Alongside title sponsors McCoy’s, the PDC are delighted to welcome William Hill as the official betting partner and Speedy Hire, Dulux Decorator Centres and Swan as official partners of the McCoy’s Premier League Darts.

The McCoy’s Premier League Darts promises to be one of the most exciting darts tournaments ever staged, with eight top players competing across 15 nights for the £150,000 title.

Week One 

February 9 – Manchester Arena

Andy Hamilton v James WadeSimon Whitlock v Raymond van Barneveld

Kevin Painter v Gary Anderson

Adrian Lewis v Phil Taylor

Tickets: 0844 847 8000 or www.mcr-arena.com

Played in the UK & Ireland’s leading Arenas, the McCoy’s Premier League Darts features the following eight stars:
Phil “The Power” Taylor                                 15-time World Champion & five time Premier League Darts champion
Adrian “Jackpot” Lewis                                  Reigning World Champion & 2011 Premier League Darts finalist
James “The Machine” Wade                          2009 Premier League Darts champion & seven-time major winner
Gary “The Flying Scotsman” Anderson   Reigning Premier League Darts champion
Simon “The Wizard” Whitlock                     2010 World Championship finalist
Andy “The Hammer” Hamilton                   2012 World Championship finalist
Raymond “Barney” van Barneveld           Five-time World Champion
Kevin “The Artist” Painter                            2011 Players Championship winner

Stoke pair Taylor and Lewis, respectively the 15-time World Champion and current World Champion, will meet in the highest profile of four games to be played on the first of 14 league nights in the 2012 Premier League Darts.

The duo teamed up last weekend to win the World Cup of Darts for England, but will put aside their friendship when they take to the oche in front of 8,000 fans in Manchester.

“I’m very determined now to win the McCoy’s Premier League Darts title back and I’ll be very focused on Thursday,” said Taylor, who has won five previous Premier Leagues.

“Playing with Adrian last weekend and winning the World Cup was great, but that means nothing on Thursday night when we get on stage because I’ve only got one goal in mind – winning the two points.

“The World Cup was brilliant match practice and I’m happy with my form so it should be a fantastic game with Adrian.”

Lewis took an 8-2 victory when the pair met in the opening week of the 2011 Premier League Darts season, and also knocked out Taylor 8-3 in the semi-finals before losing to Gary Anderson in the decider.

“They were special moments to defeat Phil but it was disappointing in the end that I didn’t go on to win the tournament,” said Lewis, who retained his World Championship title just over a month ago.

“I’m feeling confident coming into this year’s McCoy’s Premier League Darts and my form’s good. Winning the World Cup with Phil shows that I’m playing well, although we had a few rocky moments along the way, but I’m working hard to make sure I’m at my best this season.”

Reigning champion Anderson begins his title defence against debutant Kevin Painter, who was handed a Wildcard to compete in the McCoy’s Premier League Darts for the first time after winning his first major title at December’s Players Championship.

“Last year’s Premier League was a great memory for me,” said Anderson. “I had a fantastic first season and to win the title capped it off.

“I know it’s going to be hard to defend it because this field of players is really strong, but I’m looking forward to it. Kevin’s going to be a tough player to play first on Thursday but I’ll give it my best shot.”

Painter has been eagerly awaiting his Premier League debut since being announced, alongside World Championship finalist Andy Hamilton, as a Wildcard at the start of January.

“Everyone wants to be in the Premier League and it’s something I think I will thrive on,” said Painter, 44. “The big stage and big atmosphere will suit me and hopefully I can do it justice and play well.

“The other lads are the ones who are under pressure because they’ve been in it for years and they know what it’s all about.

“The likes of Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis, James Wade and Gary Anderson will be the favourites to be in the top four, but it would be great to make the Play-Offs.”

Painter added: “I’ve played Gary quite a lot of times in the last four years and the last time we played on TV I won in the Players Championship, and went on to win the tournament.

“My opening two games are Gary and Phil Taylor so they couldn’t be much harder than that. I just want to enjoy it, play as well as I can and see where that takes me.”

Five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld begins his challenge against Australian Simon Whitlock, and the Dutchman is determined to finally reach the Premier League final in 2012 after suffering his fifth semi-final defeat in six season against Anderson last May.

“I’ve had five semi-finals but I’m aiming for the final this year,” he said. “I don’t know why I keep losing in the semi-finals, but you have to remember that you’re playing against the greatest players in the world.

“I must admit that in the last couple of years I was going to tournaments thinking ‘am I still good enough to lift trophies?’ but that came from the time that I wasn’t practising enough.

“This year I’m working hard again and I want to prove a lot of people wrong – I’m not finished.”

Australian star Whitlock suffered a broken ankle last October, but has returned in brilliant form by reaching the World Championship semi-finals and the World Cup of Darts final.

“I’m really happy with my form at the moment,” said Whitlock. “I’m scoring well and finishing really well, so it’s a boost for me coming into the Premier League.

“I was disappointed not to reach the Play-Offs last year so that’s my first target.”

The night’s opening game sees 2009 champion James Wade take on the tournament’s other debutant Andy Hamilton, who won through to the World Championship final in January before losing to Stoke rival Lewis.

“I’ve been practising hard and I can’t wait to get on the stage and in front of the crowds,” said Hamilton. “I’ll take some shocks and I know that I’ll make sure whoever I play has a tough game.

“I’m looking forward to it and I’m not scared of anyone. I’ve proved that I’m good enough to be there and I’ve beaten them all before.

“I’m going to concentrate on getting into the top four first and whatever happens after that is a bonus – I could even win it!”

Wade was the winner of Premier League Darts in 2009, and although he missed out on the Play-Offs by a point last season bounced back to win his second UK Open title and reach the World Championship semi-finals.

“It’s a new season and I’m looking forward to it,” said Wade. “I’ve done well in the Premier League before and enjoy the tournament, and I badly want to win back this title.

“I was disappointed to lose in the World Championship semi-finals, but that was just a blip and this is a great chance to get the Premier League off to a winning start.”

The McCoy’s Premier League Darts will be played over 14 league nights from February-May in the UK & Ireland’s top arenas, with the players facing each other twice in best of 14 leg matches.

The top four players from the final league table will then proceed to compete for the £150,000 first prize in the Play-Offs at The O2 in London on Thursday May 17.

Over 70,000 tickets have already been sold for the McCoy’s Premier League Darts, with the tournament set to visit Ireland for the first time on March 22 when the players compete at The O2 in Dublin.

The event also travels to Aberdeen, Glasgow, Belfast and Cardiff as well as ten venues across England, giving fans throughout the UK and Ireland the chance to see the sport’s best players in the flesh.

“The McCoy’s Premier League Darts has grown in stature every year since being introduced in 2005 and I believe that we have assembled the strongest ever field this season,” said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn.

“We welcome Kevin Painter and Andy Hamilton to make their debuts in 2012, and they fully deserve their places for their achievements last year, notably Kevin’s Players Championship win and Andy’s brilliant run to the World Championship final.

“The World Cup showed that Raymond van Barneveld and Simon Whitlock are back to their best, and the achievements in winning majors over the past 12 months by Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis, James Wade and Gary Anderson makes them the obvious players to beat.

“It promises to be 15 weeks packed full of drama, excitement and high-quality darts. Bring it on!”

Over 8,000 tickets have already been sold for Thursday’s opening McCoy’s Premier League Darts event at the Manchester Arena, but the remaining tickets can be purchased on 0844 847 8000, via www.mcr-arena.com or at the venue’s Box Office on the night.

The McCoy’s Premier League Darts will be screened in its entirety by Sky Sports, with their High Definition coverage of every league night accompanied by a 3D broadcast of Thursday’s opening night.

Phil Taylor is the 13/8 pre-tournament favourite with William Hill, the official betting partner of the McCoy’s Premier League Darts, with Adrian Lewis 4/1 and Gary Anderson 9/2 to retain his title.

James Wade and Simon Whitlock are 7/1, with Raymond van Barneveld 20/1 to win his first Premier League title and newcomers Kevin Painter and Andy Hamilton rated as 25/1 chances to lift the trophy in May.

McCoy’s Premier League Darts
Week One – Manchester Arena
Thursday February 9
Andy Hamilton v James Wade
Simon Whitlock v Raymond van Barneveld
Kevin Painter v Gary Anderson
Adrian Lewis v Phil Taylor
Live on Sky Sports HD1 and Sky 3D from 7pm.

Taylor had been a second round loser alongside James Wade in the inaugural World Cup of Darts in 2010, but made amends by sweeping past Australia alongside World Champion Lewis to claim the £40,000 first prize.

The Australians had enjoyed a superb tournament in Germany, defeating Ireland, Belgium and reigning champions Netherlands, but lost the first three Singles games in the final.

Taylor defeated Nicholson 7-4 to take the opener before Lewis edged out Whitlock 7-5 to put England 2-0 up.

Taylor then averaged almost 106 in a brilliant 7-6 win over Whitlock – which saw him come from 3-0 down to take victory despite missing 19 darts at a double – but Nicholson edged out Lewis 7-4 to keep Australian hopes alive.

They then squared the final by winning the Doubles game 7-4, with Whitlock sealing victory in style with a 124 checkout on the bull to send the match into a deciding leg.

Nerves got to both teams as Nicholson, Taylor and Whitlock all missed darts for victory before Lewis stepped up and showed the class of a World Champion to sink double five and give England the triumph.

“I’m delighted,” said Lewis. “I thought we’d thrown it away there when Paul beat me in the last Singles game and then Australia won the Doubles, and I couldn’t watch when they were throwing for the match in the sudden-death leg.

“At times this weekend I pulled Phil through but in the final there, when it got tough, he pulled me through. It was a great team effort.

“This probably means more to me than winning the second World Championship title. People don’t realise what it means to you when you pull on the England shirt, and I’ve never felt under so much pressure in my life!”

Taylor said: “I’m over the moon and it means a massive amount to me.

“It was a great team effort from us both. Simon and Paul both showed a lot of bottle to come back from 3-0 down and still believe they could win the final.

“I thought we’d blown it when they won the Doubles and it went to that last leg. As a player I’m a bit disappointed that we missed doubles in the final leg but it made a great final for the fans because there was drama and tension.”

Nicholson had partnered Whitlock to the semi-finals of the inaugural World Cup of Darts in 2010, and said: “I believe that one day we will win this title for Australia.

“I’m gutted for myself, Simon and the DartPlayers Australia organisation that we lost, but we gave it everything we had.

“We grafted and got ourselves back into the match and gave ourselves a chance, so I’m really disappointed that we couldn’t quite get over the winning line.”

Whitlock said: “We pushed them all the way and it was a brilliant effort. It’s disappointing but we’ll be back next time and for both Paul and myself it sets us up for the year – I’m looking forward to the whole year now.

The second World Cup of Darts saw 24 nations represented by their top two ranked players on the PDC Order of Merit, with 2010 finalists Netherlands and Wales both reaching the semi-finals.

South Africa won through to the quarter-finals, with emerging star Devon Petersen miscounting when throwing for the match to defeat Wales in a game which could have him them reach the last four alongside Shawn Hogan.

The German pair of Jyhan Artut and Bernd Roith delighted their home crowd before bowing out with a narrow second round loss to the USA, who went on to lose to England.

Taylor added: “The tournament was a great success. The other teams showed a great passion for representing their country and you could see what it meant to them.

“This has shown us all that we have got good German players like Jyhan Artut who can push to win big titles now, and South Africa were fantastic too.”

