Van Barneveld powered past Roland Scholten 8-3 in Sunday’s quarter-finals to set up an all-Dutch semi-final with van der Voort at the Hotel Zuiderduin in Egmond aan Zee.

The five-time World Champion, who had progressed through his group unbeaten 24 hours earlier, opened with finishes of 161 and 170 against Scholten, and broke a two-all deadlock with five successive legs on his way to victory.

“I’m really happy to be into the semi-finals and hopefully I can win the title on Monday,” said van Barneveld, who averaged 99.53 in a strong display.

“I’ve been in good form and it’s great to keep that going. My finishing was good and it will be important to keep that up against Vincent.”

Van der Voort booked his place in the last four by defeating Group A winner Co Stompe 8-6.

Stompe led 5-4 at one stage, but missed doubles cost him dearly as van der Voort won four of the final five legs to seal victory.

Monday’s other semi-final will feature Phil Taylor and Gary Anderson, after they defeated James Wade and Adrian Lewis respectively.

Anderson had won through Group D unbeaten earlier in the evening, overcoming both Wade and Simon Whitlock 8-4 before left-hander Wade edged out the Australian 8-7 in their deciding game to progress to the last eight.

Taylor’s strong form continued with an 8-3 defeat of Wade in their quarter-final, as the 15-time World Champion averaged 107.65 in defeating the world number three.

“I’m delighted to be through to the semi-finals and even though I look serious, inside I’m enjoying every minute of this tournament,” said Taylor.

“My finishing was superb against James and it had to be because he was coming off the back of a great win against Simon. Gary will be another tough test on Monday and I love playing him.”

Anderson ensured his place in the last four with his first win over Lewis since 2009, as he came from 4-0 down to avenge his defeats in January’s World Championship final and Thursday’s Premier League Darts contest.

Lewis started superbly to break throw twice in the opening four legs in leadin 4-0, but Anderson was aided by finishes of 96, 82 and 88 in hitting back to leve.

Lewis landed the third of his four 180s in taking the ninth leg, but Anderson added three more maximums of his own in winning the next four without reply, sealing victory with a second 11-dart finish of the game.

“I’m looking forward to playing Phil again because we seem to bring the best out of each other,” said Anderson, who lost 8-6 to Taylor in the Premier League a fortnight ago.

“It was a tough night for me to play two group games and the quarter-finals, but I’m really pleased to be through to the semis now.

“I hit back well when Adrian went 4-0 up, but once I got back to four-all I knew I could kick on and get the win.”

World Champion Lewis said: “Gary played well and I took my foot off the gas after going 4-0 up, which I shouldn’t have done.

“Once I let him in he took some good finishes out and he was the better player on the night. With the standard now you can’t afford to miss more than one dart at a double and my misses cost me.”

Wade will get a chance to avenge his loss to Taylor when they meet in the Premier League Darts in Brighton next Thursday, and he said: “Phil played better than me but I am coming back into form slowly.

“I can take a lot of positives out of this, especially how I played against Simon Whitlock, and I played well in patches, but my whole game isn’t too far off.”

RTL7 International Masters 
Sunday March 20
Group D
Gary Anderson 8-4 James Wade
Gary Anderson 8-4 Simon Whitlock 
James Wade 8-7 Simon Whitlock

Quarter-Finals
Co Stompe 6-8 Vincent van der Voort
Phil Taylor 8-3 James Wade
Raymond van Barneveld 8-3 Roland Scholten
Gary Anderson 8-5 Adrian Lewis

Monday March 21 (10pm)
Semi-Finals
Vincent van der Voort v Raymond van Barneveld
Phil Taylor v Gary Anderson

Followed by Final
All games the best of 15 legs

GROUP D
GARY ANDERSON 8-4 JAMES WADE
0-0 -James Wade won the bullseye and will throw first
1-0 – Both players endure a nervy start, missing chances to win the opener before Anderson lands double one.
2-0 – Anderson wins the second on double ten to move two legs up.
2-1 – Wade finishes 56 in two darts on double top to get off the mark.
3-1 – Anderson hits double ten at the first time of asking to win a third leg.
3-2 – Wade hits double 12 at the first attempt for a 13-dart finish, despite an earlier 180 from Anderson.
3-3 – Wade hits a 180 and is given a reprieve after a missed double eight, with Anderson just off-target on double ten before the left-hander returned to this time land double eight to break.
4-3 – Wade opens with a 180, but Anderson replies in kind and takes out 137 on double ten for a 12-darter to break back.
5-3 – Anderson lands his third maximum of the game, and posts tops for a 14-darter to regain his two-leg lead.
5-4 – Anderson posts another 180, but misses darts at double top, ten and five before Wade steps in with double ten.
6-4 – Wade misses the bull for an 81 finish, and Anderson follows another maximum with double ten.
7-4 – Wade is off-target on the bullseye for a second successive leg, this time attempting to close out a 122 finish, and Anderson lands double ten once more to move a leg away from victory.
8-4 – Anderson completes victory in 15 darts, hitting double ten for the fifth time in the game.
Final Match Averages: Gary Anderson 94.91, James Wade 88.60

GARY ANDERSON 8-4 SIMON WHITLOCK
0-0 – Simon Whitlock won the bullseye and will throw first 
0-1 – Whitlock makes a thrilling start by taking out a 161 finish to win the opening leg.
0-2 – Anderson misses double top and ten and Whitlock capitalises to break, following up a 165 score with double 18.
0-3 – Whitlock lands double 16 for a second successive 13-dart leg.
1-3 – Anderson takes out 84 on double 11 to win a superb leg, which saw him hit two 180s in succession and Whitlock reply with one of his own in between to test referee George Noble’s vocals!
2-3 – Anderson lands another maximum and steps in after Whitlock misses a dart at tops for a 104 finish by hitting the same bed to break in 14 darts.
3-3 – Whitlock misses another dart at tops, and Anderson this time takes out 140 to level the contest.
4-3 – Anderson opens with scores of 140 and 180 against the throw before finish 86 on double 16 for a 12-darter to break and lead for the first time.
5-3 – The Scot hits his fifth 180 and lands double top for a 13-dart finish.
6-3 – Anderson breaks again, following up another 180 with double 19 for a 14-dart leg.
7-3 – Anderson wins a seventh successive leg, finishing 94 on double eight.
7-4 – Whitlock opens with five perfect darts courtesy of a 180 and 140, and finishes 76 on tops to stay in the contest.
8-4 – Anderson wraps up the win on double ten, ensuring his place in the quarter-finals later in the evening.
Final Match Averages: Gary Anderson 104.73, Simon Whitlock 99.00

JAMES WADE 8-7 SIMON WHITLOCK
0-0 – James Wade won the bullseye and will throw first 
0-1 – Wade scores well but misses double top to lead and Whitlock recovers from missing the bull for a 161 finish by returning to land double eight for an immediate break.
0-2 – Whitlock doubles his lead with a 78 finish.
1-2 – Wade opens with a 180 and also hits two more ton-plus scores before finishing 54 on double ten for a 12-darter.
2-2 – Whitlock misses double top and double ten, and Wade steps in to break on double ten to level the game.
3-2 – Wade finishes 70 on double top to move in front for the first time.
4-2 – Wade lands a 180 and then takes out double top to break throw.
5-2 – Whitlock misses double seven for a 122 finish, and Wade finishes 95 on the bull for a fifth successive leg.
6-2 – Wade produces a showpiece 125 finish of bullseye, 25, bullseye to break again.
6-3 – Whitlock lands a 180 and finishes 60 on double top to hit back.
6-4 – Wade misses double eight for a 136 finish and Whitlock takes out 60 again, this time on double ten.
6-5 – Whitlock breaks again, with both players missing chances to win the leg before the Australian posts double five.
6-6 – Whitlock levels with double top, making the contest a best-of-three shoot-out for a place in the quarter-finals.
6-7 – Whitlock opens with a 180 and sets up double top for a 13-dart finish as he regains the lead.
7-7 – The Aussie misses three darts at tops for the match and Wade takes out 90 on double 15 to force a deciding leg.
8-7 – Wade is first to the finish in the decider, and posts double top for a 14-darter to progress to the quarter-finals, where he plays Phil Taylor.
Final Match Averages: James Wade 97.51, Simon Whitlock 94.96

QUARTER-FINALS
CO STOMPE 6-8 VINCENT VAN DER VOORT
0-0 – Co Stompe won the bullseye and will throw first.
0-1 – Vincent van der Voort breaks in 14 darts to take the opening leg.
1-1 – van der Voort misses four darts to double his lead, and Stompe returns to hit double five.
2-1 – van der Voort opens the third leg with a maximum, but misses a dart at double top for a 116 finish and Stompe takes out 97 on double 12.
2-2 – van der Voort levels in 15 darts on double eight.
2-3 – a scrappy fifth leg goes to van der Voort, who had hit a 174 score to leave 84 but missed three darts to win the leg, while Stompe missed the bull for a 164 finish, miscounted on his next visit to the oche and missed three more darts before his opponent posted double four to break.
3-3 – Stompe breaks back immediately hitting a 180 and double 14.
4-3 – van der Voort misses double 16 for a showpiece 132 finish – having hit two bullseyes to begin the combination – and Stompe punishes him by finishing 108 on tops.
4-4 – van der Voort levels the game with a 13-dart finish, including another 180 and double top.
5-4 – Stompe edges back ahead by hitting double top with his third dart.
5-5 – Stompe opens the tenth with a 180, but van der Voort takes out tops at the third time of asking
5-6 – Van der Voort hits another 180, and steps in to finish 36 for a break of throw after Stompe failed to set up a double.
5-7 – Stompe misses four darts to win the leg, and van der Voort – who had hit three treble ones in a visit earlier in the leg as well as a score of 26 – hits double top to edge towards victory.
6-7 – Stompe keeps the match alive on double top after van der Voort sees one dart at double 16, for a 106 finish, narrowly miss.
6-8 – Stompe misses a dart at double top to force a deciding leg, and van der Voort lands double 19 at the first time of asking to seal a semi-final place.
Final Match Averages: Co Stompe 85.82, Vincent van der Voort 90.13

PHIL TAYLOR 8-3 JAMES WADE
0-0 – Phil Taylor won the bullseye and will throw first.
1-0 – Taylor kicks off with three 140s and finishes 81 on double 16 for a 12-dart opening leg.
2-0 – The world number one opens with a 180 and takes out 104 for a 15-darter.
3-0 – Taylor lands tops for another 15-dart finish to treble his lead.
3-1 – Wade hits a 180 and finishes 81 on the bull for a 12-darter to get off the mark.
3-2 – Wade lands another maximum and checks out double five to break in 15 darts and pull back to within a leg.
4-2 – Taylor breaks back immediately, hitting scores of 140, 180 and 100 before landing double 12 for a 13-dart finish.
5-2 – Taylor moves three legs clear by winning leg seven.
6-2 – Taylor breaks throw again in 14 darts, landing tops to extend his lead further.
7-2 – Wade hits a 180 in vain as Taylor moves a leg away from victory with a 13-dart finish, ended on double 16.
7-3 – Wade claims his third leg of the match, finishing 83 in two darts for a 14-dart leg to keep the game alive.
8-3 – Wade opens with a 180, but misses double top for a 116 finish and Taylor seals the win with a 108 finish.
Final Match Averages: Phil Taylor 107.65, James Wade 98.93

RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD 8-3 ROLAND SCHOLTEN
0-0 – Raymond van Barneveld won the bullseye and will throw first.
1-0 – Scholten opens with a 180 but van Barneveld finishes 161 to take the opener in 12 darts.
1-1 – van Barneveld hits a 177 to leave 24, but Scholten takes out 56 in two darts on double four to level.
2-1 – van Barneveld betters his checkout of the opening leg by taking out 170 for another 12-darter.
2-2 – Scholten leaves 82 with a 177 score, and finishes the combination on tops to level.
3-2 – van Barneveld wins a third leg, landing double 16 at the first attempt.
4-2 – van Barneveld opens with a 180 and returns after missing double 18 for a 156 finish to hit the same bed for the game’s first break of throw.
5-2 – the five-time World Champion lands double six to move three legs clear.
6-2 – van Barneveld opens the leg with a 180 and breaks for a second time with double eight for a 14-dart finish.
7-2 – Scholten misses a dart at double 16 to break back, and van Barneveld returns to hit double 19 in moving a leg away from victory
7-3 – Scholten posts double top for a 13-dart finish to keep the match alive.
8-3 – van Barneveld seals the win with double eight to set up a semi-final with Vincent van der Voort on Monday night.
Final Match Averages: Raymond van Barneveld 99.53, Roland Scholten 88.78

GARY ANDERSON 8-5 ADRIAN LEWIS
0-0 – Gary Anderson won the bullseye and will throw first.
0-1 – Anderson misses three darts to win the opener and Lewis finishes 77 in two darts for an immediate break.
0-2 – Lewis hits a 180 to leave 61 as he doubles his advantage.
0-3 – Lewis breaks again by landing double ten.
0-4 – Anderson hits a 180, but Lewis is first to a finish and after missing the bull for a 167 checkout he returns to post double 15.
1-4 – Anderson finishes 82 in two darts with a bullseye, double 16 combination to get off the mark.
2-4 – Anderson breaks throw in 14 darts by taking out 96 on double 18.
3-4 – the Scot continues his revival by landing double top, despite Lewis kicking off the leg with a 180.
4-4 – Lewis misses double 14 for a 121 finish, and Anderson follows up a 180 by finishing 88 for an 11-dart leg.
4-5 – Anderson’s revival is halted in its tracks as Lewis lands a 180 and double nine.
5-5 – Lewis hits another 180 but misses a dart at tops and Anderson finishes 80 to level.
6-5 – Anderson posts double 16 at the third time of asking to break Lewis’ throw and lead for the first time.
7-5 – Anderson hits a 180 and after Lewis misses a dart at tops to steal the leg, the Scot hits the same bed to move to the brink of a semi-final place.
8-5 – Anderson lands his sixth maximum of the game and finishes 81 for an 11-darter to wrap up the win, his first over Lewis since 2009.
Final Match Averages: Gary Anderson 100.57 Adrian Lewis 100.22

Taylor defeated both Lewis and Terry Jenkins to win both of his games in Group B at the Hotel Zuiderduin, confirming his return to top form after rising to the head of the 888.com Premier League Darts table on Thursday.

