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 11^th 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.

The death of Mervyn’s father also badly affected his form at the tail end of last year, and when you consider that he has also been struggling with an elbow injury in his throwing arm, it is no wonder that he has struggled to perform consistently.

But it seems that the King may be getting back to his best.  After an impressive run to the semi-finals of the Championship League and then Sunday’s result, his confidence must be riding high and his sights will be very much set on Terry Jenkins and getting back into the top 10 in the world as the Bull is just £800 ahead of him in the rankings.

The real test will come in two weeks’ time when the King returns to the world of the walk-on girls and sky sports cameras in the Grand Slam in Wolverhampton.  If he can carry his good form from the floor on to the stage there and again in the Players Championships Finals in Doncaster next month then he will be a real force again come the World Championships.

Phil Haigh
Twitter – @philhaigh_

Image – Lawrence Lustig/PDC

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.

He shared the opening eight legs of a tense final with Chisnall before making his move in the ninth, hitting a 180 in a 13-darter to lead 5-4 with the throw.

Burnett then hit scores of 180 and 140 to leave 86 after nine darts in the next, and finished 86 for an 11-darter to seal the win in style.

“I’m over the moon,” said Burnett. “I’ve felt it was there for the last year since I was back playing seriously again and everything came together for me.

“I knew this was the last resort and when I woke up this morning I said to myself ‘let’s go for it’. I knew that if I hit my doubles I can win, because I can out-score anybody and that’s what happened.

“Even when I’ve been losing it’s only been by the thickness of a wire, so I’ve kept patient and always kept looking forward, and I knew it would come for me.

“I came into this weekend thinking if I can win one, and I know I’m capable, it might get me into the World Grand Prix so there was massive pressure on me.

“In the final I only responded in the last two legs but I responded well.”

Burnett has drawn Gary Anderson in the first round of the World Grand Prix, and he added: “If I’m playing well I can beat anybody and it should be a fantastic game with Gary.”

Chisnall found himself on the losing side in his third PDC ProTour final since coming through Qualifying School in January to win a Tour Card, but again showed his class in a fine day.

He picked up four successive 6-2 victories in reaching the quarter-finals, where he disposed of Nigel Heydon, before whitewashing Belgian newcomer Kurt van de Rijk in the semis.

Van de Rijk had reached the second round of Saturday’s Players Championship but knocked out Tony Eccles, Brendan Dolan, Mensur Suljovic, Peter Wright and Steve Evans in his run to the last four, where he picked up £2,000.

World number eight Webster was the other semi-finalist as he sought to claim his second Players Championship victory inside 12 months, while Heydon, Evans, Painter and Michael Smith were the losing quarter-finalists.

Webster had been the unlucky player to drop from the final qualifying place for the World Grand Prix a year ago, when Steve Farmer swept through the field in Nuland, and this time it was Coventry’s Scott Rand who missed out following Burnett’s success.

Rand had reached the semi-finals of Saturday’s Players Championship, but picked up only £200 following a second round defeat on Sunday, while Steve Beaton’s late challenge failed when he lost in the last 16 to Michael Smith.

Players Championship 20
(Nuland, Holland – Sunday September 25)
Preliminary Round
Steffen Siepmann 6-1 Wilhelm Schwingenschlogel
Jean-Marie Rubais 6-1 Rudi Minnenbach
Gilbert van der Meijden 6-5 Wichard Knoops

First Round
Gary Anderson (1) 6-1 Rene Lander
Dylan Duo 6-0 Henry Zapata
Nigel Heydon (32) 6-0 Adam Hunt
Mark Dudbridge 6-0 Steffen Siepmann
Mervyn King (16) 6-3 Martino Tagliapietra
Darren Johnson 6-4 John O’Shea
Alan Tabern (17) 6-2 Johnny Okken
Alex Roy 6-1 Jann Hoffmann
Vincent van der Voort (8) 6-4 Mark Lieftink
Kim Huybrechts 6-0 Ryan Harrington
Dave Chisnall (25) 6-2 Jose Antonio Justicia
Steve Hine 6-2 Aodhagan O’Neill
Justin Pipe (9) 6-1 Wilfried Hoburg
Jyhan Artut 6-5 Nick Fullwell
Wayne Jones (24) 6-1 Dennis Kolen
Ian White 6-3 Chris Aubrey
Mark Walsh (5) 6-2 Karsten Koch
Magnus Caris 6-4 Matthew Edgar
John Henderson (28) 6-1 Karsten Kornath
Steve Evans 6-3 Dyson Parody
Colin Lloyd (12) 6-0 Romano Ruggeri
Wayne Atwood 6-4 Rocco Maes
Steve Brown (21) 6-3 Remco van Eijden
Roland Scholten 6-3 Shaun Griffiths
Ronnie Baxter (4) 6-2 Rico Dera
Mensur Suljovic 6-1 Dave Ladley
Kurt van de Rijk 6-3 Tony Eccles (29)
Brendan Dolan 6-4 Kirk Shepherd
Peter Wright (13) 6-2 Maik Langendorf
Mareno Michels 6-1 Adam Smith-Neale
Dennis Smith (20) 6-0 Andrea Guidi
Terry Temple 6-2 Tony Ayres
Wes Newton (2) 6-0 Lucio Rave
Antonio Alcinas 6-5 Michael Mansell
Michael Smith 6-4 Steve Farmer (31)
Adrian Gray 6-3 Jean-Marie Rubais
Steve Beaton (15) 6-3 Danny Schellekens
Andy Jenkins 6-2 Bernd Roith
Colin Osborne (18) 6-2 Wouter Vaes
William O’Connor 6-2 Veijo Viinikka
Mark Webster (7) 6-0 Gino Vos
James Richardson 6-2 Mark Frost
Andy Hamilton (26) 6-1 Mauro Stronati
Per Laursen 6-4 Carlos Rodriguez
Andy Smith (10) 6-2 Mattheus Ziolkowski
Michael Rosenauer 6-4 Mick Todd
Mark Hylton (23) 6-1 Hermie van Orsouw
Steve Maish 6-4 Chris Thompson
Jamie Caven (6) 6-4 Andries Sterk
Matt Clark 6-2 Arron Monk
Scott Rand (27) 6-5 Eduardo Lopes Sales
Kevin McDine 6-0 Andree Welge
Kevin Painter (11) 6-3 Erwin Renkema
Marko Kantele 6-4 John Michael
Co Stompe (22) 6-3 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Michael van Gerwen 6-4 Boris Krcmar
Paul Nicholson (3) 6-0 Niels-Jan Stuiver
Brian Woods 6-2 Reece Robinson
Jelle Klaasen (30) 6-3 Christian van Overdijk
Gilbert van der Meijden 6-5 Andy Hutchings
Denis Ovens (14) 6-2 Ruzdya Hopic
Joe Cullen 6-4 Steve Grubb
Richie Burnett (19) 6-1 Jerry Hendriks
Dave Smith 6-2 Barrie Bates

Second Round
Gary Anderson 6-1 Dylan Duo
Nigel Heydon 6-2 Mark Dudbridge
Mervyn King 6-5 Darren Johnson
Alan Tabern 6-4 Alex Roy
Kim Huybrechts 6-3 Vincent van der Voort
Dave Chisnall 6-2 Steve Hine
Justin Pipe 6-5 Jyhan Artut
Wayne Jones 6-1 Ian White
Magnus Caris 6-3 Mark Walsh
Steve Evans 6-2 John Henderson
Wayne Atwood 6-5 Colin Lloyd
Steve Brown 6-2 Roland Scholten
Mensur Suljovic 6-2 Ronnie Baxter
Kurt van de Rijk 6-4 Brendan Dolan
Peter Wright 6-2 Mareno Michels
Terry Temple 6-3 Dennis Smith
Wes Newton 6-3 Antonio Alcinas
Michael Smith 6-4 Adrian Gray
Steve Beaton 6-5 Andy Jenkins
Colin Osborne 6-3 William O’Connor
Mark Webster 6-0 James Richardson
Per Laursen 6-5 Andy Hamilton
Michael Rosenauer 6-4 Andy Smith
Mark Hylton 6-4 Steve Maish
Matt Clark 6-2 Jamie Caven
Kevin McDine 6-4 Scott Rand
Kevin Painter 6-5 Marko Kantele
Co Stompe 6-3 Michael van Gerwen
Paul Nicholson 6-1 Brian Woods
Jelle Klaasen 6-4 Gilbert van der Meijden
Denis Ovens 6-3 Joe Cullen
Richie Burnett 6-2 Dave Smith
Losers £200

