REIGNING PartyPoker.net European Championship winner Phil Taylor made a winning start to the defence of his title with a 6-2 win over Co Stompe on Thursday night.

Taylor has won the previous two stagings of the European Championship and was in clinical mood at the Stadthalle in Dinslaken as he bids to claim Sunday’s £50,000 first prize.

Stompe gave Taylor some edgy moments in the opening five legs, but three missed darts to level the game in the sixth allowed the Stoke legend to put daylight between the duo before winning the next two without reply to seal victory.

“It was a difficult game but a very good game too,” he said. “I kept putting him under pressure and it worked for me.

“Co played well but I picked up on him missing doubles and under pressure he was doing that.

“The Dutch players are very competitive and Co epitomises that. He works hard at his game and it showed because he made me work very hard.”

Taylor will now face Andy Smith in the second round on Saturday, after the Studley-based thrower knocked out Paul Nicholson 6-3 in Germany.

World number four Mervyn King crashed out of the tournament with a 6-3 defeat to Barrie Bates, who took a 5-0 lead and held off a brief fightback to claim victory.

Bates takes on Jamie Caven in round two, after the Derby man came from 2-0 down to see off Scotland’s Gary Anderson 6-2 in their clash.

Jelle Klaasen also produced a spirited comeback to defeat Vincent van der Voort 6-4 in the battle of the Dutch aces, having included finishes of 142 and 92 in coming from 3-1 down to take the win.

Klaasen meets Mark Walsh in the second round, with the number eight seed having overcome Spanish debutant Antonio Alcinas 6-3, despite trailing the newcomer – who hit a 160 finish – 3-2 midway through the game.

Germany’s Andree Welge also threatened an upset in his clash with world number five Terry Jenkins, coming from 4-2 down to level before the English star took the last two legs in style.

Simon Whitlock set up a tasty last 16 meeting with Jenkins on Saturday with his 6-3 win over two-time World Champion Dennis Priestley.

The first round concludes on Friday night at the Stadthalle in Dinslaken with the remaining eight matches, which include number two seed Raymond van Barneveld’s meeting with Andy Hamilton.

World number three James Wade faces Colin Lloyd, Adrian Lewis takes on Wayne Jones and German pair Bernd Roith and Tomas Seyler are in action on home soil when they take on Denis Ovens and Michael van Gerwen.

PartyPoker.net European Championship
Thursday July 29
First Round
Paul Nicholson 3-6 Andy Smith
Mark Walsh (8) 6-3 Antonio Alcinas
Terry Jenkins (5) 6-4 Andree Welge
Simon Whitlock 6-3 Dennis Priestley
Gary Anderson 2-6 Jamie Caven
Phil Taylor (1) 6-2 Co Stompe
Jelle Klaasen 6-4 Vincent van der Voort
Mervyn King (4) 3-6 Barrie Bates

Friday July 30 (8pm start local time)
Bernd Roith v Denis Ovens
Mark Dudbridge v Robert Thornton
Adrian Lewis (7) v Wayne Jones
Tomas Seyler v Michael van Gerwen
James Wade (3) v Colin Lloyd
Raymond van Barneveld (2) v Andy Hamilton
Colin Osborne v Wes Newton
Ronnie Baxter (6) v Alan Tabern

ANDY SMITH 6-3 PAUL NICHOLSON
ANDY SMITH punished Paul Nicholson’s missed doubles to progress to the second round of the PartyPoker.net European Championship with a 6-3 win.

Smith, opening up the tournament against January’s Players Championship Finals winner, bounced back from a first round exit in the World Matchplay in style to move into the last 16.

He trailed 2-1 early in the game, having won the opening leg with a 70 finish only to miss a dart to take the second as Nicholson levelled on double four and hit a 180 and a bullseye finish to move ahead.

Smith, though, took out 120 to square the match and then followed up a double eight finish – after four misses from Nicholson – with a 12-darter to take a 4-2 lead.

Nicholson took the advantage in the seventh with another maximum, but five more missed doubles allowed Smith in on double five to move a leg away from victory.

Nicholson then hit two 180s in the next leg, but further missed doubles allowed Smith in for a chance to seal the win – only for him to then waste four match darts as double one kept the world number 16 in the game.

The pair traded maximum scores in the next, but four further misses from Nicholson gave Smith another chance, and this time he posted double 16 to take victory.

“I scored really well but missed a lot of doubles,” said Smith, who faces Phil Taylor or Co Stompe in round two.

“I’ve had a bad leg recently and that means I’ve not practised as much as I’d have wanted before this but I was determined to do well and I managed to get through to victory.”

MARK WALSH 6-3 ANTONIO ALCINAS
MARK WALSH survived a scare from newcomer Antonio Alcinas before booking his place in the second round of the PartyPoker.net European Championship.

Walsh, the number eight seed, found himself 3-2 down against the impressive Spanish debutant, who defied any nerves on his debut in a televised event to come from 2-0 behind to lead.

However, Walsh found his clinical range on double top, pinning the bed in four successive legs to move into the last 16.

Walsh took the game’s opening leg and hit a 177 to leave 24 in breaking throw to double his advantage with a 13-darter.

Alcinas got off the mark by taking out 76 to break back, and won the next two to take the lead, the latter with a sensational 160 checkout.

He also hit a maximum in the sixth, but Walsh battled back and landed double top to square the match before hitting the same bed in the next to regain the lead.

Alcinas fought to level in the next, but Walsh’s accuracy on his favoured double top gave him a 5-3 cushion and he repeated the feat to wrap up the win with a superb 127 finish.

TERRY JENKINS 6-4 ANDREE WELGE
TERRY JENKINS held off the spirited challenge of Germany’s Andree Welge to pick up a 6-4 first round win in the PartyPoker.net European Championship.

Jenkins had been a first round loser in the previous two European Championships, but ended that run with a strong finish after Welge hit back from 4-2 down to level as the world number five lost his range on the doubles.

Welge took the game’s opening leg before Jenkins took out finishes of 121 and 78 to take the next two in edging in front, showing no signs of nerves following last week’s first round loss to Steve Brown in the World Matchplay.

Four missed doubles in the next allowed Welge in to level, hitting double ten with his third dart, only for finishes of double six and double eight in the next two to give Jenkins a 4-2 advantage.

However, his finishing deserted him in the next two legs as he missed 12 darts at the double and Welge, courtesy of double five and a two-dart 83 finish, saw the German level.

He also hit five successive treble 20s to kick off the ninth leg, but Jenkins piled on the pressure with a 180 leave 81 and – after Welge missed darts at double 16 and eight – he landed the bull for a 5-4 lead.

Jenkins kicked off the next with hammer blows of 140 and 180 for Welge, and went on to seal victory on double 16.

“Andree is a good player but I was pretty confident I could beat him and I managed to get over the finishing line,” said Jenkins.

SIMON WHITLOCK 6-3 DENNIS PRIESTLEY
AUSSIE sensation Simon whitlock powered into the second round of the PartyPoker.net European Championship with a 6-3 defeat of Dennis Priestley in Dinslaken on Thursday night.

Whitlock, a semi-finalist last week in the World Matchplay, continued his good form to see off Priestley with a near-100 average and hitting five maximums.

The pair traded 180s in sharing the first two legs, before Priestley – after hitting a second maximum of the match – missed one dart at double top to break and Whitlock landed double 12 for a 2-1 lead.

Whitlock then stepped up a gear to reel off back-to-back 13-dart finishes and then landed double 16 for a 5-1 lead.

The two-time World Champion stepped in to keep the match alive after Whitlock missed darts for the game in the next two legs, landing double eight and double 16 to maintain hope of a comeback.

But Whitlock fired in a 180 amongst three ton-plus scores to kick off the next, and sealed the match on double five.

JAMIE CAVEN 6-2 GARY ANDERSON
JAMIE CAVEN reeled off six straight legs to power past Gary Anderson and win a spot in the last 16 of the PartyPoker.net European Championship in Dinslaken.

Scottish ace Anderson took the game’s opening two legs, defying a maximum from Caven to win the first and landing a 180 of his own in the second.

However, Caven landed double five in the next to settle his nerves and fired home a 12-darter – which featured two 180s – to break throw and level.

Anderson, battling a shoulder problem, could do little as Caven won the next for a 3-2 lead before he paid the price for five misses in leg six as the Derby man moved 4-2 up.

Anderson hit another 180 in the next, but Caven posted double eight to move a leg away from the win before punishing three misses from the Scot to seal victory on double top.

PHIL TAYLOR 6-2 CO STOMPE
REIGNING PartyPoker.net European Championship winner Phil Taylor made a winning start to the defence of his title with a 6-2 win over Co Stompe on Thursday night.

Taylor has won the previous two stagings of the European Championship and was in clinical mood at the Stadthalle in Dinslaken as he bids to claim Sunday’s £50,000 first prize.

Stompe gave Taylor some edgy moments in the opening five legs, but three missed darts to level the game in the sixth allowed the Stoke legend to put daylight between the duo before winning the next two without reply to seal victory.

“It was a difficult game but a very good game too,” he said. “I kept putting him under pressure and it worked for me.

“Co played well but I picked up on him missing doubles and under pressure he was doing that.

“The Dutch players are very competitive and Co epitomises that. He works hard at his game and it showed because he made me work very hard.”

