Taylor Nails 15th World Title
Posted on January 3rd, 2010
PHIL TAYLOR became World Darts Champion for a 15th time on Sunday night with a 7-3 victory over Australian Simon Whitlock in the final of the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship.
The world number one successfully defended his title by dropping just four sets during the entire tournament to claim a record £200,000 first prize.
Whitlock was not phased in the early stages of the final and led 2-1, only for Taylor to establish a 6-2 advantage before finally coming through to deny the Australian.
A classic match saw both players end with three-dart averages over 100 and a 170 checkout was hit by both finalists during the contest.
“This means everything to me,” revealed Taylor. “I think that was one of the greatest finals I’ve ever played in.
“Simon made me work really hard throughout the match. When he was 2-1 up I knew I had to hit back at him and I never, ever, gave in.”
Taylor kicked off the final in wonderful style, recording a 180 with his first three darts but then missed three darts at doubles for an early break and Whitlock capitalised with a two-dart 70 finish for the leg.
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Tags: PDC World Championship, Phil Taylor, Results, Review, Simon Whitlock
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Ladbrokes World Championship Semi Finals
Posted on January 2nd, 2010
SIMON WHITLOCK will attempt to take Phil Taylor’s Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship crown on Sunday night when the pair clash in the final at London’s Alexandra Palace.
Whitlock won through to the decider in the £1 million event with a brilliant 6-5 win over Raymond van Barneveld, the Australian coming from 4-2 down to take victory.
He will now challenge for the £200,000 first prize in Sunday’s final, having followed up wins over Colin Osborne, Wayne Jones, Terry Jenkins and James Wade by seeing off the world number two.
“Everybody dreams of being World Champion and I’m close to achieving that dream,” said Whitlock, who lost in the 2008 Lakeside Championship final to Mark Webster.
“Raymond’s one of the best players I’ve ever seen, a five-time World Champion and a lovely man, and it’s amazing to defeat him in a World Championship semi-final.
“I never gave up though and sensed Raymond was getting tired. I struggled throughout the match and it was probably my poorest performance of the tournament so far, but I felt if I could hang in there and keep pushing to the end I’d get a chance, and I did.”
Whitlock will take on Taylor in the decider, after the reigning champion remained on course for a 15th World Championship title with a 6-0 rout of Welsh left-hander Webster.
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Ladbrokes World Championship Evening Quarter Finals
Posted on January 2nd, 2010
PHIL TAYLOR and Raymond van Barneveld romped into the semi-finals of the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship without dropping a set to kick off 2010 in style at Alexandra Palace.
The pair, who competed in last year’s final, remain on a collision course to meet again in this year’s decider on Sunday after powering into the last four of the £1 million event.
Taylor dropped only four legs in a 5-0 defeat of his former practice partner in Stoke Adrian Lewis, who had impressed in reaching the quarter-finals but ultimately paid the price for one missed dart to win the opening set.
Taylor then took nine successive legs in sweeping into a four-set lead before edging the fifth to complete the rout, recording the highest average of the tournament so far at 107.37 in setting up a semi-final with former Lakeside Champion Mark Webster on Saturday night.
“I finished well and matched him for 180s,” said Taylor. “I thought it was a great match, like a boxing match – I had to take the hits and hit him back, sometimes he hit me back too.
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Tags: PDC World Championship, Results, Review
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Ladbrokes World Championship Afternoon Quarter Finals
Posted on January 1st, 2010
SIMON WHITLOCK produced the performance of his life to dump world number three James Wade from the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship on Friday afternoon, and is joined in the semi-finals by Mark Webster.
Whitlock booked his semi-final place with a sensational 5-3 win over Wade, hitting the second highest average of the tournament at 105.37 as well as landing 15 maximums and a 170 checkout.
The Australian took the opening six legs without reply, including a brace of 122 checkouts, at an average of 117 to leave Wade reeling, and also led 3-1 before the left-hander took the next two sets to level the game.
But Whitlock held his nerve to hit finishes of 170 and 150 in taking the seventh set without reply, and took the next in the same manner to seal a sensational victory.
“It’s the greatest win of my career,” said Whitlock. “I’ve beaten Phil Taylor before but this beats that because it was the hardest game of my life.
“I was so focused and knew I had to play my best, and I had to throw that average to win. I’ve been putting in so much practice for this tournament and it’s paying off.
“My whole life’s changed with this whole tournament and I’m lost for words. I’ve picked up a sponsor and can move to the UK now and play on the PDC circuit full-time, which has been a dream of mine.”
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Ladbrokes World Championship Night 10
Posted on December 31st, 2009
JAMES WADE edged a thrilling seven-set battle against Andy Hamilton to reach the quarter-finals of the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship.
The world number three was on the brink of exiting the tournament in the fourth leg of the final set when Hamilton missed double 18 to take out 156 for the match. Wade took out 64 to make it two-apiece in the set then edged in front by breaking Hamilton’s throw, before taking out 121 to clinch a breathless match and a last eight clash with Simon Whitlock on New Year’s Day.
“Obviously I’m very glad that Andy missed that dart at double 18 to win the match,” admitted Wade. “Sometimes it’s about winning ugly and fortunately I managed to do that.
“I don’t feel that I ever found top gear out there and I know that I will need to up my performance if I am going to get past Simon Whitlock.”
Whitlock continued his impressive showing at Alexandra Palace by adding world number six Terry Jenkins to the list of seeds he’s knocked in the tournament with a 4-2 win. The Australian danger man saw off world number 11 Colin Osborne in the opening round and then 22nd ranked Wayne Jones to meet Jenkins, and held off a spirited fight back from the Ledbury man, who threatened a comeback after falling 2-0 behind.