Cash Converters World Cup of Darts
Final
England v Australia
Phil Taylor 7-4 Paul Nicholson
Adrian Lewis 7-5 Simon Whitlock
Phil Taylor 7-6 Simon Whitlock
Adrian Lewis 4-7 Paul Nicholson
Doubles – England 4-7 Australia
England win the Cash Converters World Cup of Darts in a Sudden-Death Leg

Match Information
England v Australia
Phil Taylor v Paul Nicholson
1-0 – Taylor finishes double 16 for a 14-darter to open the game in style.
1-1 – Nicholson hits the same bed to level for Australia.
2-1 – Nicholson misses the bull for a 170 finish, and Taylor takes out 116 to lead.
2-2 – Taylor opens the leg with a 180 but misses three darts at tops and Nicholson steps up to finish double three.
2-3 – Taylor kicks off the leg with a 177, but is punished for five missed darts to win the leg when Nicholson finishes tops.
3-3 – Taylor opens again with a 177, and although Nicholson replies with a 180 the world number one finishes 94 to level for England.
4-3 – Taylor hits a third 177 of the game, and although he misses two darts at double 16, a missed bull from Nicholson allows him back in to regain the lead.
4-4 – Taylor misses three darts at double 11, and Nicholson steps in to hit double 16 and level.
5-4 – Taylor hits a 180 and finishes 72 on double 16 to edge back ahead.
6-4 – Taylor misses a dart at tops, but Nicholson fails to land the bull for a 93 finish and the 15-time World Champion moves a leg away from victory on double five.
7-4 – Taylor is first to a finish, and although he misses a dart for the match he returns to hit double 16 and move England ahead in the final.
England 1-0 Australia

Adrian Lewis v Simon Whitlock
1-0 – Lewis kicks off the game with a 180 and finishes 74 in two darts for the opening leg.
1-1 – Whitlock hits back to level.
2-1 – Lewis posts tops to regain the advantage.
2-2 – Whitlock hits a 174 to leave 24, and hits double 12 with his third dart to level the game.
2-3 – Lewis lands a 180 to leave 106, with Whitlock posting a maximum to set up 40 and – when the Englishman misses tops for the finish – returns to hit tops for a 13-darter to snatch the lead.
3-3 – Lewis hits another 180 and finishes double five to level again.
4-3 – Lewis hits scores of 180 and 140 to be first to a finish, but misses double 13, only for Whitlock to miss double 18 and allow him back in on double four.
4-4 – Lewis misses the bull and Whitlock levels on tops.
5-4 – Whitlock posts another 180 to leave 41, but Lewis produces an outstanding 98 checkout to regain the lead.
5-5 – Whitlock levels on double 16.
6-5 – Lewis produces the darts of a World Champion with a superb 161 checkout.
7-5 – Lewis hits his fifth 180 of the game, and seals victory by taking out 72 on double 18.
England 2-0 Australia

Phil Taylor v Simon Whitlock
0-1 – Taylor misses four darts at a double and Whitlock steps in to break throw immediately.
0-2 – The pattern is repeated as Taylor misses two darts at double eight and Whitlock posts tops to move 2-0 up.
0-3 – Taylor misses a further four darts at a double, giving Whitlock a let-off as the Australian returns on double ten.
1-3 – Whitlock opens a 180, but misses two darts at double 14 to extend his lead and Taylor lands tops to get off the mark.
2-3 – Taylor pulls back to 3-2 with a superb 142 checkout, finishing on double 11.
2-4 – Taylor opens with a 174, but misses the bull for a 170 finish and two further darts to win the leg as Whitlock steps in on double four with his third dart.
3-4 – Taylor hits two 180s to leave 46 after nine darts, and lands double eight for a 12-darter.
4-4 – Taylor lands another maximum to leave 28, but misses three darts at double 14, only for Whitlock to miss double top and ten to allow him in on double seven to level.
4-5 – Whitlock finishes 80 in two darts to move back ahead.
5-5 – Whitlock posts a 180, but Taylor finishes double 16 at the first time of asking to level again.
6-5 – Taylor lands double 16 to lead for the first time in the match.
6-6 – Taylor misses double five for a 90 finish which would have given him victory, and Whitlock hits double six to force a deciding leg.
7-6 – Taylor opens with a 180 and finshes 84 for an 11-darter to take victory and put England only one win away from the World Cup title. Taylor finishes with 105.93 average despite 19 missed darts at a double.
England 3-0 Australia

Adrian Lewis v Paul Nicholson
0-1 – Nicholson struggles on his doubles, but Lewis is unable to finish 100 and allows the Australian in to land double eight with his seventh dart for the leg.
1-1 – Lewis hits a 180 in a 13-darter to level.
2-1 – Lewis opens with a 180 and is given a let-off by Nicholson when the Australia misses double top and ten to allow the World Champion back in on double two.
2-2 – Lewis is again sloppy on the doubles, and Nicholson finishes 68 to make him pay.
3-2 – Lewis is first to a finish again and, after putting three darts on the wire of double 18 returns to hit the bed and lead.
3-3 – Nicholson hits double 16 to level.
3-4 – Lewis wires the bull for a 167 finish, and Nicholson posts double 16 to take the lead.
4-4 – Lewis levels in style with a 161 checkout, his second of the final.
4-5 – Nicholson posts double top to edge himself back in front.
4-6 – Nicholson finishes 64 to move a leg away from the win as he seeks to force a Doubles decider.
4-7 – Nicholson misses tops for a 160 checkout, but when Lewis misses double 18 and nine he returns to hit tops for victory which forces a decisive Doubles game.
England 3-1 Australia

Doubles: England v Australia
0-1 – Nicholson hits a 180 to leave Australia 79, and when Taylor misses double 16 Whitlock steps in to finish 79 on double 11 to give Australia a break of throw.
0-2 – Taylor misses double 18 for a 153 checkout, and Whitlock hits the same bed to double Australia’s lead.
0-3 – Taylor hits a 180 and leaves 32 for Lewis, who misses three darts at double 16 as Nicholson steps up to post tops to move Australia further clear.
1-3 – Taylor gets England off the mark by hitting double five – with the pair’s 11th dart at a double in the game.
2-3 – It’s ‘Game On!’ as England hit a brilliant 12-darter to pull back to one leg adrift, with Lewis hitting a 180, Taylor posting a 177 and the World Champion finishing 99 on double 16.
2-4 – Whitlock kicks off the sixth leg with a 180 and wins the leg on double eight despite Lewis posting a maximum of his own.
2-5 – Whitlock and Lewis again trade maximums, but Nicholson wires the bull for a 170 checkout. Taylor, though, misses double 18 and two darts at double nine, and Whitlock finishes double eight to put Australia two legs away from forcing a Sudden-Death Shoot-Out.
3-5 – Taylor kicks off the leg with a 180 and wins it with a 100 checkout.
3-6 – Nicholson puts Australia a leg away from Doubles victory on double 16.
4-6 – Whitlock opens with a 180, but Taylor finishes 106 to deny them a chance to take the win.
4-7 – Whitlock hits another 180 and seals victory for Australia by taking out 124 on the bull, meaning the final goes to a Sudden-Death leg.
England 3-3 Australia

Sudden-Death Leg
Taylor wins the bull for England at the third time of asking, with the pressure showing as the teams battle down to a finish. Lewis is unable to leave a double when needing 88, but Nicholson misses double top and ten, Taylor also misses two match darts to allow Whitlock in. He uncharacteristically misses double ten and five, and Lewis returns to hit double five and give England the Cash Converters World Cup of Darts title.
England win the Cash Converters World Cup of Darts in a sudden-death leg

Source – PDC/Lawrence Lustig

Taylor and Lewis had needed a sudden-death leg to defeat Canada in the second round of the £150,000 tournament – and were again pushed hard as the American pair almost caused a huge upset.

Taylor lost his Singles game with Mawson 4-3 before Lewis edged out Young by the same scoreline in a dramatic second clash, before the World Champion helped to secure a 4-2 victory in their Doubles contest.

“It was an ugly win but you won’t be 100 percent in every game and we scraped through,” admitted Taylor.

“Maybe we’re trying too hard and sometimes you’re pushing your darts, but we’ll have a good night’s rest now.”

They will face Wales in the semi-finals, and Taylor added: “We can relax a little bit on Sunday and it will suit us more.

“We know what we’re up against with Richie and Mark, but with Darin and Gary you’re not always sure how they’ll play, and they were superb against us tonight.”

The Welsh progressed to the semi-finals in dramatic fashion against South Africa following a thrilling tie, which saw Webster whitewash Shawn Hogan before Devon Petersen produced a 12-darter to defeat Burnett 4-3.

The Doubles match also went to a deciding leg, with Petersen thinking he had secured victory for South Africa only to realise – too late – that he had miscounted, and Burnett returned to land double eight for the narrowest of wins.

“I feel for Devon,” said a sporting Burnett afterwards. “He was fantastic in our Singles match and he’s a nice guy, so it was tough for him to miscount.

“We had loads of chances earlier to make it easier for ourselves but eventually we got the win, and that’s all that matters. Me and Mark are bouncing off each other and loving the tournament.”

The other semi-final sees impressive Australia take on reigning champions Netherlands on Sunday afternoon.

Australia saw off Belgium in their quarter-final, with Simon Whitlock defeating Kurt Van De Rijck 4-0 before Kim Huybrechts impressed in a 4-2 win over Paul Nicholson.

However, the Australians’ teamwork paid off as they won the decisive Doubles match 4-2 to reach the semis for the second successive World Cup of Darts, hitting an 11-darter in a key leg during the victory.

“It was special,” said Nicholson. “There was a leg there, the 11-darter, which I’ll never forget, but Simon and I brought courage, determination and quality to that leg.

“We’ve only known each other for three years, but the camaraderie we have is second to none, and Simon’s an incredible dart player, so it’s an honour to play with him representing Australia.”

Nicholson added: “Kim Huybrechts was brilliant. In my opinion, he’s the best player to cmoe out of Belgium and we’ll see a lot more of him in the coming years.”

Netherlands, meanwhile, secured their spot in the last four with a 4-0 defeat of Northern Ireland.

Vincent van der Voort came from 3-1 down to win 4-3 against Brendan Dolan, but Raymond van Barneveld defeated Michael Mansell 4-2 before they won the Doubles clash 4-3 to move into the semis and remain on course to retain their title.

Sunday sees the semi-finals and final played at the Alsterdorfer Sporthalle in Hamburg, with the format extended to include four Singles games plus a Doubles match in each tie.

Cash Converters World Cup of Darts
Quarter-Finals
Australia 3-1 Belgium
Simon Whitlock 4-0 Kurt Van De Rijck
Paul Nicholson 2-4 Kim Huybrechts
Doubles: Australia 4-2 Belgium

Wales 3-1 South Africa
Mark Webster 4-0 Shawn Hogan
Richie Burnett 3-4 Devon Petersen
Doubles: Wales 4-3 South Africa

England 3-1 USA
Phil Taylor 3-4 Gary Mawson
Adrian Lewis 4-3 Darin Young
Doubles: England 4-2 USA

Northern Ireland 0-4 Netherlands
Brendan Dolan 3-4 Vincent van der Voort
Michael Mansell 2-4 Raymond van Barneveld
Doubles: Northern Ireland 3-4 Netherlands

Semi-Finals
Sunday (3pm local time)
Australia v Netherlands
Simon Whitlock v Vincent van der Voort
Paul Nicholson v Raymond van Barneveld
Simon Whitlock v Raymond van Barneveld
Paul Nicholson v Vincent van der Voort
Doubles – Australia v Netherlands (if needed)

England v Wales
Phil Taylor v Richie Burnett
Adrian Lewis v Mark Webster
Phil Taylor v Mark Webster
Adrian Lewis v Richie Burnett
Doubles – England v Wales (if needed)

Semi-finals consist of four best of seven leg Singles games followed by a best of seven leg Doubles match (if required).
One point is awarded per singles match won, two per doubles. Loser throws first.
If the match finishes all square (3-3), a sudden-death Doubles leg will be played with a bull-up on stage to determine who throws first. Once a team has an unassailable lead, the tie is over and no further matches shall be played.
All games are the best of seven legs.

Quarter-Final Match Information
Australia v Belgium
Simon Whitlock v Kurt Van De Rijck
1-0 – Double ten for Whitlock gives him an early lead.
2-0 – Whitlock is unable to convert tops but Van De Rijck misses double 16, eight and four to allow the Australian back to post double ten again.
3-0 – Double top puts Whitlock a leg away from victory.
4-0 – The Belgian opens with a 180, but Whitlock replies with two of his own in a 13-darter to secure victory on double eight after Van De Rijck was unable to convert double ten for a 100 finish.
Australia 1-0 Belgium

Paul Nicholson v Kim Huybrechts
0-1 – Nicholson misses double 16 and Huybrechts opens with an 83 finish on the bull.
1-1 – The Belgian misses double top and ten and Nicholson levels with double nine.
1-2 – Nicholson opens with a 180 but Huybrechts takes out 111 to put himself back ahead.
1-3 – Huybrechts lands a maximum and takes out 129 on the bull to move a leg away from the win.
2-3 – Nicholson posts double 18 to pull back to within a leg.
2-4 – Nicholson hits a 180, but Huybrechts proves too strong by replying with a 171 to leave 32, and he hits double 16 to take victory, sending the tie into a decisive Doubles match where the winner progresses to the semis.
Australia 1-1 Belgium

Australia v Belgium – Doubles
1-0 – Whitlock opens the Doubles game with a 180 and, after Nicholson misses the bull for a 90 finish the pony-tailed ace hits double eight for the lead.
2-0 – Huybrechts opens with a 180, which Van De Rijck follows with a 140. Nicholson replies with a 180 of his own, and Huybrechts hits a 170 to leave 11 – hitting the bull instead of a 25 – only for Whitlock to then hit a 180 to leave 41. Van De Rijck misses two darts at double four, and Nicholson hits double 16 for an 11-darter.
2-1 – Van De Rijck posts double 14 to get the Belgians into the game.
3-1 – Nicholson sets up Whitlock for double top as Australia move to the brink of victory – averaging almost 110 in the process.
3-2 – Huybrechts posts double ten to keep Belgium’s hopes.
4-2 – Huybrechts opens the leg with a 180, but Australia are first to a finish, and Whitlock posts tops to put his country into the semi-finals.
Final Score: Australia 3-1 Belgium

Wales v South Africa
Mark Webster v Shawn Hogan
1-0 – Webster takes the opening leg.
2-0 – Webster breaks throw to double his lead.
3-0 – Double ten puts Webster a leg away from the win.
4-0 – Webster opens with a 180 and lands a 174 to leave 24 after nine darts, hitting double 12 to seal an impressive win in 11 darts.
Wales 1-0 South Africa

Richie Burnett v Devon Petersen
0-1 – Petersen opens impressively with a 13-darter.
1-1 – Burnett opens with a 180 as he levels the game.
1-2 – Both players miss double 16 before Petersen returns to hit double eight.
2-2 – Burnett lands another maximum in being first to a finish as he levels.
2-3 – Petersen finishes 105 on tops to move back ahead.
3-3 – Petersen opens with a 180 but Burnett finishes double 16 to force a decider.
3-4 – Petersen opens the final leg with a 180 and 140, with Burnett posting scores of 140 and 180, which he follows with a 130 to leave 51 – only for Petersen to finish 116 for a 12-darter to grab a brilliant win.
Wales 1-1 South Africa