Taylor landed a 180 in the game’s opening leg, which he took with double 16, before Stompe replied with a maximum of his own to level.

Taylor landed a 177 and 140 to kick off the third, and had enough breathing space despite another maximum from Stompe to miss two darts at a double before returning to hit double six for a 2-1 lead.

The 15-time World Champion produced another 180 in the fourth, which he won on double 14, before Stompe fired in a maximum and double four for the fifth to pull back to 3-2.

He also had a chance to level in the sixth, but missed darts at the bull, double four and double two as Taylor crucially moved 4-2 up on double eight.

Double 16 put him a leg away from victory, and after the pair traded maximums in the next he landed the same double again to wrap up the win.

JELLE KLAASEN 6-4 VINCENT VAN DER VOORT
JELLE KLAASEN battled from 3-1 down to win the all-Dutch first round clash with Vincent van der Voort in the PartyPoker.net European Championship with a 6-4 triumph.

Klaasen, fresh from his quarter-final appearance in the World Matchplay, showed great resilience to see off his close friend and set up a second round clash with Mark Walsh in Dinslaken.

Klaasen missed darts to win the opening two legs, with van der Voort twice posting double top to move 2-0 up, and after the youngster took the third on double 16 he finished 103 to move 3-1 up.

That checkout was bettered by a 142 from Klaasen in the fifth, before he landed double eight for a 76 finish to level.

Double ten put Klaasen 4-3 up, although van der Voort posted double three to briefly stem the tide and square the match again.

Klaasen returned from two missed doubles to win a pivotal ninth leg on double ten, and checked out 92 to seal the win in the next.

“It wasn’t my best game and we both struggled with our scoring,” said Klaasen. “I had some good finishes in there and that won me the match.”

BARRIE BATES 6-3 MERVYN KING
BARRIE BATES fended off Mervyn King’s fightback to win a second round place at the PartyPoker.net European Championship with a 6-3 triumph.

Bates produced some of his best-ever darts on the televised stage as he stormed into a 5-0 lead, only for King to win three in threatening a comeback before the Welshman wrapped up the win.

A missed double 16 from King in the opening leg cost him dearly, as Bates finished 56 to win the first leg before powering home a 130 checkout in the next.

A 96 checkout put Bates 3-0 up, and he broke throw for a second time on double four, after hitting a maximum, before landing double 12 for a 5-0 lead against the world number four.

A second maximum of the game helped Bates to leave a finish in the sixth to whitewash King, who replied with a 180 and took out 124 on the bull to stay in the game.

He also picked up 180s in the next two legs as finishes of 70 and 84 kept the match alive, only to see three 140s go to waste in the ninth, with three missed doubles allowing Bates back to take out 84 himself on the bull to seal victory.

“I’ve probably never been 5-0 up before and I took my time getting over the finishing line,” admitted Bates. “Mervyn is a quality player and he did well to come back, but I’m very pleased with my performance.”

Taylor has lifted the European Championship trophy in each of the past two years since the tournament was launched in 2008.

The world number one travels to the Stadthalle in Dinslaken on a high after winning his 11th World Matchplay last Sunday, as he seeks to win a fourth major title inside three months.

“Winning the World Matchplay was great and I’d love to go on and win the European Championship this weekend,” said Taylor. “I’m feeling great and playing well, and winning this would round off a perfect summer.”

Taylor takes on Co Stompe in the first round, with the Dutchman having defeated him in the 2008 German Darts Championship final.

“Co has done brilliantly in the last couple of years and he played superbly when he won the German Darts Championship, but that was a different day,” added Taylor.

“I put it behind me and so has Co, and we’ve played a few times since. He did well in the World Matchplay last week and I know he’ll want that to continue in Germany.”

Stompe followed that German Darts Championship victory with two World Championship quarter-final appearances, as well as winning a Players Championship a month ago and reaching the last eight in Blackpool.

“The win over Phil is in the past and you can’t dwell on that because it’s history,” said Stompe. “It’s a new game on Thursday and I’ve got a hard game against Phil.

“I’ve turned my game around, because I’ve been practising on my doubles and they went alright in Blackpool but my scoring let me down.

“I know I can play better than I did in Blackpool, and I’ll go up there on Thursday and hopefully give Phil a big fight.”

The tournament’s opening night will also feature the eagerly-awaited clash between two of the sport’s fastest throwers, Jelle Klaasen and Vincent van der Voort.

The Dutch pair have both enjoyed strong form in 2010, while Klaasen – a European Championship semi-finalist last year – reached the quarter-finals of last week’s World Matchplay with a slightly slower throwing style.

“I tried to slow down and it felt good,” he said. “I’m always trying to improve my game and I’ve tried something new on stage now, and I played well.

“I think I’ll try to play slower now in every tournament. It will be a hard match to play against Vincent because we travel all the time and are good friends, but when we get on stage we’re enemies and want to beat each other 6-0.”

The players ranked fourth and fifth in the world, Mervyn King and Terry Jenkins, have an opportunity to bounce back from first round exits in the World Matchplay when they face Barrie Bates and Germany’s Andree Welge respectively.

Simon Whitlock, the Australian who has jumped to eighth in the PDC Order of Merit following his run to the semi-finals of the World Matchplay, takes on two-time World Champion Dennis Priestley on his European Championship debut.

The tournament will open when Paul Nicholson, January’s Players Championship Finals winner, faces Andy Smith – who had minor surgery on a leg injury a week ago but has previously won a Players Championship on the Dinslaken stage.

Gary Anderson, the UK Open finalist who has been troubled by a shoulder injury in recent weeks and lost to Klaasen in Blackpool, meets Jamie Caven, and number eight seed Mark Walsh faces Spanish debutant Antonio Alcinas.

World number two Raymond van Barneveld – who hit a nine-darter in the World Matchplay before losing to Taylor in the final – takes on Andy Hamilton on the second night of play on Friday, while number three seed James Wade faces Colin Lloyd.

German pair Tomas Seyler and Bernd Roith are in action on home soil, with Roith taking on Denis Ovens on his televised debut while Seyler meets Michael van Gerwen – the Dutch youngster who has been sidelined for the past month with a broken collarbone.

The PartyPoker.net European Championship is being shown live on Sport1 in Germany and on Bravo in the UK – Bravo can be found at channel 123 on Sky and 136 on Virgin Media.

Coverage on Bravo will be fronted by Dave Gorman and James Richardson throughout the tournament.

PartyPoker.net European Championship
Schedule of Play
Thursday July 29
First Round
Play commences 8pm German time (7pm UK time)
8.00pm Paul Nicholson v Andy Smith
8.30pm Mark Walsh v Antonio Alcinas
9.00pm Terry Jenkins v Andree Welge
9.30pm Simon Whitlock v Dennis Priestley
10.00pm Gary Anderson v Jamie Caven
10.30pm Phil Taylor v Co Stompe
11.00pm Jelle Klaasen v Vincent van der Voort
11.30pm Mervyn King v Barrie Bates

Friday July 30
First Round
Play commences 8pm German time (7pm UK time)
8.00pm Bernd Roith v Denis Ovens
8.30pm Mark Dudbridge v Robert Thornton
9.00pm Adrian Lewis v Wayne Jones
9.30pm Tomas Seyler v Michael van Gerwen
10.00pm James Wade v Colin Lloyd
10.30pm Raymond van Barneveld v Andy Hamilton
11.00pm Colin Osborne v Wes Newton
11.30pm Ronnie Baxter v Alan Tabern

Saturday July 31
Second Round
Afternoon Session
Play commences 2pm German time (1pm UK time)
2.00pm Walsh/Alcinas v Klaasen/van der Voort
3.00pm Jenkins/Welge v Whitlock/Priestley
4.00pm Baxter/Tabern v Osborne/Newton
5.00pm Lewis/Jones v Dudbridge/Thornton

Evening Session
Play Commences 8pm German time (7pm UK time)
8.00pm King/Bates v Anderson/Caven
9.00pm van Barneveld/Hamilton v Roith/Ovens
10.00pm Taylor/Stompe v Nicholson/Smith
11.00pm Wade/Lloyd v Seyler/van Gerwen

Sunday August 1
Afternoon Session
Quarter-Finals
Play commences 2pm German time (1pm UK time)
2.00pm Jenkins/Welge/Whitlock/Priestley v King/Bates/Anderson/Caven
3.00pm Wade/Lloyd/Seyler/van Gerwen v Baxter/Tabern/Osborne/Newton
4.00pm Taylor/Stompe/Nicholson/Smith v Walsh/Alcinas/Klaasen/van der Voort
5.00pm van Barneveld/Hamilton/Roith/Ovens v Lewis/Jones/Dudbridge/Thornton

Evening Session
Play commences 8pm German time (7pm UK time)
Semi-Finals
8.00pm
9.15pm
Final
11.00pm

Format

Prize Fund

Taylor has now claimed all the PDC’s major ranking titles and the £50,000 winner’s cheque means he has won over £600,000 in prize money in 2009 alone – and he almost capped his latest win in perfect style, missing a dart at double 12 to win the final leg with a nine-darter before taking it out for his second 11-dart leg of the final to defend the title he won last year in Frankfurt.

“I’m delighted with that win as it was really hard work,” said Taylor, who had earlier defeated Jelle Klaasen in the semi-finals by the same score. “Obviously finishing with the nine-darter would have been perfect but Steve never gave up, and even after missing the nine-darter he hit me with a 180 that is probably the best one I’ve seen in my career – when your back’s against the wall like Steve’s was, to hit 180-ton-180 like that shows real bottle.”

