Ally Pally Day 8 – Jones, Lewis & Pipe Make the Last 16
Posted on December 23rd, 2011
REIGNING Ladbrokes World Darts Champion Adrian Lewis progressed to the last 16 of the tournament with a 4-2 victory over Robert Thornton on Thursday night, as Wayne Jones and Justin Pipe joined him in the third round.
Lewis followed up last week’s hard-fought win over Nigel Heydon with another gritty display to see off the Scot, who hit back from 1-0 and 2-1 down to level before the Stoke ace won six of the final eight legs to triumph.
The 26-year-old averaged a steady 96.24 and hit a 170 during the game, but admitted: “I’ve not got out of second gear yet.
“I did my job but I got a bit frustrated I don’t think I was brilliant but I finished really well.
“Robert hasn’t played the full circuit this year because of ill-health but he went up there and averaged over 90, and I thought he did really well.
“I was expecting it to go to a deciding set but fortunately I hit the shot at the double five. I’m in the last 16 now and can enjoy my Christmas, and I’ll be putting a lot of work in now over the next week.” Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 2012, Adrian Lewis, Ally Pally, Justin Pipe, PDC Darts Results, Robert Thornton, Roland Scholten, Wes Newton, World Championship
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Ally Pally Day 7 – The Conclusion of Round 1
Posted on December 22nd, 2011
SIMON WHITLOCK made a stunning return from a broken ankle by storming to a 3-0 win over Dennis Smith at the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship on Wednesday – hitting a 105 average in an amazing display.
The Australian has not competed since the end of October, when he broke a bone in his left ankle, and was still limping as he took to the Alexandra Palace stage.
However, he hit seven 180s and dropped only one leg in defeating Swindon’s experienced Smith, who could only applaud Whitlock’s brilliant performance as he was knocked out of the £1 million tournament.
Whitlock, the 2010 runner-up, will now take on Steve Beaton in the second round after Christmas – with the English star also having undergone minor knee surgery this week – after firing a warning shot to the rest of the field in the World Championship.
“I’m shocked to be honest because my preparation for this has been awful,” said Whitlock. “A week ago I couldn’t hit three 20s in a row and I’ve only really had one week’s practice in the last seven. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Andy Smith, Dennis Smith, Devon Petersen, PDC Darts Results, Scott Rand, Simon Whitlock, steve brown, World Championship 2012
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Ally Pally Day 6 – Anderson Goes Through in Sudden Death Thriller
Posted on December 21st, 2011
GARY ANDERSON came from two sets down to claim a dramatic sudden-death victory against Germany’s Jyhan Artut in the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship on Tuesday night.
Last year’s finalist looked set to crash out in the first round of this year’s £1 million tournament when Artut – who knocked out Wayne Mardle in 2009 – took six of the first eight legs to win the opening two sets.
Anderson, aided by a 120 finish, regained his range on the troublesome double top to take the next two sets and level the game before the pair shared the first eight legs as the final set went into a tie-break.
Artut then won the ninth to lead 5-4, but missed four match darts as Anderson forced a deciding leg and finished 76 for a 14-darter to snatch a remarkable win.
“I’ve never missed as many darts at double top and ten in a match in my life but I’ve got away with it,” admitted Anderson, who has also won the Premier League Darts since being runner-up at Alexandra Palace last January.
“I gave him lots of chances and he took them in the first two sets, but I pulled it back and hit a double that I’d spent all day missing – tops – to get a sudden-death leg. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Gary Anderson, Joe Cullen, Jyhan Artut, Ladbrokes 2012, Oliver Ferenc, PDC Darts Results, PDC World Championships, Sudden Death, Terry Jenkins
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Ally Pally Day 5 – Hamilton, King, Wade & Painter Progress
Posted on December 20th, 2011
JAMES WADE edged into the second round of the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship on Monday night, as Andy Hamilton, Mervyn King and Kevin Painter impressed in joining the world number three in the last 32 at Alexandra Palace.