Third Round
Nigel Heydon 6-2 Gary Anderson
Mervyn King 6-3 Alan Tabern
Dave Chisnall 6-2 Kim Huybrechts
Justin Pipe 6-4 Wayne Jones
Steve Evans 6-3 Magnus Caris
Steve Brown 6-3 Wayne Atwood
Kurt van de Rijk 6-5 Mensur Suljovic
Peter Wright 6-3 Terry Temple
Michael Smith 6-4 Wes Newton
Steve Beaton 6-1 Colin Osborne
Mark Webster 6-2 Per Laursen
Mark Hylton 6-2 Michael Rosenauer
Matt Clark 6-4 Kevin McDine
Kevin Painter 6-3 Co Stompe
Paul Nicholson 6-2 Jelle Klaasen
Richie Burnett 6-2 Denis Ovens
Losers £400

Fourth Round
Nigel Heydon 6-3 Mervyn King
Dave Chisnall 6-2 Justin Pipe
Steve Evans 6-1 Steve Brown
Kurt van de Rijk 6-5 Peter Wright
Michael Smith 6-4 Steve Beaton
Mark Webster 6-3 Mark Hylton
Kevin Painter 6-2 Matt Clark
Richie Burnett 6-4 Paul Nicholson
Losers £600

Quarter-Finals
Dave Chisnall 6-3 Nigel Heydon
Kurt van de Rijk 6-2 Steve Evans
Mark Webster 6-2 Michael Smith
Richie Burnett 6-5 Kevin Painter
Losers £1,000

Semi-Finals
Dave Chisnall 6-0 Kurt van de Rijk
Richie Burnett 6-2 Mark Webster
Losers £2,000

Final
Richie Burnett 6-4 Dave Chisnall
Winner £6,000
Runner-Up £3,000

Final – Leg-By-Leg
Dave Chisnall v Richie Burnett
0-0 – Richie Burnett wins the bull and will throw first
0-1 – Burnett hits two 140s to be first to a double, but is given a reprieve for two missed doubles when Chisnall misses tops, allowing him back on double four.
1-1 – Chisnall nails double 18 at the first time of asking to level.
1-2 – Chisnall misses double 18 and nine to break and Burnett is again let off, returning to hit double 12 at the second time of asking.
2-2 – Chisnall opens with scores of 180, 137 and 136, and eventually wins the leg on double five in 15 darts.
2-3 – Burnett hits a 180 of his own in a 13-darter to regain the lead, hitting tops for the leg.
3-3 – Chisnall again kicks off with a 180, and finishes 73 on tops for another 15-dart leg.
3-4 – Burnett misses double 18 for a 156 finish, but Chisnall is unable to make him pay for subsequent misses before the Welshman returns to hit double one.
4-4 – Chisnall opens with back-to-back 140s and posts double top for a 13-darter in levelling once more.
4-5 – Burnett opens with a 180 and follows that with a 140 before posting double six for a 13-darter in reply.
4-6 – The Welshman lands another 180 and seals victory with an 86 finish for an 11-darter.

The Premier League Darts champion had also won six other PDC ProTour events this year before returning to Holland, where he claimed a notable double in June with back-to-back wins and extended his unbeaten run at the Van Der Valk Hotel to three successive events.

The Scot was in imperious form throughout, hitting eight 180s in a first round whitewash of Dutch youngster Dirk van Duijvenbode before seeing off Joe Cullen, Nigel Heydon, Colin Osborne and Mark Webster to reach the semis.

There, he picked up another whitewash against Tony Ayres before going on to defeat Lloyd in the decider.

Lloyd, in his first final of 2011, led 2-1 early on after opening with a ten-dart leg and also hitting a 12-darter.

But the Essex ace could not match Anderson’s relentless scoring, as the Scot hit two 180s in the next three legs, which were won in 12, 13 and 14 darts.

Anderson was also ahead in the seventh before miscounting when needing 129 – he finished 139 by mistake to let Lloyd in, but his miss at double 16 gave the Scot a reprieve on double 18.

Lloyd hit back with a 180 in the next, but Anderson was first to a finish and landed double top to complete victory.

Lloyd picked up the £3,000 runner-up prize following his best display of the year, as he saw off Niels-Jan Stuiver, Terry Temple, Kim Huybrechts, Wes Newton, Dave Chisnall and Scott Rand.

Rand’s run to the semi-finals lifts him above Co Stompe and Colin Osborne into the provisional qualifying places for the World Grand Prix – with only Sunday’s Players Championship remaining before the 32-player field is confirmed.

Ayres’ semi-final appearance was his best since reaching the last eight of a Players Championship in Holland 12 months ago, and matched his run to the last four in the 2010 UK Open.

Chisnall’s impressive first year on the PDC circuit continued as he made the last eight, only to miss three darts to defeat Lloyd in a tight battle, while he was joined in the quarter-finals by Mark Walsh, Mark Webster and Brendan Dolan.

Dolan’s £1,000 prize money improved his chances of securing a World Grand Prix place as one of the top two players from Ireland & Northern Ireland in the Players Championship Order of Merit – while Michael Mansell’s run to the last 16 saw him close the gap on William O’Connor.

Players Championship 19
(Nuland, Holland – Saturday September 24)
Preliminary Round
Jean-Marie Rubais 6-3 Jerry Hendriks
Steffen Siepmann 6-3 Dennis Kaulen
Gilbert van der Meijden 6-5 Johnny Okken
Christian van Overdijk 6-2 Gino Vos
Kurt van de Rijk 6-0 Martino Tagliapietra

First Round
Gary Anderson (1) 6-0 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Joe Cullen 6-5 William O’Connor
Nigel Heydon (32) 6-5 Matt Clark
Veijo Viinikka 6-1 Jean-Marie Rubais
Mervyn King (16) 6-2 Karsten Koch
Michael Smith 6-4 John O’Shea
Colin Osborne (17) 6-2 Matthias Ziolkowski
Dyson Parody 6-5 Henry Zapata
Mark Webster (8) 6-3 Maik Langendorf
Jann Hoffmann 6-5 Nick Fullwell
Andy Hamilton (25) 6-0 Andrea Guidi
Kirk Shepherd 6-2 Steffen Siepmann
Justin Pipe (9) 6-1 Rico Dera
Shaun Griffiths 6-2 Steve Evans
Wayne Jones (24) 6-3 Michael Oostermann
Roland Scholten 6-2 Dylan Duo
Mark Walsh (5) 6-1 Thomas May
Mareno Michels 6-4 Boris Krcmar
Tony Eccles (28) 6-0 Rudy Minnenbach
Michael Rosenauer 6-4 Adam Smith-Neale
Remco van Eijden 6-3 Peter Wright (12)
Alex Roy 6-3 Andree Welge
Bobby Biemans 6-4 Co Stompe (21)
Darren Johnson 6-4 Reece Robinson
Ronnie Baxter (4) 6-4 Rene Lander
Magnus Caris 6-4 Kevin McDine
Tony Ayres 6-4 Jelle Klaasen (29)
Gilbert van der Meijden 6-4 Ryan Harrington
Denis Ovens (13) 6-1 Lucio Rave
Michael Mansell 6-4 Adrian Gray
Erwin Renkema 6-5 Dennis Smith (20)
Matthew Edgar 6-2 Andy Hutchings
Wes Newton (2) 6-0 Dirk Schenk
Ian White 6-4 Arron Monk
Steve Farmer (31) 6-3 John Michael
Bernd Roith 6-4 Christian van Overdijk
Alan Tabern (15) 6-2 Wilfried Hoberg
Kim Huybrechts 6-1 Barrie Bates
Colin Lloyd (18) 6-0 Niels-Jan Stuiver
Terry Temple 6-3 Mick Todd
Vincent van der Voort (7) 6-4 Eduardo Lopes Sales
Brian Woods 6-1 Rocco Maes
Dave Chisnall (26) 6-1 Wilhelm Schwingenschlogel
Andy Jenkins 6-4 Dave Ladley
Andy Smith (10) 6-2 Jose Antonio Justicia
James Richardson 6-5 Steve Maish
Steve Brown (23) 6-1 Karsten Kornath
Dave Smith 6-4 Mensur Suljovic
Jamie Caven (6) 6-2 Danny Schellekens
Brendan Dolan 6-2 Chris Thompson
John Henderson (27) 6-4 Wichard Knoops
Antonio Alcinas 6-2 Carlos Rodriguez
Kevin Painter (11) 6-1 Andries Sterk
Per Laursen 6-4 Marko Kantele
Mark Hylton (22) 6-1 Ruzdya Hopic
Mark Dudbridge 6-3 Jyhan Artut
Paul Nicholson (3) 6-0 Romano Ruggeri
Steve Hine 6-3 Michael van Gerwen
Scott Rand (30) 6-4 Chris Aubrey
Kurt van de Rijk 6-1 Steve Grubb
Steve Beaton (14) 6-2 Mark Lieftink
Mark Frost 6-2 Adam Hunt
Richie Burnett (19) 6-1 Mauro Stronati
Wayne Atwood 6-3 Aodhagan O’Neill