The world number one stormed to victory after claiming seven legs on the trot to go 9-1 up in the contest, but he was quick to pay tribute to Beaton who claims a spot in the Grand Slam of Darts through his runners-up performance which came after his first tournament win in eight years at the Players Championship in Nuland last weekend.

“Steve has got his will to win back and he believes he can win tournaments now – it’s a different Steve Beaton and he looks like he’s enjoying his darts which is important,” said Taylor. “It’s great to play against people like Steve as it tests your ability and takes you to limits.”

Beaton picked up the £20,000 cheque which was rich reward after coming through a thrilling final leg decider in the semi-finals against James Wade, and sent out a warning that he was not finished there.

“I want to be there with the rest of them,” said Beaton, who climbs to 19th on the Order of Merit after his strong showing. “I’ve got my little notches next to the ones I want to beat. I’m over the moon with how the week has gone – I’ve qualified for the Grand Slam and I’m moving back up the table and I want to be back in the top 16.”

Phil’s 140 checkout in the fifth leg was a killer but that’s what winners do and even I have to say it would have rounded off the tournament if Phil had taken out the nine-darter.”

Taylor pounced early to take control in the match after Beaton missed a double on his throw and Taylor moved 2-0 by holding his throw in the second leg. The Warwickshire man held in the third leg but it was then that Taylor began his unstoppable charge to the title, starting with two 180s in an 11-dart leg and then the 140 checkout in the fifth leg to move 4-1 in front.

Consecutive 13-darters followed as Beaton missed a big number on a 78 checkout and Taylor was scoring heavily with five straight legs with three scores of 100-plus and notching his sixth maximum in the tenth leg to go into the break 9-1 up.

Beaton responded after the break by holding his throw twice but Taylor had moved to within one leg of victory and almost gave the crowd a dream finale – punching in a 180 followed by a 177 before skimming the wire outside double 12 – and with Beaton breathing down his neck by leaving 41 from his nine darts, Taylor returned to take out 24 and with it successfully defend his title.

SEMI-FINAL REPORTS:

PHIL TAYLOR 11-3 JELLE KLAASEN
PHIL TAYLOR stormed into the final of the 2009 European Championship with a commanding 11-3 semi-final victory over Jelle Klaasen in Holland.

The defending champion followed his 118.14 average from his earlier quarter-final victory over Gary Anderson with a 109.36 average, firing ten 180s in total – with six of them coming in a devastating burst where he won nine legs on the trot.

Taylor was on for a nine-darter in the opening leg after starting with two 180s but settled for an 11-dart break of Klaasen’s throw. The Dutchman fired back though as Taylor missed four darts to hold his throw and Klaasen punished him to level.

Klaasen moved 2-1 in front with an 11-dart leg of his own but Taylor continued his dominant form by winning the next six legs to go into the break 8-2 in front.

Taylor extended that winning streak by three further legs to move within one of victory before the Dutchman clawed one leg back but Taylor was throwing for the match in the 14th leg and started it with his tenth 180. Klaasen did have a chance to take out 54 but squandered two darts at a double and Taylor moved into the final.

STEVE BEATON 11-10 JAMES WADE
STEVE BEATON reached his first major final since 1996 with a thrilling final leg victory over James Wade in the second semi-final to meet defending champion in the final of the 2009 European Championship.

Beaton led 10-7 before Wade won three legs on the trot to take the game into a deciding leg but Beaton kept Wade at bay with two ton scores early to and although Wade applied some pressure with a 140 and 122 leaving him with 20, Beaton took out double five to meet Taylor in the final.

Both players held in style in the opening two legs with Beaton checking out 109 only for Wade to take out 128 on the bull. That was the first of five legs in a row for Wade, with the world number two recording a ten-dart leg to break and go 2-1 up and a 120 checkout two legs later saw him break Beaton once more and move 4-1 ahead.

The in-form Beaton broke straight back thanks to three ton-plus scores and held his throw to trail 4-3 and then won the last two legs before the break to level the match at 5-5.

A 50 checkout on their return took Beaton in front and he made it four on the bounce to go 8-6 in front. Steve opened up a three-leg lead before Wade fired a 13-dart leg and after Beaton held to move within one leg of victory, Wade produced his hat-trick of legs to take it to a 21st leg – although Wade missed two at double ten to give Beaton the chance to take out 60 for the match. He missed two darts at tops and Wade returned to force the decider, which Beaton edged to move into the final and qualify for the PartyPoker.com Grand Slam of Darts.

Defending champion Taylor fired ten 180s as he compiled a 118.14 average in a devastating display against the Scotsman – who average 106.12 – and faces Jelle Klaasen in the first semi-final.

“I’m always striving to better myself,” said Taylor. “Gary hit a lot of 180s out there and I had to play that well to beat him.”

Klaasen defeated Colin Lloyd in the opening quarter-final of the day while Steve Beaton will face world number two James Wade in the second semi-final – Beaton seeing off Mark Walsh and Wade repeating his Premier League final win over Mervyn King, with the semi-finals begin at 7pm (6pm UK).

Sunday’s Quarter-Finals
Jelle Klaasen 10-5 Colin Lloyd
Phil Taylor 10-3 Gary Anderson
Steve Beaton 10-6 Mark Walsh
James Wade 10-6 Mervyn King

Semi-Finals & Final – 7pm
Jelle Klaasen v Phil Taylor
Steve Beaton v James Wade

Followed by 20 minute break before final

JELLE KLAASEN 10-5 COLIN LLOYD
JELLE KLAASEN beat Colin Lloyd 10-5 to reach the semi-finals of the 2009 European Championship.

The game was evenly poised at 5-5 before Klaasen clicked into gear to win five legs on the trot and set up a semi-final clash with the winner the quarter-final between defending champion Phil Taylor and Gary Anderson.

“I like playing Colin as he’s a quick player too and he missed a few chances but I played well and can’t wait to play the semi-final,” said Klaasen. “We traded 11-darters in the middle of the match but I stepped up a gear after the break.”

Klaasen had six darts at 40 to hold in the first leg but squandered them and Lloyd took advantage to take out 44 and break before replicating the Dutchman’s profligacy to allow Klaasen to level with a break of his own.

The home favourite then missed six darts to hold his throw and Lloyd pounced once more before moving 3-1 up with a 13-dart leg. Klaasen responded in style though, holding his throw before taking out 140 to level matters and moving 4-3 ahead with his first 180.

Lloyd pulled the scores level with a 180 of his own but Jelle moved into the break with the lead thanks to an 11-dart leg.

That was the first of three 11-dart legs in a row, with Klaasen claiming his second to begin the five-leg winning streak that would see him knock Colin out.

PHIL TAYLOR 10-3 GARY ANDERSON
PHIL TAYLOR recorded the highest ever average in a major tournament to storm into the semi-finals with a 10-3 victory over Gary Anderson.

The defending champion fired ten 180s as he compiled a 118.14 average in a devastating display against the Scotsman, who average 106.12.

“I’m always striving to better myself,” said Taylor. “Gary hit a lot of 180s out there and I had to play that well to beat him.”

Anderson began the match with a 180 to put Taylor under pressure but he fired thee ton-plus scores to hold his throw.

Taylor hit his first maximum to return the favour but Anderson found two 140s and checked out 62 to level the match.

A 62 checkout from Taylor was followed by a 116 from Anderson to make it 2-2, before Taylor shifted into top gear to run away with the game. Four ton-plus scores in the fifth leg moved Taylor in front and he recorded the first of four 11-dart legs to move two clear of Anderson.

Anderson missed the bull for a 116 checkout and Taylor moved 5-2 ahead with double twelve, making that 6-2 with two maximums and an 81 checkout in his second 11-dart leg.

A 12-dart leg gave Taylor a five-leg advantage at the break and he took out 124 on the bull to move 8-2 ahead, with his third 11-dart leg taking him to within one leg of victory.

Anderson pulled one leg back but Taylor finished the game off with his tenth 180 kicking-off his final 11-dart leg and he now faces Jelle Klaasen in the first semi-final.

STEVE BEATON 10-6 MARK WALSH
STEVE BEATON continued his fine run of form to reach the semi-finals of the 2009 European Championship with a 10-6 quarter-final win over Mark Walsh.

Beaton ended an eight-year wait for a tournament with a win in the Players Championship in Nuland last weekend and moved into the semis with a fine display against Walsh.

“I was terrible yesterday but I was in a different frame of mind today and I’m delighted to get through,” “I played some good stuff out there and I’ve got my sights on the final and getting into the Grand Slam now.”

The first six legs of the game went with throw before Beaton registered the first break of the match with an 86 checkout in the seventh leg and then stretched his lead to 5-3 in the eighth, missing tops for a 160 checkout but returning to clean up the leg.

The following two legs went Beaton’s way to see him move 7-3 in front and the remaining legs went with throw, with Walsh missing tops to break Beaton in the only chance either player offered as Steve marched into the semis.

JAMES WADE 10-6 MERVYN KING
JAMES WADE claimed the last semi-final place after beating Mervyn King 10-6 in a repeat of his Premier League final triumph.