Wales v South Africa – Doubles
1-0 – The Welsh pair open with 140s and Webster hits tops to give them the advantage.
2-0 – Webster misses double top and ten, but Hogan is unable to convert three darts at double 18 and Burnett gives Wales a 2-0 lead on double ten.
2-1 – Webster misses a dart at tops for a 95 finish, and Hogan this time makes him pay by taking out 100 in two darts.
2-2 – Petersen hits a 180, and when both Welsh aces miss three darts apiece at double 16, Hogan shows them how to hit the bed as he levels.
3-2 – Burnett gives Wales the advantage again on double eight.
3-3 – South Africa level to send the tie into a deciding final leg, with Petersen hitting a 180 to set up a 121 finish which Hogan takes out on double 18.
4-3 – Huge drama as Webster misses the bull for a 122 finish to allow Petersen in on 61 – but amazingly he miscounts after hitting single 12 with his first dart, hitting seven and double 16 instead of 17 and double 16, allowing Burnett in to take victory on double eight.
Final Score: Wales 3-1 South Africa

England v USA
Phil Taylor v Gary Mawson
1-0 – Taylor hits double 16 to get off the mark.
1-1 – Mawson hits a 180 and steps in on double five to level.
2-1 – Taylor finishes 111 on double 16 to regain the lead.
2-2 – Double ten from Mawson sees him level.
3-2 – Taylor hits a 180 and double 16 to regain the advantage.
3-3 – Taylor misses the bull for a 127 game shot, and Mawson posts double 17 to send the match into a decider.
3-4 – Taylor misses tops for a 76 finish and the match and Mawson hits the same bed for a famous win.
England 0-1 USA

Adrian Lewis v Darin Young
0-1 – Young opens the game with a 180 and finishes 60 to move ahead.
1-1 – Lewis levels courtesy of double 12.
1-2 – Young finishes 76 to move back ahead.
2-2 – Young hands Lewis a let-off for his missed doubles when he is unable to convert three darts at double top and ten, as Lewis wins the leg on double one.
2-3 – Lewis hits a 180, but Young finishes 64 on double eight to move a leg away from the win.
3-3 – Lewis sends the game into a decider with a 76 finish.
4-3 – Young opens with a 180, but Lewis replies in kind to leave 144. Young misses the bull for a 121 finish and the match, and also sees two darts at tops land on the wire, and Lewis finishes 40 with an improvised double one, double 19 shot.
England 1-1 USA

England v USA – Doubles
1-0 – England are first to a finish, with both Taylor and Lewis initially missing chances before Taylor hits double three to lead.
1-1 – Mawson misses double top for a 103 finish, but when Lewis cannot convert double seven for an 86 checkout, Young returns to land double ten.
1-2 – Taylor misses three darts at double 12, and Young steps in to land double ten again.
2-2 – Lewis hits tops to tie the game up.
3-2 – Mawson misses two darts at tops for a 97 finish, and Lewis punishes him on double eight.
4-2 – Young opens with a 180, but when Mawson is unable to finish 88 Lewis follows an earlier maximum by taking out 81 on the bull for victory.
Final Score: England 3-1 USA

Northern Ireland v Netherlands
Brendan Dolan v Vincent van der Voort
1-0 – Dolan misses tops but is handed a reprieve when the Dutchman wastes three darts at a double, allowing him back in on double ten.
1-1 – van der Voort finishes 76 to level.
2-1 – Dolan lands double eight to edge back ahead.
3-1 – van der Voort’s doubles let him down as he misses six darts for the leg, and Dolan steps in on tops to break and lead 3-1.
3-2 – The Dutchman posts double 16 at the first time of asking to pull back to within a leg.
3-3 – Another double 16 finish from van der Voort forces a decider.
3-4 – van der Voort hits a 180 to leave 115, and when Dolan misses the bull for a 170 finish is allowed in – but incredibly the Dutchman hits treble 19 but misses the single 18 to leave tops. Dolan, though, feels the pressure too and, needing 25, hits double nine, single three and misses double two to allow van der Voort to take the win on double three.
Northern Ireland 0-1 Netherlands

Michael Mansell v Raymond van Barneveld
1-0 – Mansell lands double 12 to take the game’s opening leg.
1-1 – The pair trade 180s before van Barneveld lands tops to level.
2-1 – Mansell is first to a finish and lands tops to edge back ahead.
2-2 – van Barneveld levels the game again.
2-3 – van Barneveld lands a 180 and wins the leg on double eight.
2-4 – The Dutchman posts double 16 to secure the win, after Mansell misses the bullseye.
Northern Ireland 0-2 Netherlands

Northern Ireland v Netherlands – Doubles
0-1 – van Barneveld opens with a 180 and Mansell replies with a maximum of his own – but both are guilty of missing doubles before van der Voort hits double ten to give the reigning champions the lead.
1-1 – Mansell levels the game for Northern Ireland.
1-2 – van der Voort finishes 76 in two darts to edge the Dutch back in front.
2-2 – Dolan misses double 16, but when van Barneveld fails to finish 113 he allows Mansell back to land the finish and level.
2-3 – Dolan and van Barneveld trade 180s, with van der Voort missing double 12 for a 138 finish but his team-mate returns to hit double six.
3-3 – Mansell misses double 12 for a 144 finish, but Dolan steps up to send the game into a deciding leg – which Northern Ireland must win to force a sudden-death leg.
3-4 – Dolan is unable to finish 146, and van der Voort takes out 90 in two darts on double 15 to take victory.
Northern Ireland 0-4 Netherlands

The English pair of Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis made amends for their defeats to Ken MacNeil and John Part respectively in Friday night’s Singles games with a 5-3 win over Canada in their Doubles contest.

That meant the tie was drawn 2-2 to force a sudden-death leg, which Lewis won on double four to put England into the last eight.

“It was a difficult game and we’re relieved to be through after what happened on Friday night,” admitted Lewis. “I probably felt a bit more pressure putting the England shirt on but I’m loving it!”

Taylor admitted: “Last night was disappointing but we’re trying our socks off and really want to win this title, as do everyone else in the last eight.

“People wouldn’t have expected South Africa to beat Scotland but this shows what it means to the players representing their country. Adrian and I can feel the pressure and it’s nerve-wracking, but great fun.”

The South African pairing of Devon Petersen and Shawn Hogan performed brilliantly to overturn a 2-0 deficit in their tie with Scotland and a 3-1 scoreline during the Doubles contest with Gary Anderson and Peter Wright.

Inspired by three 180s and a 101 finish from Petersen, the South Africans won four successive legs to take a 5-3 win in the Doubles game before winning the sudden-death leg, in which Anderson hit a 180 but missed two match darts before Hogan landed double six for a famous triumph.

Netherlands, the reigning champions, took a 5-2 win over Austria in their decisive Doubles game as Raymond van Barneveld and Vincent van der Voort progressed to play Northern Ireland in the quarter-finals.

The Northern Irish pair of Brendan Dolan and Michael Mansell went all the way to a deciding leg in their Doubles game with Denmark before left-hander Mansell landed double ten to put them through.

Australia will play Belgium in another tasty quarter-final after they enjoyed success in the Doubles games.

Australia’s Simon Whitlock and Paul Nicholson defeated Irish pair Mick McGowan and William O’Connor 5-2 to take a 4-0 whitewash from their tie, while Belgium’s Kim Huybrechts and Kurt Van De Rijck defeated Sweden’s Magnus Caris and Dennis Nilsson 5-2 to take a 3-1 victory.

The quarter-final is given added spice as the Singles games will feature Nicholson playing Huybrechts, who knocked him out of the World Championship five weeks ago.

“It will be a good game but it’s not about me this weekend, it’s about doing the best I can to represent Australia and the DPA [DartPlayers Australia organisation],” said Nicholson.

“We’re playing against two great players and it should be a great spectacle because I’m gelling well with Simon and we’re enjoying it.”

Wales also impressed as the pairing of Mark Webster and Richie Burnett came from 1-0 down to defeat Croatia 5-1, claiming the tie 4-0.

“It’s nice for me to represent Wales at the moment and it’s an honour to play with Mark,” said Burnett. “I’ve got a second chance in my career and I’m taking it, so to become World Cup winner on Sunday would be fantastic.”

There was disappointment on Saturday afternoon, though, for hosts Germany, who lost their decisive Doubles game with the USA (pictured) 5-4 in a dramatic finale.

The German duo of Bernd Roith and an inspired Jyhan Artut, the Germans took a 4-3 lead only for Artut to miss two darts for the match in leg eight and to then fail to give himself a dart at a double when needing 64 in the decider, and Darin Young powered in a 106 checkout to give the USA a clash with England.

“The USA played really well and it was a great game,” said Artut. “I’m really disappointed and I wish that I’d had the dart at a double to win – we were so close.

“It’s been a great event for us. The sport is getting bigger and bigger in Germany and the crowd were brilliant.”

The quarter-finals on Saturday evening sees the top-ranked player face his opposing nation’s second-ranked player in Singles matches before a Doubles game decides the contest, with all games the best of seven legs.

Cash Converters World Cup of Darts
Second Round Doubles Results
Northern Ireland 5-4 Denmark (Northern Ireland win tie 3-1)
Belgium 5-2 Sweden (Sweden win tie 3-1)
Australia 5-2 Republic of Ireland (Australia win tie 4-0)
Wales 5-1 Croatia (Wales win tie 4-0)
Germany 4-5 USA (USA win the tie 3-1)
Scotland 3-5 South Africa (Tie drawn 2-2, South Africa win sudden-death leg)
England 2-2 Canada (Tie drawn 2-2, England win sudden-death leg)
Netherlands 5-2 Austria (Netherlands win the tie 3-1)
Best of nine legs, 501 Doubles, loser throws first.
Two points awarded for each match winner. In the event of this resulting in a 2-2 tie between countries, a sudden death doubles leg will take place with the team who threw first in the doubles match throwing first for the bull in the sudden death leg.

Second Round Doubles Match Information
Northern Ireland v Denmark
Brendan Dolan & Michael Mansell v Per Laursen & Jann Hoffmann
0-1 – Laursen misses the bull for a 119 finish, but Hoffmann hits double eight to give Denmark the lead.
1-1 – Northern Ireland level in style, hitting three successive 140s before Dolan hits double eight for a 14-darter.
2-1 – Laursen misses double eight to steal the leg and Dolan hits double ten to give his side the advantage.
2-2 – Both Dolan and Mansell are unable to land their doubles and Laursen steps in on double eight to level.
3-2 – Northern Ireland again struggle to finish off their chances, but Laursen misses tops to steal the leg and Mansell returns to hit double four.
3-3 – Laursen posts tops to level again.
4-3 – Mansell lands a 180 as Northern Ireland move a leg away from the win.
4-4 – Mansell misses tops for a 117 finish and Laursen hits tops once more to send the tie into a deciding leg.
5-4 – Dolan hits 136 to leave 40, and Mansell completes the finish on double ten to put Northern Ireland into the quarter-finals.
Northern Ireland 3-1 Denmark

Belgium v Sweden
Kim Huybrechts & Kurt Van De Rijck v Magnus Caris & Dennis Nilsson
1-0 – Huybrechts finishes double ten to get Belgium off the mark.
2-0 – Caris misses three darts at double top, and Huybrechts lands double ten for the second successive leg as Sweden break.
3-0 – Huybrechts continues his assault on the Swedish, hitting double two to win a third successive leg.
3-1 – Sweden get off the mark, with Caris hitting a 180 and Nilsson landing double top to hit back.
4-1 – Caris hits another 180 but Van De Rijck posts tops to push Belgium a leg away from the win.
4-2 – Huybrechts opens with a 180, but Caris lands double 12 to keep Sweden’s hopes alive.
5-2 – Huybrechts misses tops for a 120 finish, but Belgium have enough of an advantage for Van De Rijck to land double ten for the win.
Belgium 3-1 Sweden

Australia v Republic of Ireland
Simon Whitlock & Paul Nicholson v William O’Connor & Mick McGowan
1-0 – Australia take first blood by winning the opening leg.
2-0 – Whitlock hits a 180 to leave 16, and although Nicholson misses the bed – landing double 16 to burst the score – Australia have enough cushion to see Whitlock return and post double eight.
2-1 – McGowan posts tops to get Ireland off the mark.
3-1 – Nicholson finishes 68 on double 16 to put Australia two legs away from the win.
3-2 – McGowan takes out 102 to pull Ireland back to within touching distance.
4-2 – Whitlock finishes 76 to move Australia to the brink of victory.
5-2 – Nicholson hits a 180 and Whitlock finishes double 16 to seal the win.
Australia 4-0 Republic of Ireland

Wales v Croatia
Mark Webster & Richie Burnett v Boris Krcmar & Tonci Restovic
0-1 – Krcmar finishes 135 to take the opening leg in style on tops.
1-1 – Restovic hits a 180 but sees Krcmar miss double 12 for a 144 checkout, and Burnett holds his nerve to take out double 16 for a 48 finish.
2-1 – Burnett lands double ten to put Wales 2-1 up.
3-1 – Webster finishes 117 on tops to put Wales into a commanding position.
4-1 – Double four for Wales puts them a leg away from the win.
5-1 – Wales sweep into the quarter-finals in style with a 12-darter, with Webster hitting two 180s and Burnett completing victory on double 16.
Wales 4-0 Croatia