Second Round
Gary Anderson 6-2 Joe Cullen
Nigel Heydon 6-3 Veijo Viinikka
Mervyn King 6-4 Michael Smith
Colin Osborne 6-5 Dyson Parody
Mark Webster 6-3 Jann Hoffmann
Andy Hamilton 6-1 Kirk Shepherd
Justin Pipe 6-3 Shaun Griffiths
Wayne Jones 6-1 Roland Scholten
Mark Walsh 6-2 Mareno Michels
Michael Rosenauer 6-5 Tony Eccles
Remco van Eijden 6-2 Alex Roy
Darren Johnson 6-4 Bobby Biemans
Magnus Caris 6-5 Ronnie Baxter
Tony Ayres 6-2 Gilbert van der Meijden
Michael Mansell 6-4 Denis Ovens
Erwin Renkema 6-4 Matthew Edgar
Wes Newton 6-5 Ian White
Steve Farmer 6-1 Bernd Roith
Kim Huybrechts 6-5 Alan Tabern
Colin Lloyd 6-3 Terry Temple
Vincent van der Voort 6-2 Brian Woods
Dave Chisnall 6-2 Andy Jenkins
James Richardson 6-4 Andy Smith
Steve Brown 6-4 Dave Smith
Brendan Dolan 6-3 Jamie Caven
John Henderson 6-5 Antonio Alcinas
Kevin Painter 6-2 Per Laursen
Mark Dudbridge 6-2 Mark Hylton
Paul Nicholson 6-2 Steve Hine
Scott Rand 6-3 Kurt van de Rijk
Steve Beaton 6-5 Mark Frost
Richie Burnett 6-0 Wayne Atwood
Losers £200

Third Round
Gary Anderson 6-1 Nigel Heydon
Colin Osborne 6-5 Mervyn King
Mark Webster 6-2 Andy Hamilton
Justin Pipe 6-5 Wayne Jones
Mark Walsh 6-4 Michael Rosenauer
Darren Johnson 6-3 Remco van Eijden
Tony Ayres 6-2 Magnus Caris
Michael Mansell 6-2 Erwin Renkema
Wes Newton 6-2 Steve Farmer
Colin Lloyd 6-2 Kim Huybrechts
Dave Chisnall 6-4 Vincent van der Voort
James Richardson 6-5 Steve Brown
Brendan Dolan 6-5 John Henderson
Mark Dudbridge 6-2 Kevin Painter
Scott Rand 6-4 Paul Nicholson
Richie Burnett 6-5 Steve Beaton
Losers £400

Fourth Round
Gary Anderson 6-4 Colin Osborne
Mark Webster 6-4 Justin Pipe
Mark Walsh 6-4 Darren Johnson
Tony Ayres 6-4 Michael Mansell
Colin Lloyd 6-4 Wes Newton
Dave Chisnall 6-4 James Richardson
Brendan Dolan 6-4 Mark Dudbridge
Scott Rand 6-4 Richie Burnett
Losers £600

Quarter-Finals
Gary Anderson 6-1 Mark Webster
Tony Ayres 6-5 Mark Walsh
Colin Lloyd 6-5 Dave Chisnall
Scott Rand 6-3 Brendan Dolan
Losers £1000

Semi-Finals
Gary Anderson 6-0 Tony Ayres
Colin Lloyd 6-4 Scott Rand
Losers £2,000

Final
Gary Anderson 6-2 Colin Lloyd
Winner £6,000
Runner-Up £3,000

Final
Gary Anderson v Colin Lloyd
0-0 – Colin Lloyd wins the bull and will throw first
0-1 – Lloyd opens the final with scores of 140, 180 and 145, and wins the opening leg in ten darts on double 18
1-1 – Anderson replies with a 13-darter, also finished on double 18
1-2 – The high standard continues as Lloyd finishes 121 on the bull for a 12-darter
2-2 – Anderson opens with a 180 and levels with double top for another 13-darter, with Lloyd also leaving 40 after 12 darts
3-2 – Anderson breaks for the first time with another 13-dart leg which he finishes on tops
4-2 – Anderson posts another 180 and a 131 to be first to a finish, and takes out double ten for a 14-darter
5-2 – Anderson initially bursts 129 but when Lloyd fails to step in on double 16 he returns to post double 18
6-2 – Lloyd hits a 180 in his bid to battle back but Anderson seals victory on double top

Source – PDC/Henk Westerdaal/prodarts-europe.com

The Blackpool ace took a 6-4 win over rising Spanish star Alcinas in a high-quality final to take the £6,000 first prize, joining Mervyn King in taking victory in the opening PDC ProTour events of the year.

He was in fine form at the Gerry Weber Centre, dropping a total of eight legs in his first four games in wins over Jasmin Beganovic, Steve Evans and Justin Pipe and Richie Burnett, before defeating Alan Tabern 6-4 to reach the semis.

There, he won five successive legs in taking a 5-1 lead against Mark Walsh before completing a 6-2 victory which set up a final against Alcinas.

The Spaniard matched him blow for blow in a top-drawer final, checking out 100, 160 and 121 in sharing the first six legs with Baxter, who had landed a 100 finish of his own and traded maximums with Alcinas in their first darts of the game.

Alcinas also took out 80 to level in the eighth, despite a fourth maximum score from Baxter of the game, but the next two legs saw the game slip away from him in dramatic fashion as the Englishman took victory.

In the ninth, Alcinas hit scores of 180 and 140 in leaving 84 after nine darts, but missed double 11 to break throw as Baxter posted double top for a 5-4 lead.

The Spanish ace landed another 180, his fourth of the match, in the next, but miscounted when needing 123 to level – checking out 133 to burst his score and allow Baxter in on double ten to take victory.

“It was a great final and I’m happy and relieved to have been the winner,” said Baxter. “I couldn’t believe it when Antonio miscounted on the 123 but it was my opportunity and I took it.

“Antonio was brilliant, and as soon as he followed my 180 at the start of the game I knew I was in for a match. I saw him in the World Cup when he knocked out the English team and he was impressive again.

“It’s pleasing for me too because I’ve worked hard over the last three weeks since the World Championship, not just on my darts but also on my fitness after getting the EA Sports Active game for the Wii, and it paid off in a long day today.

“Winning this is a great way to start the year and I want to keep it going now. We’ve got the Players Championship Finals next weekend and I’m on a high going into that.”

Alcinas’ run saw him reach his first PDC ProTour final, a year after he joined the PDC circuit full-time.

Having taken out a 106 to defeat Peter Manley in a deciding leg in the first round, Alcinas then edged out Mark Dudbridge, Steve Hine and John Henderson with 6-5 victories and also overcame Adrian Gray in reaching the semis.

He then defeated Denis Ovens 6-3 in the last four, winning four successive legs to come from 3-2 down to take victory and emulate Carlos Rodriguez in being his country’s second Players Championship finalist.

Ovens had knocked out world number one Phil Taylor 6-4 in the quarter-finals, with the Stoke great coming from 3-1 down to lead 4-3 before his Stevenage rival took three successive legs for the win on his way to a £2,000 pay-day.

World number nine Walsh also enjoyed a run to the semis, which included a narrow win over Andy Hamilton and a quarter-final defeat of Nigel Heydon.

Henderson’s debut weekend on the PDC ProTour saw him follow up Saturday’s semi-final with a quarter-final appearance 24 hours later – and he missed three darts to defeat Alcinas in the last eight before the Spaniard prevailed.

The Scot also knocked out William O’Connor, Paul Nicholson and Mark Webster on his way to the last eight, while Webster ended the hopes of Raymond van Barneveld in the last 16.