Wade faces Steve Beaton in the second semi-final on Sunday evening thanks to a powerful display which saw him miss double 12 for a nine-dart finish in the sixth leg.

“I haven’t had the chance to hit a nine-darter for a while and I thought I nailed it but it wasn’t to be – I’m delighted to get to the semis though,” said Wade.

Wade set his stall out with a break of throw in the opening leg and took out 90 to move 2-0 in front. King retaliated with a hold of throw in the third leg but Wade hit four 180s in the next three legs to move 5-1 ahead – narrowly missing a nine-darter in the process – and took out 110 to stretch his lead to five legs.

King stopped the rot with three 100s to take the eighth leg but Wade replied with three ton-plusses to restore his five-leg lead at the break. Mervyn returned with an 11-dart leg to break Wade, but James issued a 12-dart riposte.

Another 11-dart leg gave King his fourth leg but Wade fired a 106 checkout for the fourth break of throw in a row. King threatened a comeback with consecutive 15-dart legs taking him to three behind Wade but a 100 followed by a 180 gave James a sure footing in the 16th leg and Wade took out double ten to clinch the final spot in Sunday afternoon’s semi.

Taylor averaged 110.88 with three 11-dart legs in a performance that showed no mercy to the Scotsman – and he now faces Thornton’s fellow countryman and Jocky Wilson Cup teammate Gary Anderson in Sunday’s quarter-finals.

“No-one likes to see a fellow pro lose to nil but I just try my best and I’m here to win – that’s what I do, it’s my job,” said Taylor. “Whoever beats will have to play out of their skin – Colin Osborne did it at the Championship League and that gave me a kick up the backside which does you good every now and then.”

Mark Walsh came back from 6-1 down against world number three Raymond van Barneveld to beat the Dutchman 9-7 and set up a clash with Steve Beaton, who saw off Van Barneveld’s compatriot Michael van Gerwen by the same score.

“I knew that if I kept going at the same standard I would get chances and I capitalised on a couple of mistakes and it just shows that you cannot give up in this game,” said Walsh.

In the final match of the second round, James Wade beat Andy Hamilton 9-5 to face the man he beat in the Premier League final in May, Mervyn King, in the final quarter-final on Sunday afternoon.

Second Round Results – evening session
Mark Walsh 9-7 Raymond van Barneveld
Steve Beaton 9-7 Michael van Gerwen
Phil Taylor 9-0 Robert Thornton
James Wade 9-5 Andy Hamilton

Quarter-Finals
Sunday November 1 – 1pm start
Jelle Klaasen v Colin Lloyd
Phil Taylor v Gary Anderson
Mark Walsh v Steve Beaton
Mervyn King v James Wade

Semi-Finals & Final
Sunday November 1 – 7pm start
Semi-Final order of play to be determined by toss of coin at the end of the quarter-finals.

MARK WALSH 9-7 RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD
MARK WALSH produced a stunning comeback from 6-1 down to knock out the world number three Raymond van Barneveld with a 9-7 victory.

The Dutchman looked to be heading towards the quarter-finals in double-quick time as he opened up a five-leg lead but Walsh recorded an 11-dart leg to go into the break 6-2 behind, before winning seven of the next eight legs to record a famous win.

“I wouldn’t say the eighth leg was the crucial one as I was scoring well in the first half but Raymond was hitting his doubles brilliantly,” said Walsh. “I knew that if I kept going at the same standard I would get chances and I capitalised on a couple of mistakes and it just shows that you cannot give up in this game.”

Walsh had an early chance on Van Barneveld’s throw in the opening leg, leaving tops from a 96 checkout, but the Dutchman closed the door by hitting the bull to take out 122. The Englishman levelled straightaway in a scrappy second leg where both players missed chances to win it.

Van Barneveld soon stepped on the gas though, knocking in two 140s to take a 2-1 lead then breaking Walsh’s throw thanks to six perfect darts in the fourth leg. He then held his throw with a 13-dart leg and broke once more with a 76 checkout to open up a four-leg gap over Walsh.

The Englishman came close to breaking back when he narrowly missed the bull for a 121 checkout but Barney cleared up on 76 again to make his a five leg lead before Walsh repeated the Dutchman’s pair of 180s for an 11-dart leg to move into the break 6-2 behind.

Walsh reduced the deficit to three legs with a break of throw when the players returned and a 180 in the tenth leg made it three in a row as he began to put pressure on the five-time World Champion.
Van Barneveld was really on the ropes as Walsh moved to within one leg of the Dutchman who missed tops and failed to register a score over 100 in the 11th leg, and Walsh completed the comeback despite missing a double for the leg with Van Barneveld himself missing the bull for a 125 to allow Walsh to level.

The Dutchman stopped the rot with a 107 checkout to move 7-6 in front and fired a maximum to put Walsh under pressure. Mark responded well though to hold his throw and turned the screw on his opponent with four ton-plus scores too much for Van Barneveld to answer. The Dutchman raised hopes with a 180 but missed a dart at double 16 to level and Walsh hit tops to make it through to the quarter-finals.

STEVE BEATON 9-7 MICHAEL VAN GERWEN
STEVE BEATON will face Mark Walsh in the quarter-finals of the 2009 European Championship after beating Michael van Gerwen 9-7 in their second round clash.
The Dutchman fought back well from 6-2 down to level matters but Beaton continued his good form to close a tight match out.

“We’ve played a lot each other this year and know each other’s games inside-out and I think that showed out there,” said Beaton.

The first four legs went with throw before Beaton broke the young Dutchman’s throw to move 3-2 ahead and held for a two leg advantage and chose a good time to fired a 180 to leave 63 which he took out to move 5-2 ahead.

The Englishman won his fourth straight leg to move into the break 6-3 up but Van Gerwen stopped the rot with a solid hold as the players returned and then raised the roof in his home venue with a 170 checkout.

Van Gerwen was pumped up now and took the 11th leg after both players missed chances and the Dutchman levelled matters thanks to his third 180.

Beaton took out 72 to move 7-6 in front and quickly moved to within one leg of victory. Van Gerwen gave him the chance when he missed two darts at double seven but the Englishman repeated that on double eight and the Dutchman took out 14 on double two. He was unable to take the match to a deciding leg though, with Beaton firing his tenth 140-plus score of the match to leave 75 and finishing off the contest with double one to reach the quarter-final.

PHIL TAYLOR 9-0 ROBERT THORNTON
PHIL TAYLOR produced a scintillating whitewash of Robert Thornton to remain on course to defend his European Championship title.

The 14-time World Champion recorded a 110.88 average in a demolition job over the Scotsman and said he was totally focussed on retaining the trophy he won in Frankfurt last year.

“I just try my best and I’m here to win – that’s what I do, it’s my job,” said Taylor. “Whoever beats will have to play out of their skin – Colin Osborne did it at the Championship League and that gave me a kick up the backside which does you good every now and then.”

By the standards he set in the rest of the game the opening leg was sloppy as Taylor missed x darts to win the opening leg and Thornton missed bull to break.

The defending champion then moved into gear with a 12-dart leg followed by two 11-dart legs, the second of which he started with seven perfect darts.

The fifth leg was the first that Taylor failed to notch a maximum in and Thornton had a chance on 80 but missed two double tens and Taylor cleaned up to move 5-0 in front.

The Stoke ace returned to the 180s for his third 11-dart leg and continued to pile the misery on the Scotsman with four ton-plus scores setting up a 136 checkout that he missed on double eight but claimed in his next visit. Three more scores above one-hundred secured the eighth leg and he returned after the break to finish in style, checking out 138 to see off one opponent in the Jocky Wilson Cup and set up a meeting with the other.

JAMES WADE 9-5 ANDY HAMILTON
JAMES WADE claimed the final place in the quarter-finals of the 2009 European Championship with a 9-5 win over Andy Hamilton.

Wade faces Mervyn King in a repeat of this year’s Premier League final, throwing a 100.19 average and pressing on the accelerator in the latter stages of the contest.

The Premier League champion broke Hamilton in the opening leg and registered the first 180 of the game to move 2-0 up.

Hamilton responded with his first maximum in a 12-dart leg and Wade replicated that with two 180s of his own to go 3-1 up.

He looked like making that 4-1 with two 140s and another ton to leave six darts from 121 but missed two at double ten for the leg and Hamilton capitalised with an 86 checkout to take the fifth leg.

The Stoke man then missed tops to break Wade who pulled into a 4-2 lead but Hamilton ensured he remained on his tail with a 72 checkout. It was at this point that Wade stepped up a gear, moving into the break with a 5-3 lead with his fourth maximum and then checking out 101 in the first leg after the break to go 6-3 up. Three scores of 140-plus saw him move to within one leg of victory but Hamilton made him wait, a 112 checkout breaking Wade in the 13th leg.

It only delayed Wade’s joy though, as he threw two tons and a 140 en route to taking out 79 and setting up a mouth-watering clash with King.

Klaasen and Caven plundered 13 maximums between them but Klaasen thought he had missed the chance to progress when he squandered darts to win both 9-7 and 9-8 only for Caven to narrowly miss the bull for a dramatic 135 checkout to win. The Dutchman composed himself to take out double four though to end a high-scoring contest against the in-form Derby man.

“It’s always tough against Jamie – he is playing well and he beat me the last time we played at the UK Open he beat me so I knew it was going to be hard and I’m happy to get through,” said Klaasen, who faces Colin Lloyd in the quarter-finals – the man he beat in the first round in 2008 – after the Essex man opened the Saturday afternoon session with a 9-5 victory over Mensur Suljovic.