Taylor averaged 106.99 in an 8-4 win over Jenkins in his opening game, leading 3-0 and 5-1 before the Ledbury ace hit back to trail only 6-4.

Taylor, though, took the next two to claim victory and stepped up a gear for his clash with Lewis, gaining revenge over the World Champion for last month’s Premier League defeat with a sensational 8-4 victory.

The pair shared 12 180s, and Taylor averaged 113.92 compared to 108.78 from Lewis in a brilliant contest, with the youngster coming from 4-1 down to trail only 5-4 at one stage before the world number one reeled off the last three legs without reply.

“I’m over the moon to get through to Sunday’s quarter-finals,” said Taylor. “I’m playing like the old Phil Taylor and it’s coming back together for me now.

“I really enjoyed both games. Terry missed a few doubles against me, but Adrian played really well and I thought he would hit a nine-darter, and I had a chance at a ten-darter too – it was a great standard.”

Lewis returned to the stage for his winner-takes-all game with Jenkins, and averaged over 100 in an 8-3 victory.

Jenkins levelled after falling 2-0 down early on, but Lewis won six of the next seven legs to take his place in the quarter-finals.

“It’s hard to pick yourself up after averaging 108 and losing, but I went up against Terry and did a good job,” said Lewis. “I’ve played well in both games and I’m looking forward to the quarter-finals.

“I’ll have a good rest, come back fresh on Sunday and hopefully improve in the quarter-finals.”

Jenkins said: “My finishing has ben terrible and I’ve got to put it right. My scoring has been brilliant, but I’m missing too many doubles and it’s frustrating for me.”

Meanwhile, five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld delighted the sell-out Dutch crowd at the Hotel Zuiderduin with victories against Vincent van der Voort and Michael van Gerwen to win Group C.

Van Barneveld edged a tight contest with van der Voort to take their opening game, before seeing off 21-year-old van Gerwen 8-5, averaging over 103 in the process.

Van der Voort and van Gerwen then battled out a thriller for the right to join him in the last eight, with van der Voort eventually prevailing 8-4.

He led 3-0 and 4-1 before van Gerwen took out a 14-darter against the throw and a 112 finish to level, but van der Voort killed off his challenge by winning the next four to progress.

Van der Voort will now meet Group A winner Co Stompe in the opening quarter-final on Sunday night, with van Barneveld facing Roland Scholten.

The quarter-finals will begin after Group D is played, featuring world number three James Wade and the last two World Championship runners-up, Simon Whitlock and Gary Anderson.

Taylor will take on the Group D runner-up in the last eight, with the winner facing Lewis in the other quarter-final.

RTL7 International Masters
Saturday March 19
Group B
Phil Taylor 8-4 Terry Jenkins
Phil Taylor 8-4 Adrian Lewis
Terry Jenkins 3-8 Adrian Lewis

Group B Table

Group C
Raymond van Barneveld 8-6 Vincent van der Voort
Raymond van Barneveld 8-5 Michael van Gerwen
Vincent van der Voort 8-4 Michael van Gerwen

Group C Table

GROUP B
PHIL TAYLOR 8-4 TERRY JENKINS
0-0 – Phil Taylor won the bullseye and will throw first
1-0 – Taylor hits three successive 140s to begin the game, with Jenkins landing a 180 but unable to prevent the world number one hitting double 12 for a 13-dart finish.
2-0 – Taylor hits a 180 before taking out 84 on double 12 to break and extend his advantage.
3-0 – Taylor lands another 180 and checks out 124 on double eight to move three legs up.
3-1 – Jenkins gets off the mark courtesy of a neat 100 finish.
4-1 – Taylor misses double eight for a 121 finish but returns to finish double four.
5-1 – Jenkins hits another 180, but Taylor posts double top for another 14-dart finish.
5-2 – Jenkins breaks in 12 darts, hitting another maximum and double ten.
5-3 – Taylor misses the bullseye for a 124 finish, and Jenkins takes out 104 on double 12 to hit back further.
6-3 – Jenkins wastes a golden chance to win a third straight leg, miscounting on a 167 finish when, after hitting treble 20 and treble 19, he went for double top instead of the bull, and Taylor made no mistake by hitting tops for his sixth leg.
6-4 – Jenkins takes out 96 in two darts to pull back to within two legs once again.
7-4 – Both players hit 180s, but Taylor lands double top to move a leg away from victory.
8-4 – Jenkins misses double 18 for a 92 finish, and Taylor takes out 70 to complete the win.
Final Match Averages: Phil Taylor 106.69, Terry Jenkins 98.72

PHIL TAYLOR 8-4 ADRIAN LEWIS
0-0 – Adrian Lewis won the bullseye and will throw first
0-1 – Lewis hits two 180s and a 41 finish for a brilliant 11-dart opening leg.
1-1 – Taylor replies with a maximum of his own before finishing 87 on double 18.
2-1 – Taylor hits a 174 score to leave 31, and after Lewis misses a dart at double top the world number one breaks with double eight for a 14-dart leg.
3-1 – Lewis misses the bull for a 161 finish, and Taylor follows an earlier 180 with double ten for another 14-dart finish.
4-1 – Taylor hits scores of 180, 140 and 165 to set up double eight as he breaks again with a 12-darter.
4-2 – Lewis pounds the treble 20 with scores of 180, 120 and 139 but a miss at double top allows Taylor in, and he wires the bullseye for a 124 checkout and the World Champion returns to post double ten for a 13-dart break.
4-3 – Taylor opens with a 180 but misses the bullseye for a 121 finish and Lewis checks out 100 with two double tops.
5-3 – Both players hit 180s and are on a two-dart finish after nine darts, with Taylor taking out 44 on tops to lead 5-3.
5-4 – Lewis hits back with a bullseye finish on 124, with Taylor waiting on 24 after 12 darts.
6-4 – Taylor finishes 106 on tops to win a sixth leg.
7-4 – Taylor moves one leg away from a second successive win with a brilliant 11-dart break, hitting scores of 180, 138 and 133 before hitting double top.
8-4 – Lewis kicks off the leg with back-to-back 180s, but sees his seventh dart of a possible nine-darter land just in treble one, and he fails to complete the leg before Taylor takes out double 12 for a 13-darter to win a high-class contest.
Final Match Averages: Phil Taylor 113.92, Adrian Lewis 108.78. Both players also hit six 180s each.

TERRY JENKINS 3-8 ADRIAN LEWIS
0-0 – Terry Jenkins won the bullseye and will throw first
0-1 – Lewis opens the game with a 180 and secures an immediate break with double 18, after Jenkins misses double top for a 108 finish.
0-2 – Lewis doubles his lead, hitting a 180 to set up a 36 finish.
1-2 – Lewis hits scores of 140, 121 and 180 – his third of the game – to leave 60 after nine darts, but misses double top and double ten before Jenkins takes out 107 to get off the mark.
2-2 – Jenkins levels with a 14-darter, hitting double eight for the leg.
2-3 – Lewis opens with a 180 and also hits a 171 score before breaking throw on double ten.
2-4 – Lewis moves two legs clear once again, finishing 76 on tops for the sixth leg.
2-5 – Lewis breaks again in 14 darts, landing double top.
3-5 – Lewis misses tops for a 103 finish and Jenkins breaks back with an 80 finish.
3-6 – Jenkins misses a dart at double top for a 96 finish, having hit a single 18 and double 18, and Lewis steps in to break again on tops.
3-7 – Lewis moves a leg away from victory by taking ou 92 on double eight.
3-8 – Jenkins misses four darts to stay in the game, and Lewis finishes 70 in two darts on his favoured double top to progress to the quarter-finals.
Final Match Averages: Terry Jenkins 94.08, Adrian Lewis 100.76

GROUP C
RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD 8-6 VINCENT VAN DER VOORT
0-0 – Raymond van Barneveld won the bullseye and will throw first.
1-0 – van Barneveld opens the game with a 180 and takes the first leg on double five.
1-1 – van Barneveld misses the bull for a 128 finish and van der Voort returns to hit double 18 and level.
2-1 – van der Voort fails to take out 129 and van Barneveld lands double ten.
3-1 – van Barneveld kicks off the leg with a 180 and breaks in 12 darts on double top.
3-2 – van der Voort breaks back immediately with a 13-dart leg, ended on double 16.
4-2 – van Barneveld opens again with a maximum, and takes out double 16 for a 13-dart leg in reply to break again.
4-3 – van der Voort breaks back once more, finishing 98 on double nine.
4-4 – van der Voort levels the game by taking out double top, with van Barneveld waiting on 20.
5-4 – van der Voort sees a chance to break narrow escape him, opening with a 180 and missing the bullseye for a 124 finish against the throw, before van Barneveld clinically takes out 64 on double 16.
5-5 – van der Voort hits a 180 and lands double top to square the game.
6-5 – van Barneveld posts double eight to edge closer to victory.
7-5 – van Barneveld moves a leg away from the win, breaking van der Voort’s throw with a 96 finish, despite an earlier 180 from his opponent.
7-6 – van der Voort misses the bull for a 121 finish, and they look to be costly as van Barneveld returns on 32, only to miss three darts for victory as his opponent lands double eight to stay in the game.
8-6 – van Barneveld opens with a 180, and after van der Voort misses the bullseye to stay in the game the five-time World Champion hits tops to seal the win.
Final Match Averages: Raymond van Barneveld 97.63, Vincent van der Voort 95.88

RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD 8-5 MICHAEL VAN GERWEN
0-0 – Raymond van Barneveld won the bullseye and will throw first.
1-0 – van Barneveld takes out 110 on double 16 for a confident opening leg.
1-1 – van Gerwen misses a dart at double 18 for a 102 finish, but van Barneveld fails to capitalise with three misses at double 14 and the youngster returns to post double two.
2-1 – van Barneveld hits a 170 to leave a finish, and returns to win the leg on double ten.
2-2 – van Gerwen hits his first 180 of the game to leave 24, and levels the match on double six.
3-2 – van Barneveld takes out double 16 under pressure for a 64 finish.
4-2 – van Barneveld secures the first break of throw by taking out 68 on double 16, after van Gerwen missed the single 18 to leave the bullseye on an 88 finish.
5-2 – Van Barneveld hits scores of 180, 140 and 140 before posting double eight for a 13-darter.
5-3 – Double top for an 82 finish sees van Gerwen hit back.
6-3 – van Barneveld regains a three-leg cushion with an 84 finish, ending on double six.
6-4 – van Gerwen finishes 114 on double 17 to reduce the gap.
6-5 – van Barneveld misses double 19 for a 118 finish and van Gerwen takes out 66 on double eight to break throw.
7-5 – van Gerwen misses double top for a 108 finish, and van Barneveld punishes him with a 116 checkout on double 18.
8-5 – van Barneveld takes victory and a quarter-final place by opening with a 180 and sealing the win on tops with a 13-dart leg.
Final Match Averages: Raymond van Barneveld 103.31, Michael van Gerwen 97.65

VINCENT VAN DER VOORT 8-4 MICHAEL VAN GERWEN
0-0 – Vincent van der Voort won the bullseye and will throw first.
1-0 – van der Voort misses three darts for the leg, but van Gerwen drops just under double top for a 108 finish to allow the Purmerend ace in on double ten.
2-0 – Double eight gives van der Voort an immediate break of throw.
3-0 – van der Voort extends his advantage on double top.
3-1 – van Gerwen gets off the mark with an 11-dart leg, featuring scores of 140, 139, 140 and double 16 for an 82 finish.
4-1 – Both players hit maximums, but van der Voort posts double top for a 13-dart leg with van Gerwen waiting on 28.
4-2 – van der Voort hits a 180 but misses the bull for a 101 finish, and van Gerwen hits double 16 at the fifth time of asking to win his second leg.
4-3 – van Gerwen breaks back, hitting three ton-plus scores before landing double top for a 14-dart finish.
4-4 – van Gerwen takes out 112 to level the game and win a third successive leg.
5-4 – van der Voort finishes 98 on double 19 for the ninth leg.
6-4 – van Gerwen fails to give himself a dart at a double when on 90, and van der Voort posts double top to break.
7-4 – van der Voort opens with a 180, giving him the breathing space to miss two darts at double 16 before returning to hit the same bed.
8-4 – van Gerwen leaves 24 with van der Voort on 87, but the 2007 UK Open runner-up posts double five to check out and take victory and a place in the quarter-finals.
Final Match Averages: Vincent van der Voort 93.46, Michael van Gerwen 94.96

Source – PDC

The 20-year-old followed up Saturday’s success in the PDC Unicorn Youth Tour event, when he hit a nine-darter and reached the final before losing to Shaun Griffiths, by claiming his first professional title in Barnsley.