Players Championship 2 – Halle, Sunday
Preliminary Round
Davyd Venken 6-3 Kai Hanus
Martin Santamaria 6-3 Jan-Guldsten
Kevin Munch 6-1 Daniel Bliss
Jasmin Beganovic 6-1 Frank Liebeton
Michael Peters 6-0 Marcel Radmer
Huseyin Zengin 6-1 Markus Hoffman
Remco van Eijden 6-2 Detlef Barchanowitz
Peter Trapp 6-3 Sebastijan Pecjak
Johann Honner 6-0 Rudiger Lohse
Ingo Vogt 6-5 Gerhard Kremer
Arno Merk & Mario Geissler – both players timed out
Sladan Nedic 6-2 Sabrina Sporle
Gregor Gorjup 6-1 Stefan Nilles
Robert Marijanovic 6-3 Lucio Rave
Michael Rasztovits 6-5 Rocco Maes
Rene Groteloh 6-1 Hans-Christian Paffrath
Vedran Dukic 6-1 Heiko Gallinat
Marko Balzer 6-3 Lars Erkelenz
Roland Kurok 6-5 Rene Hellmich
Kai Nithammer 6-0 Ronnie Volkenant
Zeki Tatli 6-2 Erwin Renkema
Johnny Okken 6-0 Mario Hermann
Christian Kallinger 6-3 Stefanie Luck
Vladimir Andersen 6-5 Patrick Langbecker
Christian Kruger 6-4 Marcel Ruiters
Tonci Restovic 6-0 Karsten Kornath
Dieter Proksch 6-2 Armend Avdija
Christian Braumer 6-2 Markus Riether
Kim Huybrechts 6-0 Dennis Crook

First Round
Davyd Venken 6-2 Simon Whitlock (1)
John Michael 6-1 Carlos Rodriguez
Martin Santamaria 6-4 Steve Maish (32)
Nick Fullwell 6-2 Peter Martin
Andy Smith (16) 6-4 Ian White
Magnus Caris 6-1 Dave Smith
Alan Tabern (17) 6-3 Kevin Munch
Wayne Atwood 6-3 Aodhagan O’Neill
Ronnie Baxter (8) 6-1 Jasmin Beganovic
Steve Evans 6-4 Dylan Duo
Justin Pipe (25) 6-0 Michael Peters
Tomas Seyler 6-4 Gary Welding
Mervyn King (9) 6-1 Huseyin Zengin
Jyhan Artut 6-5 Steve Grubb
Richie Burnett (24) 6-4 Remco van Eijden
Dave Chisnall 6-1 Michael Smith
Mark Walsh (5) 6-2 Peter Trapp
Michael Rosenauer 6-4 Simon Craven
Dennis Smith (28) 6-0 Johann Honner
Michael van Gerwen Bye (Mensur Suljovic timed out)
Andy Hamilton (12) 6-3 Ingo Vogt
Arron Monk 6-5 Roland Scholten
Barrie Bates (21) Bye
Andree Welge 6-4 Darren Johnson
Wes Newton (4) 6-1 Sladan Nedic
Shaun Griffiths 6-5 Joe Cullen
Nigel Heydon (29) 6-2 Gregor Gorjup
Marko Kantele 6-2 Dietmar Burger
Wayne Jones (13) 6-1 Robert Marijanovic
Boris Krcmar 6-4 Devon Petersen
Terry Jenkins (20) 6-0 Michael Rasztovits
Kevin McDine 6-1 Par Riihonen
Colin Lloyd (2) 6-1 Rene Groteloh
Adam Smith-Neale 6-4 Bernd Roith
Steve Hine (31) 6-5 Vedran Dukic
Mareno Michels 6-5 Matt Padgett
Adrian Gray 6-2 Kevin Painter (15)
Chris Thompson 6-5 Scott Rand
Mark Dudbridge (18) 6-0 Marko Balzer
Antonio Alcinas 6-5 Peter Manley
Vincent van der Voort (7) 6-1 Roland Kurok
Jann Hoffmann 6-1 Jon Archer
Paul Nicholson (26) 6-0 Kai Nithammer
John Henderson 6-1 William O’Connor
Mark Webster (10) 6-0 Zeki Tatli
Andy Jenkins 6-4 Prakash Jiwa
Steve Brown (23) 6-4 Johnny Okken
Raymond van Barneveld 6-5 Brian Woods
Jamie Caven (6) 6-2 Christian Kallinger
Nandor Bezzeg 6-2 Stefan Schaffer
Tony Eccles (27) 6-2 Vladimir Andersen
Kirk Shepherd 6-0 Per Laursen
Denis Ovens (11) 6-0 Christian Kruger
Mark Hylton 6-4 Wayne Mardle
Jelle Klaasen (22) 6-4 Tonci Restovic
Shane O’Connor 6-1 Martyn Turner
Phil Taylor (3) 6-0 Dieter Proksch
Peter Wright 6-1 Antonio Justicia
Brendan Dolan (30) 6-0 Christian Braumer
Patrick Bulen 6-4 Karsten Koch
Colin Osborne (14) 6-3 Maik Langendorf
John Part 6-3 Matheus Zioklowski
Steve Beaton (19) 6-1 Kim Huybrechts
Mick Todd 6-4 Dave Ladley

Second Round
John Michael 6-3 Davyd Venken
Nick Fullwell 6-5 Martin Santamaria
Magnus Caris 6-2 Andy Smith
Alan Tabern 6-4 Wayne Atwood
Ronnie Baxter 6-2 Steve Evans
Justin Pipe 6-2 Tomas Seyler
Jyhan Artut 6-2 Mervyn King
Richie Burnett 6-5 Dave Chisnall
Mark Walsh 6-2 Michael Rosenauer
Dennis Smith 6-3 Michael van Gerwen
Andy Hamilton 6-4 Arron Monk
Andree Welge 6-1 Barrie Bates
Shaun Griffiths 6-5 Wes Newton
Nigel Heydon 6-3 Marko Kantele
Boris Krcmar 6-4 Wayne Jones
Terry Jenkins 6-2 Kevin McDine
Adam Smith-Neale 6-2 Colin Lloyd
Steve Hine 6-3 Mareno Michels
Adrian Gray 6-3 Chris Thompson
Antonio Alcinas 6-5 Mark Dudbridge
Vincent van der Voort 6-1 Jann Hoffmann
John Henderson 6-5 Paul Nicholson
Mark Webster 6-5 Andy Jenkins
Raymond van Barneveld 6-3 Steve Brown
Jamie Caven 6-1 Nandor Bezzeg
Tony Eccles 6-4 Kirk Shepherd
Denis Ovens 6-3 Mark Hylton
Jelle Klaasen 6-5 Shane O’Connor
Phil Taylor 6-4 Peter Wright
Brendan Dolan 6-1 Patrick Bulen
John Part 6-4 Colin Osborne
Steve Beaton 6-1 Mick Todd
Losers £200

Third Round
John Michael 6-4 Nick Fullwell
Alan Tabern 6-5 Magnus Caris
Ronnie Baxter 6-2 Justin Pipe
Richie Burnett 6-2 Jyhan Artut
Mark Walsh 6-1 Dennis Smith
Andy Hamilton 6-2 Andree Welge
Nigel Heydon 6-3 Shaun Griffiths
Terry Jenkins 6-1 Boris Krcmar
Steve Hine 6-4 Adam Smith-Neale
Antonio Alcinas 6-2 Adrian Gray
John Henderson 6-5 Vincent van der Voort
Mark Webster 6-4 Raymond van Barneveld
Tony Eccles 6-5 Jamie Caven
Denis Ovens 6-2 Jelle Klaasen
Phil Taylor 6-2 Brendan Dolan
Steve Beaton 6-1 John Part
Losers £400

Fourth Round
Alan Tabern 6-5 John Michael
Ronnie Baxter 6-3 Richie Burnett
Mark Walsh 6-5 Andy Hamilton
Nigel Heydon 6-5 Terry Jenkins
Antonio Alcinas 6-5 Steve Hine
John Henderson 6-2 Mark Webster
Denis Ovens 6-2 Tony Eccles
Phil Taylor 6-3 Steve Beaton
Losers £600

Quarter-Finals
Ronnie Baxter 6-4 Alan Tabern
Mark Walsh 6-3 Nigel Heydon
Antonio Alcinas 6-5 John Henderson
Denis Ovens 6-4 Phil Taylor
Losers £1,000

Semi-Finals
Ronnie Baxter 6-2 Mark Walsh
Antonio Alcinas 6-3 Denis Ovens
Losers £2,000

Final
Ronnie Baxter 6-4 Antonio Alcinas
Winner £6,000
Runner-Up £3,000

Match Information
Semi-Finals
Antonio Alcinas 6-3 Denis Ovens
0-1 – Ovens finishes 80 on double top to take the opening leg
1-1 – Alcinas takes out 76 for the second leg
1-2 – Ovens takes out 100 to hold throw again
2-2 – A 74 checkout sees Alcinas level once more
2-3 – Ovens edges the fifth leg on double two with his eighth dart to take the leg, after Alcinas missed tops for a 114 finish to break
3-3 – Ovens sees three darts at double 16 land just outside the wire, before Alcinas lands double ten with his third dart to hold throw
4-3 – Alcinas breaks throw to lead for the first time in the game courtesy of double 16
5-3 – Alcinas checks out 44 on double four for a second successive 15-darter as he moves to the brink of his maiden PDC ProTour final
6-3 – Ovens misses four darts at double 16 to stay in the game, and Alcinas checks out double two to reach the decider.