Germany v USA
Jyhan Artut & Bernd Roith v Darin Young & Gary Mawson
1-0 – Roith takes out 111 to win the opening leg.
1-1 – Young levels by hitting double ten.
2-1 – Both Germans hit 140s to push them to a finish first, and after Roith misses the bull for a 121 finish Artut returns to hit double 15.
2-2 – Young opens with a 180 and levels the game by hitting double 12.
2-3 – Young wins a third leg for America, hitting double ten.
3-3 – Roith levels the match and sends the home fans wild by landing double ten.
4-3 – Artut puts Germany a leg away from the quarter-finals by finishing 81 on the bullseye.
4-4 – Young misses the bull for a 123 finish, but Artut misses two darts at double eight and Mawson hits the same bed to send the game into a deciding leg – celebrating by high-fiving with Young.
4-5 – Artut opens with a 180 for Germany and the pair hit tons in their next visits, but Young replies with a 180. Artut, needing 64, fails to give himself a dart at a double, and Young steps up to take out 106 and snatch an amazing win!
Germany 1-3 USA

Scotland v South Africa
Gary Anderson & Peter Wright v Devon Petersen & Shawn Hogan
1-0 – Anderson gives Scotland the early lead by hitting double eight.
2-0 – Hogan hits a 180 but Petersen is just off-target on the bull for a 90 finish and Anderson posts tops to double Scotland’s lead.
2-1 – Petersen hits a 180 to put South Africa first to a finish, and returns to the oche to finish 56 on double 16 to get his country off the mark.
3-1 – Anderson wins a third leg for the Scots, finishing 120 with an improvised treble 20, double top and double ten combination.
3-2 – Anderson opens with a maximum, but Petersen replies with a maximum of his own before landing double nine to cut the gap to one.
3-3 – An inspired Petersen finishes 101 on double 16 to level the game.
3-4 – Petersen opens with his third 180 of the game, and after Anderson misses tops for a 101 finish and Wright misses three more darts for the leg to allow Hogan in to hit double eight to give South Africa the lead for the first time.
3-5 – Hogan lands double 16 to give South Africa victory to square the tie and force a sudden-death leg.
Sudden Death Leg
Petersen wins the bull and South Africa throw first. Anderson hits a 180 to leave Scotland 144 after nine darts. Wright leaves 60 for Scotland, while Petersen steps up on 126 and misses double 12. Anderson misses two darts for the match and Hogan hits double six for the win.
Scotland 2-2 South Africa – South Africa win tie in sudden-death leg.

England v Canada
Phil Taylor & Adrian Lewis v John Part & Ken MacNeil
1-0 – Taylor’s 140 sets Lewis up on double four for the opening leg.
1-1 – Lewis misses double 16 for a 108 finish and Part steps in to take out 76 on tops.
2-1 – Lewis hits double 16 to edge England ahead.
3-1 – The English pair hit 140s and Taylor hits tops to move his country two legs clear.
4-1 – Lewis posts a 180 and lands double 12 to move England a leg away from a victory which will take the tie to a sudden-death leg.
4-2 – Taylor misses three darts at tops for victory and MacNeil hits the same bed to keep Canada’s hopes alive in the game.
4-3 – Part finishes 109 on double 16 to pull back to within a leg.
5-3 – Lewis hits a 180 to pull England clear, and when Taylor misses double 16 for the win the World Champion returns to force a sudden-death leg on double eight.
Sudden Death Leg
England win the bull at the third time of asking. Lewis hits a 140 to leave England 110 after 12 darts, and Taylor sets him up to return and hit double four for the win.
England 2-2 Canada – England win tie in sudden-death leg

Netherlands v Austria
Raymond van Barneveld & Vincent van der Voort v Mensur Suljovic & Dietmar Burger
1-0 – A nervy start seees the Dutch miss a host of darts to lead before double one gets them the advantage.
2-0 – The Dutch double their lead with a break of throw.
3-0 – Both Burger and Suljovic hit 180s but the Netherlands take the leg to lead 3-0.
3-1 – A 121 finish gives Austria the fourth leg.
4-1 – A 15-dart finish puts the Dutch a leg away from the victory.
4-2 – The Dutch miss the chance to take victory and Suljovic finishes 90 on the bull to keep the match alive.
5-2 – van Barneveld finishes 76 on tops to secure the reigning champions’ place in the quarter-finals.
Netherlands 3-1 Austria

Quarter-Final Order of Play
Saturday (8pm)
Australia v Belgium
Simon Whitlock v Kurt Van De Rijck
Paul Nicholson v Kim Huybrechts
Followed by Doubles

Wales v South Africa
Mark Webster v Shawn Hogan
Richie Burnett v Devon Petersen
Followed by Doubles

England v USA
Phil Taylor v Gary Mawson
Adrian Lewis v Darin Young
Followed by Doubles

Northern Ireland v Netherlands/Austria
Brendan Dolan v Vincent van der Voort
Michael Mansell v Raymond van Barneveld
Followed by Doubles

Source – PDC/Lawrence Lustig

Taylor went down 4-3 to MacNeil, giving him echoes of a defeat in the second round of the 2010 World Cup of Darts to Spain when he was partnered by James Wade.

Double World Champion Lewis has taken Wade’s place in the England team in this event, but was unable to take victory in his own Singles clash with Part, who took out a brilliant 140 finish to win their game in a deciding leg.

The results mean that Taylor and Lewis must now win Saturday afternoon’s Doubles game between the nations to force a sudden-death leg at the Alsterdorfer Sporthalle in Hamburg.

Reigning champions Netherlands, meanwhile, face a winner-takes-all Doubles clash with Austria on Saturday after Raymond van Barneveld and Mensur Suljovic picked up respective wins for their countries.

Van Barneveld came from 3-2 down to defeat Dietmar Burger 4-3, while Suljovic won in the same manner against Vincent van der Voort, who hit a 140 checkout during the game but could not better the Austrian’s 14-darter in the deciding leg.

Australia, who were semi-finalists in the 2010 World Cup of Darts, made a strong start to the event as Simon Whitlock and Paul Nicholson dropped just one leg between them in victories over Ireland’s Mick McGowan and William O’Connor.

Welshmen Mark Webster and Richie Burnett also impressed as they defeated Croatian pair Tonci Restovic and Boris Krcmar with 4-0 and 4-3 wins respectively, as they put one foot into the quarter-finals.

Scotland also lead 2-0 in their clash with South Africa, although Gary Anderson had to come from 3-0 down to defeat Shawn Hogan 4-3 before Peter Wright overcame emerging star Devon Petersen 4-1.

Hosts Germany are level with the USA following their Singles games, with Jyhan Artut defeating Gary Mawson 4-3 and Darin Young seeing off Bernd Roith 4-2.

Northern Ireland are also all-square with Denmark, for whom Jann Hoffmann picked up victory over World Grand Prix finalist Brendan Dolan before left-hander Michael Mansell defeated Per Laursen 4-1.

Belgium and Sweden will meet in another decisive Doubles game knowing that the winner will progress on Saturday afternoon after sharing the spoils on Friday, with Kim Huybrechts defeating Dennis Nilsson 4-1 and Magnus Caris replying with a 4-2 win over Kurt Van De Rijck.

Saturday afternoon’s decisive Doubles games will be followed in the evening session by the quarter-finals, which will see both Singles and Doubles games combined.

Cash Converters World Cup of Darts
Second Round
Friday Evening Session (8pm-12am)
16 x Singles matches. Top ranked player from each team plays second ranked player from opposing team.
Best of seven legs, 501 Singles, loser throws first.
One point awarded for each match winner.

Second Round Singles
Northern Ireland 1-1 Denmark
Brendan Dolan 3-4 Jann Hoffmann
Michael Mansell 4-1 Per Laursen

Belgium 1-1 Sweden
Kim Huybrechts 4-1 Dennis Nilsson
Kurt Van De Rijck 2-4 Magnus Caris

Australia 2-0 Republic of Ireland
Simon Whitlock 4-1 Mick McGowan
Paul Nicholson 4-0 William O’Connor

Wales 2-0 Croatia
Mark Webster 4-0 Tonci Restovic
Richie Burnett 4-3 Boris Krcmar

Germany 1-1 USA
Jyhan Artut 4-3 Gary Mawson
Bernd Roith 2-4 Darin Young

Scotland 2-0 South Africa
Gary Anderson 4-3 Shawn Hogan
Peter Wright 4-1 Devon Petersen

England 0-2 Canada
Phil Taylor 3-4 Ken MacNeil
Adrian Lewis 3-4 John Part

Netherlands 1-1 Austria
Raymond van Barneveld 4-3 Dietmar Burger
Vincent van der Voort 3-4 Mensur Suljovic

Saturday February 4
Afternoon Session (2.30pm-6.30pm)
Second Round
8x Doubles matches. Best of nine legs, 501 Doubles, loser throws first.
Two points awarded for each match winner. In the event of this resulting in a 2-2 tie between countries, a sudden death doubles leg will take place with the team who threw first in the doubles match throwing first for the bull in the sudden death leg.

Second Round Doubles Order of Play
Northern Ireland v Denmark
Belgium v Sweden
Australia v Republic of Ireland
Wales v Croatia
Germany v USA
Scotland v South Africa
England v Canada
Netherlands v Austria

Evening Session (8pm-12am)
Quarter-Finals
4x Quarter-Final ties. Play proceeds in bracket order from the Second Round onwards.
Same format as Second Round, with Doubles match immediately following second Singles match in each tie.

Order of Play TBC

Tournament Draw Bracket – to be used from Second Round onwards
England (1) v Canada
Germany (8) v USA
Wales (5) v Croatia
Scotland (4) v South Africa
Australia (2) v Republic of Ireland
Belgium (7) v Sweden
Northern Ireland (6) v Denmark
Netherlands (3) v Austria

Second Round Singles Match Information
Northern Ireland v Denmark
Brendan Dolan v Jann Hoffmann
0-1 – Hoffmann opens the final with double ten to take the first leg.
1-1 – Dolan eventually levels, missing a host of chances before hitting double two.
2-1 – Double 16 from Dolan breaks throw.
2-2 – Hoffmann levels courtesy of double nine.
3-2 – Dolan misses the bull for a 161 finish, but has enough cushion to return and land double eight to regain the lead.
3-3 – Dolan sets up 48 for victory, but Hoffmann lands double ten to force a deciding leg.
3-4 – Dolan is first to a finish, but misses four darts at double top, ten and five and Hoffmann lands double three with his third dart to take the win.

Michael Mansell v Per Laursen
0-1 – Laursen misses double 18 for a 156 finish, but returns to hit double nine.
1-1 – Mansell takes the second leg to level.
2-1 – Laursen misses four darts for the leg, and Mansell steps in on double ten to break throw.
3-1 – Mansell wins his third successive leg by hitting double top.
4-1 – Mansell finishes 76 on tops to take victory and level the tie.
Northern Ireland 1-1 Denmark – the tie will be decided by the winner of Saturday afternoon’s Doubles game

Belgium v Sweden
Kim Huybrechts v Dennis Nilsson
1-0 – Nilsson misses double 16 to break and Huybrechts wins the opener.
1-1 – The Swede levels with a brilliant 140 checkout.
2-1 – Huybrechts hits a 171 score and lands double ten to edge back ahead.
3-1 – Huybrechts posts double nine to move a leg away from the win.
3-2 – The Belgian opens with a 180 but misses tops for the match, and Nilsson posts double ten to stay in the contest.
4-2 – Huybrechts opens a second successive leg with a maximum, and after scoring 40 on his second visit hits another 180 and lands double 16 to take the win.

Kurt Van De Rijck v Magnus Caris
0-1 – Caris hits tops to get Sweden off the mark.
0-2 – Caris doubles his lead by landing double eight, having wired the bull for a 164 checkout.
1-2 – Van De Rijck lands a 180 and gets himself into the game by landing double one.
1-3 – Caris hits tops at the third time of asking to move a leg away from the win.
2-3 – Van De Rijck lands tops to stay in the game, with Caris waiting on 100 for the match.
2-4 – Caris is first to a finish, and has enough cushion to miss a host of doubles before sealing the win on double one.
Belgium 1-1 Sweden – the tie will be decided by the winner of Saturday afternoon’s Doubles game

Australia v Republic of Ireland
Simon Whitlock v Mick McGowan
1-0 – Whitlock makes a solid start by taking the opening leg with his fourth dart at a double.
2-0 – Whitlock breaks throw in style, hitting a 180 to leave 57, which he takes out at the first time of asking.
2-1 – McGowan posts tops with his third dart to hit back.
3-1 – Double 16 for a 50 finish puts Whitlock a leg away from the game.
4-1 – McGowan opens with a 180 but Whitlock finishes 90 on tops to seal the win.

Paul Nicholson v William O’Connor
1-0 – O’Connor is first to a finish, but misses four darts at tops and Nicholson takes out 64 in two darts to lead.
2-0 – Nicholson extends his lead by hitting double 16 at the first time of asking.
3-0 – Nicholson misses double 16 and double eight to move three legs clear, but O’Connor is unable to finish 100 and he returns to hit double four.
4-0 – O’Connor opens with a 180, but misses double seven for an 86 finish and Nicholson pounces on double eight to seal a whitewash win.
Australia 2-0 Republic of Ireland – Republic of Ireland must win Doubles game to force a sudden-death leg to decide the winner.