Smith had never won past the last 16 on the PDC ProTour before, but broke that run in style with a brilliant day of darts.

After defeating Louis Blundell, Gary Mawson and Nick Fullwell by only dropping five legs in his first three games, Smith came from 5-2 down to defeat Robert Thornton in the last 16.

He then avenged a 6-1 loss to Vincent van der Voort in Saturday’s UK Open Qualifier with a 6-2 quarter-final victory, and then overcame world number six Simon Whitlock 6-4 in the semi-finals to earn a place in the final.

The youngster made a superb start to the decider, taking out 106 for the first leg, 72 for the second and double top to lead 3-0, before Chisnall hit back with a 98 finish, double eight to break and a 12-darter to square the game.

The pair shared the next two, before Smith hit a 180 and took out 85 to move a leg away from victory.

The duo opened the tenth leg with maximums, with Chisnall taking out 82 on tops to force a deciding leg – with both players suffering nerves in a tense and dramatic finale.

Smith hit two 140s to be first to a finish but missed double top for a 104 finish and two further darts for the match, only for Chisnall to see a dart at tops to grab the title land low.

Smith returned, and took out double five with his third dart to claim the win and his maiden title.

“It’s the best feeling I’ve ever had in my life,” said Smith. “Hitting the nine-darter yesterday was one achievement and now I’ve done this, and it’s unreal.

“On Saturday I missed a lot of doubles when I lost to Vincent but playing in the Youth Tour event got my confidence up. Doing so well in that made me do what I did today.

“I thought I’d end up losing in the last 16 again like I have done a few times before but as soon as I got past that stage I thought nobody was going to stop me.

“I live up to my ‘Bully’ nickname, hitting 12-dart legs, 180s and 140s and not missing my doubles this time.

“Playing Dave in the final made it easier for me because we’d played twice in Players Championships in Germany recently and he beat me both times, so I owed him one for that!

“When I went 3-0 up and started to miss a few doubles I thought I might lose it, but I battled through, kept my head high and won it.

“Now I’ve won one tournament nothing’s going to stop me. I want to get into the top 64 this year and keep my Tour Card, then get into the top 32 and challenge the best players in the world.”

Chisnall’s run saw him reach his first PDC ProTour final since winning through January’s Qualifying School to earn him a spot on the PDC circuit, and followed three successive quarter-finals ahead of Sunday’s event.

He had to defeat Stephen Hardy, Kevin Painter, Colin Monk, Co Stompe and Shane O’Connor to reach the quarter-finals, where he edged out Wes Newton 6-5 after the Fleetwood ace missed two darts to take victory in the deciding leg.

Chisnall then enjoyed a good tussle with local favourite Darren Johnson in the semis before prevailing 6-4, and picked up £3,000 for his day’s work alongside ensuring a spot in June’s UK Open televised finals in Bolton.

Whitlock suffered disappointment in the semi-finals for a second successive day in Barnsley, while Johnson’s run was his best-ever on the PDC ProTour.

Mark Webster and Mark Walsh joined van der Voort and Newton in reaching the last eight, while Saturday’s UK Open Qualifier winner Steve Brown was amongst the last 16 losers alongside young duo Arron Monk and Shane O’Connor.

UK Open Qualifier 2
Preliminary Round
Jamie Atkins 6-1 Matt Padgett
Adrian Gray 6-3 Ian Jopling
Sam Allen 6-3 Aodhagan O’Neill
Matt Jackson 6-1 Nicky Bache
Mark Stephenson 6-3 Lee White
Adam Smith-Neale 6-4 Simon Craven
Andy Relf 6-5 Gary Welding
Brian Woods 6-1 Nick Malkin
Richie Corner 6-5 Mareno Michels
Andrew Hibbert 6-1 Mike Roberts
Dean Jones 6-3 Darrell Claydon
Jimmy Mann 6-2 John Henderson
Stuart Dutton 6-5 Shaun Griffiths
Dave Chisnall 6-4 Stephen Hardy
Peter Hudson 6-5 Darren Latham
Paul Schofield 6-5 Tim Hope

First Round
Kevin McDine 6-2 Devon Petersen
Vincent van der Voort 6-3 James Richardson
Jelle Klaasen 6-0 Gary Eastwood
William O’Connor 6-3 Jamie Atkins
Terry Jenkins 6-4 Dave Smith
Alex Roy 6-1 Norman Fletcher
John Part 6-3 Paul Rowley
Dennis Smith 6-3 Adrian Gray
Mark Frost 6-4 Andy Brown
Michael Barnard 6-1 David Coyne
Robert Thornton 6-2 Michael Rosenauer
Richie Burnett 6-1 Sam Allen
Nick Fullwell 6-3 Mark Jodrill
Colin Lloyd 6-1 Simon Jones
Michael Smith 6-2 Louis Blundell
Gary Mawson 6-2 Matt Jackson
Dave Ladley 6-5 Andy Smith
Mark Jones 6-4 Steve Maish
Mark Webster 6-4 Ian Lever
Mark Stephenson 6-1 Mick McGowan
Michael van Gerwen 6-1 Jon Archer
Lee Palfreyman 6-3 Kirk Shepherd
Peter Wright 6-2 Andy Pearce
Colin Osborne 6-1 Adam Smith-Neale
Martyn Turner 6-0 Andy Pearson
Steve Beaton 6-1 Prakash Jiwa
Simon Whitlock 6-2 Nigel Birch
Mark Dudbridge 6-2 Andy Relf
Gary Anderson 6-1 Dyson Parody
Steve Brown 6-1 Mick Todd
Denis Ovens 6-0 Andy Hodges
Nigel Heydon 6-3 Brian Woods
Ken Dobson 6-2 Peter Manley
Wayne Jones 6-2 Ryan Harrington
Scott Rand 6-2 Alan Tabern
Mark Walsh 6-3 Richie Corner
Joe Cullen 6-0 Steve Perkins
Matt Clark 6-2 Andy Hutchings
Steve Evans 6-0 Matthew Edgar
Adrian Lewis 6-4 Andrew Hibbert
Dennis Priestley 6-2 Kevin Dowling
Wayne Atwood 6-1 Mark Tiller
Andy Jenkins 6-2 Mike Gillet
Brendan Dolan 6-1 Dean Jones
Mark Hylton 6-1 Mako Kantele
Chris Thompson 6-2 Darren Whittingham
Darren Johnson 6-3 Terry Temple
Mervyn King 6-2 Jimmy Mann
Jamie Caven 6-4 Ian White
Wayne Mardle 6-3 Mike Nott
Shane O’Connor 6-4 Andy Hamilton
Roland Scholten 6-2 Stuart Dutton
Co Stompe 6-4 Geoff Whitworth
Steve Grubb 6-5 Steve Hine
Colin Monk 6-2 Steve Cupitt
Dave Chisnall 6-3 Kevin Painter
Tony Eccles 6-4 Simon Burt
Barrie Bates 6-5 Ashley Holgate
Wes Newton 6-0 Steven Pearson
Paul Nicholson 6-2 Peter Hudson
Mark Lawrence 6-2 Stacy Bromberg
Jason Crawley 6-3 Justin Pipe
Arron Monk 6-0 Dylan Duo
Tony Ayres 6-0 Paul Schofield

Second Round
Vincent van der Voort 6-4 Kevin McDine
William O’Connor 6-1 Jelle Klaasen
Terry Jenkins 6-5 Alex Roy
Dennis Smith 6-5 John Part
Michael Barnard 6-4 Mark Frost
Robert Thornton 6-3 Richie Burnett
Nick Fullwell 6-4 Colin Lloyd
Michael Smith 6-1 Gary Mawson
Mark Jones 6-3 Dave Ladley
Mark Webster 6-4 Mark Stephenson
Michael van Gerwen 6-5 Lee Palfreyman
Colin Osborne 6-1 Peter Wright
Steve Beaton 6-1 Martyn Turner
Simon Whitlock 6-2 Mark Dudbridge
Steve Brown 6-2 Gary Anderson
Nigel Heydon 6-5 Denis Ovens
Wayne Jones 6-4 Ken Dobson
Mark Walsh 6-4 Scott Rand
Matt Clark 6-1 Joe Cullen
Steve Evans 6-4 Adrian Lewis
Dennis Priestley 6-4 Wayne Atwood
Brendan Dolan 6-2 Andy Jenkins
Chris Thompson 6-5 Mark Hylton
Darren Johnson 6-4 Mervyn King
Wayne Mardle 6-3 Jamie Caven
Shane O’Connor 6-2 Roland Scholten
Co Stompe 6-3 Steve Grubb
Dave Chisnall 6-2 Colin Monk
Barrie Bates 6-2 Tony Eccles
Wes Newton 6-3 Paul Nicholson
Mark Lawrence 6-5 Jason Crawley
Arron Monk 6-4 Tony Ayres
Losers £200

Third Round
Vincent van der Voort 6-2 William O’Connor
Dennis Smith 6-2 Terry Jenkins
Robert Thornton 6-4 Michael Barnard
Michael Smith 6-2 Nick Fullwell
Mark Webster 6-2 Mark Jones
Michael van Gerwen 6-4 Colin Osborne
Simon Whitlock 6-2 Steve Beaton
Steve Brown 6-3 Nigel Heydon
Mark Walsh 6-4 Wayne Jones
Matt Clark 6-0 Steve Evans
Brendan Dolan 6-4 Dennis Priestley
Darren Johnson 6-5 Chris Thompson
Shane O’Connor 6-1 Wayne Mardle
Dave Chisnall 6-1 Co Stompe
Wes Newton 6-1 Barrie Bates
Arron Monk 6-4 Mark Lawrence
Losers £400

Fourth Round
Vincent van der Voort 6-4 Dennis Smith
Michael Smith 6-5 Robert Thornton
Mark Webster 6-2 Michael van Gerwen
Simon Whitlock 6-3 Steve Brown
Mark Walsh 6-2 Matt Clark
Darren Johnson 6-3 Brendan Dolan
Dave Chisnall 6-2 Shane O’Connor
Wes Newton 6-1 Arron Monk
Losers £600

Quarter-Finals
Michael Smith 6-2 Vincent van der Voort
Simon Whitlock 6-3 Mark Webster
Darren Johnson 6-5 Mark Walsh
Dave Chisnall 6-5 Wes Newton
Losers £1,000

Semi-Finals
Michael Smith 6-4 Simon Whitlock
Dave Chisnall 6-4 Darren Johnson
Losers £2,000

Final
Michael Smith 6-5 Dave Chisnall
Winner £6,000
Runner-Up £3,000

Final – leg by leg
1-0 – Michael Smith takes out 106 on tops for the opening leg
2-0 – Chisnall misses two darts to win the leg and Smith finishes 72 on tops to break
3-0 – Smith posts double top at the first time of asking for the third successive leg
3-1 – Chisnall finishes 98 in two darts to get off the mark
3-2 – Chisnall misses the bull for a 92 finish but returns – after Smith sees darts at double top and double ten miss – to hit double eight and break back
3-3 – Chisnall levels in 12 darts, scoring 140, 180 and 145 before checking out double nine
4-3 – Smith edges back in front by finishing 80 in two darts
4-4 – Smith hits a 171 to leave 130, but when he misses the bull Chisnall finishes 68 on double 16 to level
5-4 – Smith posts a 180 and finishes 85 on double 14 to move a leg away from his first PDC title
5-5 – Both players open with a 180 but Chisnall sends the game into a deciding leg by taking out 82 on tops
6-5 – Smith prevails in a dramatic deciding leg – missing three darts for victory before Chisnall sees a dart at double top for an 80 finish land low, and the youngster takes out double five with his third dart for the title

PDC

The tournament will be held across four days at the Hotel Zuiderduin in Egmond aan Zee, Holland, as four groups of three players battle for the €20,000 first prize.

The Dutch players competing in the tournament will be Raymond van Barneveld, Vincent van der Voort, Co Stompe, Jelle Klaasen, Michael van Gerwen and Roland Scholten.

