Taylor Wins Speedy Services UK Open Qualifier 3 in Barnsley
Posted on March 24th, 2012
PHIL TAYLOR took victory in the third Speedy Services UK Open Qualifier with a 6-2 defeat of Brendan Dolan in Saturday’s final at the Barnsley Metrodome.
The 15-time World Champion and world number one created a further slice of history with his 60th career PDC ProTour win, having only competed in 100 of the PDC’s non-televised tournaments which were introduced in 2002.
The victory also secures his place in June’s Speedy Services UK Open televised finals in Bolton, and saw him pick up £6,000 in prize money.
He had to endure some nervous moments early on, edging out Irishman Keith Rooney 6-5 in the first round and defeating Steven Pearson 6-3 in the last 64, before dropping only one leg in wins over young duo Adam Hunt and James Hubbard to reach the quarter-finals.
Taylor had to come from 3-0 down against Colin Lloyd before taking a 6-5 win over the former World Matchplay champion, who missed the bull to take victory himself in the deciding leg. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: barnsley, Brendan Dolan, Phil Taylor, Steve Farmer 9 Darter, UK Open Qualifier
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2012 Speedy Hire UK Open Tickets
Posted on March 13th, 2012
Tickets for the Speedy Hire UK Open will go on Priority Sale to LIVEPDC.TV Annual Subscribers on March 22 and on General Sale on March 26.
Fancy a crack at toeing the oche with the big names? Remember with the qualification system you could actually be playing at Bolton, for more information on the Rileys UK Open qualifiers click here.
If you don’t fancy your chances playing at the Reebok stadium it is still a great venue for spectators, the multi-board setup (in the early rounds) allows fans to pick and choose the matches they want to keep an eye on, this along with the unpredictability of the tournament makes it one of our favourite fixtures in the PDC calendar.
The Speedy Hire UK Open is unique, with eight stages in play at once in the Premier Suite at the De Vere Whites in Bolton as top professionals and amateur qualifiers battle for the title.
Play is split across four days from June 7-10, with the early rounds on Thursday night seeing the lower-ranked professional players – following eight qualifiers – drawn alongside the amateur qualifiers who have won through knockouts held by both Speedy Hire and Rileys. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Darts Tickets, PDC Tickets, Speedy Hire UK Open 2012, Tickets
Filed under News, PDC, Ticket News, Tournament News, UK Open | 2 Comments »
Enter The ‘FA Cup of Darts’ and You Could be a Giant Killer
Posted on March 12th, 2012
We featured the details on this last week here, but please see the official media release from Rileys below:
Chance to take on Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor in the UK Open
The ‘FA Cup of Darts’ is on the horizon and you could be a giant killer. The UK Open is the only PDC tournament where amateur players compete against top professionals, including 15-times World Champion Phil Taylor.
Rileys, the largest pool, snooker and darts operator in the UK, has 32 places up for grabs for the UK Open at Bolton Wanderers’ Reebok Stadium, June 7-10th.
Rileys will hold one-off knockout tournaments at 32 of their clubs nationwide to find 32 winners. The 32 winners will also receive £100 of Rileys Vouchers and a personalised shirt to play in, when they attend the tournament in June.
Rileys Darts Ambassador Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor said:
“I would love to see some new talent get through to the final rounds.” He adds: “There’s nothing better than a spot of giant killing. It happens in football’s FA Cup – so why not in darts? Rileys Darts Zones are spacious, modern and professional – a perfect venue to practice and then qualify for the UK Open.” Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Rileys UK Open Qualifiers
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Rileys UK Open Qualifiers 2012 Entry Now Open
Posted on March 10th, 2012
Details for the Rileys UK Darts Open Qualifiers 2012 were released on Thursday. The qualifiers which are held in Rileys Dart Zones across the country provide an opportunity for anyone to get to Bolton. All the information you need can be found on this page, and good luck to any of our readers who are thinking about giving it a go.
The UK Open is a fixture we always look forward to in the darting calendar, and the Reebok is a great venue for the fans. Speedy hire will also be holding qualification competitions, however full details have not yet been released.
Rileys are delighted to announce that for the 3rd year, they will be sponsoring the amateur qualifying events for the UK Open. Known as the FA Cup of darts, this is a unique opportunity for amateur players of all standards to qualify for a prestigious Darts event, televised live on Sky Sports.
32 Qualifiers will once again win the chance to make the journey to the Reebok Stadium to play against the best Darts players in the World at the UK Open Finals on 7th-10th June.
Knock-out Qualifiers will be held at 32 Rileys Dart Zones throughout the UK. The closing date for receipt of entries is 13th April 2012. The final 32 Qualifiers will each win a personalized playing shirt and £100 of Rileys vouchers.
To start your journey on the 2012 road to the Reebok click on your preferred club below, complete the entry form and make your payment online. You are welcome to enter more than one tournament.
Last year was the most successful year yet for Rileys Qualifiers. With prize money of £18,000, 2 players made it through to the quarter finals and 4 of the 32 qualifiers have qualified for the PDC pro tour through to the professional ranks.