Left-hander Wade, a second round loser in the World Championship to Mensur Suljovic a year ago, set up a clash with Jelle Klaasen on Friday night with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Finland’s Petri Korte.
Korte, the Finnish number one with a distinctive throwing style, came from 2-0 down to defeat Denmark’s Per Laursen in the preliminary round earlier on Monday night.
He looked set to be swept aside by Wade when the UK Open champion took six of the first seven legs to win the first two sets, but Korte secured the third 3-1 and led 2-0 in the fourth before missing two darts for the set to square the game.
Wade stepped in to hit double five and keep the set alive before winning the remaining two legs to seal his second round spot with a 115 finish. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 2012, Antonio Alcinas, Arron Monk, Geoff Kime, Kevin Painter, PDC Darts Results, Per Laursen, Petri Korte, World Championship
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Ally Pally Day 4 – Ruthless Richardson Knocks Out Barney
Posted on December 19th, 2011
JAMES RICHARDSON caused one of the biggest upsets in the history of the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship by sensationally knocking out Raymond van Barneveld in straight sets on his televised debut at Alexandra Palace.
The 37-year-old from Rushden, a bricklayer by trade, only turned professional in January but showed few nerves with a brilliant display against the five-time World Champion.
Van Barneveld started brightly by winning the first two legs before Richardson, aided by a 145 finish, took three in a row to win the set.
He then won the second set 3-1 courtesy of a 120 checkout and, although van Barneveld rallied briefly by winning two legs following a change of flights in his darts, Richardson hit another 145 finish in taking three more legs to complete a remarkable win.
“I’m speechless!” admitted Richardson. “Raymond’s a five-time World Champion and I’m just a bricklayer so to beat him is unbelievable.
“When the draw came out and I’d got Raymond I knew that even though he’s a great player I had to treat him as just another darts player. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 2012, Dave Chisnall, James Richardson, Kim Huybrechts, Mark Walsh, PDC Darts Results, Raymond van Barneveld, World Championships
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Ally Pally Day 3 – Afternoon Session Results
Posted on December 17th, 2011
JELLE KLAASEN banished his big-stage blues with victory over Peter Wright in the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship on Saturday afternoon, while Steve Farmer knocked Ronnie Baxter out of the £1 million event at Alexandra Palace.
Dutchman Klaasen, the 2006 Lakeside Champion, entered the World Championship having not won a televised game since the summer of 2010, and has dropped out of the world’s top 32 in recent months.
However, he turned on the style with three ton-plus checkouts as he defeated Lowestoft’s Wright 3-1, taking the first six legs without reply before holding off a mid-game rally from his colourful opponent.
“I’m really happy with that,” said Klaasen. “I’ve tried a lot of things in the last year but it hasn’t really worked and I’ve gone back to using an old set of darts.
“My finishing was good and although I have to play better in the next round I’m delighted to win this game because it was a hard draw.”
Another seed, Blackpool’s Ronnie Baxter, was knocked out in Saturday afternoon’s session when he went down 3-2 to Shropshire’s Steve Farmer. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 2012 World Championships, Christian Perez, Jelle Klaasen, PDC Darts Results, Peter Wright, Ronnie Baxter, Steve Farmer
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Taylor, Pipe, Stompe & Newton Safely Through – Ally Pally Night 2
Posted on December 17th, 2011
PHIL TAYLOR avoided a scare from Japan’s Haruki Muramatsu as he began his bid for glory at the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship on Friday night, as Wes Newton, Justin Pipe and Co Stompe joined him in the second round.
Japanese number one Muramatsu set up a dream clash with 15-time World Champion Taylor by seeing off former Sweden’s Strongest Man Dennis Nilsson 4-2 in the preliminary round at Alexandra Palace.
The 34-year-old from Iwate shared the first two legs but missed his chance to lead with one stray dart at tops in the third, as Taylor recovered to take two successive legs for the first set.