Scotsman Gary Anderson thumped Ronnie Baxter 9-1 to set up a meeting with the winner of Saturday night’s clash between defending champion Phil Taylor and Anderson’s fellow countryman Robert Thornton, while Mervyn King and Colin Osborne fought a high class battle in which King prevailed 9-6.

Saturday’s evening session begins at 7pm with Raymond van Barneveld taking on Mark Walsh in the opening match. In-form Steve Beaton takes on Michael van Gerwen before the Taylor and Thornton clash, with James Wade and Andy Hamilton bringing the second round to a close.

Second Round
Saturday October 31 – 1pm start
Colin Lloyd 9-5 Mensur Suljovic
Mervyn King 9-6 Colin Osborne
Jelle Klaasen 9-8 Jamie Caven
Gary Anderson 9-1 Ronnie Baxter

Saturday October 31 – 7pm start
Raymond van Barneveld v Mark Walsh
Steve Beaton v Michael van Gerwen
Phil Taylor v Robert Thornton
James Wade v Andy Hamilton

Quarter-Finals
Sunday November 1 – 1pm start
Jelle Klaasen v Colin Lloyd
Taylor/Thornton v Gary Anderson
van Barneveld/Walsh v Beaton/van Gerwen
Mervyn King v Wade/Hamilton

COLIN LLOYD 9-5 MENSUR SULJOVIC
COLIN LLOYD is the first man through to the quarter-finals of the 2009 European Championship with a convincing 9-5 second round defeat of Mensur Suljovic.

Lloyd roared into action with a 140 and a maximum in his first two visits but missed nine darts to hold his throw and Suljovic pounced with a 135 checkout to break in the opening leg. The Austrian returned the favour on his throw though by missing darts at double 16 and double eight to let Lloyd level with an 88 checkout.

Suljovic broke Lloyd’s throw once more with a 61 checkout and held his throw to open up a two-leg lead at 3-1 and missed two darts to go 4-1 up as Lloyd continued to struggle with his doubles but managed to reduce the deficit with double two.

Colin found his touch with a clinical 64 checkout to break back and level affairs and moved ahead for the first time with a solid hold of his throw and made it three legs in a row when Suljovic missed three darts to level and the Essex man checked out 86 on the bull to move 5-3 up at the break.

Both players held their throw after the break to take the score to 6-4 in Lloyd’s favour, who then moved three legs clear after Suljovic failed to make an impression in the eleventh leg.

Both players hit 140s before Lloyd fired in a maximum to put Mensur under pressure to take out 55 – he failed to do so and Colin moved to within one leg of victory.
Suljovic made him wait by breaking Lloyd in the 13th leg but Lloyd fired his fifth maximum of the match and took out 70 to set up a meeting with the winner of the Jamie Caven and Jelle Klaasen game.

MERVYN KING 9-6 COLIN OSBORNE
MERVYN KING came out on top of a high class encounter with Colin Osborne, edging out the Championship League winner 9-6.

King won six of his legs in 15 darts or fewer with a 104 average while Osborne recorded an 11 darter and averaged 101 as the duo matched each other stride until King forced a crucial break to progress to the quarter-finals.

Osborne had the chance to break King in the opening leg but missed a dart at double 11 to allow King to hold but Osborne followed suit with a 76 checkout to level.
King fired in the first 180 of the match to set up an 88 checkout which he duly took out, but Osborne hit straight back in kind – his first maximum allowing him to take out 81 and level once more.

A ding-dong battle ensued as the Bradwell man held once more with a 124 checkout to move 3-2 up only for Osborne to level with an 11-dart leg in the same fashion he did in the fourth.

Both players took out double top to ensure the first eight legs went with throw and the first two legs after the break followed suit before King became the first player to flinch, missing tops to take out 120 and allowing Osborne a chance on 65 which he took to move 6-5 in front.

Having waited 11 legs for a break in throw we had two back-to-back as Osborne missed the bull by a whisker to take out 130 and King punished him in style with a 116 checkout. Colin applied pressure on Mervyn with a 180 to leave 61 but King resisted with a 61 checkout to edge ahead once more.

Osborne missed double 16 to take out 104 and level again and King pounced on double 12 to win the pivotal 14th leg – and finished off the match with a 50 checkout in the next leg.

JELLE KLAASEN 9-8 JAMIE CAVEN
JELLE KLAASEN clinched a thrilling final leg encounter with Jamie Caven to send his home crowd into raptures.

The duo rained in 13 maximums between them with the Dutchman compiling 30 scores of 100+ in the match and both players missed darts for the game in the final leg before Klaasen clinched a quarter-final meeting with Colin Lloyd – a repeat of the second round clash Klaasen won in 2008.

“It’s always tough against Jamie – he is playing well and he beat me the last time we played at the UK Open he beat me so I knew it was going to be hard and I’m happy to get through,” said Klaasen.

“I was always behind in the game really – 4-2 then 6-4 – but I missed two darts to win the game 9-7 and almost gave it away in the final leg.”

Caven registered maximums in the first two legs – Klaasen holding his throw in the first with a 13-darter before Jamie levelled.

Klaasen found his range with his first 180 to edge in front with another 13-dart leg and the pair traded 180s in the fourth leg, with Caven failing to take out 54 to leave Klaasen with a chance to break but he was unable to make an impression with a 118 checkout and Caven held.

The Derby man then made the first move of the contest, firing the sixth 180 of the match in just the fifth leg to break the Dutchman before taking out 83 to open up a two-leg lead.

Jelle answered straight back with his third 13-dart leg and they continued to deal in high scores only, both starting the eighth set with two ton-plus scores and Klaasen breaking back to level the match at 4-4 at the break.

The break certainly benefitted Caven as he broke immediately, with his fifth maximum of the match setting up a 124 checkout to break Klaasen to open up an advantage which he soon extended with a hold of throw in the tenth leg.

The 180 count hit ten in the 11th leg which Klaasen edged and then hit his fifth 180 of the match to draw level with a 72 checkout.

Caven got back on the scoresheet as the 180s continued to flow, hitting his seventh to leave tops which he nailed at the second attempt to break Klaasen, only for the Dutchman to reply in kind with an 81 checkout to break back and level at 7-7 and then move ahead with a 14-dart leg.

Klaasen moved 8-7 ahead but Caven levelled with a 106 checkout to take the match to a 17th and final leg. The Dutchman seemed in control with two ton-plus scores and with six darts at 110, but he missed four chances to close the game and on 135, Caven missed the bull for the win and Klaasen finished him off to the delight of the crowd.

GARY ANDERSON 9-1 RONNIE BAXTER
GARY ANDERSON thumped Ronnie Baxter 9-1 in the final match of the afternoon session to reach the quarter-finals of the 2009 European Championship.

The Scotsman moved 8-0 in front with an imperious display of finishing with Baxter grabbing a consolation leg before Anderson claimed a fine win which sees him meet the winner of Phil Taylor and Robert Thornton’s second round match later on Saturday evening.

“That was not the real Ronnie out there today,” said Anderson. “But I’m obviously happy to get through and it’ll be a good battle between Taylor and Thornton tonight.”
Baxter never managed to get a foothold in the game as Anderson hit the first 180 with his second visit to the board to break the throw in the opening leg.

Anderson moved through the gears with ease as Ronnie continued to struggle, with Gary taking out 120 to move 3-0 ahead and then 84 to make it 4-0.

A 13-dart fifth leg was followed by a sixth leg with three ton-plus visits and 7-0 came with the 100s in a row. Gary made it eight out of eight before the break when he took out tops at the second attempt, with Ronnie finally getting on the board with a hold of throw in the ninth leg – but it only delayed the inevitable and Anderson took the tenth leg of the match to complete a comprehensive win of the Lancastrian.

Van Barneveld survived a final-leg thriller with Dennis Priestley while Alan Tabern came from 5-1 down to within one leg of the Premier League champion before Wade sealed the win.

“I got out of trouble out there really and I’ll have to step up a gear now,” said Wade, who meets Andy Hamilton in Saturday’s second round after the Stoke man cruised past Remco van Eijden with a 6-3 win.

Priestley never let the five-world champion feel at ease in front of his home crowd and came from 4-2 and 5-3 down to take it to a decider.

“Story of my life,” said Van Barneveld after being taken to the wire to set up a clash with Mark Walsh, who beat Kevin Painter 6-4 from 4-1 down himself. “But I’m through to the second round and that’s what counts really.”

Steve Beaton continues to be the form man, following his recent Players Championship win in Holland with arguably the performance of the tournament so far in knocking out last year’s runner-up Adrian Lewis 6-2. He now faces Michael van Gerwen after he beat fellow countryman Vincent van der Voort by the same scoreline.

Mervyn King edged through the opening match of the night in a final leg decider against Spaniard Carlos Rodriguez. His reward for his win is a clash with the winner of the final match of the evening, where Colin Osborne registered a 6-2 win over Paul Nicholson.

The second round of the tournament begins at 1pm on Saturday with the first set of four best of 17 matches, with the final quartet beginning at 7pm in the evening.