Competing for the Rest of the World will be the English quartet of Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis, James Wade and Terry Jenkins, Australia’s Simon Whitlock and Scotland’s Gary Anderson.

The four groups will be made up of three players, with the six Dutchmen forming two groups and the six Rest of the World players forming the other two groups.

The tournament will begin in the evening of Friday March 18 with the Group A games involving Co Stompe, Jelle Klaasen and Roland Scholten.

Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis and Terry Jenkins will compete in Group B on Saturday night, with Raymond van Barneveld, Vincent van der Voort and Michael van Gerwen forming Group C later that evening.

Sunday evening will initially see Group D, involving Gary Anderson, James Wade and Simon Whitlock, compete before the top two players from each group progress to play in the quarter-finals.

The semi-finals and final will then be played on Monday March 21, with the whole event being screened live on RTL7.

Tickets are available through www.rtltickets.nl. Tickets for Friday night cost €20, tickets for Saturday and Sunday cost €25 each, and tickets for Monday cost €30. A ticket to cover all four sessions costs €85.

All games are the best of 15 legs.
Should there be a points tie for a place within a group, the result of the group game between the two players would be the determining factor.
The semi-final order of play will be determined following the quarter-finals.

RTL7 International Masters Schedule
Friday March 18 – 10pm start – tickets €20
Group A
Co Stompe v Jelle Klaasen
Loser of Stompe/Klaasen v Roland Scholten
Winner of Stompe/Klaasen v Roland Scholten

Saturday March 19 – 8pm start – tickets €25
Group B
Phil Taylor v Terry Jenkins
Loser of Taylor/Jenkins v Adrian Lewis
Winner of Taylor/Jenkins v Adrian Lewis

Followed by Group C
Raymond van Barneveld v Vincent van der Voort
Loser of van Barneveld/van der Voort v Michael van Gerwen
Winner of van Barneveld/van der Voort v Michael van Gerwen

Sunday March 20 – 8pm start – tickets €25
Group D
Gary Anderson v James Wade
Loser of Anderson/Wade v Simon Whitlock
Winner of Anderson/Wade v Simon Whitlock

Followed by Quarter-Finals
QF1: Winner Group A v Runner-Up Group C
QF2: Winner Group B v Runner-Up Group D
QF3: Winner Group C v Runner-Up Group A
QF4: Winner Group D v Runner-Up Group B

Monday March 21 – 10pm start – tickets €30
Semi-Finals
Winner Quarter-Final 1 v Winner Quarter-Final 3
Winner Quarter-Final 2 v Winner Quarter-Final 4

Followed by Final

Prize Fund
Winner – €20,000
Runner-Up – €12,000
Semi-Finalists – €7,000
Quarter-Finalists – €5,000
Group Stage Losers – €3,500
Total – €80,000

Part has endured a tough year after slipping to the edge of the PDC’s top 32, but emerged victorious from the 79-strong field of American and Canadian stars to pick up the £5,000 title at Las Vegas’ Tropicana Hotel.

The three-time World Champion drew on all his experience during the event, but particularly during his semi-final and final wins over Gary Mawson and young respectively.

Part dropped just three legs in defeating Alvin Martin and Greg Lewis in his opening two games, before seeing off Shawn Brenneman and Chris White 6-4 to reach the semis.

However, he stared defeat in the face against Mawson, who hit back from 5-4 down to level a tight match but then missed seven match darts in the decider, before Part took out double top for the win.

Part also had to dig deep to see off American number one Young in the final, although he took the early lead with a two-dart 68 finish to punish a pair of missed doubles from the American in the opening leg.

A 111 checkout doubled Part’s lead, and although Young hit a 137 checkout to get on the scoreboard, an 84 finish gave the former World Champion a 3-1 cushion.

Young took out a fine 104, with Part waiting on double top, to win the fifth leg before levelling on double eight.

Part, though, took out 124 to break throw again with a 12-darter in the seventh before double ten put him a leg away from the win, after Young missed two darts at double top.

The Canadian missed double 16 for a 108 finish which would have give him the win in the next, as Young landed double five to stay in the game at 5-4, before Part landed a 180 to give himself breathing space in the next, with double four securing the triumph.

“It’s hard to put into words what this means,” said an emotional Part afterwards. “In a couple of weeks I might realise the significance of this but I’m going to enjoy this moment.

“Normally I am playing with all the top pros, but this was exclusively a north American event doesn’t happen very often. It does mean a lot and I love to compete and love to win.

“I played a lot of friends who I’ve known for a long time and played many times, like Shawn Brenneman, Chris White, Gary Mawson and Darin Young. It was an emotional day and not easy to play.

“I was very lucky to win the semi-final against Gary Mawson, which was always going to be a hard match because we’ve been friends for so long. He had me dead and buried and I got away with it, and maybe there was a touch of luck that I won – and I haven’t felt lucky all week until now!”

Young had also had to produce some superb darts to reach the final, coming from 3-0 down against Larry Butler in the semi-finals to level at four-all before winning a deciding 11th leg with a 110 checkout, as his opponent waited on a finish.

Young justified his second seeding with wins over Eddie Lawrence, Dan Lauby, Donny Joe and Nico Depaynos to reach the last four, and took home £2,500 as runner-up.

Butler, the 1994 World Matchplay winner, rolled back the years in his run to the semis, defeating another veteran star, Paul Lim, 6-5 in the quarter-finals after his opponent had missed one dart for victory.

Butler also overcame Dave Switzer, Scott Kirchner, John Kuczynski and Bill Davis on a tough route to the latter stages.

Reigning NADC champion Scott Burnett was defeated 6-4 by Mawson in the quarter-finals, with Mawson also seeing off top Canadian Gerry Convery in his run to the last four.

North American Darts Championship
Preliminary Round
Shawn Brenneman 6-1 Mark Blazevich
Al Moskwyn 6-4 Joseph Swick
Dan Zimmerman 6-0 Steve Barlock
Sean Downs 6-0 Bobby Peters
Jason Roker 6-2 Edwin Martin
Don Campos 6-0 Paul DiCecca
Stephen Panuncialman 6-3 Ron Colvard
Dan Lauby 6-1 Joey Narvades
Ross Snook 6-3 Jeff Noble
Ray Carver 6-1 Andrew Penney
Nico Depaynos 6-0 Robert Race
Jim Widmayer 6-2 Wayne Smith
Paul Lim 6-1 Sean Smyth
Brian Jackson 6-3 Martin Hulme
Larry Butler 6-1 Dave Switzer

First Round
John Part (1) 6-1 Alvin Martin
Greg Lewis 6-3 Clint Clarkson
David Flowers 6-2 Peter Schaumann
Shawn Brenneman 6-2 Bob Sinnaeve
Chris White (8) 6-1 Richard Hammond Jnr
Al Moskwyn 6-0 Andrew Bennett
Roger Carter 6-1 Tom Jackowski
Stuart Brown 6-1 Dan Zimmerman
Scott Burnett (5) 6-1 David Kendall
Sean Downs 6-1 Josh Daynes
Gregory Coburn 6-0 Doug Meade
Connley Litton 6-4 Jason Roker
Gary Mawson (4) 6-3 Gerry Convery
Don Campos 6-4 Ryan vander Wiet
Jayson Barlow 6-4 Rick Davis
Stephen Panuncialman 6-1 Drazen Severin
Darin Young (2) 6-2 Eddie Lawrence
Dan Lauby 6-3 Jim Newman
Dieter Schutsch 6-1 Dan Lauby II
Donny Joe 6-4 Ross Snook
David Fatum (7) 6-1 Nick Holmes
Ray Carver 6-3 Dan Olson
Stacy Bromberg 6-1 George Timpone
Nico Depaynos 6-1 Danny Wood
Ken MacNeil (6) 6-5 Howard Meyers
Jim Widmayer 6-4 Frank Hernandez
Mark Nielsen 6-2 Robert Heckman
Paul Lim 6-1 Damien McKenna
! Bill Davis (3) 6-1 Scott Henning
Nick Rivera 6-2 Brian Jackson
John Kuczynski 6-4 Isen Veljic
Larry Butler 6-5 Scott Kirchner
Losers £100

Second Round
John Part 6-2 Greg Lewis
Shawn Brenneman 6-3 David Flowers
Chris White 6-5 Al Moskwyn
Roger Carter 6-1 Stuart Brown
Scott Burnett 6-1 Sean Downs
Connley Litton 6-2 Gregory Coburn
Gary Mawson 6-0 Don Campos
Stephen Panuncialman 6-5 Jayson Barlow
Darin Young 6-3 Dan Lauby
Donny Joe 6-5 Dieter Schutsch
David Fatum 6-5 Ray Carver
Nico Depaynos 6-3 Stacy Bromberg
Ken MacNeil 6-3 Jim Widmayer
Paul Lim 6-0 Mark Nielsen
Bill Davis 6-4 Nick Rivera
Larry Butler 6-3 John Kuczynski
Losers £200

Third Round
John Part 6-4 Shawn Brenneman
Chris White 6-3 Roger Carter
Scott Burnett 6-0 Connley Litton
Gary Mawson 6-4 Stephen Panuncialman
Darin Young 6-1 Donny Joe
Nico Depaynos 6-2 David Fatum
Paul Lim 6-1 Ken MacNeil
Larry Butler 6-1 Bill Davis
Losers £300

Quarter-Finals
John Part 6-4 Chris White
Gary Mawson 6-4 Scott Burnett
Darin Young 6-3 Nico Depaynos
Larry Butler 6-5 Paul Lim
Losers £700

Semi-Finals
John Part 6-5 Gary Mawson
Darin Young 6-5 Larry Butler
Losers £1,250

Final
John Part 6-4 Darin Young
Winner £5,000
Runner-Up £2,500

Final – Leg by Leg
1-0 – Part breaks throw with a two-dart 68 finish, after Young misses double top and double ten
2-0 – The Canadian doubles his lead with an effortless 111 finish
2-1 – Young gets off the mark with a fine 137 checkout
3-1 – Young hits a 180 but Part finishes 84 on double 12 for a third leg
3-2 – The American lands a 104 finish to take a second leg, with Part waiting on 40
3-3 – Young levels the game on double eight
4-3 – Part takes out 124 on double 11 to break throw again, with a 12-darter
5-3 – Young misses two darts at double top and Part clinically hits double ten at the first time of asking
5-4 – Part misses one dart for victory at double 16 for a 108 finish and Young hits double five to stay in the game
6-4 – Double four seals victory for Part

PHIL TAYLOR kicked off the New Tropicana World Series of Darts Festival with victory in the World Cricket Championship, coming from 2-0 down to defeat Mark Walsh in the final.

The event, held in the cricket format of darts, was the first of five to be held at Las Vegas’ Tropicana Hotel from June 26-30, with $200,000 prize money on offer for over 150 players from around the world.

World number one Taylor showed his class to take the World Cricket Championship title, only dropping four legs throughout the Saturday’s event.

He was a 3-0 winner against Howard Meyers, Andy Fordham and Kirk Shepherd in his opening three games, before defeating former World Champions Richie Burnett and Steve Beaton 3-1 to reach the semi-finals.

There, he defeated Mark Dudbridge 3-0 to move into the decider, where he faced Walsh.

Hertfordshire ace Walsh dominated the opening two legs of the final to take a 2-0 lead, before Taylor edged a high-quality third and then levelled in a tight fourth leg.

The deciding leg saw Taylor take control of the 20 bed immediately, but Walsh hit back to close the 19, 18, 17 and 15 beds – only for Taylor to hit back and seal victory with two bullseyes.

“I’m really happy to win this because it’s a tough format,” said Taylor. “The cricket format really makes you think and it’s a great leveller.

“It was a very challenging day and Mark played really well in the final, so to come back from behind and win it is satisfying for me.”

Walsh had defeated top American Darin Young 3-1 in the semi-finals, as well as knocking out Ronnie Baxter, an experienced cricket player, in the quarters.

Before that, he dropped only five legs in his opening wins over Nick Fullwell, Adrian Lewis, Vinceint van der Voort and Andy Hamilton.

Young came through games against Canadian trio John Part, Gerry Convery and Bob Sinnaeve, and edged through five-leg clashes with Matt Clark and Steve Brown in reaching the last four.

Dudbridge showed some strong form in progressing to the last four, losing only three legs in his victories over Nick Rivera, Ross Snook, Ian White, Chris Thompson and Co Stompe before meeting Taylor.

Steve Brown followed up last weekend’s Players Championship semi-final in Holland by reaching the last eight, while Canada’s Shawn Brenneman was amongst the last 16 losers.

Sunday sees the PDC US Open take place as the first of three successive days of Players Championship action, before the New Tropicana World Series of Darts Festival concludes on Wednesday with the North American Darts Championship.