Entry is just £6 and be completed online at the Rileys website
UK Open Qualifiers Rileys Dart Zone Venues & Dates
- Aberdeen, Bridge Place 19 May
- Basildon 12 May
- Bolton 12 May
- Brighton 12 May
- Bristol 22 Apr
- Burton-On-Trent 12 May
- Cardiff, Wellington Street 21 Apr
- Chester 21 Apr
- Chesterfield 13 May
- Chorlton Cum Hardy 22 Apr
- Coatbridge 5 May
- Colchester 21 Apr
- Coventry, Hertford Place 13 May
- Edinburgh, Meadowbank 6 May
- Gillingham 22 Apr
- Hull, Alfred Gelder Street 22 Apr
- Leicester, Deacon Street 12 May
- Lincoln, Crofton Rd 21 Apr
- Middlesbrough 21 Apr
- Norwich 6 May
- Nottingham 13 May
- Oxford 5 May
- Reading, Cremyll Road 13 May
- Stevenage 13 May
- Stirling 20 May
- Sunderland 22 Ap
- Taunton 12 May
- Twickenham 5 May
- Victoria, Rileys Sports Bar 22 Apr
- Wigan 13 May
- Wolverhampton 12 May
- Worcester 6 May
Tags: Reebok Stadium, Speedy Hire, UK Open Qualifiers
Filed under General, News, Tournament News, UK Open | No Comments »
Michael van Gerwen Hits a 170 & 9 Darter in Crawley
Posted on February 12th, 2012
Congratulations to Michael van Gerwen in hitting a 108.03 average, a 9 dart leg and a 170 finish in a 6-1 victory over Dave Chisnall in this weekends second UK Open Qualifier event in Crawley. A great win for the dutch youngster who took out some quality opposition along the way. The PDC report can be seen below:
MICHAEL VAN GERWEN hit a nine-dart finish and a 170 checkout in defeating Dave Chisnall 6-1 in the final of Sunday’s second Speedy Hire UK Open Qualifier in Crawley.
The Dutch youngster claimed his first full PDC ProTour victory since 2009 with the triumph, with the £6,000 prize money sealing his place in June’s UK Open televised finals and putting him in a strong position to reach July’s World Matchplay.
However, the manner in which van Gerwen took the win showed flashes of the brilliance which brought him to prominence as a teenager back in 2006. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Dave Chisnall, Michael van Gerwen 9 dart leg, Michael van Gerwen hits 9 darter, PDC Darts Results, UK Open Qualifier 2012, UK Open Qualifier Results Crawley
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Speedy Hire UK Open 2012 Qualifier 1 Results Crawley
Posted on February 11th, 2012
WES NEWTON took victory in the first Speedy Hire UK Open Qualifier of 2012 with a 6-3 defeat of in-form Belgian Kim Huybrechts in Crawley on Saturday.
World number six Newton secured his first PDC ProTour win since last March – which also came at the K2 Centre – with the triumph, which sees him pocket £6,000 and immediately secure his place in June’s UK Open televised finals in Bolton.
The Fleetwood ace showed strong form throughout Saturday’s event, overcoming recent Tour Card winner Richie Howson, Holland’s Jerry Hendriks, Scotland’s Robert Thornton and Andy Brown in reaching the last eight, taking out 137 to secure victory against the latter.
After seeing off local rival Ronnie Baxter 6-4 in the quarter-finals, he won four straight legs from 3-2 down to defeat Coventry’s Kevin Dowling in the semis. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Kim Huybrechts, Scott Rand, Ted Hankey PDC, UK Open Qualifier Results Crawley, Wes Newton
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Bolton Goes DartsMad – Finals Day at the UK Open
Posted on June 9th, 2011
After two days at the Reebok, finals day would be watched from the comfort of the spare room. America’s Next Top Stick Insect, or some such drivel, took precedence downstairs so I was banished to the ‘darts room’ with my crowd of mini bendy bullies who were about to be allocated new homes through our UK Open competitions.
Congratulations to our new follower winner, Ally Steele, our UK Open quiz question winner, Becky Taylor, and our 500th follower, Alex Bibby, who all won Bendy Bullies!
Sunday’s action is described elsewhere on the site – James Wade saw off Paul Nicholson, Mark Webster and Wes Newton to claim his seventh major title as the threads were tied up on a number of sub-plots that culminated in Wade’s remarkable catharsis.
Newton’s run to the final was his best showing in a major and it contained probably his finest display on TV when he demolished Raymond van Barneveld 9-1 in the last 16. That match was the peak of The Warrior’s weekend though as his performances bore a resemblance of Blackpool’s Big One ride.
Tags: James Wade, Review, UK Open, Wes Newton
Filed under Darts Blog, PDC, UK Open | No Comments »
Well Done To The Rileys 32!
Posted on June 7th, 2011
Our final article on the 2011 Speedy Hire UK Open is Rileys own press release, Rileys are working hard both in the amateur and professional games, the UK Open being the point where the two overlap and the amateurs try their hand at giant killing. Why not head down to your local Rileys DartZone and it could be you next year!