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Ladbrokes World Championship Afternoon 10
Posted on December 31st, 2009
SIMON WHITLOCK dumped world number six Terry Jenkins out of the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship with a 4-2 win to reach the quarter-finals.
The Australian danger man knocked out seeds Colin Osborne and Wayne Jones before his meeting with Jenkins and threatened to run away with the match as he moved two-sets up and dropping just one leg.
Jenkins fought hard to take the third and fifth sets but at 3-2 behind, Whitlock opened the deciding leg of the sixth set with two maximums and although he failed to record the second nine-dart finish of the tournament, he closed the set comfortably to continue his impressive progress to the last eight, to set up a New Year’s Day clash with the winner of James Wade’s match with Andy Hamilton.
“That was another tough match,” said Whitlock, who now guarantees himself a cheque for £25,000. “Terry is a great player and I knew I had to bring out my best game to beat him.
“The money is great but to be a World Champion, would be awesome. I would like to play the circuit in 2010 and my goal is to try and get a Premier League place.”
Whitlock’s win was sandwiched between third round victories for Mark Webster and Co Stompe, who meet in the quarter-finals.
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Ladbrokes World Championship Night 9
Posted on December 30th, 2009
PHIL TAYLOR and Adrian Lewis set up a mouth-watering quarter-final clash on New Year’s Day with scintillating second round wins on Tuesday night at the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship.
Taylor averaged 104 as he saw off Robert Thornton with a clinical 4-1 win to continue his search for a 15th World title, while Lewis fired 10 maximums in his 4-0 win over Kevin McDine with a 103 average.
“I think you are going to see the best quarter-final you’ve ever seen,” said Taylor. “I don’t know how it’s going to go, normally I beat him convincingly but he seems a different person and he has grown up a lot. I’m going to go at him like I normally do though, so we’ll see how he copes with it.”
“I’m not frightened of Phil anymore, I’m really looking forward to playing him,” said Lewis. “I won’t fold before I go on stage against him liked I might have done in the past and it’s going to go all the way. If I beat Phil I think I will go on to win it, I really do.”
The evening session began with James Wade winning the final second round match 4-2 against Michael van Gerwen.
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Ladbrokes World Championship Afternoon 9
Posted on December 30th, 2009
TERRY JENKINS and Simon Whitlock both won their second round matches 4-0 on Tuesday afternoon to set up a last 16 clash in the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship.
World number six Jenkins dropped just two legs in disposing of the American Darin Young, while Whitlock followed his opening round average of 101 with a 99 average against world number 22 Wayne Jones.
Jenkins and Young shared Christmas dinner at the Ledbury man’s house after he offered the American a place to stay over the Christmas period, and Jenkins believed that had an effect on the performances of both men.
“I feel a bit sorry for Darin,” said Jenkins. “He’s a good friend and spent Christmas at my house. So that was a bit difficult today.
“I’m happy with the way I’m playing at the moment. My only target for the tournament was to get past Paul Nicholson in the first round, so I’m enjoying things at the moment.”
Whitlock showed impressive resolve in his victory, falling 2-0 behind in the second and fourth sets, and 2-1 behind in the third set but the Australian was clinical in his checkouts and won the crucial legs to reach the third round.
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Ladbrokes World Championship Night 8
Posted on December 29th, 2009
RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD hit a magical nine-dart finish during his 4-0 victory over Brendan Dolan in the second round of the 2010 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship on Monday night.
The Dutchman fired the first ever nine-darter in the tournament’s history last year when he achieved the feat against fellow countryman Jelle Klaasen in the quarter-final, and he replicated it in the same fashion against Dolan – following two maximums with treble 20, treble 19 and double 12 to send the Alexandra Palace crowd into raptures.
Van Barneveld had won the first set 3-0 but then struggled in the second, finding himself 2-0 down before battling back to pinch the set and move 2-0 up. The spectacular nine-darter kicked off the third set for the Dutchman, which he went on to win 3-1 before closing the game out to nil in the fourth set to set up a third-round meeting with 2004 runner-up Kevin Painter.
“To hit a nine darter was wonderful and the crowd really showed their appreciation,” said van Barneveld. “I know I have a tough match against Kevin in the next round. He beat me at this stage of the competition two years ago and I know I have to improve my game.”
Kevin Painter saw off two spirited comebacks from Vincent van der Voort to book his place in the last 16, with the Dutchman battling back from 2-0 and 3-2 down to force a deciding set which Painter won 3-1.
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Ladbrokes World Championship Afternoon 8
Posted on December 29th, 2009
KIRK SHEPHERD gained revenge for his 2008 final defeat to John Part by knocking the world number four out with a 4-1 victory in the second round of this year’s Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship on Monday afternoon.
Part won his third World title against Shepherd with a 7-2 win at Alexandra Palace but this time round on the same stage, the Canadian was not at the races and Shepherd was able to claim a place in the third round.
Neither player was at their best during the tussle, but the world number 29 took three straight sets after Part levelled the game at one-apiece, and Shepherd will face the winner of Monday evening’s opening match between Mark Webster and Peter Manley.
“I’m happy to get through but it wasn’t tidy,” said Shepherd. “I grinded it out but I think there was maybe too much respect up there and that we were both thinking about the final. In the World Championship you have to play well to go far and I didn’t play well at all. I can’t just click my fingers and play well, it doesn’t work like that – I need to go away and practice and I’ll do that and come back better.”
Shepherd’s win was sandwiched between two tense 4-3 thrillers, which were edged by Colin Lloyd and Kevin Painter against Denis Ovens and Vincent van der Voort respectively.
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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.