World Cricket Championship
Preliminary Round
Dave Ladley 3-0 Wayne Smith
Ronnie Baxter 3-0 Roger Carter
Steve Maish 3-0 Dave Honey
Roland Scholten 3-0 George Timpone
Steve Grubb 3-1 Bill Davis
Arron Monk 3-2 Andy Relf
Larry Butler 3-0 Mark Nielsen
Andrew Penney 3-1 Greg Lewis
Ryan vander Wiet 3-2 John Kuczynski
Bob Sinnaeve 3-0 Martin Hulme
Denis Ovens 3-1 Jim Widmayer
Terry Jenkins 3-0 Dan Lauby II
Jeff Noble 3-0 David Fatum
Ian White 3-0 Sean Smyth
Colin Osborne 3-0 Robert Race
Shawn Brenneman 3-1 Stephen Panuncialman
Robert Heckman 3-2 Mark Webster
Colin Lloyd 3-1 Robert Thornton
Andy Fordham 3-1 Dave Ahmet
Kevin McDine 3-2 Nigel Heydon
Par Riihonen 3-1 Steve Barlock
Joe Custer 3-2 Dan Zimmerman

First Round
Nico Depaynos 3-0 Damien McKenna
Jim Newman 3-1 David Flowers
Peter Manley 3-0 Richard Hammond Jnr
Ronnie Baxter 3-0 Dave Ladley
Adrian Gray 3-0 Bobby Peters
Stuart Brown 3-0 Shintaro Hirai
Barrie Bates 3-2 Andrew Bennett
Steve Maish 3-0 Roland Scholten
Ray Carver 3-1 Sean Downs
James Wade 3-0 Drazen Severin
Andy Hamilton 3-1 Steve Hine
Steve Grubb 3-0 Donny Joe
Adrian Lewis 3-2 Nick Fullwell
Mark Walsh 3-2 Scott Kirchner
Joe Cullen 3-1 Colin Monk
Vincent van der Voort 3-2 Arron Monk
Wes Newton 3-0 Joseph Swick
Alex Roy 3-2 Akihiro Nagakawa
Peter Wright 3-0 Steve Evans
Larry Butler 3-2 Andrew Penney
Steve Brown 3-1 Martyn Turner
Jamie Caven 3-2 Jelle Klaasen
Tony Eccles 3-0 Peter Schaumann
Ryan vander Wiet 3-2 Gary Mawson
Gerry Convert 3-0 Josh Daynes
Darin Young 3-1 John Part
Aodhagan O’Neill 3-0 Alvin Martin
Bob Sinnaeve 3-0 Daz Mawer
Matt Clark 3-1 Don CamposJustin Pipe 3-0 Paul DiCecca
Danny Wood 3-1 Eddie Lawrence
Denis Ovens 3-0 William O’Connor
Chris Loudon 3-0 Edwin Martin
Chris Thompson 3-0 Al Moskwyn
Frank Hernandez 3-0 Jim McKevitt
Jeff Noble 3-2 Terry Jenkins
Ross Snook 3-1 Ian McFarlane
Mark Dudbridge 3-0 Nick Rivera
Darren Johnson 3-1 Jason Roker
Ian White 3-2 Colin Osborne
Alan Tabern 3-0 David Kendall
Mark Hylton 3-2 Dennis Smith
Mick McGowan 3-1 Hiromasa Mochizuki
Shawn Brenneman 3-0 Robert Heckman
Co Stompe 3-0 Mark Blazevich
Isen Veljic 3-1 Clint Clarkson
Chris White 3-0 Connley Litton
Colin Lloyd 3-2 Gary Anderson
Kirk Shepherd 3-1 Tony Randell
Dan Olson 3-0 Dan Lauby
Phil Taylor 3-0 Howard Meyers
Andy Fordham 3-2 Thomas Jackowski
Rick Davis 3-0 Scott Henning
Richie Burnett 3-2 Jayson Barlow
Scott Rand 3-2 Dave Switzer
Kevin McDine 3-1 Brendan Dolan
Dieter Schutsch 3-1 Paul Lim
Gregory Coburn 3-2 Brian Jackson Andy Jenkins 3-2 Scott Burnett
Simon Whitlock 3-1 Par R! iihonen< br>Kevin Painter 3-1 Stacy Bromberg
Steve Beaton 3-0 Doug Mead
Ken MacNeil 3-0 Nick Holmes
Joe Custer 3-0 Masahiko Sano

Second Round
Nico Depaynos 3-1 Jim Newman
Ronnie Baxter 3-0 Peter Manley
Adrian Gray 3-1 Stuart Brown
Barrie Bates 3-0 Steve Maish
James Wade 3-2 Ray Carver
Andy Hamilton 3-0 Steve Grubb
Mark Walsh 3-1 Adrian Lewis
Vincent van der Voort 3-0 Joe Cullen
Wes Newton 3-2 Alex Roy
Larry Butler 3-1 Peter Wright
Steve Brown 3-2 Jamie Caven
Tony Eccles 3-0 Ryan vander Wiet
Darin Young 3-1 Gerry Convery
Bob Sinnaeve 3-0 Aodhagan O’Neill
Matt Clark 3-1 Justin Pipe
Denis Ovens 3-0 Danny Wood
Chris Thompson 3-1 Chris Loudon
Frank Hernandez 3-2 Jeff Noble
Mark Dudbridge 3-1 Ross Snook
Ian White 3-0 Darren Johnson
Alan Tabern 3-0 Mark Hylton
Shawn Brenneman 3-0 Mick McGowan
Co Stompe 3-1 Isen Veljic
Colin Lloyd 3-1 Chris White
Kirk Shepherd 3-2 Dan Olson
Phil Taylor 3-0 Andy Fordham
Richie Burnett 3-0 Rick Davis
Kevin McDine 3-2 Scott Rand
Dieter Schutsch 3-0 Gregory Coburn
Andy Jenkins 3-2! Simon Whitlock
Steve Beaton 3-2 Kevin Painter
Ken MacNeil 3-0 Joe Custer
Losers £50

Third Round
Ronnie Baxter 3-0 Nico Depaynos
Barrie Bates 3-1 Adrian Gray
Andy Hamilton 3-1 James Wade
Mark Walsh 3-0 Vincent van der Voort
Wes Newton 3-1 Larry Butler
Steve Brown 3-2 Tony Eccles
Darin Young 3-1 Bob Sinnaeve
Matt Clark 3-0 Denis Ovens
Chris Thompson 3-1 Frank Hernandez
Mark Dudbridge 3-0 Ian White
Shawn Brenneman 3-1 Alan Tabern
Co Stompe 3-0 Colin Lloyd
Phil Taylor 3-0 Kirk Shepherd
Richie Burnett 3-0 Kevin McDine
Andy Jenkins 3-0 Dieter Schutsch
Steve Beaton 3-0 Ken MacNeil
Losers £125

Fourth Round
Ronnie Baxter 3-0 Barrie Bates
Mark Walsh 3-2 Andy Hamilton
Steve Brown 3-0 Wes Newton
Darin Young 3-2 Matt Clark
Mark Dudbridge 3-1 Chris Thompson
Co Stompe 3-1 Shawn Brenneman
Phil Taylor 3-1 Richie Burnett
Steve Beaton 3-2 Andy Jenkins
Losers £225

Quarter-Finals
Mark Walsh 3-1 Ronnie Baxter
Darin Young 3-2 Steve Brown
Mark Dudbridge 3-1 Co Stompe
Phil Taylor 3-1 Steve Beaton
Losers £450

Semi-Finals
Mark Walsh 3-1 Darin Young
Phil Taylor 3-0 Mark Dudbridge
Losers £900

Final
Phil Taylor 3-2 Mark Walsh
Winner £4,000
Runner-Up £2,000

King defeated Raymond van Barneveld 3-2 in the final to claim the £5,000 winner’s cheque, following up his victory in April’s Scottish Players Championship with another title to jump up to 12th in the PDC Order of Merit.

He defeated Mensur Suljovic, Adrian Gray and Wes Newton in the early stages and then recorded 3-1 wins over Robert Thornton and Colin Lloyd to reach the final.

King took the first set of the final without reply before van Barneveld replied in Kind to level matters, only for the Norfolk man to edge the third in a deciding leg.

A 118 finish put him in front in the fourth, but two missed match darts allowed van Barneveld to level in the next leg before the Dutchman took out 156 for the set.

But King landed a fourth maximum of the game in winning the final set’s opener, and pounced on a missed double 14 from his opponent to seal the victory.

Van Barneveld came from a set down to win his semi-final against Andy Hamilton, having only dropped two sets in earlier wins over Robert Watson-Lang, Steve Maish, Mark Dudbridge and Colin Osborne.

Jelle Klaasen recorded a nine-dart leg in his win over Terry Jenkins, earning him a £4,800 bonus as the first player to achieve the feat in a Players Championship since John MaGowan in August.

Klaasen went on to lose to Denis Ovens in the last 16, while his compatriot Michael van Gerwen – who is closing on a place in the world’s top 32 – was a narrow quarter-final loser to Hamilton.

Sunday’s second Players Championship event at the Holiday Inn in Leiden, Holland will be the final event of 2008 to count towards qualification for the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship via the Players Championship Order of Merit and Continental Europe Order of Merit.

It will also be decisive in confirming the top 32 players in this year’s Players Championship Order of Merit, who will compete in January’s inaugural Players Championship Finals at the Circus Tavern.

PartyPoker.net Dutch Darts Trophy (Saturday)
Preliminary Round
Robert Watson-Lang 3-0 Leroy Kwadijk
Jasper Smidt 3-1 Darren Johnson
Mark Dudbridge 3-0 Jim Leighton
Jeffrey Stigter 3-1 Kees Slokkers
Ron de Pijpar 3-0 Lee White
Andree Welge Bye (Bernhard Kraus)
Rocco Maes 3-0 Tomokazu Onoda
Jan van der Rassel 3-0 Kevin Wensink
Toon Greebe 3-0 Erwin Extercatte
Michael Rosenauer 3-0 Matt Jackson
Shane Passey 3-0 Steve Randall
Peter Manley 3-0 Mike Herold
Carlos Rodriguez 3-0 Paul Cooper
Jamie Caven 3-2 Willem Kralt
Wim Mink 3-1 John Quantock
David Platt Bye (Alan Warriner-Little)
Kevin Painter 3-0 Steve Cusick
Jacko Barry 3-1 Martyn Turner
Ben Burton 3-0 Diana van Houten
Louis Blundell 3-0 Boyd Meijer
Robert Thornton 3-0 Dave Ladley
Vincent van der Voort 3-1 Steve Hine
Dave Honey Bye (Olaf Fiss)
Colin Monk 3-2 Co Stompe
Nick Fulwell 3-1 Peter Aleman
Hannes Schnier Bye (Danny de Haas)
Mensur Suljovic 3-1 Ian Jopling
Andrew Davies 3-1 Dylan Duo
Jonathan Overton 3-2 Huseyin Zengin
Olaf Tupuschis 3-1 Mark Carter
Ronnie Baxter 3-1 Felix McBrearty
Freddy de Geus 3-2 Rolf Kaiser
Tomas Seyler 3-1 Edward Steggerda
Peter Wright 3-2 Remco van Eijden
James Keogh 3-0 John Lokken
Denis Ovens 3-0 Kevin Harris
Chris Thompson 3-0 Elmer Kralt
Justin Pipe 3-1 Wayne Atwood

First Round
Raymond van Barneveld 3-0 Robert Watson-Lang
Steve Maish 3-0 Jasper Smidt
Mark Dudbridge 3-1 Jeffrey Stigter
Mark Walsh 3-0 Ron de Pijpar
Dennis Priestley 3-1 Andree Welge
Steve Beaton 3-0 Rocco Maes
Colin Osborne 3-0 Jan van der Rassel
Toon Greebe 3-0 Tony Eccles
Wayne Mardle 3-2 Michael Rosenauer
Michael van Gerwen 3-0 Shane Passey
Peter Manley 3-0 Carlos Rodriguez
Jamie Caven Bye (Andy Smith)
Andy Hamilton 3-1 Wim Mink
David Platt 3-0 Matt Clark
Jacko Barry 3-2 Kevin Painter
Barrie Bates 3-0 Ben Burton
James Wade 3-1 Louis Blundell
Robert Thornton 3-2 Kevin McDine
Vincent van der Voort 3-0 Dave Honey
Kirk Shepherd 3-1 Colin Monk
Alan Tabern 3-1 Nick Fulwell
Wes Newton 3-1 Hannes Schnier
Mervyn King 3-0 Mensur Suljovic
Adrian Gray 3-0 Andrew Davies
Colin Lloyd 3-0 Jonathan Overton
Mick McGowan 3-1 Olaf Tupuschis
Ronnie Baxter 3-0 Freddy de Geus
Tomas Seyler 3-2 Wayne Jones
Terry Jenkins 3-1 Peter Wright
Jelle Klaasen 3-2 James Keogh
Denis Ovens 3-1 Chris Thompson
Andy Jenkins 3-0 Justin Pipe
Losers £75

