2012 Ladbrokes PDC World Championship Draw
Posted on November 29th, 2011
ADRIAN LEWIS will begin the defence of his Ladbrokes World Darts Championship title against Nigel Heydon when the £1 million tournament kicks off on December 15 at Alexandra Palace in London.
Reigning champion Lewis drew Leamington Spa’s Heydon, who qualified by virtue of his performances in Players Championship events held this year, in the first round of the event.
Lewis’ tie with Heydon will be played on the tournament’s opening night on Thursday December 15, as the 26-year-old from Stoke begins his title defence.
“It’s a tough game but I’m going to be really looking forward to it,” said Lewis, who hit an historic nine-dart finish in his victory over Gary Anderson in January’s final.
“Nigel’s had a great year and he did really well in the Grand Slam recently, so I’ve got to make sure I’m ready to go. It’s going to be a great honour going back to Alexandra Palace as reigning champion but I don’t want to let the trophy go either.” Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 2012, Adrian Lewis, Ally Pally, Draw, Ladbrookes World Darts Championships, PDC
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Mike Gregory Interview – Part 1
Posted on November 20th, 2011
From the mid 80′s through to the early 90′s, Mike Gregory was one of the top ranked darts players, he qualified for Lakeside 13 times in a row (when eligible) and reached the quarter finals or better an incredible 7 times. DartsMad recently had the pleasure of chatting to Mike, part 1 of our interview is shown below:
DM: Mike your back on the exhibition circuit, how long have you been away for and why?
MG: My partner of the last 10 years, she has a bad back and the last 2 or 3 years I’ve not been able to do anything as she has been waiting for an operation, if she had someone with her I could do 1 or 2 on a weekend. But things are ok now, she has I think one injection left and that should be it.
DM: So your looking to fill the diary up in anticipation of getting out more next year?
MG: That’s it, I’m not looking to to turn pro or anything again because its been a long time, but I do enjoy the exhibitions.
DM: Since leaving the pro circuit you have played in some capacity though?
MG: Yes I’ve played super league and county and entered a few local tournaments, but its been difficult with my partners health.
Tags: BDO, darts, Jocky Wilson, Mike Gregory interview, Paulton darts league, PDC
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Cash Converters to Sponsor PDC Players Championship
Posted on November 17th, 2011
CASH CONVERTERS will sponsor the PDC’s Players Championship event, which will be held from December 8-11 at the Doncaster Dome and screened live on ITV4.
The £250,000 tournament will feature the leading 32 players from the final 2011 Players Championship Order of Merit competing for the £60,000 first prize across four days from the Yorkshire venue.
Cash Converters, the world’s largest retailer of pre-owned goods, has been confirmed as the title sponsors of the tournament as they continue their association with the Professional Darts Corporation.
“The Cash Converters Players Championship has developed into one of the sport’s most important majors in recent years,” said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn.
“The tournament features the 32 form players from our Players Championship series of events during the year, rewarding the stars of the sport for their success from the PDC ProTour and continuing the development of emerging stars in the sport.
“We thank Cash Converters for their support of this tournament. With over 200 UK stores and hundreds more worldwide, their brand is widely recognisable and we hope this tournament will help develop that further.”
David Patrick, Chief Executive of Cash Converters UK, said: “We are delighted to be title sponsor of the PDC’s Players Championship tournament.
“Darts is a strong grassroots sport with a huge following across the UK, and is a perfect fit with our customers and staff alike.
“We are pleased to be able to support and invest in this prestigious event, as the sport continues to grow in popularity and welcome new fans we are able to offer a strong synergy with our customer base.
“As we expand as a company it is important that we maximise the opportunities to engage with our existing customers and develop relationships with potential customers, darts is a great way of doing this.”
Gary Anderson, who was February’s runner-up to Phil Taylor, is currently the number one seed for the Cash Converters Players Championship after winning five of the 29 one-day events held so far in 2011, totalling £44,800 in prize money.
Justin Pipe’s three wins since October have seen him jump up to second place in the Players Championship Order of Merit on £41,200, with Paul Nicholson – the only man other than Taylor to have won the Players Championship finals event – third with £37,200 after three wins.