Wales v Croatia
Mark Webster v Tonci Restovic
1-0 – Double 12 puts Webster into the lead.
2-0 – Restovic is unable to take out 135 and Webster doubles his cushion on double ten, following an earlier 180.
3-0 – Webster hits two more maximums in the third leg, and finishes double ten for a 14-darter to move a leg away from the win.
4-0 – Webster completes a comprehensive win by finish 80 on tops for a whitewash, with Restovic denied a dart at a double by his performance.

Richie Burnett v Boris Krcmar
1-0 – Burnett makes a brilliant start, hitting double ten for a 13-dart leg.
1-1 – Krcmar levels with double 19 for a superb 158 finish.
1-2 – Krcmar hits a 180, and when Burnett misses tops he lands double 18 with his third dart to break throw and lead.
2-2 – Burnett finishes 101 on double 16 to level the contest.
2-3 – Krcmar hits a 180 and lands double ten to move a leg away from an upset against the World Champion.
3-3 – Burnett finishes 62 in two darts to send the game into a decider.
4-3 – Burnett misses tops for a 120 finish, but when Krcmar fails to take out 142 he returns to hit tops and seal victory.
Wales 2-0 Croatia – Croatia must win Doubles game to force a sudden-death leg to decide the winner.

Germany v USA
Jyhan Artut v Gary Mawson
1-0 – Artut delights the home crowd by hitting double top to win the opening leg.
2-0 – Artut hits a 177 and finishes 64 in two darts to move two legs up.
2-1 – Mawson hits back with a 93 finish, ending on double 16.
3-1 – A crucial fourth leg goes the way of the German, who initially misses double 16 before Mawson is just off-target with double six for a 126 checkout to allow Artut back in on double eight.
3-2 – Mawson pulls back to within a leg by hitting double ten.
3-3 – Artut misses double top for a 116 finish and victory, and Mawson silences the home crowd by landing double 12 with his third dart to force a deciding leg.
4-3 – Artut is first to a finish, and posts double top at the first time of asking to take the win.

Bernd Roith v Darin Young
0-1 – Roith misses two darts to take the opening leg and Young finishes double ten.
0-2 – Tops from Young sees him double his lead.
0-3 – Young moves a leg away from victory on double five.
1-3 – Roith keeps his hopes alive by posting double top to get off the mark.
2-3 – Young misses four match darts and Roith steps in to win a second leg.
2-4 – Young finishes 76 in two darts to close out victory.
Germany 1-1 USA – the tie will be decided by the winner of Saturday afternoon’s Doubles game

Scotland v South Africa
Gary Anderson v Shawn Hogan
0-1 – Anderson is punished for five misses as Hogan wins the opening leg.
0-2 – Anderson misses two darts at double top and Hogan capitalises on double eight to move 2-0 up.
0-3 – Anderson opens with scores of 140 and 180, but misses the bull, double eight and double four and Hogan finishes 101 to move a leg away from a huge shock.
1-3 – Hogan hits a 180 but Anderson takes out 62 to get off the mark.
2-3 – Anderson lands a 180 in reply and finishes double eight to continue the fightback.
3-3 – Anderson fires in two 180s and levels on tops with a superb leg.
4-3 – Hogan misses double 12 for the match on a 138 checkout, and a relieved Anderson seals victory on tops.

Peter Wright v Devon Petersen
1-0 – Petersen hits a 180 but is left waiting on tops as Wright finishes double 16 for the opening leg.
1-1 – Petersen hits the double at the second time of asking to level.
2-1 – Wright edges back ahead by holding throw in the third, after Petersen missed a dart to break.
3-1 – Wright posts a 180 and hits double top to move a leg away from an impressive victory.
4-1 – Wright hits another maximum, and when Petersen is unable to land a second double top on a 100 combination the Scot hits the same bed to seal the win
Scotland 2-0 South Africa – South Africa must win Doubles game to force a sudden-death leg to decide the winner.

England v Canada
Phil Taylor v Ken MacNeil
0-1 – MacNeil finishes 111 to take the opening leg.
1-1 – Taylor hits back to level on double five.
2-1 – MacNeil misses a dart at tops, and Taylor hits double two to edge ahead.
2-2 – Taylor misses the bull for a 158 finish and MacNeil lands double 12 to win a second leg and square the game.
2-3 – Taylor misses the bull again, this time on an 87 checkout, and MacNeil posts tops to move a leg away from a huge upset.
3-3 – Taylor posts a 174 and, with MacNeil waiting on 32 for the match, finishes 68 on double 16 to send the game into a decider.
3-4 – The pair open with 140 scores but MacNeil is first to a finish, missing the bull for a 170 finish but returning – with Taylor waiting on 32 – to hit double 19 for a massive win.

Adrian Lewis v John Part
0-1 – Lewis misses two darts at double eight and Part steps in on tops to lead.
1-1 – Double 14 for Lewis levels the contest.
1-2 – Lewis hits a 180 to leave 73 but misses two darts at double eight, and Part steps in on double ten.
1-3 – Lewis misses double 16 for a 101 finish, and Part takes out 48 in two darts to move a leg away from the win.
2-3 – Lewis hits scores of 140, 180 and 145 before hitting double 18 for a 13-darter to stay in the game.
3-3 – Lewis opens the sixth with a 180 and finishes 76 for an 11-darter in forcing a deciding leg.
3-4 – Part makes the early running before Lewis hits a 140 to catch up – but the Canadian brilliantly finishes 140 on double ten for the match.
England 0-2 Canada – England must win Doubles game to force a sudden-death leg to decide the winner.

Netherlands v Austria
Raymond van Barneveld v Dietmar Burger
1-0 – Burger misses double ten and five to lead, and van Barneveld posts double 16 for the first leg.
1-1 – Burger levels with his second dart at a double.
1-2 – van Barneveld misses two darts to lead, and Burger posts double top to put himself ahead.
2-2 – Burger hits a 180, but van Barneveld lands a 174 score and finishes 76 on double eight to square the match.
2-3 – Burger hits double eight to take the fifth leg and move one away from the win.
3-3 – van Barneveld finishes 64 on double 16 to send the match into a decider.
4-3 – van Barneveld misses two darts at double eight, but Burger is unable to finish 76 and the Dutchman returns to hit double four.

Vincent van der Voort v Mensur Suljovic
0-1 – Suljovic finishes 75 to take the first leg.
1-1 – van der Voort levels at the first time of asking.
2-1 – van der Voort takes the lead with a superb 140 finish.
2-2 – Suljovic finishes 72 to square the contest.
2-3 – van der Voort misses the bull for an 80 finish, and Suljovic hits double seven to move a leg away from the win.
3-3 – Double 16 from the Dutchman sends the match into a decider.
3-4 – Suljovic posts 180 and finishes double ten for a 14-darter to take victory and level the tie.
Netherlands 1-1 Austria – the tie will be decided by the winner of Saturday afternoon’s Doubles game.

Source – PDC/Lawrence Lustig

The Spanish pair of Antonio Alcinas and Carlos Rodriguez had been the surprise package of the inaugural World Cup of Darts in December 2010, seeing off both England and Scotland in reaching the last four.

However, they succumbed to a 5-2 defeat as Devon Petersen and Shawn Hogan propelled South Africa into a second round clash with the Scots at the Alsterdorfer Sporthalle in Germany.

Petersen, who faced Scottish number one Gary Anderson when he reached the second round of the World Championship a month ago, was inspired as he hit three 180s, with a 111 finish from Alcinas not enough to aid Spain’s challenge.

“They did brilliantly last year but we fancied our chances and the format of this tournament makes it an opportunity for everybody,” said Petersen.

“We’ve done well here to beat Spain and it’s a good boost for us, so we’ll have a good go against Scotland now, it’s another challenge for us both.”

The Canadian team of three-time World Champion John Part and Ken MacNeil set up a second round contest with the English duo Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis by defeating Hungary 5-3.

The Hungarian pair of Nandor Bezzeg and Kristian Kaufmann held their own by sharing the first six legs, but MacNeil posted double ten to give Canada a 4-3 lead and Part finished 117 to secure victory.

Part will take on World Champion Lewis in their Singles tie, with MacNeil meeting 15-time World Champion Taylor in the other contest, with the teams then due to meet in Saturday afternoon’s decisive Doubles matches.

“This format lends itself to upsets and I’m confident,” said Part. “I’ll give it my best and between us I’m sure we can give England some trouble.

“There’s still lots of pressure but if we lose tonight there’s still a chance in the Doubles. I hit my finishes well after a sluggish start and it’s good to be through.”

Sweden’s Magnus Caris and Dennis Nilsson won three successive legs from two-all to defeat Japan’s Haruki Muramatsu and Morihiro Hashimoto 5-2, and now play Belgian debutants Kim Huybrechts and Kurt Van De Rijck in the second round.

The Republic of Ireland pair of William O’Connor and Mick McGowan came from 2-1 down to win four successive legs to defeat the Malaysian duo of Lee Choon Peng and Amin Bin Abdul Ghani.

American duo Darin Young and Gary Mawson defeated the Philippines’ Christian Perez and Lourence Ilagan 5-3, with Austria’s Mensur Suljovic and Dietmar Burger taking out finishes of 112 and 126 in seeing off New Zealand’s Warren French and Preston Ridd by the same scoreline.

The first round’s final two matches both went to a deciding ninth leg, with Croatia defeating Finland and Denmark seeing off Gibraltar.

Boris Krcmar hit a 135 checkout for Croatia in their narrow win over the Finnish pair of Petri Korte and Marko Kantele, with Tonci Restovic hitting double five to seal their second round game with Welsh duo Mark Webster and Richie Burnett.

Denmark’s Per Laursen and Jann Hoffmann, meanwhile, came from 2-0 down to defeat Gibraltar’s Dylan Duo and Dyson Parody 5-4, with Duo missing doubles to take victory in the final two legs.

The 24-nation tournament saw the top eight ranked teams, including reigning champions the Netherlands, England, Australia, Wales and Scotland, seeded into the second round.

Raymond van Barneveld will lead the Netherlands against Austria alongside Vincent van der Voort, while German pair Jyhan Artut and Bernd Roith will take on the USA on home soil in their opening contest.

Australia’s Simon Whitlock and Paul Nicholson, who reached the semi-finals of the last World Cup of Darts, open their challenge against Ireland, while Northern Ireland’s Brendan Dolan and Michael Mansell take on Denmark.

Cash Converters World Cup of Darts
First Round
Canada 5-3 Hungary
Republic of Ireland 5-2 Malaysia
USA 5-3 Philippines
Austria 5-3 New Zealand
Sweden 5-2 Japan
Spain 2-5 South Africa
Finland 4-5 Croatia
Gibraltar 4-5 Denmark

Second Round
Friday Evening Session (8pm start local time)
16 x Singles matches. Top ranked player from each team plays second ranked player from opposing team.
Best of seven legs, 501 Singles, loser throws first.
One point awarded for each match winner.

Second Round Singles Order of Play
Northern Ireland v Denmark
Brendan Dolan v Jann Hoffman
Michael Mansell v Per Laursen

Belgium v Sweden
Kim Huybrechts v Dennis Nilsson
Kurt Van De Rijck v Magnus Caris

Australia v Republic of Ireland
Simon Whitlock v Mick McGowan
Paul Nicholson v William O’Connor

Wales v Croatia
Mark Webster v Tonci Restovic
Richie Burnett v Boris Krcmar

Germany v USA
Jyhan Artut v Gary Mawson
Bernd Roith v Darin Young

Scotland v South Africa
Gary Anderson v Shawn Hogan
Peter Wright v Devon Petersen

England v Canada
Phil Taylor v Ken MacNeil
Adrian Lewis v John Part

Netherlands v Austria
Raymond van Barneveld v Dietmar Burger
Vincent van der Voort v Mensur Suljovic

Saturday February 4
Afternoon Session (2.30pm-6.30pm)
Second Round
8x Doubles matches. Best of nine legs, 501 Doubles, loser throws first.
Two points awarded for each match winner. In the event of this resulting in a 2-2 tie between countries, a sudden death doubles leg will take place with the team who threw first in the doubles match throwing first for the bull in the sudden death leg.

Second Round Doubles Order of Play
Northern Ireland v Denmark
Belgium v Sweden
Australia v Republic of Ireland
Wales v Croatia
Germany v USA
Scotland v South Africa
England v Canada
Netherlands v Austria

First Round Match Information
Canada v Hungary
John Part & Ken MacNeil v Nandor Bezzeg & Kristian Kaufmann
1-0 – A nervy opening sees both countries miss a host of darts at a double before John Part holds his nerve to hit double one.
1-1 – Hungary get iff the mark as Kristian Kaufmann, on his TV debut, finishes 86 in two darts to level.
2-1 – Part finds the double again to edge Canada back ahead, hitting double eight.
2-2 – Part misses double 16 for a 101 finish, and Kaufmann lands double top with his first dart to square the game again.
3-2 – Part finishes 50 on double eight to win Canada’s third leg.
3-3 – Kaufmann is on target again at double top to level with an 80 finish.
4-3 – Part misses two darts at tops, but MacNeil weighs in to post double ten and give Canada the edge.
5-3 – Hungary can only watch on as Part shows his class with a 117 checkout to seal victory.