Ronnie Baxter 6-2 Mark Walsh
0-1 – Walsh opens with a 180 and takes out 121 for a 12-dart finish
1-1 – Baxter clinically takes out 74 in two darts to level
2-1 – Baxter hits a 180 in breaking throw for the lead
3-1 – Double four puts Baxter two legs clear after Walsh misses two darts at double 11 to break back
4-1 – Another double four finish gives Baxter his fourth successive leg, after he had wired the bull for a 161 finish
5-1 – Baxter lands double ten to move to the brink of victory
5-2 – Walsh hits double top to win his second leg and stay in the contest
6-2 – Baxter secures victory on double ten

Final
Ronnie Baxter 6-4 Antonio Alcinas
1-0 – both players open the final with 180s, and Baxter lands double four to hold throw in 14 darts
1-1 – Alcinas replies with a 14-darter of his own, taking out 100 in two darts
2-1 – Double four gives Baxter the third leg
2-1 – Alcinas’ brilliant finishing continues with a 160 checkout as he levels
3-2 – Baxter edges the fifth with a 100 checkout
3-3 – Alcinas takes out another ton-plus finish, this time landing a 121 checkout for his third leg
4-3 – Baxter hits a 177 in leaving 33 after nine darts, but misses six darts to take the leg before double one denies Alcinas the chance to break
4-4 – Alcinas defies a 180 from Baxter to square the game again, this time finishing 80 on double ten
5-4 – Baxter lands double top to win a potentially crucial leg, with Alcinas hitting a 180 but missing double 11 for an 84 finish to break and take the lead
6-4 – Baxter dramatically takes the win, hitting double top for victory after Alcinas miscounts when needing a 123 finish, checking out 133 in error

King ended an 11-month gap between titles by claiming victory in the first of two tournaments being staged in Germany this weekend, earning £6,000 in the process.

The world number 11 came through tough battles with Patrick Bulen, Kevin Munch, Gary Welding and Mark Hylton to reach the last eight, coming from 5-3 down against Hylton before edging victory in one contest.

Having overcome Ireland’s William O’Connor 6-1 in the quarter-finals, he then knocked out world number seven Simon Whitlock 6-3 in the semis, winning five of the final six legs on his way to the win.

He then swept past van der Voort in the decider, taking out a 101 finish and double four to lead 2-0 before van der Voort hit back to take the third with the aid of a 180.

King finished 120 for the fourth, and punished three misses from the Dutchman for a 4-1 lead.

He then hit two successive 180s for six perfect darts in the next, which he won in ten darts before sealing a 6-1 victory on double four for his first title since winning back-to-back events in Swindon last February.

“It means a huge amount to me because it’s the first tournament I’ve won since losing my Dad last year, and this was for him,” said King. “It’s been a tough period for me but to win an event is a huge relief.

“This is a venue I’ve been successful at before, reaching the German Darts Championship final in 2009, and it’s been good to me again.

“I wanted to make a good start to the year after dropping out of the top ten and I’ve done that. It’s a huge boost and I’d love to keep this form going.”

Van der Voort’s run to the final continued his challenge for a spot in the world’s top 16 after he reached the quarter-finals of the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship recently.

The Dutchman, who won two Players Championships on mainland Europe last year, edged past Scotland’s John Henderson 6-4 in the semis, sealing victory with a 127 finish.

He had earlier defeated Colin Osborne in a deciding leg in the quarter-finals, and also overcame World Championship semi-finalist Mark Webster, Justin Pipe and Dave Chisnall – who hit a nine-darter in their second round game.

Henderson enjoyed a superb debut on the PDC ProTour, reaching the semi-finals a fortnight after winning a Tour Card at Qualifying School in Wigan.

The Scot picked up victories against England’s Dave Smith, Greece’s John Michael and Belgium’s Kim Huybrechts before edging out Andy Smith in the quarter-finals, only to miss key doubles in the semis against van der Voort.

“I’m delighted to have reached the semi-finals,” said Henderson. “I thought it may take me a few events to settle in but all the players made me feel really welcome and I’ve fitted in great, and that has helped.

“It’s a shame I didn’t go on to win but my confidence is really high after reaching the semi-finals.”

Smith’s route to the last eight included a win over world number one Phil Taylor, who hit back from 4-0 down to trail 5-4 before falling to defeat in his first appearance since losing to Mark Webster in the World Championship four weeks ago.

“Andy played really well,” said Taylor. “I could have been 3-1 up but I didn’t take my chances and he finished really well.

“It’s frustrating when you get beaten but sometimes it gives you a kick up the backside. I’m still a little bit off my form but other players, like Andy, are playing really well too.

“I’ve got some new darts which I need to practice more with because I haven’t had a lot of time with them yet. I’ve got some hard work to do and I’ll put it right.”

Australian Simon Whitlock made a strong start to the new year, with his run to the last four including a fine 6-1 quarter-final victory over five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld.

Like Henderson, another PDC newcomer Dave Chisnall also made an immediate impact on his PDC ProTour debut, hitting a nine-dart finish during a narrow loss to van der Voort, earning him a £1,200 bonus.

Ireland’s Willie O’Connor reached his second Players Championship quarter-final, while namesake Shane O’Connor was one of three youngsters who won through the recent Qualifying School to progress to the last 32, alongside Shaun Griffiths and Adam Smith-Neale.

Play continues with a second £35,000 Players Championship on Sunday at the Gerry Weber Centre.

Players Championship 1 – Halle, Saturday
Preliminary Round
Lothar Freiberger 6-2 Christian Braumer
Karsten Koch 6-2 Vedran Dukic
Lucio Rave 6-1 Karsten Kornath
Olaf Fiss 6-5 Dietmar Burger
Richard van Zijtveld 6-4 Lars Erkelenz
Remco van Eijden 6-0 Marcel Radmer
Armend Avdija 6-4 Mario Hermann
Marcel Ruiters 6-4 Kai Hanus
Johnny Okken 6-2 Matheus Ziolkowski
Christian Kruger 6-0 Wolfgang Pelzer
Michael Rasztovits 6-5 Peter Martin
Johann Honner 6-5 Jasmin Beganovic
Boris Krcmar 6-2 Sebastian Lemmer
Jan-Guldsten Hansen 6-1 Christian Bachmeier
Rocco Maes 6-1 Dennis Crook
Stefan Schaffer 6-4 Michael Peters
Patrick Bulen 6-3 Kai Nithammer
Mareno Michels 6-5 Vladimir Andersen
Kevin Munch 6-1 Dieter Proksch
Roland Kurok 6-3 Wolfgang Honert
Christian Kallinger 6-3 Jann Hoffmann
Sladan Nedic 6-1 Gerhard Kremer
Simon Craven 6-0 Hans-Christian Paffrath
Reinhard Timmermann 6-5 Martin Santamaria
Stefan Nilles 6-0 Markus Hoffmann
Antonio Justicia 6-4 Erwin Renkema
Sebastijan Pecjak 6-0 Markus Reither
Gregor Gorjup 6-3 Huseyin Zengin
Stefanie Luck 6-1 Frank Liebeton
John Michael 6-1 Sabrina Sporle
Davyd Venken 6-0 Heiko Gallinat
Maik Langendorf 6-0 Frank Eisentrager
Kim Huybrechts 6-1 Rene Hellmich
Detlef Barchanowitz 6-2 Marko Balzer
Ingo Vogt 6-2 Zeki Tatli
Tonci Restovic 6-3 Peter Trapp
Patrick Langbecker 6-1 Arno Merk
Jon Archer 6-4 Ronnie Volkenant