John Part sits fourth after also collecting a treble of victories, while Wes Newton has also topped £30,000 in prize money this year.
Two time Players Championship finals winner Taylor and five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld are also amongst the current qualifiers, with the final two qualifying events to be held on November 26 & 27 in Wigan.
Play in the Cash Converters Players Championship begins on Thursday December 8, with the first round split across that session and Friday night’s session.
The second round will be played in two sessions on Saturday December 10, with the quarter-finals on Sunday afternoon and the semi-finals and final being played on Sunday night.
Tickets are available in person from the Doncaster Dome Box Office or by calling 01302 370 777, with a buy one, get one free offer available for tickets for the opening night on Thursday December 8.
Cash Converters Players Championship
Thursday December 8 (7pm-11pm)
8x First Round games
Tickets £20 – Buy One, Get One Free!
Friday December 9 (7pm-11pm)
8x First Round games
Tickets £25
Saturday December 10 (1pm-5pm)
Afternoon Session
4x Second Round games
Tickets £20
Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
4x Second Round games
Tickets £25
Sunday December 11
Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm)
4x Quarter-Finals
Tickets £20
Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
Semi-Finals & Final
Tickets £25
Tickets paid for by debit or credit card are subject to £2.40 booking fee, and there is no booking fee for cash sales in person.
Tags: Cash Converters, Doncaster, PDC, Players Championship, Sponsor
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2011 William Hill GSoD Preview
Posted on November 11th, 2011
THE William Hill Grand Slam of Darts begins on Saturday, as 32 players from the world of darts compete for the £100,000 first prize at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall.
The tournament brings together stars from both the Professional Darts Corporation and BDO/WDF systems to do battle over nine days.
Scott Waites enters the event as the reigning champion following his incredible triumph in the final last year, as he came back from 8-0 down to defeat James Wade 16-12.
The Yorkshireman will take on Michael van Gerwen in his opening Group A game on Saturday night, having recently won the World Masters title amongst four successive tournament wins to enter Wolverhampton in top form.
“I don’t know what it is about this time of year, but I seem to come good,” said Waites, who was also the 2009 Grand Slam runner-up.
“I don’t know what it is about Wolverhampton but it’s the best darting place for me to be at the minute. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 2011 Grand Slam of Darts, BDO, PDC, Scott Waites
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Two Worlds Collide – Phil Haigh Looks at The GSoD
Posted on November 9th, 2011
As the Grand Slam of Darts comes around again for its fifth consecutive year, the inevitable question is raised of how the players from the two rival codes of darts will fair against each other in the only event that sees them toeing the same oche.
I think it is fair comment that the PDC is widely viewed as the highest standard of darting action around largely as that is where the majority of successful players in the BDO move to, but the Grand Slam has thrown a significant spanner in the works of this theory in the shape of Scott Waites.
Scotty 2 Hotty has defied the odds over the last two years by reaching the final of the tournament in 2009 and winning it last year as he came from behind to dramatically snatch victory away from James Wade, an incredible achievement seen as he was, and still is, an amateur, working as a carpenter in Yorkshire.
Tags: 2011, BDO, Grand Slam of Darts, PDC, Phil Haigh, Scott Waites, Tony O'Shea
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Pipe Cleans up in Crawley
Posted on November 5th, 2011
JUSTIN PIPE won his third Players Championship in a month with a 6-3 defeat of Vincent van der Voort in Saturday’s PDC ProTour event at the K2 Centre in Crawley.
The 39-year-old from Taunton won his maiden professional title at the start of October when he defeated Phil Taylor in Dublin, and after picking up another victory in Killarney since he completed a notable treble in the first of two Players Championships over the weekend.
Pipe enjoyed a memorable day in Crawley, following up victories over young duo Kirk Shepherd and Reece Robinson with wins over former World Champions Steve Beaton and Mark Webster to reach the semi-finals.
There, he overcame Matt Clark 6-3 before repeating the scoreline in the decider against van der Voort.
