing well.

However, it has been an entirely different story in Wolverhampton as, in a group he was fully expected to win, he lost all three matches and finished bottom with no points and a minus seven leg difference. The opening night defeat to world number 66 Ian White really setting the tone for his woeful performances over the next two matches.

Barney has dropped to eighth in the PDC Order of Merit, his lowest spot for nearly five years and it could get even worse for the former world champion as Paul Nicholson is breathing down his neck and a run to the final of the Grand Slam for the Asset would see him overtake his Dutch rival.

The problem for Raymond appears to be confidence and self-belief, which sounds ridiculous as the man has won five World Championships, two UK Opens, two World Masters and countless other trophies, but nevertheless, it is the issue.

The head shaking and despondent expression that appears on the face of the 44-year-old could not be in starker contrast to the look of steely determination and words of self-motivation that the likes of Ted Hankey and Nicholson have displayed on our television screens over the last week.

It could be that he has simply lost his appetite and motivation for the game, the old problem of where do you go once you’ve climbed Everest? Well Phil Taylor certainly has the answer to that question, and with a role model for the sport like him around it seems inconceivable that others would just lose interest.

The way to cure the problem can only be found inside the head of the man from Den Haag, and if it can be resolved then there is no reason why Barney can’t go on to win more major trophies. The man is without doubt one of the greatest darts players in history, if only he could meet one of the greatest psychologists…

Phil Haigh

Twitter follow @philhaigh_

Photo courtesey of Lawrence Lustig/PDC

Tags: Grand Slam of Darts 2011, PDC Darts, Phil Haigh, Raymond van Barneveld
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Two Worlds Collide – Phil Haigh Looks at The GSoD

Posted on November 9th, 2011

As the Grand Slam of Darts comes around again for its fifth consecutive year, the inevitable question is raised of how the players from the two rival codes of darts will fair against each other in the only event that sees them toeing the same oche.

I think it is fair comment that the PDC is widely viewed as the highest standard of darting action around largely as that is where the majority of successful players in the BDO move to, but the Grand Slam has thrown a significant spanner in the works of this theory in the shape of Scott Waites.

Scotty 2 Hotty has defied the odds over the last two years by reaching the final of the tournament in 2009 and winning it last year as he came from behind to dramatically snatch victory away from James Wade, an incredible achievement seen as he was, and still is, an amateur, working as a carpenter in Yorkshire.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: 2011, BDO, Grand Slam of Darts, PDC, Phil Haigh, Scott Waites, Tony O'Shea
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Can White Win The Slam in 2011?

Posted on November 9th, 2011

Can Ian ‘Diamond’ White claim Super-Sub status?

Ian will be attempting to add to a list of legendary surprise sporting moments. Sporting enthusiasts of a certain age will spot the idea here; let’s look at the list…