Second Round
Raymond van Barneveld 3-2 Steve Maish
Mark Dudbridge 3-2 Mark Walsh
Dennis Priestley 3-2 Steve Beaton
Colin Osborne 3-2 Toon Greebe
Michael van Gerwen 3-1 Wayne Mardle
Jamie Caven 3-0 Peter Manley
Andy Hamilton 3-0 David Platt
Jacko Barry 3-2 Barrie Bates
Robert Thornton 3-2 James Wade
Kirk Shepherd 3-2 Vincent van der Voort
Wes Newton 3-2 Alan Tabern
Mervyn King 3-0 Adrian Gray
Colin Lloyd 3-0 Mick McGowan
Ronnie Baxter 3-2 Tomas Seyler
Jelle Klaasen 3-2 Terry Jenkins ** Nine-darter from Klaasen
Denis Ovens 3-0 Andy Jenkins
Losers £150

Third Round
Raymond van Barneveld 3-0 Mark Dudbridge
Colin Osborne 3-1 Dennis Priestley
Michael van Gerwen 3-0 Jamie Caven
Andy Hamilton 3-2 Jacko Barry
Robert Thornton 3-1 Kirk Shepherd
Mervyn King 3-2 Wes Newton
Colin Lloyd 3-0 Ronnie Baxter
Denis Ovens 3-2 Jelle Klaasen
Losers £300

Quarter-Finals
Raymond van Barneveld 3-0 Colin Osborne (2-0, 2-0, 2-0)
Andy Hamilton 3-2 Michael van Gerwen (2-1, 1-2, 1-2, 2-1, 2-0)
Mervyn King 3-1 Robert Thornton (2-0, 0-2, 2-0, 2-1)
Colin Lloyd 3-1 Denis Ovens (1-2, 2-0, 2-0, 2-0)
Losers £600

Semi-Finals
Raymond van Barneveld 3-1 Andy Hamilton (1-2. 2-1, 2-0, 2-0)
Mervyn King 3-1 Colin Lloyd (2-0, 2-1, 0-2, 2-0)
Losers £1,250

Final
Raymond van Barneveld 2-3 Mervyn King (0-2, 2-0, 1-2, 2-1, 0-2)
Winner £5,000
Runner-Up £2,500

News Updates
Preliminary Round
Jan van der Rassel defeats Kevin Wensink in straight sets, with Belgium’s Rocco Maes defeating Japanese hopeful Tomokazu Onoda by the same scoreline.
Chris Thompson and Nick Fulwell open with wins over Elmer Kralt and Peter Aleman respectively.
Mensur Suljovic, a second round loser in the European Championship last weekend, defeats Ian Jopling 3-1.
Carlos Rodriguez and Wim Mink knock out York duo Paul Cooper and John Quantock.
Robert Watson-Lang earns clash with Raymond van Barneveld after straight sets defeat of former World Championship qualifier Leroy Kwadijk.
Colin Monk edges out Holland’s Co Stompe in five sets.
Toon Greebe wins the all-Dutch battle with Erwin Extercatte 3-0, while Jacko Barry defeats Martyn Turner 3-1.
Peter Wright defeats Holland’s Remco van Eijden in five sets, with Freddy de Geus also claiming a 3-2 win.
Robert Thornton defeats Dave Ladley in straight sets, while Ron de Pijpar overcomes Lee White by the same scoreline.
Andrew Davies moves into last 64 with 3-1 defeat of Gibraltar’s Dylan Duo.
Jasper Smidt overcomes Darren Johnson 3-1, and Jonathan Overton edges past Huseyin Zengin in five sets.
Mark Dudbridge defeats Jim Leighton in straight sets, and Ben Burton overcomes Diana van Houten in the same manner.
Jamie Caven takes 3-2 win over Willem Kralt, and with Andy Smith absent through illness progresses into last 32.
Peter Manley defeats Mike Herold in straight sets, with Shane Passey defeating Steve Randell 3-0.
Kevin Painter and Ronnie Baxter defeat Steve Cusick and Felix McBrearty respectively to move into round one.

First Round
Dennis Priestley defeats Germany’s Andree Welge 3-1, and Alan Tabern overcomes Nick Fulwell by the same scoreline.
David Platt and Colin Osborne move into last 32 with straight sets wins over Matt Clark and Jan van der Rassel respectively.
James Wade and Mervyn King defeat Louis Blundell and Mensur Suljovic to reach second round.
Holland’s Toon Greebe overcomes Tony Eccles 3-0.
Kirk Shepherd and Wes Newton take 3-1 wins over Colin Monk and Hannes Schnier.
Steve Beaton’s win over Rocco Maes sets up clash of World Champions in last 32 against Dennis Priestley.
Terry Jenkins defeats Peter Wright 3-1, and Wayne Mardle sees off Michael Rosenauer in five sets.
Adrian Gray and Steve Maish win their opening games without dropping a set against Andrew Davies and Jasper Smidt.
Peter Manley and Barrie Bates see off Carlos Rodriguez and Ben Burton 3-0.
Vincent van der Voort sets up meeting with Kirk Shepherd after 3-0 defeat of Dave Honey.
Mark Dudbridge meets Mark Walsh in last 32 after 3-1 win over Jeffrey Stigter.
Robert Thornton edges past Kevin McDine in five sets, and now meets James Wade in last 32.
Colin Lloyd defeats Jonathan Overton in straight sets, with Andy Jenkins seeing off Justin Pipe by the same score.
Jelle Klaasen moves into round two with narrow win over James Keogh.
Germany’s Tomas Seyler comes from 2-1 down to defeat Wayne Jones.
Jacko Barry, Mick McGowan and Denis Ovens complete first round with victories.

Second Round
Andy Hamilton defeats David Platt 3-0.
Colin Osborne also moves into last 16, defeating Toon Greebe in five sets.
Wes Newton, an ITV Wildcard Qualifier for the PartyPoker.com Grand Slam of Darts, defeats Alan Tabern 3-2.
Dennis Priestley also wins in five sets, against Steve Beaton.
Mervyn King overcomes Adrian Gray 3-0.
JELLE KLAASEN HITS NINE-DARTER against Terry Jenkins, earning him a £4,800 bonus should no other player achieve the feat in this tournament.
Michael van Gerwen defeats Wayne Mardle 3-1.
Robert Thornton defeats number two seed James Wade in a deciding set.
Raymond van Barneveld moves into last 16 with five-set defeat of Steve Maish.
Kirk Shepherd continues his good form to follow last weekend’s run to the semi-finals of the John McEvoy Gold Dart Classic with 3-2 win over Vincent van der Voort.
Jamie Caven sees off Peter Manley in straight sets to move into last 16.
Klaasen follows up earlier nine-darter with final-set victory over Terry Jenkins.
Mark Dudbridge defeats Mark Walsh 3-2, and now faces Raymond van Barneveld in last 16.
Denis Ovens defeats Andy Jenkins 3-0 and now meets Jelle Klaasen in third round.
Colin Lloyd takes straight sets win over Mick McGowan, and will meet Ronnie Baxter in last 16, after the Blackpool man’s 3-2 win over Tomas Seyler.
Jacko Barry wins marathon five-set game with Barrie Bates.

Third Round
Michael van Gerwen races into quarter-finals with 3-0 win over Jamie Caven.
Mervyn King defeats Wes Newton in five sets.
Robert Thornton wins quarter-final place with 3-1 win over Kirk Shepherd.
World number two Raymond van Barneveld takes last eight spot with 3-0 defeat of Mark Dudbridge.
Colin Osborne defeats Dennis Priestley 3-1 to set up quarter-final with van Barneveld.
Colin Lloyd powers past Ronnie Baxter in straight sets to reach quarter-finals.
Denis Ovens sets up quarter-final with Lloyd after deciding leg win over Jelle Klaasen.
Andy Hamilton is pushed all the way by Jacko Barry before booking a place in quarter-finals.

Quarter-Finals
Mervyn King defeats Robert Thornton 3-1 to win a place in semi-finals.
Raymond van Barneveld fails to drop a leg in 3-0 defeat of Colin Osborne.
Colin Lloyd sets up semi-final with Mervyn King after 3-1 win over Denis Ovens, winning six legs without reply to seal victory after losing the first set.
Andy Hamilton comes from 2-1 down to defeat Michael van Gerwen in five sets, taking the decider without reply to reach semis.

Semi-Finals
Mervyn King defeated Colin Lloyd 3-1 to reach his first Players Championship final since April. King took the first set without reply and doubled his lead in the second, winning the decisive third leg on double ten after Lloyd missed double seven for a 134 finish. Lloyd took out 141 to lead in set three, and then double top cut the gap to 2-1 in the game, but a 100 finish edged King ahead in the fourth, and he landed a third maximum of the game to pull clear in the next leg, sealing the win on double top.
Raymond van Barneveld came from a set down to win through to his fourth Players Championship final of 2008 with a 3-1 defeat of Andy Hamilton. Hamilton took out 119 for the first leg and then edged the deciding leg on double two, after the pair shared five maximums in the opening set. Van Barneveld hit two 180s in taking the second set’s opener, and double ten saw him edge the third leg to square the game. Hamilton landed a maximum of his own in the third set’s opening leg, but a 120 finish from van Barneveld proved a hammer blow, as he took the set on double top and then finished 130 to lead in the fourth before wrapping up the win on double eight.

The world number five picked up his first title for 18 months with a strong display at Ireland’s National Event Centre.

He lost just one set throughout the day, in his opening game against Arthur O’Brien, and saw off Stephen O’Connor, Brian Doheny, Steve Maish and Felix McBrearty to reach the semi-finals.

Jenkins then whitewashed Kirk Shepherd in the last four before repeating that scoreline against Portsmouth ace Andy Jenkins in the decider to claim the £5,000 cheque.

Andy Jenkins’ run was his best on the PDC Pro Tour since June 2005 and comes hot on the heels of his qualification for the European Championship a week ago.

Both players had travelled to Killarney following their exits in Frankfurt, along with first round victims Colin Lloyd and Jacko Barry, quarter-finalist Kevin Painter and ITV pundit Steve Beaton, who reached the last 16.

Kirk Shepherd enjoyed his best run of form since reaching the final of the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship, while quarter-final appearances for Felix McBrearty, Jamie Caven and Matt Clark continued their good recent form.

Michael van Gerwen, who won Saturday’s Gleneagle Irish Masters, fell in a deciding leg to Painter at the last 16 stage after the pair missed a host of match darts in a tense finish.

John McEvoy Gold Dart Classic Players Championship
Preliminary Round
Radoslav Szaganski 3-0 Kevin McDonnell
Brian Doheny 3-1 Noel McCarthy
Peter Quinn 3-0 Jamie Shearer
Anthony Boyle 3-0 Michael Clampett
Aaron Loundes Bye (Jason O’Connor)
Ken Moran 3-1 Michael Byrne
Joe Byrne 3-1 Padraig Hester
Jimmy Murphy 3-2 Anto McCracken
Tommy Elmes 3-2 Philip Edwards Jnr
Anto Lynch 3-0 Bill Bailey
John-Paul Dowdall 3-0 Kieran McMund
Andy Reilly Bye (John Dempsey)
Mick Barry 3-0 Mark Howard
John Teahan 3-0 John-Paul Kinsella
William O’Carroll Bye (Jason McCann)
Pakie O’Donovan 3-0 John McEvoy
Graham Rooney 3-0 Adam McAuliffe
Dave Donachie 3-1 PJ Byrne
Lyndone Inchoco 3-1 Mark O’Donohoe
Andrew Dwyer 3-0 Ross O’Brien
Robert Moore 3-0 Barney Reddy