First Round
Simon Whitlock (1) 6-0 Lothar Freiberger
Peter Manley 6-4 Wayne Mardle
Steve Hine (32) 6-0 Karsten Koch
Steve Evans 6-4 Par Riihonen
Mark Dudbridge (16) 6-4 Lucio Rave
Arron Monk 6-4 Mick Todd
Alan Tabern (17) 6-1 Olaf Fiss
Peter Wright 6-1 Richard van Zijtveld
Ronnie Baxter (8) 6-5 Remco van Eijden
Magnus Caris 6-3 Andree Welge
Jelle Klaasen (25) 6-1 Armend Avdija
Tomas Seyler 6-2 Adrian Gray
Denis Ovens (9) 6-4 Marcel Ruiters
Raymond van Barneveld 6-0 Marko Kantele
Steve Brown (24) 6-2 Johnny Okken
Ian White 6-2 Dylan Duo
Mark Walsh (5) 6-0 Christian Kruger
William O’Connor 6-1 Devon Petersen
Paul Nicholson (28) 6-3 Michael Rasztovits
Adam Smith-Neale 6-4 Jyhan Artut
Wayne Jones (12) 6-2 Johann Honner
Shane O’Connor 6-4 Scott Rand
Terry Jenkins (21) 6-3 Boris Krcmar
Michael Rosenauer 6-3 Jan-Guldsten Hansen
Wes Newton (4) 6-1 Rocco Maes
Matt Padgett 6-2 Carlos Rodriguez
Dennis Smith (29) 6-1 Stefan Schaffer
Gary Welding 6-4 Dave Ladley
Mervyn King (13) 6-3 Patrick Bulen
Mark Hylton 6-2 Chris Thompson
Steve Beaton (20) 6-3 Mareno Michels
Kevin Munch 6-2 Andy Jenkins
Colin Lloyd (2) 6-4 Roland Kurok
Shaun Griffiths 6-3 Darren Johnson
Brendan Dolan (31) 6-1 Christian Kallinger
Kirk Shepherd 6-3 John Part
Kevin Painter (15) 6-1 Sladan Nedic
Per Laursen 6-4 Antonio Alcinas
Colin Osborne (18) 6-3 Simon Craven
Bernd Roith 6-4 Richard Timmermann
Vincent van der Voort (7) 6-1 Stefan Nilles
Dave Chisnall 6-2 Michael Smith
Justin Pipe (26) 6-3 Antonio Justicia
Kevin McDine 6-2 Nandor Bezzeg
Mark Webster (10) 6-4 Sebastijan Pecjak
Mensur Suljovic 6-2 Nick Fullwell
Gregor Gorjup 6-4 Richie Burnett (23)
Steve Maish 6-3 Martyn Turner
Jamie Caven (6) 6-2 Stefanie Luck
Steve Grubb 6-4 Roland Scholten
John Michael 6-2 Tony Eccles (27)
John Henderson 6-3 Dave Smith
Andy Hamilton (11) 6-4 Davyd Venken
Michael van Gerwen 6-4 Joe Cullen
Barrie Bates (22) 6-4 Maik Langendorf
Kim Huybrechts 6-5 Prakash Jiwa
Phil Taylor (3) 6-0 Detlef Barchanowitz
Wayne Atwood 6-4 Brian Woods
Nigel Heydon (30) 6-2 Ingo Vogt
Aodhagan O’Neill 6-0 Matthias Jacobi
Tonci Restovic 6-2 Co Stompe (14)
Robert Marijanovic 6-1 Albin Kulasic
Andy Smith (19) 6-0 Patrick Langbecker
Jon Archer 6-2 Rudiger Lohse

Second Round
Simon Whitlock 6-2 Peter Manley
Steve Evans 6-2 Steve Hine
Mark Dudbridge 6-5 Arron Monk
Alan Tabern 6-4 Peter Wright
Ronnie Baxter 6-5 Magnus Caris
Jelle Klaasen 6-5 Tomas Seyler
Raymond van Barneveld 6-3 Denis Ovens
Steve Brown 6-1 Ian White
William O’Connor 6-5 Mark Walsh
Adam Smith-Neale 6-2 Paul Nicholson
Shane O’Connor 6-5 Wayne Jones
Terry Jenkins 6-4 Michael Rosenauer
Wes Newton 6-3 Matt Padgett
Gary Welding 6-4 Dennis Smith
Mervyn King 6-5 Mark Hylton
Kevin Munch 6-5 Steve Beaton
Shaun Griffiths 6-4 Colin Lloyd
Kirk Shepherd 6-5 Brendan Dolan
Kevin Painter 6-2 Per Laursen
Colin Osborne 6-2 Bernd Roith
Vincent van der Voort 6-5 Dave Chisnall – Dave Chisnall hits nine-darter
Justin Pipe 6-3 Kevin McDine
Mark Webster 6-4 Mensur Suljovic
Steve Maish 6-0 Gregor Gorjup
Steve Grubb 6-5 Jamie Caven
John Henderson 6-5 John Michael
Andy Hamilton 6-2 Michael van Gerwen
Kim Huybrects 6-5 Barrie Bates
Phil Taylor 6-1 Wayne Atwood
Aodhagan O’Neill 6-4 Nigel Heydon
Tonci Restovic 6-4 Robert Marijanovic
Andy Smith 6-0 Jon Archer
Losers £200

Third Round
Simon Whitlock 6-3 Steve Evans
Alan Tabern 6-2 Mark Dudbridge
Jelle Klaasen 6-2 Ronnie Baxter
Raymond van Barneveld 6-2 Steve Brown
William O’Connor 6-3 Adam Smith-Neale
Terry Jenkins 6-4 Shane O’Connor
Gary Welding 6-3 Wes Newton
Mervyn King 6-3 Kevin Munch
Kirk Shepherd 6-4 Shaun Griffiths
Colin Osborne 6-3 Kevin Painter
Vincent van der Voort 6-3 Justin Pipe
Mark Webster 6-3 Steve Maish
John Henderson 6-2 Steve Grubb
Kim Huybrechts 6-3 Andy Hamilton
Phil Taylor 6-2 Aodhagan O’Neill
Andy Smith 6-2 Tonci Restovic
Losers £400

Fourth Round
Simon Whitlock 6-3 Alan Tabern
Raymond van Barneveld 6-3 Jelle Klaasen
William O’Connor 6-5 Terry Jenkins
Mervyn King 6-4 Gary Welding
Colin Osborne 6-3 Kirk Shepherd
Vincent van der Voort 6-4 Mark Webster
John Henderson 6-5 Kim Huybrechts
Andy Smith 6-4 Phil Taylor
Losers £600

Quarter-Finals
Simon Whitlock 6-1 Raymond van Barneveld
Mervyn King 6-1 William O’Connor
Vincent van der Voort 6-5 Colin Osborne
John Henderson 6-5 Andy Smith
Losers £1,000

Semi-Finals
Mervyn King 6-3 Simon Whitlock
Vincent van der Voort 6-4 John Henderson
Losers £2,000

Final
Mervyn King 6-1 Vincent van der Voort
Winner £6,000
Runner-Up £3,000

Match Information
Semi-Finals
Simon Whitlock 3-6 Mervyn King
1-0 – Whitlock finishes 102 to hold throw
1-1 – King checks out double 18 to level
2-1 – Whitlock hits a 180 and finishes 96 in two darts
2-2 – King replies with a 180 before levelling on double two
2-3 – King breaks for the first time in the game, hitting another maximum and double eight
2-4 – Double top puts King two legs clear
3-4 – Whitlock hits back with double 16, following his second 180 of the game earlier in the leg
3-5 – King finishes 100 to move a leg away from the win
3-6 – Whitlock misses the bullseye for a 116 finish and King checks out double six with his third dart for victory

Vincent van der Voort 6-4 John Henderson
1-0 – van der Voort breaks on double top, hitting the finish at the fifth time of asking following a missed double five, for a 95 finish, from Henderson
2-0 – The Dutchman lands double top again to extend his lead
2-1 – Henderson hits a 180 in an 11-darter to get off the mark, as he takes out 81 in two darts
2-2 – The Scot takes out 81 for the second successive leg as he levels
3-2 – van der Voort punishes three misses from Henderson with double ten to lead again
4-2 – van der Voort moves two clear with double four at the third time of asking
4-3 – Henderson finishes double ten for a third leg
5-3 – The Dutchman checks out 77 on double ten to move to the brink of victory
5-4 – Henderson keeps the game alive with double top
6-4 – Henderson hits another maximum but misses three darts at double 12 and van der Voort takes out 127 on double eight for a place in the final

Final
Mervyn King 6-1 Vincent van der Voort
1-0 – King takes out 101 for the first leg
2-0 – Double four sees King break throw to extend his lead
2-1 – van der Voort breaks back on double eight after hitting a 180
3-1 – King checks out 120 for another break
4-1 – van der Voort opens the fifth leg with a 180 but misses three darts at a double and King steps in on double eight
5-1 – King checks out a brilliant ten-dart finish, opening with back-to-back 180s, and hitting a 125 before landing double eight
6-1 – King pulls clear with two 140s and lands double four to take the win

Walsh had been defeated 6-3 in Saturday’s final by Taylor, but took home the £6,000 winner’s cheque a day later with a fine display at the Moorways Leisure Centre.