Also extra kudos to Rileys for facilitating our competition and providing one lucky DartsMad winner with tickets to both final day sessions. Read on….
The Rileys 32 did themselves proud at the recent Speedy Hire UK Open.
The UK Open is known as the FA Cup of darts; it gives amateurs the chance to play against the big boys of the darts world on live television, and maybe cause a few upsets!
Thanks to Rileys, 32 amateur darts players got the chance to compete in this major tournament which is broadcast live on Sky Sports. The Rileys UK Open Qualifiers competition ran in April at Rileys Darts Zones across the UK. The competition was open to anyone, and the prize was a place in the Speedy Hire UK Open which took place 2-5 June at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton.
There were 32 places up for grabs at heats across the country. The winners came from all walks of life including a sports coach, builder, cabinet maker, publican, gardener and salesman.
Out of the 32 qualifiers ten made it through to the money rounds, winning a collective £18,000 prize money between them!
Richard North, Sam Hill, Stuart Monaghan, Richie Howson, Graham Hollis and Paul Harvey all made it through to the third round, winning themselves £1,000 each.
Jo Murnan and Andrew Gilding progressed to the fourth round where they both bowed out with £2,000 prize money.
Two of the Rileys qualifiers brilliantly made it through to the last 16 of the tournament, causing a few surprises along the way.
John Bowles, a builder from Widnes and a former Widnes rugby league player, knocked out Peter Manley on the main stage live on Sky before going on to beat Devon Peterson, Justin Pipe, and knocking out the housewives favourite, Steve Beaton.
Bowles was eventually knocked out in the fifth round by Dave Chisnall by 9 games to 4, taking away £4,000 in prize money. Not bad for a man with two metal plates in his throwing arm!
Hard Landscaper Andy Boulton, originally from Stoke but now living in Kilwinning, North Ayrshire also bagged himself £4,000. Boulton beat Jimmy Mann in the first round then went on to knock out another of Rileys qualifiers Jon Bott, followed by Vincent van der Voort and Matthew Edgar before getting beaten 9 – 4 by Mark Webster in the fifth round.
Talking about the qualifiers competition, Maurice Kelly, CEO of Rileys said: “We introduced this competition to give the amateur darts player the chance to play in one of the biggest darts competitions around. There’s a prize fund of £200,000 so it’s a great opportunity for the qualifiers and a chance for them to be seen in front of millions of viewers on live TV.”
Maurice adds: “It was a great tournament, excellently run and everyone enjoyed themselves. I’m delighted for the qualifiers, particularly those who got through to the latter stages to come away with prize money!”
To keep up to date with news and competitions on Rileys visit www.Rileys.co.uk
Tags: 2011, Andy Boulton, John Bowles, Rileys 32 Qualifiers, SpeedyHire, UK Open
Filed under PDC, UK Open, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Bolton Goes Darts Mad – Sunday at the UK Open
Posted on June 6th, 2011
After two days at the Reebok, finals day would be watched from the comfort of the spare room. America’s Next Top Stick Insect, or some such drivel, took precedence downstairs so I was banished to the ‘darts room’ with my crowd of mini bendy bullies who were about to be allocated new homes through our UK Open competitions.
The day’s action is described elsewhere on the site; James Wade saw off Paul Nicholson, Mark Webster and Wes Newton to claim his seventh major title as the threads were tied up on a number of sub-plots that culminated in Wade’s remarkable catharsis.
More to come…
Tags: James Wade, Review, UK Open, Wes Newton
Filed under Darts Blog, PDC, UK Open | No Comments »
James Wade Wins the 2011 UK Open
Posted on June 5th, 2011
JAMES WADE bagged the seventh major title of his career, defeating Wes Newton 11-8 in the Speedy Hire UK Open final at Bolton’s Reebok Stadium on Sunday.
Left-hander Wade followed up his 2008 success in Bolton with a second UK Open title, scooping £40,000 with wins over Paul Nicholson, Mark Webster and Newton in a gruelling final day of darts.
The Aldershot ace picked up his first major since revealing his battle with bipolar affective disorder and ADHD in a tight final against Newton as the lead changed hands three times.
Newton took three legs in a row to come from 4-3 down to lead 6-4, but Wade won four of the next five in taking command before going on to seal victory with double top.
“It’s amazing for me,” said Wade. “I’ve had so many problems but I’ve got through it and I’m happier than I’ve ever been.
“My sponsors stuck by me and my manager stuck by me and this is dedicated to them. My life’s easier now and the World Championship is a possibility for me now after this.
“The UK Open’s such a hard tournament to win and I started in the first round on Thursday, which seems ages ago, so it’s a proud moment.”
Tags: James Wade, Results, Review, UK Open, Wes Newton
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Both poker and darts are highly popular pursuits. The games are available online, in fact, that there are organizations dedicated to making sure the rules of video poker and online darts are conformed. Similar to darts having the World Darts Federation, among others, and poker has the Tournament Directors Association. These rules are put into place in highly competitive tournaments, in which as many as hundreds or even thousands of people compete for cash prizes as well as prestige.