Friday’s first round results (11 legs)
Mervyn King 6-5 Carlos Rodriguez
Mark Walsh 6-4 Kevin Painter
Andy Hamilton 6-3 Remco van Eijden
James Wade 6-4 Alan Tabern
Steve Beaton 6-2 Adrian Lewis
Raymond van Barneveld 6-5 Dennis Priestley
Michael van Gerwen 6-2 Vincent van der Voort
Colin Osborne 6-2 Paul Nicholson

Second Round
Saturday October 31 – 1pm start
Colin Lloyd v Mensur Suljovic
Mervyn King v Colin Osborne
Jamie Caven v Jelle Klaasen
Ronnie Baxter v Gary Anderson

Saturday October 31 – 7pm start
Raymond van Barneveld v Mark Walsh
Steve Beaton v Michael van Gerwen
Phil Taylor v Robert Thornton
James Wade v Andy Hamilton
Best of 17 legs

MERVYN KING 6-5 CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
MERVYN King edged out Carlos Rodriguez in a final leg thriller to reach the second round of the 2009 European Championship.
Rodriguez broke in the opening leg, hitting a 180 before leaving double 16 out of a 164 checkout but King broke straight back in similar fashion, leaving 36 from 150 with Rodriguez on an unlikely 153.
King moved 2-1 ahead as both players clicked into gear, King completing an 11-dart leg with one missed double as Rodriguez piled the pressure on with a pair of 140s.
The Spaniard levelled as he hit the first maximum of the game, and should have punished King for missing three darts at double 16 but failed to take out 60 and King moved back in front.
The world number six extended his lead to 4-2 by pressurising Carlos to take out 64 by leaving himself double 18 from 170, but Rodriguez replied with a solid leg to break King and trail by just one leg.
Rodriguez then levelled to four-each on his throw but King protected his throw with ease, with the Barcelona man allowing him to cruise into a 5-4 lead.
But the Norfolk ace failed to see his opponent off as Rodriguez popped in a crucial 140 and held his nerve to take the match into a deciding leg with one dart at double two. But his English counterpart never looked in danger of being broken and had six darts at 121 for the victory, just missing the bull for the win but returning to clinch an entertaining opening to the second day of the tournament.

MARK WALSH 6-4 KEVIN PAINTER
MARK WALSH won five legs on the trot from 4-1 down to beat Kevin Painter in their first round clash.
Painter held his throw in the first leg comfortably after being afforded six darts at 161 to return and take out 38. But Walsh responded in kind when he recorded the first 180 of the match to leave 100 which he duly polished off.
Painter struck straight back then broke Walsh’s throw to move 3-1 up, although Walsh nearly punished Painter for missing three darts at double 14, missing tops to take out 113 to allow Kevin to clean up the leg. Painter missed three more darts at a double in the fifth leg after a fine 177 left him on 32, but despite Walsh firing in a 180 to leave a big finish, Kevin composed himself to stretch his lead to three legs.
Back-to-back legs were secured as Walsh broke Painter’s throw despite Kevin beginning with a 180 – capitalising on Painter failing to take 60 out to move one leg behind and he duly held his throw to level the match at four apiece.
Painter’s profligacy on the doubles proved costly in the ninth leg as he missed six darts to move into the lead and Walsh broke crucially with his third dart at tops to move ahead and march into a 6-4 victory.

ANDY HAMILTON 6-3 REMCO VAN EIJDEN
ANDY HAMILTON avenged his first round exit in the 2008 European Championship by seeing off home favourite Remco van Eijden 6-3.
The Stoke ace lost 5-1 to Denis Ovens in the inaugural event last year but recorded a 97.42 average in getting past Van Eijden.
“I’m happy with my game and I feel there is more to come,” said Hamilton. “The opening round is always a tough one to get out of the way and I’m delighted to come out on top.”
The first three legs went against the throw as Van Eijden struggled to get into the game and Hamilton punished him on double 18. But Remco battled straight back strongly with a 140 to leave tops which he nailed to level.
Hamilton soon clicked into gear though, moving 2-1 up with the third break of the game before holding his throw after hitting his first 180, then firing in another to take a 4-1 lead.
The Dutchman stopped the rot with a bull finish to checkout 65 and reduce the deficit to two legs, but his English counterpart fired straight back to move to within one leg of victory.
Van Eijden wouldn’t lie down though and found the perfect time to hit his first maximum of the match to break with an 11-dart leg, however, Hamilton was in no mood to let his advantage slip and took out 60 to finish off the Dutchman on his home turf.

JAMES WADE 6-4 ALAN TABERN
JAMES WADE survived a scare as Alan Tabern nearly pulled off a heroic comeback before the world number two secured a 6-4 victory.
Wade won in Holland last weekend and appeared to take that form into his meeting with Tabern as he quickly moved 5-1 up. But he then missed a dart for the match before Tabern won three legs on the trot to make the score 5-4 and then missed a dart to level for Wade progress.
“I got out of trouble out there really and I’ll have to step up a gear now,” said Wade, who meets Andy Hamilton in Saturday’s second round.
Wade was stunned into action after when Tabern broke in the first leg – with the Premier League champion firing two 13 dart legs en route to winning four legs on the spin to put the St Helens ace to the sword.
Tabern began a fight back in the seventh leg after Wade missed a dart at tops for the match then Alan fired three tons and a 140 to storm back to trail by two legs. Tabern closed further still by winning the ninth leg and missed a dart at double 16 to level the game before Wade clinched his victory.

STEVE BEATON 6-2 ADRIAN LEWIS
STEVE BEATON carried on his fine recent form to knock-out 2008 runner-up Adrian Lewis with a clinical 6-2 victory.
Beaton ended an eight-year wait for a tournament victory with victory in the Players Championship in Nuland last weekend and produced the best performance of the tournament so far with three 14 dart legs in his triumph.
The Warwickshire man fired in four 180s and 13 ton-plus scores in his win and will face the victor of the all-Dutch affair between Michael van Gerwen and Vincent van der Voort in the second round.
“The crowd will be behind whoever I’m against but I’ll have a few fans too and I’m feeling really good at the moment,” said Beaton.
The first three legs of the match went against the throw, with both players opening their 180 accounts early but neither able to hold throw. That honour went to Beaton who moved 3-1 up with another maximum and then opened up a three-leg gap when Lewis missed the bull for a 164 checkout.
Beaton showed no signs of allowing Lewis back into the match and moved to within a leg of victory when he opened the leg with a 180 followed by a 177 and checked out 32 with Adrian on his tail with 40 left.
Lewis held up his opponents progress by winning the seventh leg and put pressure on Beaton in the eighth by leaving 12 from 177 but Beaton took out double 18 to reach Saturday’s second round.

RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD 6-5 DENNIS PRIESTLEY
RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD held off a spirited effort from Dennis Priestley to edge a final leg thriller on home turf.
The Dutchman was 4-2 and 5-3 ahead of the Yorkshireman, but Priestley clung on to force a deciding leg with the darts but is was Van Barneveld who missed tops for the match to give Priestley three darts at 36 for the victory but he failed to capitalise and it’s Van Barneveld who meets Mark Walsh in Saturday’s second round.
“Story of my life,” said Van Barneveld after being taken to the wire. “But I’m through to the second round and that’s what counts really.”
The game was slow to get into gear, with both men missing doubles for the opening leg before Priestley held to open the scoring.
Van Barneveld levelled matters and then won two legs on the trot with a 15-dart leg taking him 3-1 in front. Both players were left with tops for the fifth leg and Priestley won it before Raymond had his chance, but the Dutchman regained his two-leg advantage in the sixth leg.
The seventh leg was indicative of their contest though as Priestley wouldn’t let Van Barneveld out of his sights with a 70 checkout but the Dutchman then moved to within touching distance of the win in front of his home crowd with a 76 checkout taking him 5-3 ahead.
Priestley wasn’t finished though and set up a grand stand finish by firstly holding his throw with a 69 checkout and then claiming the tenth leg after Van Barneveld missed the bull to win the match.
Dennis had the darts in the final leg but Van Barneveld put him under pressure with three 100 but then missed tops for the game to hand Dennis three darts at 36 for the match. Priestley failed to convert his chance to complete the comeback though and Barney hit double ten at the second attempt to seal the win.

MICHAEL VAN GERWEN 6-2 VINCENT VAN DER VOORT
MICHAEL VAN GERWEN claimed a 6-2 victory in the battle of the Dutchmen against Vincent van der Voort.
Van Gerwen never looked in trouble against his fellow countryman and good friend in a game that hardly drew breath. Van der Voort found it hard to get a foothold in the match with Van Gerwen clicking into gear with the first 180 of the match taking him 2-1 up after he levelled with a 105 checkout and he soon moved 3-1 up.
Vincent pulled one leg back but checkouts of 32 and 92 saw Van Gerwen move to within one leg of victory which he secured inside 20 minutes with his third consecutive leg and faces the in-form Steve Beaton in the second round.

COLIN OSBORNE 6-2 PAUL NICHOLSON
COLIN OSBORNE moved into the second round of the 2009 European Championship with a 6-2 win over Paul Nicholson.
The Derby ace produced an assured display in the last match of the evening and now faces Mervyn King in Saturday’s second round.
The first three legs went with throw before Osborne claimed a crucial break in the fourth leg after his Australian opponent missed the bull to take out 125 and the Championship League winner edged ahead.
He extended his lead after opening the fourth leg with two 140s, and although Nicholson checked out 124 for a 15 dart leg to reduce arrears, Osborne responded with a 13 dart leg and polished off the match in the eighth leg, hitting the only 180 of the game to ease to victory.

