PDC World Grand Prix Night 1 DartsMad Review
Posted on October 4th, 2011
The 2011 PartyPoker.net PDC World Grand Prix opened with an upset, local lad Brendan Dolan defeated an out of sorts Wayne Jones 2-0 with relative ease. The Wanderer threatened to make a game of it, hitting some timely maximums and a cool 74 checkout under pressure in the second set to go 2 legs each. However consistency from Dolan took him across the finishing line, sending a visibly disappointed Jones crashing out of the tournament.
In the second game of the night, a presumably confident Justin Pipe was looking to follow up his victory over Phil Taylor in the previous days Players Championship with a solid start to his WGP campaign. However John Henderson the Scotch rocker stood in his way, the result being 2-0 to the big man. Henderson controlled the game but an inability to close out a few legs, allowed Pipe more chances, than in fairness his below par game deserved.
Vincent van de Voort broke his Dublin duck at the fifth attempt, seeing off Kevin Painter 2-0, after racing away with the first 5 legs without reply. However in the 6th Painter capitalised on the Dutchman’s struggle to double in and nicked the leg, took the 7th but missed tops to stay alive and force the deciding set, as a relieved Vincent checked out and celebrated shaking the WGP monkey off his back.
A new central stance at the oche for Colin Lloyd helped him put in a decent performance against Wes Newton including taking out Madhouse to force (and subsequently take) a last leg shoot out in the first set. It is rumoured that Jaws has been using the Winmau SightRight, but nothing could help him stop The Warrior from firing in maximums and 12 dart legs as he shifted up a gear to take the final two sets 6 legs without reply for a 2-1 win.
Reigning PDC World Champion Adrian Lewis looked comfortable against Canadian veteran John Part as he took an early lead. However, some sloppy darts from Jackpot and true grit from Part saw a reversal in fortunes as the 3 times World Champion astonishingly got back into the game to eventually go on and a win 2-1.
James Wade fared much better as he opened the defence of his WGP title with a 142 checkout to stop Steve Brown in his tracks who was eyeing up a 2 legs to nil lead in the first set. The Machine then went on to claim the first set, quickly followed by the second and match winner in a slick no nonsense performance. Bristol’s Bomber Brown will be ruing missed chances and a tough draw.
Raymond van Barneveld scraped through a tight opening set 3 legs to 2 against Mervyn King, who then proceed to drop away as Barney pushed on to take the winning set in a more comfortable fashion. The final game of the night was contested between Andy ‘Pieman’ Smith and the nights other local hero William O’Connor. However O’Connor could not emulate the earlier success of fellow Irishman Dolan, despite taking the opening leg as the vastly more experienced Smith marched to a 2-0 victory.
Tags: 2011 World Grand Prix, Adrian Lewis, Double in, Dublin, John Part, PDC dART, PDC Darts, Review
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PartyPoker.net World Grand Prix Betting Preview
Posted on October 1st, 2011
At the eleventh hour PartyPoker were confirmed as title sponsors for the 2011 World Grand Prix. In this age of austerity are the PDC struggling to find sponsors for their major events? It appears so but with PartyPoker in place everything is set for the usual tumultuous week of darts on the Emerald Isle.
In Dublin it is double in and double out so a player encountering double trouble can find themselves floundering as their opponent steams away. Whitewashes are not unknown.
It is also not unknown for the early couple of rounds to be littered with big name casualties. Round one is a favourite’s graveyard so it’s a great opportunity to take the bookies on and get some return on your hard earned cash.
We have lots of help for you on the site in our bulging Dartabase - analyse the Head2Head records of all the first round match ups, pour over the players’ stats including their recent form, have a look at recent results, see how a player has performed in major tournaments and in the World Grand Prix. With all this help available you have a good chance of bashing the bookies so what does it throw up for us?
Tags: Betting Preview, World Grand Prix
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2011 World Grand Prix Schedule
Posted on September 26th, 2011
The draw for the 2011 World Grand Prix was made on Sunday evening and as usual it has thrown up some intriguing ties. The schedule of play has been determined & detailed below.
With the short format and double in to start, the WGP ranks alongside the UK Open as the tournament of shocks. Round one is often a favourite’s graveyard but this year there are many matches where it is difficult to pinpoint exactly who the favourite is.