The win gives Hertfordshire ace his third PDC ProTour victory of 2010 – and also his third at the Derby venue, which is fast becoming a favourite for the world number ten.

Walsh defeated Arron Monk, Jelle Klaasen and Dave Ladley to reach the quarter-finals, where he whitewashed Kevin McDine.

Walsh then showed his battling qualities to come from 3-1 and 4-3 down to defeat Wayne Mardle 6-5, hitting a 13-dart finish in the deciding leg, with a 177 setting up double 12 for victory.

He continued that form against Taylor in the final, recovering from an early break from the world number one to win four successive legs in taking a 5-1 lead – hitting finishes of 140, 121 and 104 along the way.

Taylor landed double ten to win the seventh, and finishes of 124 and 68 with Walsh waiting on a double kept the game alive.

But Walsh, with the advantage of throw, was first to a finish in the next and, although he initially missed two match darts, landed double four to take victory.

“I’m absolutely over the moon,” said Walsh. “Derby’s a venue I seem to do well at for some reason and I’ve done it again, but it’s just brilliant to beat Phil in a final.

“I’ve had a really enjoyable weekend and I love the challenge of playing Phil, but overall I’m very pleased to be playing well again after losing a bit of form this summer.”

Taylor’s defeat means he was denied a weekend double at the Moorways Leisure Centre, but he will head to the Cash Converters World Cup of Darts on Friday in good form after claiming £9,000 prize money over the two days.

He defeated Louis Blundell and Dennis Smith in the opening two rounds, and a 6-4 win over Wes Newton was sandwiched between whitewashes of Terry Jenkins and Simon Whitlock as he powered into the final.

There was further drama during the final Players Championship of 2010, with players battling for qualifying places in both the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship and February’s Players Championship Finals.

Mardle’s run to the semis was his best performance in a ranking event since June 2009.

Having defeated Roland Scholten, Jamie Caven, Tony Eccles and Denis Ovens to reach the quarter-finals, he raised hopes of dramatically ousting Joe Cullen from the 16th qualifying place for Alexandra Palace.

He would have needed to go on and win the event to do so, and a win over Robert Thornton increased those chances, only for Walsh to deny him in the semis.

Mardle will now join Nick Fullwell and Dave Ladley in Monday’s PDPA Qualifier as players compete for the one remaining place in the World Championship in a knockout event in Derby.

Meanwhile, Eccles held on to 32nd place in the Players Championship Order of Merit to win a place in the Players Championship Finals ahead of Paul Nicholson – who won this year’s event but will miss out on the chance to defend his title in Doncaster after suffering a narrow defeat to Wes Newton in the last 32.

Players Championship 37
First Round
Simon Whitlock (1) Bye
Darren Johnson 6-2 Lionel Sams
Stephen Hardy 6-5 Steve Hine (32)
Aodhagan O’Neill 6-2 Andy Pearson
Kevin Painter (16) 6-1 Anton Liscsey
Chris Iedema 6-1 Andy Relf
Dennis Priestley (17) 6-2 Mark Tiller
Robert Alford 6-1 Jamie Atkins
Vincent van der Voort (8) 6-2 Gary Eastwood
Michael Barnard 6-0 Paul Williams
Steve Evans 6-5 Justin Pipe (25)
Peter Manley 6-4 Ian Lever
Adrian Lewis (9) 6-0 Steve Grubb
Ken MacNeil 6-1 Ryan Herrington
Mick McGowan 6-5 Steve Brown (24)
Nick Fullwell 6-0 Mareno Michels
Wes Newton (5) Bye
Tony Ayres 6-4 Chris White
Paul Nicholson (28) 6-3 Ken Dobson
John Part 6-3 Matt Padgett
Mark Webster (12) 6-2 Mark Jones
Dave Smith 6-3 Peter Hudson
Barrie Bates (21) 6-2 Bill Davis
Mark Frost 6-0 Jon Archer
Phil Taylor (4) Bye
Louis Blundell 6-1 Gary Blades
Dennis Smith (29) 6-3 Par Riihonen
Andy Jenkins 6-3 William O’Connor
Andy Hamilton (13) 6-3 Martyn Bevan
Darren Webster 6-4 Sam Allen
Terry Jenkins (20) 6-0 Steve Perkins
Ian White 6-1 Jim Leighton
Gary Anderson (2) Bye
Kevin McDine 6-1 Steven Pearson
Brendan Dolan (31) 6-4 Nigel Birch
Joe Cullen 6-4 Kevin Harris
Alex Roy 6-5 Alan Tabern (15)
Mark Stephenson 6-3 Mark Lawrence
Mark Dudbridge (18) 6-4 Martyn Turner
Peter Wright 6-4 Paul Rowley
Mark Walsh (7) Bye
Arron Monk 6-2 Michael van Gerwen
Jelle Klaasen (26) 6-2 Matt Clark
James Barton 6-1 Dean Allsopp
John MaGowan 6-4 Ronnie Baxter (10)
Michael Smith 6-4 Terry Temple
Chris Thompson 6-1 Richie Burnett (23)
Dave Ladley 6-1 Colin Monk
Jamie Caven (6) Bye
Wayne Mardle 6-5 Roland Scholten
Tony Eccles (27) 6-2 Andy Pearce
Ian Jopling 6-5 Jimmy Mann
Denis Ovens (11) 6-3 Adrian Gray
Mark Hylton 6-5 Andy Fulton
Steve Farmer (22) 6-4 Kevin Dowling
Wayne Atwood 6-1 Tom Martin
Colin Lloyd (3) Bye
Geoff Whitworth 6-1 Mike Roberts
Robert Thornton (30) 6-2 Brian Startin
Darren Latham 6-2 Phillip Hazel
Wayne Jones (14) 6-4 Mark Jodrill
Steve Maish 6-4 Scott Burnett
Steve Beaton (19) 6-0 Simon Burt
Kirk Shepherd 6-2 Norman Fletcher

Second Round
Simon Whitlock 6-2 Darren Johnson
Stephen Hardy 6-1 Aodhagan O’Neill
Kevin Painter 6-3 Chris Iedema
Dennis Priestley 6-4 Robert Alford
Vincent van der Voort 6-0 Michael Barnard
Steve Evans 6-5 Peter Manley
Adrian Lewis 6-1 Ken MacNeil
Nick Fullwell 6-4 Mick McGowan
Wes Newton 6-0 Tony Ayres
Paul Nicholson 6-5 John Part
Mark Webster 6-4 Dave Smith
Barrie Bates 6-5 Mark Frost
Phil Taylor 6-1 Louis Blundell
Dennis Smith 6-3 Andy Jenkins
Andy Hamilton 6-5 Darren Webster
Terry Jenkins 6-4 Ian White
Kevin McDine 6-5 Gary Anderson
Brendan Dolan 6-2 Joe Cullen
Mark Stephenson 6-5 Alex Roy
Mark Dudbridge 6-5 Peter Wright
Mark Walsh 6-4 Arron Monk
Jelle Klaasen 6-2 James Barton
Michael Smith 6-2 John MaGowan
Dave Ladley 6-5 Chris Thompson
Wayne Mardle 6-4 Jamie Caven
Tony Eccles 6-5 Ian Jopling
Denis Ovens 6-5 Mark Hylton
Wayne Atwood 6-4 Steve Farmer
Colin Lloyd 6-1 Geoff Whitworth
Robert Thornton 6-1 Darren Latham
Wayne Jones 6-2 Steve Maish
Steve Beaton 6-1 Kirk Shepherd
Losers £200