The defending champion faces Robert Thornton in the second round in a dress-rehearsal for December’s Jocky Wilson Cup after knocking out the young Dutchman, who had chances to make the contest tighter in front of his home crowd.

“It’s always good to get through the first round as the short format can be a bit tricky,” said Taylor. “Now I can concentrate on the match with Robert on Saturday which I’ll be more relaxed as it is best of 17 legs.”

“The Jocky Wilson cup is going to be a great event and hopefully I can send a message out to Robert with a good performance.”

Taylor signalled his intent with three ton-plus scores in the opening leg, but Greebe levelled immediately with a 70 checkout. Taylor sprung into action in the third leg with two maximums leaving him with tops and followed with 180s in the next two legs to move 4-1 ahead.

The world number one moved to within one leg of victory in the sixth leg, but his 21 year-old opponent had chances to win it and then broke Taylor to reduce the deficit to three legs. Greebe then missed three darts at double 14 to close matters further still allowing Taylor to take out 81 on the bull to progress.

Gary Anderson had a fright at the hands of Co Stompe, who turned a three-leg deficit round to lead the Scotsman 5-4 before Anderson won the deciding leg to progress.

Roland Scholten lost 6-3 to Austrian Mensur Suljovic to join Stompe and Greebe as defeated Dutchman, but Jelle Klaasen saw off Wayne Jones 6-2 in the final match of the first night to give the home crowd something to cheer.

Klaasen meets Jamie Caven in the second round after the Derby man beat Terry Jenkins 6-4 in the opening match of the tournament, while Robert Thornton joined fellow countryman Anderson in the second round after seeing off Wes Newton. Colin Lloyd dumped John Part out in a deciding leg while Ronnie Baxter will face Anderson after beating Andy Smith 6-2.

The second set of opening round fixtures begin at 7pm on Friday night, with Mervyn King kicking off proceedings against Carlos Rodriguez before Raymond van Barneveld, James Wade, Adrian Lewis and Michael van Gerwen begin their campaigns.

2009 European Championship
First Round – Thursday
Terry Jenkins 4-6 Jamie Caven
Mensur Suljovic 6-3 Roland Scholten
Wes Newton 4-6 Robert Thornton
Ronnie Baxter 6-2 Andy Smith
Co Stompe 5-6 Gary Anderson
Phil Taylor 6-2 Toon Greebe
John Part 5-6 Colin Lloyd
Wayne Jones 2-6 Jelle Klaasen

First Round – Friday, 7pm start
Mervyn King v Carlos Rodriguez
Kevin Painter v Mark Walsh
Andy Hamilton v Remco van Eijden
James Wade v Alan Tabern
Adrian Lewis v Steve Beaton
Raymond van Barneveld v Dennis Priestley
Michael van Gerwen v Vincent van der Voort
Colin Osborne v Paul Nicholson

JAMIE CAVEN 6-4 TERRY JENKINS
JAMIE CAVEN knocked out world number five Terry Jenkins in the opening match of the 2009 European Championship at the Claus Event Centre in Holland.
Jenkins broke the Derby man in the first leg but Caven hit back immediately, narrowly missing the bull to level but cleaning up after Terry missed two darts at double top to hold.
Caven soon clicked into gear and opened up a commanding lead over the Ledbury ace at 4-1 before Jenkins began a comeback. Jenkins fired in a maximum in the sixth leg to reduce the deficit and although Caven held his throw to move 5-2 he looked edgy as Jenkins won the next two legs.
But Caven fired in a crucial 180 to take the initiative in the tenth leg and when Jenkins failed to make a dent in the 161 he was left with, Caven progressed into the second round.

MENSUR SULJOVIC 6-3 ROLAND SCHOLTEN
AUSTRIAN Mensur Suljovic produced a clinical display as he saw off Dutchman Roland Scholten.
Scholten received a fine ovation from his home crowd but with the match going with the throw at three legs apiece, Suljovic pressed on the accelerator to win three legs on the trot to set up a meeting with the winner of clash between Colin Lloyd and John Part.
A 76 checkout saw Suljovic move 4-3 into the lead and then came the crucial first break of throw as he took out double top to open up a two leg advantage.
Suljovic then recorded his first 180 in the final leg to keep Scholten at bay and with the home-favourite a long way adrift in the leg, Suljovic could afford missing a dart at double top before coming back to seal a famous win.

ROBERT THORNTON 6-4 WES NEWTON
ROBERT THORNTON came from two legs down to register a 6-4 win over Wes Newton.
Both players got into their stride early with maximums in the opening leg, but Thornton missed two darts at double top to break Newton before the Englishman did just that in the second leg.
The Scotsman was roused into action though and began peppering the treble twenty and winning a crucial sixth leg when both players followed 140 opening scores with a 180, but it was Thornton who checked out 46 to record his fourth leg on the trot.
Newton got back on the scoreboard in the seventh leg but his Scottish opponent was not in the mood to let him back in the game and responded to move 5-3 ahead with 62 checkout. Newton held his throw to reduce to deficit once more but Thornton was not to be denied and he followed a 140 with a maximum to secure a 6-4 victory.

RONNIE BAXTER 6-2 ANDY SMITH
RONNIE BAXTER reached the second round with clinical 6-2 victory over Andy Smith.
The world number eight traded blows with Smith in a tight opening group of legs, but the Blackpool star sped away from his Warwickshire counterpart, easing into a 4-2 lead. Smith needed to take out big numbers but with Baxter leaving himself tops Smith could only leave 45 from an attempt at 136 and Baxter was 5-2 ahead.
A keenly fought eighth leg saw the pair go stride for stride but Baxter had the darts and finished the game off in simple style with a 68 checkout setting him on course to better his quarter-final exit in 2008.

GARY ANDERSON 6-5 CO STOMPE
GARY ANDERSON fought off a fantastic fightback from local favourite Co Stompe to edge a final leg thriller.
The Scotsman flew into a three-leg lead after holding his throw in the first leg, breaking Stompe and then firing in six perfect darts to threaten to run away with the game.
Stompe fired straight back at Anderson though, capitalising on Anderson busting 25 with treble nine to take out double ten and get on the scoreboard. Anderson moved 4-1 ahead but then Stompe delighted the crowd with two double tops to take out 100.
With the crowd right behind him, the Dutchman promptly broke Anderson and then held his throw with a 48 checkout with Anderson breathing down his neck to level matters.
Stompe moved ahead for the first time in the match in the ninth leg when Anderson missed five darts at double top for the leg and Stompe pounced to take out 36 at the third attempt. But the crowd favourite was unable to send the Scotsman home as Anderson broke Stompe with a 100 checkout and then held his throw to set up a meeting with Ronnie Baxter in the second round.

PHIL TAYLOR 6-2 TOON GREEBE
PHIL TAYLOR began the defence of his European Championship title with a 6-2 win over Toon Greebe.
The defending champion faces Robert Thornton in a dress-rehearsal for Decembers Jocky Wilson Cup after knocking out the young Dutchman who had chances to make the contest tighter in front of his home crowd.
“It’s always good to get through the first round as the short format can be a bit tricky,” said Taylor. “Now I can concentrate on the match with Robert on Saturday which I’ll be more relaxed as it is best of 17 legs.”
“The Jocky Wilson cup is going to be a great event and hopefully I can send a message out to Robert with a good performance.”
Taylor signalled his intent with three ton-plus scores in the opening leg, but Greebe levelled immediately with a 70 checkout. Taylor sprung into action in the third leg with two maximums leaving him with tops and followed with 180s in the next two legs to move 4-1 ahead.
The world number one moved to within one leg of victory in the sixth leg, but his 21 year-old opponent had chances to win it and then broke Taylor to reduce the deficit to three legs. Greebe then missed three darts at double 14 to close matters further still allowing Taylor to take out 81 on the bull to progress.

COLIN LLOYD 6-5 JOHN PART
COLIN LLOYD clinched a final leg decider to knock world number four John Part out of the European Championship.
Both players struggled to get going in the opening exchanges as the first four legs went against the throw – with Lloyd failing to punish Part for missing six darts at double 16 in the third leg.
The Essex man was the first to hold his throw in the fifth leg of the match and began to find his range, hitting the first 180 of the game in the sixth leg, which saw Part hold for the first time with a 55 checkout. Lloyd threatened to walk away with the game after hitting further maximums to move 5-3 up but he was unable to close the game out and the Canadian forced the game into a deciding leg when he won back-to-back scrappy legs to level.
Again though, Lloyd found his range on the treble 20 and it was all over when a two 140s left Colin with six darts at 106 with Part leaving 173, with Lloyd progressing to face Mensur Suljovic in Saturday’s second round.

JELLE KLAASEN 6-2 WAYNE JONES
JELLE KLAASEN is the first Dutch player through to the second round of the European Championship in Holland after beating Wayne Jones 6-2 in the final first round clash of the opening day.
Klaasen wasted little time in pleasing the local crowd by holding his throw in the opening leg before checking out 58 to break Jones, who then missed three darts at double top to allow Jelle to take out 70 to move 3-0 ahead.
The Dutchman fired in his first 180 in the fourth leg to close on what looked like the first whitewash of the opening round, but he failed to checkout 40 on two visits and Jones broke Klaasen to pull his first leg back.
Wayne’s first maximum of the match saw him register back-to-back legs, but Klaasen ensured Jones would fall in the first round of the tournament for the second time by twice throwing a 174 to leave tops which he took out to set up a clash with Jamie Caven.