Republic of Ireland v Malaysia
William O’Connor & Mick McGowan v Lee Choon Peng & Amin Bin Abdul Ghani
0-1 – Amin Bin Abdul Ghani hits two 140s in his opening throws on the big stage, and Lee Choon Peng finishes 120 to give Malaysia the first leg.
1-1 – Mick McGowan finishes double top to level for Ireland.
1-2 – Abdul Ghani hits a 180 and a 140, with William O’Connor replying with a maximum of his own for Ireland, but Choon Peng wins the leg on double four.
2-2 – McGowan posts tops again to square the match.
3-2 – O’Connor takes out 104 on double 13 to break throw for Ireland and move them ahead.
4-2 – O’Connor posts double 16 to move Ireland a leg away from victory.
5-2 – O’Connor wins a third successive leg for Ireland as a double ten finish puts him and McGowan into the second round.

USA v Philippines
Darin Young & Gary Mawson v Christian Perez & Lourence Ilagan
1-0 – America make an ideal start, with Darin Young hitting scores of 134, 140 and taking out double top for a 14-darter.
1-1 – USA leave 40 but Christian Perez finishes double eight to level the game.
2-1 – Gary Mawson misses tops for a 103 finish and Young wastes three further darts at a double, but Perez is unable to convert chances at double 16 and eight, and Mawson returns to hit double five.
2-2 – Perez hits a fine 171 to leave 36, which Lourence Ilagan hits at the first time of asking.
3-2 – Young edges America back in front with double 16.
4-2 – Mawson lands double ten to move the USA a leg away from victory.
4-3 – Ilagan takes out 74 on double 16 to win the seventh leg for the Philippines.
5-3 – Perez misses tops for a 120 finish, and Mawson hits the same bed to give America the win.

Austria v New Zealand
Mensur Suljovic & Dietmar Burger v Warren French & Preston Ridd
0-1 – Austria miss four darts to take the lead and Warren French gives New Zealand the lead with double five on his third dart to edge a nervy opener.
1-1 – Austria are first to a finish but continue to miss doubles before Mensur Suljovic hits double one with his third dart to level.
2-1 – Austria hit their stride, with Burger hitting a 180 and Suljovic taking out 112 to give them the lead.
3-1 – Suljovic lands double 18 to move the Austrians two legs clear.
3-2 – French finishes double top to pull New Zealand back into the game.
4-2 – Burger produces a brilliant 126 checkout on double six to move Austria a leg away from victory.
4-3 – French takes out double top again to pull the Kiwis back into the match.
5-3 – Suljovic hits a 180 to leave Austria 81 after nine darts, and returns to hit double 16 as they progress to round two with a 14-darter.

Sweden v Japan
Magnus Caris & Dennis Nilsson v Haruki Muramatsu & Morihiro Hashimoto
1-0 – Magnus Caris opens with a 180 and takes the first leg on double eight.
1-1 – Haruki Muramatsu kicks off the second leg with a 180, but Sweden are unable to capitalise on five misses from Japan when Dennis Nilsson misses two darts at double 19 on a 98 finish, and Muramatsu finishes the leg on double two.
2-1 – Muramatsu hits a 177 to leave 24, but Nilsson takes out 48 on double 16 to edge Sweden back ahead.
2-2 – Hashimoto lands double 12 to level.
3-2 – Caris finishes 55 on tops to push Sweden back ahead.
4-2 – Sweden capitalise to break, with Nilsson posting double eight putting them a leg away from victory.
5-2 – Caris takes out 82 on tops to complete the win for Sweden.

Spain v South Africa
Antonio Alcinas & Carlos Rodriguez v Devon Petersen & Shawn Hogan
0-1 – Devon Petersen opens with a 180 and also finishes double eight to give South Africa the first leg in 14 darts.
1-1 – Antonio Alcinas lands double 16 to level the game.
1-2 – Petersen and Alcinas open the leg with 180s, and Petersen hits tops to move the South Africans ahead.
2-2 – Alcinas takes out a classy 111 on tops to square the match again.
2-3 – Petersen hits double one to give South Africa the fifth leg.
2-4 – Petersen lands his third 180 of the game, and double ten from Shawn Hogan puts the South Africans a leg away from the win.
2-5 – Petersen hits double eight to send the 2010 semi-finalist crashing out.

Finland v Croatia
Petri Korte & Marko Kantele v Boris Krcmar & Tonci Restovic
0-1 – Petri Korte misses three darts to win the opening leg and Boris Krcmar finishes 135 on the bull to open with a win.
1-1 – Marko Kantele finishes 70 on double 16 to get Finland onto the scoreboard.
1-2 – Kantele is unable to finish double top and ten and Krcmar steps in on double five.
1-3 – Krcmar hits a 180 and finishes 74 in two darts on double 16 to move the Croatians two legs up.
2-3 – Kantele lands another 180 as Finland hit back.
3-3 – Kantele eventually hits double five to win a scrappy leg, as each country sees both players miss doubles in two visits to the oche before the Finnish side level.
3-4 – Krcmar misses double 14 for a 148 finish, with his dart ending in double nine, but Restovic recovers the situation by hitting double five at the first time of asking.
4-4 – Kantele posts double four to send the match into a deciding leg.
4-5 – Croatia are first to a finish, with Restovic missing a dart at double top and double ten and Krcmar missing three of his own for victory, but Korte is unable to finish 100 and Restovic takes out double five for victory.

Gibraltar v Denmark
Dylan Duo & Dyson Parody v Per Laursen & Jann Hoffmann
1-0 – Dylan Duo misses double 12 for a 141 finish, but Dyson Parody steps up to finish 24 with an improvised double nine, double three combination.
2-0 – Parody finishes 52 on tops to move the Gibraltar team 2-0 up.
2-1 – Veteran Jann Hoffmann lands double ten to get Denmark into the contest.
2-2 – Per Laursen finishes 74 on tops to level the match for Denmark.
3-2 – Parody finishes 108 on double 16 to edge Gibraltar ahead.
3-3 – Hoffmann posts double 16 with his third dart to level.
4-3 – Parody misses tops for a 72 finish, but Duo steps up to hit double five and put Gibraltar a leg away from the win.
4-4 – The tension mounts, with Duo missing tops for a 142 finish to take victory and Hoffmann takes out 76 on tops to send the match into a decider.
4-5 – Gibraltar are first to a finish, but Duo misses double 16 and Laursen steps in to hit tops and complete Denmark’s comeback.

Source – PDC/Lawrence Lustig

The tournament was introduced to great success in December 2010, with the top two ranked players from 24 nations defying a foot of snow to compete in north-east England.

The hosts’ team of Phil Taylor and James Wade were stunned by Spanish pair Antonio Alcinas and Carlos Rodriguez in the second round of the event as the colourful pair went on to reach the semi-finals.

They would be denied at that stage by the Netherlands, as van Barneveld and his then partner Co Stompe went on to take victory with a triumph against Wales in the final.

That success is van Barneveld’s only televised triumph since 2007, but after losing in the first round of the World Championship before Christmas he is determined to bounce back in style at the Alsterdorfer Sporthalle in Hamburg this weekend.

“The last World Cup was a brilliant memory for me,” said van Barneveld. “I loved every minute of playing with Co and I can’t wait to play with Vincent this time.

“We’re determined to keep this title. I’m practising every day and I played really well in Spain last weekend, and this year I want to prove a lot of people wrong – I’m not finished.

“Losing in the first round of the World Championship to James Richardson was one of the saddest things in my career.

“I know what I can do but I was lazy last year, not practising much. I needed two or three weeks to recover and I said to myself that now I’m going to work hard and prove that I’m still top class.”

Taylor will be partnered by World Champion Adrian Lewis in this year’s tournament, with the Stoke pair set to open their challenge against either Canada – featuring three-time World Champion John Part – or Hungary.

“I’m excited,” said Taylor. “I’ve not played since the World Championship so I’m itching to get back up there, and I’m looking forward to playing with Adrian.

“It was disappointing to lose early on in the last World Cup but this is a new chance. Adrian’s obviously in great form because he’s just won the World Championship again, and it should be good fun.”

Lewis has overtaken James Wade to become world number two in the past year to replace the left-hander in the English pairing, and is hoping to continue his run of success in Hamburg.

“I’ve been so used to playing against Phil that it might take a little bit of time getting used to playing with him!” he joked.

“I’m really looking forward to it and it would be a fantastic competition to win, although there are some great teams out there.”

The World Cup of Darts will begin on Friday afternoon with eight first round matches which will feature the teams ranked 9-24.

Canada’s John Part and Ken MacNeil play the Hungarian pairing of Nandor Bezzeg and Kristian Kaufmann in the opening game, before Ireland’s William O’Connor and Mick McGowan play the Malaysian duo of Lee Choon Peng and Amin Bin Abdul Ghani.

American duo Darin Young and Gary Mawson play the Philippines’ Christian Perez and Lourence Ilagan, while Austria’s Mensur Suljovic and Dietmar Burger play the New Zealand team of Warren French and Preston Ridd.

Sweden’s Magnus Caris and Dennis Nilsson meet the Japanese pairing of Haruki Muramatsu and Morihiro Hashimoto, while the South African team of Devon Petersen and Shawn Hogan take on the 2010 semi-finalists Spain, who are again represented by Alcinas and Rodriguez.

Finland’s Petri Korte and Marko Kantele play Croatia’s Boris Krcmar and Tonci Restovic, and the final first round game sees Gibraltar’s Dylan Duo and Dyson Parody meet Denmark’s Per Laursen and Jann Hoffmann.

The first round will be played in a Doubles format of the best of nine legs, with the second round comprising Singles games to be played on Friday night and Doubles matches on Saturday afternoon.

England play Canada or Hungary, with the winners progressing to meet either Germany, USA or the Philippines in the quarter-finals.

The Welsh pairing of Mark Webster and Richie Burnett meet Finland or Croatia as they bid to emulate their run to the 2010 final, when Webster was partnered by Barrie Bates.

However, their potential quarter-final opponents would be either Scotland – represented by Premier League champion Gary Anderson and colourful Peter Wright – Spain or South Africa.

Number two seeds Australia, represented by Simon Whitlock and Paul Nicholson, will play either the Republic of Ireland or Malaysia in the second round, with the Belgian debutants Kim Huybrechts and Kurt Van De Rijck playing Sweden or Japan.

Northern Ireland’s Brendan Dolan and Michael Mansell play Gibraltar or Denmark, with the Netherlands meeting Austria or New Zealand in their second round tie.

The tournament will continue throughout the weekend with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals played with a mixture of Singles and Doubles matches.

The event will be screened live on Sky Sports HD in the UK, on RTL7 in the Netherlands, Fox Sports in Australia and OSN Showtime Network across the Middle East & North Africa, and is also available outside of the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands through LIVEPDC.TV.

Cash Converters World Cup of Darts
Schedule of Play
All times local (GMT+1)
Friday February 3
Afternoon Session (2pm-6pm)
First Round x8 Games
Best of nine legs, 501 Doubles, loser throws first.
Knockout between teams 9-24

First Round Order of Play
Canada (John Part & Ken MacNeil) v Hungary (Nandor Bezzeg & Kristian Kaufmann)
Republic of Ireland (William O’Connor/Mick McGowan v Malaysia (Lee Choon Peng/Amin Bin Abdul Ghani)
USA (Darin Young & Gary Mawson) v Philippines (Christian Perez & Lourence Ilagan)
Austria (Mensur Suljovic & Dietmar Burger) v New Zealand (Warren French & Preston Ridd)
Sweden (Magnus Caris & Dennis Nilsson) v Japan (Haruki Muramatsu & Morihiro Hashimoto)
Spain (Antonio Alcinas & Carlos Rodriguez) v South Africa (Devon Petersen & Shawn Hogan)
Finland (Petri Korte & Marko Kantele) v Croatia (Boris Krcmar & Tonci Restovic)
Gibraltar (Dylan Duo & Dyson Parody) v Denmark (Per Laursen & Jann Hoffmann)

Second Round
Play split across Friday night & Saturday afternoon sessions
Draw Bracket – to be used from Second Round onwards
England (1) v Canada/Hungary
Germany (8) v USA/Philippines
Wales (5) v Finland/Croatia
Scotland (4) v Spain/South Africa
Australia (2) v Republic of Ireland/Malaysia
Belgium (7) v Sweden/Japan
Northern Ireland (6) v Gibraltar/Denmark
Netherlands (3) v Austria/New Zealand

Evening Session (8pm-12am)
16 x Singles matches. Top ranked player from each team plays second ranked player from opposing team.
Best of seven legs, 501 Singles, loser throws first.
One point awarded for each match winner.