Try picking the winner from Mark Webster v Andy Hamilton, Vincent van der Voort v Kevin Painter, Justin Pipe v John Henderson, Jamie Caven v Denis Ovens, Mark Hylton v Mark Walsh.
Even the one sided games look like real banana skins – Phil Taylor will have his work cut out over the short format against Peter Wright. Adrian Lewis meets the man nobody wants in round one, John Part, Raymond van Barneveld would have liked an easier match up than Mervyn King, defending champion James Wade won’t relish tackling Steve Brown first up, Simon Whitlock has a stinker of a draw against Terry Jenkins, and Gary Anderson has pulled out Sunday’s Nuland winner, Richie Burnett. There are no easy games in darts these days.
Tags: schedule, World Grand Prix
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World Grand Prix 2011 Draw
Posted on September 25th, 2011
JAMES WADE will open the defence of his World Grand Prix title on Monday October 3 in Dublin against Steve Brown, while Phil Taylor will open his bid for a tenth win in the double-start event against Peter Wright.
Wade picked up a second World Grand Prix victory last October, defeating Adrian Lewis in the final at the New Citywest Convention Centre.
The left-hander has drawn Bristol’s Steve Brown in the cut-throat best-of-three set first round in the World Grand Prix, which begins on Monday October 3.
World Champion Lewis will also be in action on the opening night when he faces Canada’s John Part, the two-time World Grand Prix finalist and three-time World Champion who hit a nine-darter in the World Matchplay in July.
Tags: Draw, World Grand Prix
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Burnett back with a bang in Holland
Posted on September 25th, 2011
BURNETT ENDS BARREN SPELL WITH AMAZING DUTCH WIN
RICHIE BURNETT ended a ten-year gap without a ranking title with victory over Dave Chisnall in Sunday’s Players Championship final in Holland – and dramatically booked himself a spot in the World Grand Prix in the process!
The Welsh ace went into Sunday’s PDC ProTour event, the last before the cut-off for World Grand Prix qualifiers, knowing that only a £6,000 win would see him move high enough in the Players Championship Order of Merit to earn a Dublin return.
However, he swept through the 131-player field in Nuland to snatch the title, his first since the 2001 Witch City Open in Boston.
Having dropped only five legs in wins over Jerry Hendriks, Dave Smith and Denis Ovens, he then overcame Paul Nicholson 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals.
There, he edged out Kevin Painter 6-5 after his opponent missed three darts to win the deciding leg, before picking up a 6-2 win in an all-Welsh semi-final with fellow former World Champion Mark Webster.
Tags: PDPA Players Championship, Richie Burnett, World Grand Prix
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World Grand Prix Becomes Wade’s 5th Major Title
Posted on October 11th, 2010
JAMES WADE claimed his fifth major title with a 6-3 victory over Adrian Lewis in the final of the Bodog.com World Grand Prix.
The left-hander from Aldershot picked up his second Dublin title, following up his 2007 triumph with a confident defeat of Lewis, who knocked out reigning champion Phil Taylor in the semis but failed to repeat the feat against Wade.
While the first four sets were shared, Wade crucially took the next two for a 4-2 lead and, after Lewis won the seventh, he took two more sets of his own to wrap up the victory.
“I’m ecstatic,” said Wade, who also leaps above Raymond van Barneveld to become world number two once again. “To be called champion again is a great feeling for me.
“I’ve not been playing well at times this year and I probably didn’t this week but I was good enough to win the tournament, and that’s all that matters to me.
“I’ve doubted myself but this will give me a lot of belief because I know I can improve still so to win a major title and know I’ve got improvement left in me is a big thing.”
Tags: Results, Review, World Grand Prix
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World Grand Prix Semi Finals Review
Posted on October 10th, 2010
LEWIS KNOCKS OUT TAYLOR TO SET UP FINAL WITH WADE
ADRIAN LEWIS stunned Phil Taylor with his first-ever televised win over the reigning Bodog.com World Grand Prix champion, booking his place in the final with a dramatic deciding-leg win at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin.
Lewis emerged in 2004 as a practice partner of the Stoke legend, and produced his finest performance yet on the big stage to win through to face James Wade in Sunday’s final.