In a clash of contrasting styles, the quick-throwing Dutchman took the final’s first break in leg five to lead 3-2.
But Pipe punished a missed bullseye from the Dutchman to break back in leg six, hit a 13-darter to lead 4-3 and then hit double eight to move 5-3 up. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Crawley, Darts Results, Justin Pipe, Matt Clark, PDC, Players Championship
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The Return of The King
Posted on November 1st, 2011
Mervyn King returned to winning ways on Sunday night in Benidorm, winning the 27th Players Championship of the year, and arguably the most competitive of the non-broadcasted tournaments of the season.
It is not that regularly that the world’s top eight are all out in force in the Players Championships, but with the big names all on show in sunny Spain it was the man ranked 11th who prospered on Sunday, claiming the £6,000 in prize money and moving up to seventh on the Players Championship Order of Merit.
The King has had a tough time of it over the last 18 months or so, as his performance on our television screens have proved. Unbelievably the two-time world finalist has won just one match in the last six major tournaments, when he beat Magnus Caris in the first round of this year’s world championships. First round exits in the last two Matchplays and Grand Prix and a third round defeat in this year’s UK Open add up to a miserable time in front of the cameras for the 45-year-old.
These troubles may have stemmed from the disgraceful treatment he received in the Premier League last year from the crowd. I was in Newcastle for the penultimate week of the league when he faced Barney, and although he didn’t handle it brilliantly, no one deserves the kind of abuse he was getting at any time, never mind whilst trying to throw. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Grand Slam of Darts, Mervyn King, PDC, PDPA Players Championship
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Mervyn King Wins in Benidorm
Posted on October 31st, 2011
MERVYN KING defeated Wes Newton 6-3 to win his first Players Championship since January in the Spanish Darts Trophy at the Melia Hotel, Benidorm.
King has spent much of 2011 battling tendinitis in his throwing elbow, but capped a recent return to form – which included a run to the semi-finals of Championship League Darts – by picking up the £6,000 first prize in Spain.
The 45-year-old began Sunday’s event with a whitewash of Spaniard Eduardo Gonzales, before defeating Steve Maish, Belgium’s Kurt van de Rijck, Ronnie Baxter and Colin Osborne to reach the semi-finals, where he saw off Jamie Caven 6-2.
In the final against Newton, King took the opening leg with a superb 138 finish before the Fleetwood ace levelled with a 97 checkout and hit double top to punish King’s misses and lead.
King broke back but was punished again in leg five as Newton hit double ten to lead 3-2. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Darts Results, Mervin King, PDC, Phil Taylor, Players Championshiip, Raymond van Barneveld, Spanish Darts Trophy, Wes Newton
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Wade Denies Pipe’s Treble Dream in Gladbeck
Posted on October 22nd, 2011
JAMES WADE defeated Justin Pipe 6-3 to claim victory in Saturday’s German Darts Classic Players Championship.
The world number three claimed his first ranking win since the Speedy Hire UK Open in June, and his first Players Championship title since September 2010, with the triumph at Gladbeck’s Van Der Valk Hotel.
Wade enjoyed a fine day in Germany in picking up the £6,000 first prize, defeating Yorkshire pair Reece Robinson and Dave Smith, world number six Wes Newton, Dave Chisnall and John Henderson to reach the semis. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Darts Results, Gladbeck, James Wade, Justin Pipe, PDC, Players Championship
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Youth Tour Treble For Barham
Posted on October 22nd, 2011
PAUL BARHAM took his third victory of the inaugural year of the PDC Unicorn Youth Tour with a 4-1 defeat of Holland’s Dirk van Duijvenbode in the final of the final event in Gladbeck on Saturday.
Barham followed up his victories in Crawley and Nuland earlier this year with triumph in the 15th of the £2,000 Youth Tour events.
Having defeated Reece Robinson, Darren Whittingham and Adam Smith-Neale to reach the semi-finals in Germany, he whitewashed Essex rival Curtis Hammond to progress into the decider. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Gladbeck, Paul Barham, PDC, PDC Youth Tour Results
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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.