Second Round Singles Order of Play
Northern Ireland v Gibraltar/Denmark
Brendan Dolan v Dyson Parody/Jann Hoffman
Michael Mansell v Dylan Duo/Per Laursen

Belgium v Sweden/Japan
Kim Huybrechts v Dennis Nilsson/Morihiro Hashimoto
Kurt Van De Rijck v Magnus Caris/Haruki Muramatsu

Australia v Republic of Ireland/Malaysia
Simon Whitlock v Mick McGowan/Amin Bin Abdul Ghani
Paul Nicholson v William O’Connor/Lee Choon Peng

Wales v Finland/Croatia
Mark Webster v Marko Kantele/Tonci Restovic
Richie Burnett v Petri Korte/Boris Krcmar

Germany v USA/Philippines
Jyhan Artut v Gary Mawson/Lourence Ilagan
Bernd Roith v Darin Young/Christian Perez

Scotland v Spain/South Africa
Gary Anderson v Carlos Rodriguez/Shawn Hogan
Peter Wright v Antonio Alcinas/Devon Petersen

England v Canada/Hungary
Phil Taylor v Ken MacNeil/Kristian Kaufmann
Adrian Lewis v John Part/Nandor Bezzeg

Netherlands v Austria/New Zealand
Raymond van Barneveld v Dietmar Burger/Preston Ridd
Vincent van der Voort v Mensur Suljovic/Warren French

Saturday February 4
Afternoon Session (2.30pm-6.30pm)
Second Round
8x Doubles matches. Best of nine legs, 501 Doubles, loser throws first.
Two points awarded for each match winner. In the event of this resulting in a 2-2 tie between countries, a sudden death doubles leg will take place with the team who threw first in the doubles match throwing first for the bull in the sudden death leg.

Second Round Doubles Order of Play
Northern Ireland v Gibraltar/Denmark
Belgium v Sweden/Japan
Australia v Republic of Ireland/Malaysia
Wales v Finland/Croatia
Germany v USA/Philippines
Scotland v Spain/South Africa
England v Canada/Hungary
Netherlands v Austria/New Zealand

Evening Session (8pm-12am)
Quarter-Finals
4x Quarter-Final ties. Play proceeds in bracket order from the Second Round onwards.
Same format as Second Round, with Doubles match immediately following second Singles match in each tie.

Order of Play TBC

Sunday February 5
Afternoon Session (3pm-6.30pm)
Semi-Finals
2x Semi-Final ties.
Semi-finals consist of four best of nine leg Singles games followed by a best of nine leg Doubles match (if required).
One point is awarded per singles match won, two per doubles. Loser throws first.
If the match finishes all square (3-3), a sudden-death Doubles leg will be played with a bull-up on stage to determine who throws first. Once a team has an unassailable lead, the tie is over and no further matches shall be played.

Order of Play TBC

Evening Session (8pm-11.30pm)
Final
Same format as semi-finals but matches played over the best of 15 legs.

Source – PDC/Lawrence Lustig

At the time of writing it is unclear what this level of sponsorship will be, and those who elect to take on the PDC boys will have to go through Q School if they are not already a tour card holder or PDPA associate member. Still it’s a great opportunity, and each individual event has a decent prize pool so tungsten excellence will be rewarded throughout the year.

The venue for the events will be Harlow Greyhound Stadium, Essex, in the purpose built darts room known simply as ‘The Venue’. We have previously participated in the Harlow Red Dragon Open, and have first hand experience of the organisation and facilities provided by Gary and Mick (The Venue), and we can assure you that it is first class.

What also makes this interesting is that players inside the top 24  of the PDC order of merit table as of January 3rd 2012 will be excluded from all events, giving those players who need a leg up a chance of cleaning up the big prize. Furthermore the Harlow Grand Prix diary doesn’t clash with other events, certainly the PDC Pro Tour, so expect to see many ‘faces’ at these events.

We will be keeping a close eye on the progress of the Grand Prix, as we are always interested in initiatives that bring something new to the tungsten table. We hope to be able to provide regular updates as the event unfolds.

Good luck to those who enter, below you will find more information, including dates, entry and prize information.

The Venue Harlow Stadium – Presents
The HARLOW DARTS GRAND PRIX

Your chance to win sponsorship for the season 2013 to play either the PDC circuit or BDO circuit.

Terms and conditions apply.

• The top 24 ranked players from the P D C order of merit table as of January 3rd 2012 will be excluded from all events.

• 14 Grand prix events £6 pre entry £8 on the day £1000 guaranteed prize fund minimum each event.

• 4 Open events £10 pre entry £13 on the day £1600 guaranteed prize fund minimum each event.

• 1st round losers event also with ranking points available.

• Top 64 players on the points table qualify for a grand final.

• Along with 8 wildcards who have attended the most events.

• Format of all competitions is best of 5 legs 501 for the earlier rounds.

• Quarter finals and semi finals best of 7 legs.

• Final best of 9 legs 501.

• 20 Match boards and a stage board.

• All semi finals and finals will be played on the stage.

All entries are to be completed in the following manner by email garybrown170@hotmail.co.uk by phone 07950 564072

Also find the event on facebook.

Dates

Grand Prix Events Single Ranking Points

Open Events Double Ranking Points

More information:

http://www.thevenueharlow.co.uk/Red-Dragon-Darts_promotion_harlow_darts_open.php

http://gbdartcomps.webs.com/

This first Players Championship of the year saw debutant Ted Hankey fall at the first hurdle, The Count found himself on the wrong end of a 6-4 preliminarly round scoreline against Q School tour card winner Matthew Edgar in the preliminary round. Dean Winstanley another high profile BDO switcher also suffered an early exit, losing in the first round to Kim Huybrechts.

Elsewhere Ian White opened his 2012 campaign with a 9 dart leg in his first round victory over friend and stablemate Mark Hylton, and went on to reach the semi-final stage, eventually losing 6-4 to Justin Pipe. Young Michael Griffiths enjoyed a decent run to the quarter finals again losing to the days winner Pipe. The full PDC report can be found below.

JUSTIN PIPE won the opening Players Championship of 2012 with a 6-0 whitewash of Paul Nicholson in Saturday’s Spanish Darts Trophy final in Benidorm.

Pipe continued the form which saw him reach six of the last ten Players Championship finals in 2011 by claiming his fourth ranking title and a £6,000 prize at the Melia Hotel.

The 40-year-old from Taunton showed strong form throughout the event as he picked up seven victories, having begun the day by seeing off Eduardo Sales Lopes, Michael Barnard and Michael Smith.

He then defeated Mark Webster 6-4, saw off Shaun Griffiths 6-2 in the quarter-finals and Ian White 6-4 in the semis, but saved his most convincing display for the decider.

Having hit a 180 in the final’s opening leg, Pipe also took the next two to lead 3-0 before finishing 81 in two darts for a four-leg advantage.

Nicholson missed two darts at double 18 in the fifth as Pipe hit a tricky tops with his third dart to move a leg away from the win, which he sealed by following a 180 with an improvised 26 finish of double six and double seven.

“It’s a brilliant way to start the year,” said Pipe. “Paul’s always a tough opponent so I’m delighted to have won the final, and it wasn’t as easy as the scoreline might suggest.

“I couldn’t have asked for anything else today and it’s fantastic to have carried my form from the latter part of last year into 2012.”

Nicholson, meanwhile, picked up £3,000 as he enjoyed a run to the final, which included a high-quality 6-2 victory over Magnus Caris in the semis.

He also overcame Co Stompe, Steve Beaton and Mark Walsh in his run on the day in a strong start to the year.

White hit the first nine-dart finish of 2012 during his run to the semis, and receives a £2,000 bonus for the feat, which he hit during a first round victory over Mark Hylton.

The Stoke ace also whitewashed Matt Clark, defeated newcomer Keith Stephen and Terry Jenkins 6-5 and came from 2-0 down to see off Darren Whittingham 6-2 in the quarter-finals.

Sweden’s Caris reached his maiden PDC ProTour semi-final, picking up wins over Richie Burnett, Dave Smith, Arron Monk, Darren Webster and Wes Newton in picking up £2,000 prize money.

Whittingham followed up his success in winning a Tour Card on the first day of Qualifying School with his best-ever finish on the PDC ProTour as he saw off three-time World Champion John Part, Dutch youngsters Toon Greebe and Jerry Hendriks and Steve Brown on the day.

Manchester youngster Shaun Griffiths joined Whittingham in the last eight, seeing off Dave Chisnall, Belgian Kurt Van De Rijck, Colin Lloyd and Adrian Gray, while the ever-consistent Wes Newton and Mark Walsh also reached the quarters.

Norfolk’s Darren Webster made a successful return to the PDC circuit by reaching the Last 16 alongside another of last weekend’s Tour Card winners, Sussex’s Adrian Gray.

There would be no fairytale debuts on the PDC ProTour, though, for Ted Hankey, Dean Winstanley and Tony West, who all failed to reach the Last 64.

Hankey was knocked out in the preliminary round by Matthew Edgar, who hit back from 4-2 down to win 6-4, while Winstanley lost to Kim Hubrechts in round one and West was defeated by Andy Smith.

Both Co Stompe and Michael Smith went close to sharing the nine-dart finish bonus with White, but missed double 12 for perfect legs during the tournament in games against James Hubbard and Justin Pipe respectively.

Spanish Darts Trophy Players Championship (PC1, Saturday)
Preliminary Round
Jose Garcia Ruiz 6-1 Christof Leurs
Nick Fullwell 6-3 Martin Marti
John Bowles 6-0 Jose Luis Torres
Matthew Edgar 6-4 Ted Hankey
Roland Scholten 6-3 Christian Kallinger
Jesus Noguera 6-1 Jesus Gonzalez
Sam Hill 6-4 Eric Basullas
Chris Thompson 6-1 Dennis Smith
William O’Connor 6-2 Boris Krcmar
Devon Petersen 6-4 Paul Rowley
Rudy Van Der Zande 6-2 Justin Broton
Alex Roy 6-0 Jose Antonio Alvarez
Peter Manley 6-2 Mark Stephenson
Darren Webster 6-3 Steve Hine
Michael Mansell 6-0 Darren Johnson
Kirk Shepherd 6-1 Peter Hudson
Gino Vos 6-2 Dylan Duo
Dean Winstanley 6-2 Paul Barham
Kim Huybrechts 6-0 Simon Craven

First Round
Justin Pipe (1) 6-1 Eduardo Sales Lopez
Michael Barnard 6-2 Barrie Bates
Michael Smith (32) 6-0 Dyson Parody
Jose Garcia Ruiz 6-4 Steve Grubb
Mark Webster (16) 6-3 Joe Murnan
Prakash Jiwa 6-1 Chris Mason
Denis Ovens (17) 6-0 Jose Luis Rodriguez
Nick Fullwell 6-4 John Bowles
Shaun Griffiths 6-4 Dave Chisnall (8)
Kurt Van De Rijck 6-5 Chris Aubrey
Colin Lloyd (25) 6-4 Antonio Alcinas
Matthew Edgar 6-2 Ross Smith
Adrian Gray 6-2 Simon Whitlock (9)
Mick Todd 6-3 Brian Woods
Alan Tabern (24) 6-3 Stefanie Luck
Steve Evans 6-4 Roland Scholten
Vincent van der Voort (5) 6-3 Steve Maish
Julio Barbero 6-1 Manolo Vilerio
Terry Jenkins (28) 6-0 Jesus Sanchez
Jesus Noguera 6-0 Jon Archer
Colin Osborne (12) 6-1 Mareno Michels
Keith Stephen 6-0 Oleg Schuwalow
Ian White 6-4 Mark Hylton (21) – Ian White hits nine-dart finish
Matt Clark 6-1 Sam Hill
John Part (4) 6-1 Carlos Rodriguez
Darren Whittingham 6-2 Toon Greebe
Jerry Hendriks 6-5 Michael van Gerwen (29)
Chris Thompson 6-1 Ignacio Basullas
Steve Brown (13) 6-0 Armando Jesus Frias
Jose Antonio Justicia 6-0 Guillermo Corella
Andy Smith (20) 6-4 Tony West
William O’Connor 6-2 Jacinto Nieto
Wes Newton (2) 6-0 David Jiminez
Antonio Jiminez 6-0 Manuel Fernandez Josende
John Henderson (31) 6-4 Jose de Sousa
Kevin McDine 6-5 Devon Petersen
James Wade (15) 6-3 Terry Temple
Jelle Klaasen 6-0 Abel Alvarez
Kevin Painter (18) 6-2 Adam Smith-Neale
Alex Roy 6-0 Rudy van der Zande
Mervyn King (7) 6-2 Jyhan Artut
Arron Monk 6-1 Tomas Cristobal
Magnus Caris 6-3 Richie Burnett (26)
Dave Smith 6-2 Peter Manley
Jamie Caven (10) 6-5 Sergio Garcia
Javier Caurel 6-2 Rafael Leon
Wayne Jones (23) 6-1 Stefan Schaffer
Darren Webster 6-0 Michael Kraemer
Ronnie Baxter (6) 6-5 James Richardson
Mark Dudbridge 6-5 Bernd Roith
Raymond van Barneveld (27) 6-0 Juan Carlos Albaldejo
Michael Mansell 6-4 Diego Rufo
Mark Walsh (11) 6-4 Mensur Suljovic
Brendan Dolan 6-4 Nigel Heydon
Scott Rand (22) 6-2 Reece Robinson
Joe Cullen 6-4 Kirk Shepherd
Paul Nicholson (3) 6-1 Jairo Galcera
Toni Munoz 6-2 Simon Barker-Davies
Co Stompe (30) 6-3 Carlos Jiminez
James Hubbard 6-4 Gino Vos
Peter Wright (14) 6-2 Kevin Munch
Andy Hamilton 6-0 Bernd Schmidt
Steve Beaton (19) 6-1 Jamie Lewis
Kim Huybrechts 6-3 Dean Winstanley