First Round
Terry Jenkins 3-1 Arthur O’Brien
Stephen O’Connor 3-0 Craig McCarthy
Sean Marshall 3-2 John Dunne
Brian Doheny 3-2 Radoslav Szaganski
Kevin McDine 3-0 Fred McSweeney
Steve McDonnell 3-0 Joe Collins
Steve Maish 3-0 Vidal Rugales
Peter Quinn 3-0 Phillip Bautista
Andy Smith 3-0 Peter Waters
TJ Dixon Bye (James Whelan)
James Keogh 3-1 Joseph Kelly
Anthony Boyle 3-2 Mick Egan
Adrian Gray Bye (Mick Dwyer)
Alan Ramsell 3-1 Steven Ring
Felix McBrearty 3-2 Jimmy Leahy
Damien O’Driscoll 3-0 Aaron Loundes
Kirk Shepherd 3-0 Kevin Foley
Noel Bowes 3-0 Jerry Coughlan
Andrew Davies 3-0 Derek Thornton
Joe Byrne 3-1 Ken Moran
Wes Newton 3-0 Leonard Fitzgerald
Mark Kinsella 3-0 John O’Sullivan
Brendan Dolan 3-0 Ian McCarthy
Jimmy Murphy 3-0 Brian Coleman
Mark Dudbridge 3-0 James Hogan
Ali Powell 3-0 James Byrne
Shane O’Connor 3-0 Shane O’Hara
Anto Lynch 3-0 Tommy Elmes
Mick McGowan 3-0 Declan O’Sullivan
Billy Matthews 3-0 Tommy Kelly
Jamie Caven 3-0 Mark Willis
Alan O’Reilly 3-1 John-Paul Dowdall
Garrett Gray 3-0 Colin Lloyd
Mike Begley Bye (Caesar Colocado)
John Jenkinson 3-2 Dave O’Leary
Mick Barry 3-1 Alan Reilly
Matt Clark 3-0 Noel Canning
Eugene McArdle 3-1 David Bradley
Colin Monk Bye (Gerry Egan)
John Teahan 3-0 Ian McNaney
Barrie Bates 3-0 David Kellaghan
Dave Murphy 3-2 Jim McKevitt
Sean Palfrey 3-0 Stiofian O’Dalaigh
John Hannon 3-0 William O’Carroll
Tony Eccles 3-0 Darrell Hodgson
Benny Grace 3-0 Tony McGregor
Dave Honey 3-0 Pat O’Flaherty
Pakie O’Donovan 3-1 Jim Craig
Andy Jenkins 3-0 Jerry Kelliher
James Morrisey 3-1 Brian Cullen
Robert Watson-Lang 3-2 Laurene Collins
Danny Brosnan 3-1 Graham Rooney
Steve Beaton 3-0 Eamon Carey
Mick Meaney Jnr 3-0 Billy McAuliffe
John MaGowan 3-0 Chris O’Neill
Connie Finnan 3-1 Dave Donachie
Kevin Painter 3-0 David Sheerin
Brian Murphy 3-0 Steven Coyne
Jason Cullen 3-1 James Murphy
Andrew Dwyer 3-1 Lyndon Inchoco
Michael van Gerwen 3-0 Ted Foxe
Aodhagen O’Neill 3-1 David Buckley
John Burke 3-1 Jacko Barry
Robert Moore 3-0 Keith Breen

Second Round
Terry Jenkins 3-0 Stephen O’Connor
Brian Doheny 3-2Sean Marshall
Kevin McDine 3-0 Steve McDonnell
Steve Maish 3-0 Peter Quinn
Andy Smith 3-0 TJ Dixon
James Keogh 3-2 Anthony Boyle
Adrian Gray 3-0 Alan Ramsell
Felix McBrearty 3-0 Damien O’Driscoll
Kirk Shepherd 3-0 Noel Bowes
Joe Byrne 3-0 Andrew Davies
Wes Newton 3-0 Mark Kinsella
Brendan Dolan 3-0 Jimmy Murphy
Mark Dudbridge 3-0 Ali Powell
Shane O’Connor 3-0 Anto Lynch
Mick McGowan 3-2 Billy Matthews
Jamie Caven 3-1 Alan O’Reilly
Garrett Gray 3-0 Mike Begley
Mick Barry 3-0 John Jenkinson
Matt Clark 3-0 Eugene McArdle
Colin Monk 3-0 John Teahan
Barrie Bates 3-1 Dave Murphy
John Hannon 3-1 Sean Palfrey
Tony Eccles 3-1 Benny Grace
Dave Honey 3-0 Pakie O’Donnovan
Andy Jenkins 3-0 James Morrisey
Robert Watson-Lang 3-1 Danny Brosnan
Steve Beaton 3-0 Mick Meaney Jnr
John MaGowan 3-0 Connie Finnan
Kevin Painter 3-0 Brian Murphy
Andrew Dwyer 3-2 Jason Cullen
Michael van Gerwen 3-2 Aodhagen O’Neill
John Burke 3-1 Robert Moore
Losers £75

Third Round
Terry Jenkins 3-0 Brian Doheny
Steve Maish 3-2 Kevin McDine
James Keogh 3-2 Andy Smith
Felix McBrearty 3-1 Adrian Gray
Kirk Shepherd 3-0 Joe Byrne
Wes Newton 3-1 Brendan Dolan
Mark Dudbridge 3-0 Shane O’Connor
Jamie Caven 3-0 Mick McGowan
Garret Gray 3-2 Mick Barry
Matt Clark 3-2 Colin Monk
Barrie Bates 3-0 John Hannon
Tony Eccles 3-1 Dave Honey
Andy Jenkins 3-2 Robert Watson-Lang
Steve Beaton 3-0 John MaGowan
Kevin Painter 3-0 Andrew Dwyer
Michael van Gerwen 3-0 John Burke
Losers £150

Fourth Round
Terry Jenkins 3-0 Steve Maish
Felix McBrearty 3-1 James Keogh
Kirk Shepherd 3-2 Wes Newton
Jamie Caven 3-2 Mark Dudbridge
Matt Clark 3-1 Garrett Gray
Barrie Bates 3-2 Tony Eccles
Andy Jenkins 3-0 Steve Beaton
Kevin Painter 3-2 Michael van Gerwen
Losers £300

Quarter-Finals
Terry Jenkins 3-0 Felix McBrearty
Kirk Shepherd 3-1 Jamie Caven
Barrie Bates 3-1 Matt Clark
Andy Jenkins 3-0 Kevin Painter
Losers £600

Semi-Finals
Terry Jenkins 3-0 Kirk Shepherd (2-0, 2-0, 2-0)
Andy Jenkins 3-2 Barrie Bates (1-2, 2-1, 1-2, 2-1, 2-1)
Losers £1,250

Final
Terry Jenkins 3-0 Andy Jenkins (2-0, 2-0, 2-0)
Winner £5,000
Runner-Up £2,500

Osborne has twice been a runner-up so far in 2008 in Players Championships, although he did win the Blue Square UK Open North-East Regional Final in January.

He added another £5,000 to his earnings in an impressive day of darts at the Stadthalle in Dinslaken.

He claimed 3-0 wins over Ben Burton and Michael Rosenauer and a 3-1 win over Peter Wright to reach the quarter-finals, where he dropped just one leg in seeing off Robert Thornton.

The Derby man then held off Mark Dudbridge’s fight-back from 2-0 down in the semi-finals to reach the final, where he also went all the way against Spaniard Rodriguez.

Rodriguez came from a leg down to win the first set with a 110 checkout, only for Osborne to take the next two sets in a deciding leg.

Rodriguez won the fourth without reply and came from a leg down to level in the decider, only for Osborne to land a maximum on his way to a 12-darter in sealing the win.

His win takes him up two places to a career-high 12th in the PDC Order of Merit.

Rodriguez secured his place in the European Championship in Frankfurt next weekend and a spot in the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship with his first run to a PDC Pro Tour final.

Having reached the last eight of the Scottish Players Championship last Sunday, he defeated John Jenkinson, Karsten Koch, Andy Jenkins and Steve Maish to reach the quarter-finals.

He then defeated Peter Manley and Kevin Painter 3-0 to reach the final, dropping just two legs in the process.

Osborne’s final-leg win over Dudbridge meant the Bristolian finished one game short of claiming a qualification place in the European Championship by just one game.

He enjoyed last-gasp wins over Mensur Suljovic and Alan Tabern and also overcame Colin Lloyd in reaching the last four, but fell two sets down to Osborne and then missed three darts for victory in the deciding leg after drawing level.

Painter’s display sees him move closer to the PDC’s top 16, and was his first semi-final appearance since June.

Tabern and Mark Walsh joined Manley and Thornton as losing quarter-finalists, while Tomas Seyler represented Germany in the last 16.

While Dudbridge missed out on a Players Championship qualification spot for the European Championship, he will be joined in Sunday’s knockout qualifier by Michael van Gerwen.

The Dutch youngster was denied one of the four places for players from the Continental Europe Order of Merit on a count-back after being tied with Jan van der Rassel, who joins Rodriguez, Mensur Suljovic and Jelle Klaasen in Frankfurt next weekend.

European Championship Qualification
PDC Top 16 (After Sky Poker World Grand Prix
Phil Taylor, Raymond van Barneveld, James Wade, John Part, Terry Jenkins, Colin Lloyd, Andy Hamilton, Wayne Mardle, Adrian Lewis, Alan Tabern, Dennis Priestley, Roland Scholten, Mervyn King, Colin Osborne, Ronnie Baxter, Peter Manley.
Players Championship Order of Merit Qualifiers (after German Darts Trophy)
Denis Ovens, Robert Thornton, Mark Walsh, Chris Mason, Kevin Painter, Vincent van der Voort, Alex Roy, Wayne Jones.
Continental Europe Order of Merit Qualifiers (after German Darts Trophy)
Carlos Rodriguez, Mensur Suljovic, Jelle Klaasen, Jan van der Rassel.
Leading Two Non-Qualified Players from GDC Order of Merit
Andree Welge, Hannes Schnier.
Plus two qualifiers from Sunday’s European Championship Qualifier

PartyPoker.net German Darts Trophy Results
Preliminary Round
Sladan Nedic Bye (Wayne Atwood)
Miloslav Navratil Bye (Holger Kauf)
Karsten Koch 3-2 Chris Mason
Carlos Rodriguez 3-0 John Jenkinson
Michael Wolf 3-0 Rolf Kaiser
Peter Manley 3-0 Stephan Wusch
Kevin Munch 3-0 Sebastian Rehmann
Johann Honner 3-0 Thomas Gerock
Ronnie Baxter 3-0 Mike Herold
Jamie Caven 3-0 Mirko Stute
Guido Kammerer 3-1 Alexander Glatthorn
Colin Monk 3-0 Bernhard Kraus
Tomas Seyler 3-0 Jacko Barry
Kevin Painter 3-0 Kai Hohenberger
Peter Aleman 3-2 Heiko Gallinat
Thorsten Wefers 3-1 Sven Breitfeld
Lionel Sams Bye (Ian Jopling)
Andrew Davies 3-0 Erwin Extercatte
Denis Ovens 3-0 Mario Hermann
Hannes Schnier Bye (Fabian Mergens)
Olaf Fiss 3-0 John Lokken
Chris Kotal 3-0 Ralf Schmelz
Andree Welge 3-1 Robert Watson-Lang
Vincent van der Voort 3-0 Detlef Bietz
Jan van der Rassel 3-0 Carlo Sessini
Robert Thornton 3-1 Stephan Schneider
Mario Masurka 3-0 Rolf Sagenschneider
Peter Wright 3-0 Rene Hogrebe
Colin Osborne Bye (Andreas Muller)
Ben Burton 3-2 Jorg Fassbender
Michael Rosenauer 3-0 Tobias Roth
Matheus Ziolkowski Bye (Johannes Koch)
Steve Cusick 3-1 Karsten Kornath
Mervyn King 3-0 Manuel Muller
Olaf Tupuschis 3-1 Andy Wilden
Co Stompe 3-0 Rolf Kahran
Leroy Kwadijk 3-1 Bernd Roith
Rainer Haass 3-2 Jon Archer
Mark Dudbridge 3-0 Huseyin Zengin
Maik Langendorf 3-2 Colin Rice
Mensur Suljovic 3-0 Andy Krokel

First Round
Terry Jenkins 3-0 Sladan Nedic
Steve Maish 3-0 Miloslav Navratil
Carlos Rodriguez 3-0 Karsten Koch
Andy Jenkins 3-0 Michael Wolf
Peter Manley 3-0 Kevin Munch
Steve Beaton 3-1 Johann Honner
Jamie Caven 3-2 Ronnie Baxter
Wes Newton 3-0 Guido Kammerer
Adrian Lewis 3-1 Colin Monk
Tomas Seyler Bye (Tony Eccles
Kevin Painter 3-0 Peter Aleman
Adrian Gray 3-2 Thorsten Wefers
Andy Hamilton 3-0 Lionel Sams
Matt Clark 3-0 Andrew Davies
Denis Ovens 3-2 Hannes Schnier
Mark Walsh 3-1 Olaf Fiss
Wayne Mardle 3-0 Chris Kotal
Jelle Klaasen 3-1 Andree Welge
Vincent van der Voort 3-1 Jan van der Rassel
Robert Thornton 3-0 Barrie Bates
Mario Masurka Bye (Roland Scholten)
Peter Wright 3-1 Mick McGowan
Colin Osborne 3-0 Ben Burton
Michael Rosenauer 3-2 Alex Roy
Alan Tabern 3-0 Matheus Ziolkowski
Michael van Gerwen 3-1 Steve Cusick
Mervyn King 3-0 Olaf Tupuschis
Co Stompe Bye (Wayne Jones)
Colin Lloyd 3-0 Leroy Kwadijk
Rainer Haass 3-2 Kevin McDine
Mark Dudbridge 3-2 Maik Langendorf
Mensur Suljovic 3-0 Andy Smith
Losers £75

Second Round
Steve Maish 3-2 Terry Jenkins
Carlos Rodriguez 3-1 Andy Jenkins
Peter Manley 3-1 Steve Beaton
Wes Newton 3-1 Jamie Caven
Tomas Seyler 3-2 Adrian Lewis
Kevin Painter 3-2 Adrian Gray
Andy Hamilton 3-0 Matt Clark
Mark Walsh 3-1 Denis Ovens
Jelle Klaasen 3-2 Wayne Mardle
Robert Thornton 3-0 Vincent van der Voort
Peter Wright 3-0 Mario Masurka
Colin Osborne 3-0 Michael Rosenauer
Alan Tabern 3-0 Michael van Gerwen
Mervyn King 3-2 Co Stompe
Colin Lloyd 3-1 Rainer Haass
Mark Dudbridge 3-2 Mensur Suljovic
Losers £150