Reigning champion Phil Taylor is amongst 32 players to line up in the tournament, which is the second staging of the European Championship.

Taylor took last year’s title with an 11-5 win over Adrian Lewis in the final in Frankfurt but suffered defeat in his last competitive outing – losing to Colin Osborne in the final of Championship League Darts last Thursday.

He begins his bid to hold on to the £50,000 title against 21-year-old Toon Greebe, from Den Bosch in Holland, on Thursday night.

“I was disappointed to lose in the Championship League Darts final but the good thing at the moment is that there is always another big event coming up.

“This is the next one and I’ll put that defeat behind me and focus on playing Toon. He’s a very good young player and it’s only the best of 11 in the first round, so it’s a tough start.”

Thursday also sees a number of high-profile clashes, including world number four John Part against Colin Lloyd, Wayne Jones against Holland’s Jelle Klaasen and Dutch ace Co Stompe against Gary Anderson.

Scottish star Anderson admitted: “It’s a hard game first but that’s the same for everyone and I’d have another four hard games if I go on to win the event.

“I played Co last weekend in a Players Championship event and I won 6-2, so if it goes like that on Thursday I’ll be delighted!”

Number eight seed Ronnie Baxter meets Andy Smith, in-form Wes Newton takes on Scotland’s Robert Thornton and the event is opened by the meeting of world number five Terry Jenkins and emerging star Jamie Caven.

Roland Scholten’s clash with Mensur Suljovic gives him a chance to avenge a 5-1 defeat to the Austrian in last year’s event, when a shoulder injury saw the Dutch ace struggling to throw.

Friday sees the remaining eight first round games take place, including Holland’s five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld against two-time World Champion Dennis Priestley.

World number three James Wade takes on fellow left-hander Alan Tabern, while number six seed Mervyn King meets Spanish ace Carlos Rodriguez.

Many eyes will also be on the all-Dutch battle between Vincent van der Voort and Michael van Gerwen, close friends who both practice together and travel on the circuit together.

“We always travel together and he’s important for me,” admits 20-year-old van Gerwen. “He has more experience than me and we always work together and help each other out.

“We always help each other and try to do the best for both of us, so it does make it a little difficult now we have to play each other, but I have to gorget that.”

World number seven Adrian Lewis takes on Steve Beaton, who ended an eight-year gap without a tournament victory by winning last Saturday’s Players Championship in Nuland.

Colin Osborne faces Paul Nicholson, Kevin Painter meets Mark Walsh and Andy Hamilton takes on Dutch qualifier Remco van Eijden in the night’s other game.

The second round of the European Championship will be held on Saturday across two sessions, with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final held on Sunday.

Tickets for Thursday and Friday are still available and can also be purchased at the venue on the night. Tickets are sold out for Saturday and Sunday.

2009 European Championship
First Round Draw & Bracket
Top half of draw
Phil Taylor (1) v Toon Greebe
Wes Newton v Robert Thornton
Ronnie Baxter (8) v Andy Smith
Co Stompe v Gary Anderson
Terry Jenkins (5) v Jamie Caven
Wayne Jones v Jelle Klaasen
John Part (4) v Colin Lloyd
Mensur Suljovic v Roland Scholten
Bottom half of draw
Raymond van Barneveld (2) v Dennis Priestley
Kevin Painter v Mark Walsh
Adrian Lewis (7) v Steve Beaton
Michael van Gerwen v Vincent van der Voort
Mervyn King (6) v Carlos Rodriguez
Colin Osborne v Paul Nicholson
James Wade (3) v Alan Tabern
Andy Hamilton v Remco van Eijden

Schedule of Play
First Round
Thursday – 7pm start
Terry Jenkins v Jamie Caven
Mensur Suljovic v Roland Scholten
Wes Newton v Robert Thornton
Ronnie Baxter v Andy Smith
Co Stompe v Gary Anderson
Phil Taylor v Toon Greebe
John Part v Colin Lloyd
Wayne Jones v Jelle Klaasen

Friday – 7pm start
Mervyn King v Carlos Rodriguez
Kevin Painter v Mark Walsh
Andy Hamilton v Remco van Eijden
James Wade v Alan Tabern
Adrian Lewis v Steve Beaton
Raymond van Barneveld v Dennis Priestley
Michael van Gerwen v Vincent van der Voort
Colin Osborne v Paul Nicholson

Second Round
Saturday – 1pm start
Part/Lloyd v Suljovic/Scholten
King/Rodriguez v Osborne/Nicholson
Jenkins/Caven v Jones/Klaasen
Baxter/Smith v Stompe/Anderson

Saturday – 7pm start
van Barneveld/Priestley v Painter/Walsh
Lewis/Beaton v van Gerwen/van der Voort
Taylor/Greebe v Newton/Thornton
Wade/Tabern v Hamilton/van Eijden

Quarter-Finals
Sunday – 1pm start
Jenkins/Caven/Jones/Klaasen v Part/Lloyd/Suljovic/Scholten
Taylor/Greebe/Newton/Thornton v Baxter/Smith/Stompe/Anderson
van Barneveld/Priestley/Painter/Walsh v Lewis/Beaton/van Gerwen/van der Voort
King/Rodriguez/Osborne/Nicholson v Wade/Tabern/Hamilton/van Eijden

Semi-Finals & Final
Sunday – 7pm start

The £200,000 event will be held at the Claus Event Centre in Hoofddorp, Holland from Thursday October 29-Sunday November 1.

Taylor meets top Dutch youngster Greebe in the opening round, while the opening night also features Co Stompe against Gary Anderson, Jelle Klaasen versus Wayne Jones and Roland Scholten against Mensur Suljovic.

Number four seed John Part drew Colin Lloyd, Terry Jenkins meets Jamie Caven and Ronnie Baxter takes on Andy Smith, while in-form Wes Newton takes on Robert Thornton.

World number two Raymond van Barneveld faces Dennis Priestley, while James Wade drew Alan Tabern in a battle of the two top left-handers.

Michael van Gerwen and Vincent van der Voort meet in an all-Dutch clash, while the remaining Dutchman, Remco van Eijden, faces Andy Hamilton.

Adrian Lewis drew in-form Steve Beaton, who won Saturday’s Players Championship, and Mervyn King takes on Spain’s Carlos Rodriguez.

Colin Osborne meets Paul Nicholson and Kevin Painter faces Mark Walsh in Friday’s other first round games.

Play will continue with the second round games played across two sessions on Saturday, with the quarter-finals on Sunday afternoon, and the semi-finals and final in one session on Sunday evening.

2009 European Championship
First Round Draw & Bracket
Top half of draw
Phil Taylor (1) v Toon Greebe
Wes Newton v Robert Thornton
Ronnie Baxter (8) v Andy Smith
Co Stompe v Gary Anderson
Terry Jenkins (5) v Jamie Caven
Wayne Jones v Jelle Klaasen
John Part (4) v Colin Lloyd
Mensur Suljovic v Roland Scholten
Bottom half of draw
Raymond van Barneveld (2) v Dennis Priestley
Kevin Painter v Mark Walsh
Adrian Lewis (7) v Steve Beaton
Michael van Gerwen v Vincent van der Voort
Mervyn King (6) v Carlos Rodriguez
Colin Osborne v Paul Nicholson
James Wade (3) v Alan Tabern
Andy Hamilton v Remco van Eijden

Schedule of Play
First Round
Thursday – 7pm start
Terry Jenkins v Jamie Caven
Mensur Suljovic v Roland Scholten
Wes Newton v Robert Thornton
Ronnie Baxter v Andy Smith
Co Stompe v Gary Anderson
Phil Taylor v Toon Greebe
John Part v Colin Lloyd
Wayne Jones v Jelle Klaasen

Friday – 7pm start
Mervyn King v Carlos Rodriguez
Kevin Painter v Mark Walsh
Andy Hamilton v Remco van Eijden
James Wade v Alan Tabern
Adrian Lewis v Steve Beaton
Raymond van Barneveld v Dennis Priestley
Michael van Gerwen v Vincent van der Voort
Colin Osborne v Paul Nicholson

Second Round
Saturday – 1pm start
Part/Lloyd v Suljovic/Scholten
King/Rodriguez v Osborne/Nicholson
Jenkins/Caven v Jones/Klaasen
Baxter/Smith v Stompe/Anderson

Saturday – 7pm start
van Barneveld/Priestley v Painter/Walsh
Lewis/Beaton v van Gerwen/van der Voort
Taylor/Greebe v Newton/Thornton
Wade/Tabern v Hamilton/van Eijden

Quarter-Finals
Sunday – 1pm start
Jenkins/Caven/Jones/Klaasen v Part/Lloyd/Suljovic/Scholten
Taylor/Greebe/Newton/Thornton v Baxter/Smith/Stompe/Anderson
van Barneveld/Priestley/Painter/Walsh v Lewis/Beaton/van Gerwen/van der Voort
King/Rodriguez/Osborne/Nicholson v Wade/Tabern/Hamilton/van Eijden

Semi-Finals & Final
Sunday – 7pm start