The 25-year-old trailed Taylor 4-2 before taking six legs out of seven to force a decider, which he won in a sudden-death leg after the reigning champion twice missed match darts.
Taylor had edged out Gary Anderson 4-3 in the quarter-finals on Friday night, but narrowly missed out in his bid to claim a tenth World Grand Prix title following a superb contest.
“I’ve known Phil a long time and he knows how I can play but I’ve finally done it on stage against him,” said Lewis. “He’s the best player who’s lived but people don’t realise how tough it is to play him.
“It’s always going to be a battle and I was up for the battle tonight. I played well and deserved to win, and it’s my time to shine.
Tags: Results, Review, World Grand Prix
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World Grand Prix Quarter Finals Review
Posted on October 9th, 2010
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PHIL TAYLOR powered home six straight legs to battle from behind and defeat Gary Anderson 4-3 in a sensational semi-final at the Bodog.com World Grand Prix on Friday night.
Taylor produced a sensational display in one of the double-start format’s greatest ever matches, missing the bullseye for a nine-dart finish – which would have been the first in this event – before coming from 3-2 down to claim the win.
Anderson played his part in a thriller, leading 2-1 and 3-2 only to see Taylor apply a late charge as the Scot lost his range on his trusted starting double top.
“It was a great game to be involved in,” said Taylor. “Gary was brilliant and hit some fantastic shots, and he pushed me all the way.
“This has set me up to hopefully go on and keep this title now because it was a really high standard.”
Taylor now takes on Adrian Lewis in the semis, after the Stoke ace won through to the last four in Dublin for the first time with a 4-1 win over Wayne Jones.
Lewis hit a 161 finish during the contest and sealed victory with a 140 checkout, but will need to defeat Taylor for the first time on television to reach the final.
Tags: Results, Review, World Grand Prix
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World Grand Prix Night Four Review
Posted on October 8th, 2010
ANDY HAMILTON knocked highly-fancied Simon Whitlock out of the Bodog.com World Grand Prix on Thursday night, as James Wade, Raymond van Barneveld and Barrie Bates booked quarter-final places.
Hamilton, a semi-finalist 12 months ago at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin, saw off in-form Australian Whitlock in a five-set thriller to maintain his challenge for the £100,000 title.
The pair shared four sets in a high-scoring contest, with Whitlock twice winning a set without reply and Hamilton checking out 154 to win the third set.
The Derby-based star also hit a 130 finish in opening up a 2-0 lead in the decider, before sealing victory with a superb 11-dart finish.
“I’ve been playing well this year and I feel great,” said Hamilton, who now faces James Wade on Friday night. “I’m relaxed and my darts are going well.
“The 154 was a massive shot and it spurred me on. I was starting well on double 16 and am excited about playing in the quarter-finals on Friday.”
2007 champion Wade won through to the quarters with a 3-1 win over Colin Osborne, as he overcame a loss of concentration in the second set to hit four ton-plus finishes in taking the win.
Raymond van Barneveld, the runner-up to Phil Taylor for the past two years in Dublin, defeated Mark Walsh 3-1 to put himself into the last eight.
Tags: Results, Review, World Grand Prix
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World Grand Prix Night Three Review
Posted on October 7th, 2010
PHIL TAYLOR brutally dispatched Andy Smith in straight sets to remain on course for a tenth Bodog.com World Grand Prix title at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin on Wednesday night.
Taylor followed up Monday’s whitewash of Brendan Dolan with a outstanding display against Smith, who was limited to just two chances at a double in the game.
Taylor will now face Gary Anderson in Friday’s quarter-finals, as he looks to take a third successive Dublin title, and a tenth in the history of the event.
“I’m delighted to get through another round and I’m feeling good,” said Taylor. “My results so far show that everything I’ve been doing is coming right on stage.
“I’ll have a bit more killer instinct in the quarter-finals and the longer format always suits me, even though I’ve not played a lot of darts so far.”
Anderson, on the other hand, grabbed victory from the jaws of defeat for the second successive game as Kevin Painter missed three match darts in the fifth set of a dramatic contest.
Tags: Results, Review, World Grand Prix
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