Third Round
Carlos Rodriguez 3-1 Steve Maish
Peter Manley 3-1 Wes Newton
Kevin Painter 3-1 Tomas Seyler
Mark Walsh 3-2 Andy Hamilton
Robert Thornton 3-1 Jelle Klaasen
Colin Osborne 3-1 Peter Wright
Alan Tabern 3-2 Mervyn King
Mark Dudbridge 3-0 Colin Lloyd
Losers £300

Quarter-Finals
Carlos Rodriguez 3-0 Peter Manley (2-1, 2-0, 2-0)
Kevin Painter 3-2 Mark Walsh (1-2, 0-2, 2-1, 2-1, 2-0)
Colin Osborne 3-0 Robert Thornton (2-0, 2-0, 2-1)
Mark Dudbridge 3-2 Alan Tabern (2-1, 2-0, 0-2, 1-2, 2-1)
Losers £600

Semi-Finals
Carlos Rodriguez 3-0 Kevin Painter (2-0, 2-1, 2-0)
Colin Osborne 3-2 Mark Dudbridge (2-0, 2-0, 1-2, 1-2, 2-1)
Losers £1,250

Final
Colin Osborne 3-2 Carlos Rodriguez (1-2, 2-1, 2-1, 0-2, 2-1)
Winner £5,000
Runner-Up £2,500

News Updates
Preliminary Round
Jamie Caven wins opening game on stage with whitewash of Mirko Stute.
Colin Monk, Jan van der Rassel and Chris Kotal also record 3-0 wins.
Carlos Rodriguez – a quarter-finalist in the Scottish Players Championship last Sunday – defeats John Jenkinson 3-0.
Tomas Seyler defeats Jacko Barry 3-0 in second stage game.
Qualifier Guido Kammerer moves into last 64 with 3-1 win over Alexander Glatthorn.
Steve Cusick sets up clash with Michael van Gerwen after 3-1 win over Karsten Kornath.
Andrew Davies’ win over former World Championship qualifier Erwin Extercatte means he will meet Matt Clark in last 64.
German star Andree Welge defeats Robert Watson-Lang 3-1.
Germany’s Michael Rosenauer sets up meeting with last Saturday’s Scottish Players Championship winner Alex Roy.
Robert Thornton defeats Stephan Schneider to set up round one contest with Barrie Bates.
Austrian star Mensur Suljovic – the GDC number one – defeats Andy Krockel 3-0 and now meets Andy Smith in round one.
Karsten Koch knocks out Chris Mason with a deciding set victory.

First Round
Terry Jenkins defeats Sladan Nedic in straight sets.
Steve Maish earns board one final against Jenkins with 3-0 win over Czech number one Miloslav Navratil.
Alan Tabern sees off Matheus Ziolkowski 3-0.
Wayne Mardle races past Chris Kotal 3-0 in his opening contest.
Andy Hamilton defeats Lionel Sams 3-0, and Matt Clark overcomes Andrew Davies in straight sets.
Adrian Lewis’ 3-1 win over Colin Monk sets up last 32 clash with Tomas Seyler.
Steve Beaton and Wes Newton progress with 3-0 wins over Johann Honner and Guido Kammerer respectively.
Michael van Gerwen earns meeting with Tabern thanks to 3-1 win over Steve Cusick.
Colin Lloyd defeats Holland’s Leroy Kwadijk in straight sets, and Robert Thornton wins by the same scoreline against Barrie Bates.
Jamie Caven defeats Ronnie Baxter in five sets and now meets Wes Newton in last 32.
Carlos Rodriguez takes 3-0 win over Karsten Koch and now meets Andy Jenkins in round two, after the Portsmouth man’s 3-0 win over Michael Wolf.
Adrian Gray is taken to five sets by Thorsten Wefers, and now meets Kevin Painter, who defeated Peter Aleman 3-0.
Qualifier Reiner Haass knocks out Kevin McDine 3-2 and now meets Colin Lloyd on stage at the Stadthalle in the second round.
Denis Ovens and Mark Walsh set up last 32 meeting with wins over Hannes Schnier and Olaf Fi?.
Mensur Suljovic defeats Andy Smith 3-0, ending the Englishman’s hopes of a late run putting him into the eight European Championship qualification places from the Players Championship Order of Merit.
Mark Dudbridge edges past Maik Langendorf in five sets and now meets Suljovic.

Second Round
Tomas Seyler follows up win over Jacko Barry with 3-2 defeat of Adrian Lewis.
Alan Tabern sees off Michael van Gerwen in straight sets.
Wes Newton moves into last 16 with 3-1 defeat of Jamie Caven.
Andy Hamilton reaches round three with 3-0 defeat of Matt Clark.
Mervyn King comes from two sets down to defeat Co Stompe 3-2.
Steve Maish edges a five-set thriller on stage against Terry Jenkins, coming from two sets down to claim victory in the deciding leg, after Jenkins missed one dart for victory in set four.
Peter Wright reaches last 16 with 3-0 win over Mario Masurka.
Jelle Klaasen overcomes Wayne Mardle in five sets to reach third round.
Colin Lloyd defeats Reiner Haass 3-1 to move into last 16.
Peter Manley sees off Steve Beaton 3-1, while Kevin Painter defeats Adrian Gray in a deciding set.
Robert Thornton takes straight sets win over Vincent van der Voort.
Mark Dudbridge edged an exciting final-leg battle with Mensur Suljovic. The Austrian came from 2-1 down to level with a 167 checkout, and led in the deciding set, only for Dudbridge to level and then punish a missed bullseye and two darts at double 12 to claim the win on double top at the final time of asking.

Third Round
Peter Manley is first name into quarter-finals with 3-1 win over Wes Newton.
Carlos Rodriguez seals place in European Championship with 3-1 win over Steve Maish, putting him into a second successive quarter-final.
Robert Thornton claims a second successive Dutch victim by defeating Jelle Klaasen 3-1 – but the former Lakeside Champion will remain in the four Contintental Europe Order of Merit places for the European Championship.
Kevin Painter progresses to quarter-finals with 3-1 defeat of Tomas Seyler – ending the German’s feint hopes of claiming a European Championship qualifying place through the Contintental Europe Order of Merit.
Colin Osborne booked his quarter-final place against Thornton with a 3-1 win over Peter Wright.
Alan Tabern moves into last eight with five-set win over Championship League Darts runner-up Mervyn King.
Mark Walsh edges out Andy Hamilton in five sets to set up quarter-final with Painter.
Mark Dudbridge defeats Colin Lloyd 3-0 to move into last eight – the Bristolian needs to reach the final to jump above Wayne Jones in the Players Championship Order of Merit and qualify for the European Championship.

Quarter-Finals
Carlos Rodriguez wins through to his first PDC Pro Tour semi-final with a superb 3-0 win over Peter Manley, dropping just one leg and taking out 135 to win the match.
Colin Osborne also powered through to the semi-finals, losing only one leg in a 3-0 defeat of Robert Thornton.
Kevin Painter came from two sets down to defeat Mark Walsh and move into his first semi-final since June. Walsh won four of the opening five legs to put himself in command, but Painter edged the next two to level the game. He then took out 157 in the fifth set’s opener, and a two-dart 96 finish sealed the win.
Mark Dudbridge held off Alan Tabern’s fightback to claim victory in a final-leg quarter-final battle. Dudbridge took a two-set lead before Tabern, buoyed by an 11-darter to win set three, pulled level. The duo traded double top finishes to send the match into a sudden-death leg, but Dudbridge triumphed on tops.

Semi-Final
Carlos Rodriguez defeated Kevin Painter in straight sets to reach his maiden professional final. The Spaniard won the opening leg despite a maximum from Painter, and hit two 180s of his own in the second to take the set. He edged the second set in a deciding third leg on double 11, and finishes of double 16 and double four earned him a spot in the final.
Colin Osborne dramatically claimed victory in the second semi-final, defeating Mark Dudbridge in a sudden-death final leg of their contest. Osborne sailed into a two-set lead and led in the third thanks to a 111 finish, but missed one dart for the game in the next two legs as Dudbridge took the set. Double eight put the Bristol man in front in the next, before Osborne levelled with a 156 finish for a 12-darter and Dudbridge then won leg three with a 119 finish. Osborne set up a 36 finish with a key 165 score in the fifth set’s opener, before Dudbridge landed double ten to square matters and send the match into a decider. Three ton-plus scores edged Osborne clear, but misses at double top and double ten gave Dudbridge a reprieve, only for two misses at double top and one at double ten to give the Derby man one more chance, which he took with his third dart at double ten.
The result now means Dudbridge misses out on a Players Championship Order of Merit place for the European Championship – and he will have to take part in Sunday’s qualifier in an attempt to win one of the final two places.

Losper showed his status as the leading darts player in South Africa by claiming the title in the two-stage tournament, staged at the Emperors Palace Casino in Johannesburg, for a second successive year.

He was the leading player from the three-hour “Saturday Frenzy”, where 156 players battled to score a leg of 501 in the fewest possible darts, hitting a 12-darter to head the field.

Losper, an armed response unit policeman from Cape Town, then won the knockout phase featuring the top 16 players, claiming a 3-1 win over Mike Ryder Snr, a 3-0 whitewash of Paul Bann in the quarter-finals and a 3-2 defeat of Shawn Hogan with a superb 14-darter in the deciding leg of their semi-final.

He produced a 103 finish to open the final against Durban’s Mark Jackson, and moved 3-0 up before sealing a 4-1 victory.

Losper will now return to London’s Alexandra Palace in December to compete in the World Darts Championship for a second time, guaranteeing him a minimum of £2,500 prize money.

“This is amazing, I’m so happy,” said Losper. “I was pleased with how I played throughout the day and I’m so honoured to have won this tournament again.

“I feel more confident than I did last year and the experience I have probably helped me at the crucial times.”

Jackson overcame Les Francis 3-0 in the semi-finals, with finishes of 97, 79 and then 90, checking out on the bullseye, seeing him reach the final.

Hogan included a 110 finish in coming from 2-1 down to defeat Francois de Villiers 3-2 to reach the semi-finals – with the South African Open’s last four facing Phil Taylor, James Wade, John Part and Wayne Mardle in Sunday’s Emperors Palace South African Masters.

Losper will take on Mardle, while Hogan takes on Taylor, with Francis meeting James Wade and Jackson earning a clash with World Champion John Part.

The Emperors Palace South African Masters will be shown live in South Africa on SuperSport from 9pm-12am and in the UK on Nuts TV from 8pm-11pm – Sky channel 196 and freeview channel 42.

Emperors Palace PDC South African Open
Phase One Final Leaderboard
12 Darts
Charles Losper
13 Darts
Philip van Staden
Mark Jackson
Jacques Coetzee
14 Darts
Gavin Klue
Mark McMahon
Jakes Ferreira
15 Darts
Marian Fourie
Mario Galvan
Mike Ryder Snr
Shawn Hogan
Johan Niemand
Chris Bezuidenhout
Chris Kruger
Sydney Ketelo
Les Francis
Marius Willemse
Mike Ryder Jnr
Francois de Villiers
Paul Bann

Phase Two
Preliminary Round
Les Francis 3-0 Chris Bezuidenhout
Shawn Hogan 3-2 Marius Willemse
Sydney Ketelo 3-0 Marian Fourie
Chris Kruger 3-1 Mike Ryder Snr

Last 16
Paul Bann 3-2 Mario Galvan
Charles Losper 3-1 Mike Ryder Jnr
Francois de Villiers
Shawn Hogan 3-2 Jacques Coetzee
Mark Jackson 3-0 Chris Kruger
Mark McMahon 3-2 Sydney Ketelo
Les Francis 3-0 Philip van Staden
Johan Niemand 3-2 Jakes Ferreira
R3,000

Quarter-Finals
Charles Losper 3-0 Paul Bann
Shawn Hogan 3-2 Francois de Villiers
Mark Jackson 3-2 Mark McMahon
Les Francis 3-1 Johan Niemand
R5,000

Semi-Finals
Charles Losper 3-2 Shawn Hogan
Mark Jackson 3-0 Les Francis
R7,500

Final
Charles Losper 4-1 Mark Jackson
Winner: Place in Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship
Runner-up: R15,000

Sunday
Emperors Palace South African Masters
First Round Draw & Bracket
John Part v Mark Jackson
James Wade v Les Francis
Wayne Mardle v Charles Losper
Phil Taylor v Shawn Hogan
(9pm start local time, 8pm BST)
Best of seven legs

Semi-Finals
Part/Jackson v Wade/Francis
Mardle/Losper v Taylor/Hogan
Best of 11 legs

Final
Best of 15