The Japanese ace then led in the next two sets, but Taylor – who was cheered on by Chelsea footballer Michael Essien – was too strong to secure victory with a 99.98 average as he set up a secound round clash with either Mark Dudbridge or Dave Chisnall after Christmas.
“It’s a relief to get that out of the way,” admitted Taylor. “He’s a good player and put me under a little bit of pressure and I had to keep my concentration and make sure I did the job. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Dennis Nilsson, Haruki Muramatsu, Kurt Van De Rijck, PDC Darts Results, Phil Taylor, Sean Reed, World Championship 2012
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Lewis Stung into Action – Ally Pally Night 1
Posted on December 16th, 2011
ADRIAN LEWIS was stung into action as he began the defence of his Ladbrokes World Darts Championship by coming from two sets down to defeat Nigel Heydon on Thursday night.
Reigning champion Lewis looked set to crash out on the opening night of the £1 million tournament when he fell 2-0 down to Leamington Spa-based undertaker Heydon.
The Stoke ace, though, was stung by a wasp on his left hand in the advert break after losing the second set – and although the injury failed to hamper his throwing arm he fought back to force a deciding set.
Heydon led 2-1 in the fifth set, but was denied a dart for the match as Lewis again fought back to win the decider 5-3 and progress to a second round clash with Robert Thornton or Ian White next Thursday.
“I thought it wasn’t going to be my night,” admitted Lewis. “To be 2-0 down and then get stung by a wasp is awful luck, but I kept fighting right to the end and never thought I was going out.
“Nigel played fantastic darts and put me under the cosh all the way through, and his finishing in the first two sets was phenomenal. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Adrian Lewis, Nigel Heydon, PDC Darts Results, Richie Burnett, World Championship
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Lewis Set to Defend World Championship Title
Posted on December 15th, 2011
ADRIAN LEWIS opens the defence of his Ladbrokes World Darts Championship title on Thursday night, when he faces Nigel Heydon as the £1 million tournament begins at London’s Alexandra Palace.
The 26-year-old from Stoke claimed the first major title of his career back in January, creating history by hitting the first nine-dart finish in a World Championship final during his 7-5 defeat of Gary Anderson.
Lewis returns to Alexandra Palace to open the World Championship amongst five games being played in Thursday’s opening session.
The world number two plays Nigel Heydon in his first round game, with the undertaker from Leamington Spa having taken a 6-5 victory in their most recent clash during a Players Championship in Dublin in October.
“It will be very tough and I think I’ve got one of the hardest first round draws,” said Lewis. “He’s had a fantastic year and beat Gary Anderson in the Grand Slam recently.
“Nigel’s a good player and he had a good result when we last played but it’s different up on the World Championship stage. I’ve been practising really hard and I’m going to be ready to come straight out of the blocks at him.
“I’m excited about getting back to Alexandra Palace and can’t wait to get back on stage.” Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Adrian Lewis, Ally Pally, Ladbrokes, Nigel Heydon, PDC Darts News, Preview, World Championship 2012
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PDC World Championship Paddy Power Betting Preview
Posted on December 12th, 2011
Paddypower.com have just priced up their market for the PDC Darts World Championships, in addition to the prices shown below they also have a Money Back Special, where if the final checkout of any match is 100+, Paddy Power will refund your losing betting in running match bets on that match.
15 time world champion Phil Taylor is 5/6 to reclaim his title when the PDC World Darts Championship kicks off atAlexandraPalaceon Thursday. Having returned to winning ways in the big tournaments this year Taylor is again the man to beat and Paddy Power offer 10/11 for any other player to beat ‘The Power’ to the title.
Defending champion Adrian Lewis is seen as the man most likely to prevent Taylor reclaiming his crown at 13/2 with last year’s runner-up Gary Anderson ever dangerous at 17/2. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 2012, Betting Preview, PaddyPower.com, PDC Darts, PDC World Championships, Phil Taylor
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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.