Second Round
Justin Pipe 6-2 Michael Barnard
Michael Smith 6-3 Jose Garcia Ruiz
Mark Webster 6-2 Prakash Jiwa
Nick Fullwell 6-1 Denis Ovens
Shaun Griffiths 6-2 Kurt Van De Rijck
Colin Lloyd 6-4 Matthew Edgar
Adrian Gray 6-4 Mick Todd
Alan Tabern 6-4 Steve Evans
Vincent van der Voort 6-1 Julio Barbero
Terry Jenkins 6-0 Jesus Noguera
Keith Stephen 6-5 Colin Osborne
Ian White 6-0 Matt Clark
Darren Whittingham 6-2 John Part
Jerry Hendriks v Chris Thompson
Steve Brown 6-3 Jose Antonio Justicia
Andy Smith 6-5 William O’Connor
Wes Newton 6-1 Antonio Jiminez
John Henderson 6-2 Kevin McDine
James Wade 6-1 Jelle Klaasen
Alex Roy 6-4 Kevin Painter
Arron Monk 6-5 Mervyn King
Magnus Caris 6-3 Dave Smith
Jamie Caven 6-0 Javier Caurel
Darren Webster 6-5 Wayne Jones
Ronnie Baxter 6-5 Mark Dudbridge
Raymond van Barneveld 6-1 Michael Mansell
Mark Walsh 6-2 Brendan Dolan
Joe Cullen 6-5 Scott Rand
Paul Nicholson 6-1 Toni Munoz
Co Stompe 6-4 James Hubbard
Andy Hamilton 6-3 Peter Wright
Steve Beaton 6-0 Kim Huybrechts
Losers £200

Third Round
Justin Pipe 6-3 Michael Smith
Mark Webster 6-2 Nick Fullwell
Shaun Griffiths 6-5 Colin Lloyd
Adrian Gray 6-5 Alan Tabern
Terry Jenkins 6-5 Vincent van der Voort
Ian White 6-5 Keith Stephen
Darren Whittingham 6-5 Jimmy Hendriks
Steve Brown 6-5 Andy Smith
Wes Newton 6-2 John Henderson
James Wade 6-4 Alex Roy
Magnus Caris 6-4 Arron Monk
Darren Webster 6-3 Jamie Caven
Raymond van Barneveld 6-4 Ronnie Baxter
Mark Walsh 6-2 Joe Cullen
Paul Nicholson 6-4 Co Stompe
Steve Beaton 6-5 Andy Hamilton
Losers £400

Fourth Round
Justin Pipe 6-4 Mark Webster
Shaun Griffiths 6-2 Adrian Gray
Ian White 6-5 Terry Jenkins
Darren Whittingham 6-2 Steve Brown
Wes Newton 6-3 James Wade
Magnus Caris 6-4 Darren Webster
Mark Walsh 6-5 Raymond van Barneveld
Paul Nicholson 6-5 Steve Beaton
Losers £600

Quarter-Finals
Justin Pipe 6-2 Shaun Griffiths
Ian White 6-2 Darren Whittingham
Magnus Caris 6-5 Wes Newton
Paul Nicholson 6-3 Mark Walsh
Losers £1,000

Semi-Finals
Justin Pipe 6-4 Ian White
Paul Nicholson 6-2 Magnus Caris
Losers £2,000

Final
Justin Pipe 6-0 Paul Nicholson
Winner £6,000
Runner-Up £3,000

Semi-Finals
Magnus Caris v Paul Nicholson
0-1 – Nicholson kicks off the match with back-to-back 180s and also hits a seventh treble 20, but misses the treble 15 to end his hopes of a nine-darter, although he takes the leg to lead.
0-2 – Caris misses two darts at tops and Nicholson steps in to double his lead.
0-3 – Caris opens with a 180 but misses double top and double ten to allow Nicholson back in, and he finishes double 16 for a three-leg cushion.
1-3 – Caris regains his range on tops to get off the mark.
1-4 – Nicholson finishes 65 with an outer bull-double top combination.
2-4 – Caris takes out 43 on tops for his second leg of the match.
2-5 – Nicholson opens the leg with a 180 and finishes 100 in two darts for an 11-dart leg as he moves one away from victory.
2-6 – Nicholson completes the win in style, finishing 78 with an improvised checkout of treble one, outer bull and bullseye.
Match Averages: Magnus Caris 102.72, Paul Nicholson 101.64

Justin Pipe v Ian White
1-0 – Pipe takes an immediate break of throw on double top.
2-0 – Pipe hits a 180 and double eight to take the second leg.
2-1 – White strikes back by hitting double 16 to win the third.
2-2 – The pair trade 180s before White superbly takes out 121 on double 14.
2-3 – Pipe hits two 180s in the leg but pays for missed darts at the bull, double eight and double four as White steps in on double eight to lead.
3-3 – Pipe levels after being handed a reprieve following three missed doubles as White failed to finish 138, allowing him back in on double six.
4-3 – Pipe breaks throw to regain the lead.
4-4 – White hits back to level by finishing 71 on tops.
5-4 – Double eight puts Pipe a leg away from a place in the final.
6-4 – Pipe misses double 18 for a 156 checkout to take the win, but returns to hit the bed and seal victory.
Match Averages: Justin Pipe 97.41, Ian White 91.98

Final
Justin Pipe v Paul Nicholson
1-0 – Pipe hits a 180 in the process of taking the first leg.
2-0 – Pipe doubles his advantage with double six, having missed double 12 for a 144 finish in his previous visit.
3-0 – This time Pipe lands double 12 to move three legs clear with a second break of throw.
4-0 – Pipe finishes 81 in two darts to edge closer to victory.
5-0 – Nicholson misses two darts at double 18 for a 96 finish, and Pipe steps in to hit tops with a brilliant third dart, having partially blocked the bed with his first two darts.
6-0 – Pipe opens with a 180 and is handed a reprieve for a missed double 13 for the match as he returns to take out the combination with double six and double seven.
Match Averages: Justin Pipe 96.96, Paul Nicholson, 93.39

Following last year’s inaugural event, the second Cash Converters World Cup of Darts will be staged at Hamburg’s Alsterdorfer Stadthalle from February 3-5, featuring 24 two-man teams representing countries from around the world.

Televised live on Sky Sports HD, the event will feature a combination of both Doubles and Singles games throughout three days of play.

The PDC is delighted to confirm that Cash Converters has retained their title sponsorship of the £150,000 tournament, which will also be shown live in Holland, Germany, Australia and the Middle East, as well as syndicated worldwide in highlights packages.

“We thank Cash Converters for their continued support of the Professional Darts Corporation and our major events,” said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn. “Both the 2010 World Cup of Darts and last December’s Cash Converters Players Championship provided great drama and excitement and we’re thrilled that Cash Converters has continued to back this emerging event.”

David Patrick, chief executive of Cash Converters UK, added: “We are delighted to be title sponsors of the PDC World Cup of Darts again this year.

“We recognise that the grassroots popularity of darts is a perfect for our brand and we are pleased to invest in this prestigious event as the sport continues to grow, welcoming new fans year on year.”

The First Round of the Cash Converters World Cup of Darts sees the teams ranked 9-24 play off in knockout Doubles matches, before the Second Round sees the top eight seeds – including reigning champions the Netherlands, and the English pair of Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis – enter the fray.

The Second Round will be split across two sessions, with Singles matches being played on Friday night and Doubles games being held on Saturday afternoon, as team’s battle for places in Saturday night’s Quarter-Finals.

The Netherlands – represented by Raymond van Barneveld and Vincent van der Voort – were drawn against Austria or New Zealand as they bid to retain the title they won in December 2010.

England’s Taylor and Lewis have been drawn against Canada or Hungary, with Scotland – featuring Gary Anderson and Peter Wright – playing either Spain, who were semi-finalists in the last World Cup as Antonio Alcinas and Carlos Rodriguez lit up the tournament, or South Africa.

Wales, the runner-up to the Netherlands in 2010, will play either Finland or Croatia, Australia will meet either the Republic of Ireland or Malaysia as they bid to better their previous semi-final finish and Germany meet the USA or Philippines.

Northern Ireland take on Gibraltar or Denmark, and Belgium play Sweden or Japan in the other contest, with the draw having been made by PDC Director Rod Harrington and PDPA Chief Executive Alan Warriner-Little during Qualifying School last weekend.

Tickets for the tournament are already proving highly popular and can be purchased through www.pdc-europe.net. Tickets range from €8.90-€24.90 per session, with combination tickets available for both daily sessions and/or all sessions throughout the event.

Cash Converters World Cup of Darts
Schedule of Play
All times local (GMT+1)
Friday February 3
Afternoon Session (2pm-6pm)
First Round x8 Games
Best of nine legs, 501 Doubles, loser throws first.
Knockout between teams 9-24

Order of Play
Canada (John Part & Ken MacNeil) v Hungary (Nandor Bezzeg & Kristian Kaufmann)
Republic of Ireland (William O’Connor/Mick McGowan v Malaysia (Lee Choon Peng/Amin Bin Abdul Ghani)
USA (Darin Young & Gary Mawson) v Philippines (Christian Perez & Lourence Ilagan)
Austria (Mensur Suljovic & Dietmar Burger) v New Zealand (Warren French & Preston Ridd)
Sweden (Magnus Caris & Dennis Nilsson) v Japan (Haruki Muramatsu & Morihiro Hashimoto)
Spain (Antonio Alcinas & Carlos Rodriguez) v South Africa (Devon Petersen & Shawn Hogan)
Finland (Petri Korte & Marko Kantele) v Croatia (Boris Krcmar & Tonci Restovic)
Gibraltar (Dylan Duo & Dyson Parody) v Denmark (Per Laursen & Jann Hoffmann)

Second Round
Play split across Friday night & Saturday afternoon sessions
Draw Bracket – to be used from Second Round onwards
England (1) v Canada/Hungary
Germany (8) v USA/Philippines
Wales (5) v Finland/Croatia
Scotland (4) v Spain/South Africa
Australia (2) v Republic of Ireland/Malaysia
Belgium (7) v Sweden/Japan
Northern Ireland (6) v Gibraltar/Denmark
Netherlands (3) v Austria/New Zealand

Evening Session (8pm-12am)
16 x Singles matches. Top ranked player from each team plays second ranked player from opposing team.
Best of seven legs, 501 Singles, loser throws first.
One point awarded for each match winner.

Northern Ireland v Gibraltar/Denmark
Brendan Dolan v Dyson Parody/Jann Hoffman
Michael Mansell v Dylan Duo/Per Laursen

Belgium v Sweden/Japan
Kim Huybrechts v Dennis Nilsson/Morihiro Hashimoto
Kurt Van De Rijck v Magnus Caris/Haruki Muramatsu

Australia v Republic of Ireland/Malaysia
Simon Whitlock v Mick McGowan/Amin Bin Abdul Ghani
Paul Nicholson v William O’Connor/Lee Choon Peng

Wales v Finland/Croatia
Mark Webster v Marko Kantele/Tonci Restovic
Richie Burnett v Petri Korte/Boris Krcmar

Germany v USA/Philippines
Jyhan Artut v Gary Mawson/Lourence Ilagan
Bernd Roith v Darin Young/Christian Perez

Scotland v Spain/South Africa
Gary Andersno v Carlos Rodriguez/Shawn Hogan
Peter Wright v Antonio Alcinas/Devon Petersen

England v Canada/Hungary
Phil Taylor v Ken MacNeil/Kristian Kaufmann
Adrian Lewis v John Part/Nandor Bezzeg

Netherlands v Austria/New Zealand
Raymond van Barneveld v Dietmar Burger/Preston Ridd
Vincent van der Voort v Mensur Suljovic/Warren French

Saturday February 4
Afternoon Session (2.30pm-6.30pm)
Second Round
8x Doubles matches. Best of nine legs, 501 Doubles, loser throws first.
Two points awarded for each match winner. In the event of this resulting in a 2-2 tie between countries, a sudden death doubles leg will take place with the team who threw first in the doubles match throwing first for the bull in the sudden death leg.

Order of Play
Northern Ireland v Gibraltar/Denmark
Belgium v Sweden/Japan
Australia v Republic of Ireland/Malaysia
Wales v Finland/Croatia
Germany v USA/Philippines
Scotland v Spain/South Africa
England v Canada/Hungary
Netherlands v Austria/New Zealand

Evening Session (8pm-12am)
Quarter-Finals
4x Quarter-Final ties. Play proceeds in bracket order from the Second Round onwards.
Same format as Second Round, with Doubles match immediately following second Singles match in each tie.

Order of Play TBC

Sunday February 5
Afternoon Session (3pm-6.30pm)
Semi-Finals
2x Semi-Final ties.
Semi-finals consist of four best of nine leg Singles games followed by a best of nine leg Doubles match (if required).
One point is awarded per singles match won, two per doubles. Loser throws first.
If the match finishes all square (3-3), a sudden-death Doubles leg will be played with a bull-up on stage to determine who throws first. Once a team has an unassailable lead, the tie is over and no further matches shall be played.

Order of Play TBC

Evening Session (8pm-11.30pm)
Final
Same format as semi-finals but matches played over the best of 15 legs.

Source – PDC/Lawrence Lustig