Third Round
Simon Whitlock 6-3 Stephen Hardy
Dennis Priestley 6-1 Kevin Painter
Vincent van der Voort 6-2 Steve Evans
Nick Fullwell 6-0 Adrian Lewis
Wes Newton 6-4 Paul Nicholson
Mark Webster 6-2 Barrie Bates
Phil Taylor 6-2 Dennis Smith
Terry Jenkins 6-4 Andy Hamilton
Kevin McDine 6-1 Brendan Dolan
Mark Dudbridge 6-1 Mark Stephenson
Mark Walsh 6-4 Jelle Klaasen
Dave Ladley 6-3 Michael Smith
Wayne Mardle 6-3 Tony Eccles
Denis Ovens 6-1 Wayne Atwood
Robert Thornton 6-5 Colin Lloyd
Steve Beaton 6-3 Wayne Jones
Losers £300

Fourth Round
Simon Whitlock 6-1 Dennis Priestley
Vincent van der Voort 6-5 Nick Fullwell
Wes Newton 6-2 Mark Webster
Phil Taylor 6-0 Terry Jenkins
Kevin McDine 6-3 Mark Dudbridge
Mark Walsh 6-5 Dave Ladley
Wayne Mardle 6-2 Denis Ovens
Robert Thornton 6-5 Steve Beaton
Losers £500

Quarter-Finals
Simon Whitlock 6-1 Vincent van der Voort
Phil Taylor 6-4 Wes Newton
Mark Walsh 6-0 Kevin McDine
Wayne Mardle 6-4 Robert Thornton
Losers £1,000

Semi-Finals
Phil Taylor 6-0 Simon Whitlock
Mark Walsh 6-5 Wayne Mardle
Losers £1,500

Final
Mark Walsh 6-4 Phil Taylor
Winner £6,000
Runner-Up £3,000

The Fleetwood ace had qualified for the Daily Mirror Grand Slam of Darts in Friday’s ITV Wildcard Qualifier before winning his third ranking title in Saturday’s Players Championship.

That was followed with another victory in Sunday’s £31,600 event, as Newton joined the elite band of players to complete a PDC ProTour weekend double – with only Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis, Robert Thornton and Mervyn King having picked up back-to-back wins previously.

The 33-year-old defeated Ron Atwill, Steve Grubb and Chris Iedema in his first three games before picking up wins over Wayne Jones and Colin Osborne in progressing to the semis.

He then overcame Blackpool rival Ronnie Baxter 6-3 in the last four to set up a final against in-form Webster, who was brushed aside 6-1.

Although Webster hit a 180 in the final’s opening leg, two missed doubles allowed Newton back on double ten to lead before a 14-darter from the Fleetwood ace saw him break for a 2-0 lead.

Newton hit a 180 in taking the third before seven misses from Webster allowed him to take a 4-0 lead, which was further extended courtesy of an 81 bullseye finish.

Webster hit double top to get off the mark in the next, with Newton waiting on 32 having earlier hit a maximum, but a fourth 180 of the game pushed him clear before a 101 finish, for a 12-dart leg, secured the win.

“I’m happy, amazed and delighted,” said Newton, who now moves up to a career-high 16th in the PDC Order of Merit. “It’s the best weekend of my career and one I’ll never forget.

“I don’t think I played my best darts on Sunday and a few players missed doubles against me, but I was in the right place to take advantage and I did that.

“It has been very tiring, more mentally than physically, to play three events but doing so well makes it all worthwhile. Not many players have won two events in a weekend so it’s an honour to do that – in fact I class winning through to the Grand Slam on Friday night as a victory too so it’s a treble for me!”

Webster’s run to the final followed a semi-final appearance in Saturday’s Players Championship and comes only a fortnight after he had claimed his maiden PDC title in Germany.

The Welshman included Andy Smith, Paul Nicholson and Dennis Priestley amongst his victims in reaching the final, while he capitalised in a deciding leg of his semi-final with Mark Walsh after the Hertfordshire man missed the bull for a 121 game shot.

Baxter enjoyed a run to the semi-finals, while local favourite Priestley, Scotland’s Gary Anderson, Derby’s Colin Osborne and Holland’s Co Stompe reached the last eight.

Germany’s Michael Rosenauer and Ireland’s William O’Connor progressed to the last 16 to continue their challenge for qualifying places for the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship, with just two Players Championships remaining in Derby later this month before the field is confirmed for the £1 million event.

Mark Dudbridge hit his first competitive nine-dart finish during a 6-2 defeat to Wayne Jones in the last 32, earning him a £3,600 bonus.

Players Championship 35
First Round
Colin Lloyd (1) Bye
Michael Rosenauer 6-0 Ian McFarlane
Justin Pipe (32) 6-0 Mark Lawrence
Jimmy Mann 6-2 Lionel Sams
Co Stompe (16) 6-0 Peter Hudson
Simon Burt 6-3 Steve Cupitt
Alan Tabern (17) 6-2 Nigel Heydon
Tony Blundell 6-3 Andy Fordham
James Wade (8) 6-1 Paul Williams
William O’Connor 6-1 Andy Hutchings
Richie Burnett (25) 6-3 Steve Evans
Mark Frost 6-3 Dave Ahmet
Ronnie Baxter (9) 6-1 Andy Relf
Steve Hine 6-5 Dennis Smith
Terry Jenkins (24) 6-3 Mark Tiller
Mareno Michels 6-0 Steve Randall
Vincent van der Voort (5) 6-5 Ian Jopling
Dave Smith 6-0 Darren Weaver
Steve Brown (28) 6-2 Geoff Whitworth
Gary Blades 6-4 Colin Monk
Colin Osborne (12) 6-2 Nigel Birch
Dean Allsopp 6-5 Anastasia Dobromyslova
Steve Beaton (21) 6-3 Nick Fullwell
Ken MacNeil 6-1 Andy Pearce
Wes Newton (4) 6-2 Ron Atwill
Steve Grubb 6-1 Tony Ayres
Tony Eccles (29) 6-2 Gary Welding
Chris Iedema 6-2 Jon Archer
Wayne Jones (13) 6-4 Matt Padgett
Alex Roy 6-1 Adrian Gray
Mark Dudbridge (20) 6-3 Steve Musson
Brendan Dolan 6-5 John Part
Gary Anderson (2) Bye
Terry Temple 6-3 Stephen Hardy
Michael van Gerwen (31) 6-2 Steven Pearson
Peter Wright 6-1 Norman Fletcher
Mervyn King (15) 6-2 Darren Johnson
Michael Barnard 6-3 Gary Eastwood
Kevin Painter (18) 6-4 Dave Honey
Martyn Turner 6-2 Martyn Bevan
Mark Walsh (7) 6-0 Jimi Parr
Andy Jenkins 6-3 Mark Jones
Steve Farmer (26) 6-0 Mick McGowan
Jamie Atkins 6-4 Sam Allen
Andy Hamilton (10) 6-5 Matt Clark
Peter Manley 6-3 Mark Hylton
Steve Maish 6-3 Barrie Bates (23)
Ian White 6-3 Ken Dobson
Adrian Lewis (6) 6-4 Roland Scholten
Kevin Dowling 6-3 Steve Perkins
Joe Cullen 6-2 Jelle Klaasen (27)
Ryan Herrington 6-4 Danny Pinhorne
Denis Ovens (11) 6-5 Scott Rand
Paul Rowley 6-5 Kirk Shepherd
Dennis Priestley (22) 6-3 Aodhagan O’Neill
Robert Thornton 6-1 Michael Smith
Jamie Caven (3) 6-4 Louis Blundell
Stuart Dutton 6-1 Andy Callaby
Paul Nicholson (30) 6-3 Kevin McDine
Mark Jodrill 6-3 Dave Ladley
Mark Webster (14) 6-0 Robbie Newland
Chris Thompson 6-4 Anton Liscsey
Andy Smith (19) 6-3 Denis McCarthy
Wayne Atwood 6-2 Dylan Duo

Second Round
Michael Rosenauer 6-5 Colin Lloyd
Jimmy Mann 6-3 Justin Pipe
Co Stompe 6-2 Simon Burt
Alan Tabern 6-0 Tony Blundell
William O’Connor 6-2 James Wade
Richie Burnett 6-1 Mark Frost
Ronnie Baxter 6-1 Steve Hine
Mareno Michels 6-4 Terry Jenkins
Dave Smith 6-5 Vincent van der Voort
Steve Brown 6-5 Gary Blades
Colin Osborne 6-3 Dean Allsopp
Ken MacNeil 6-5 Steve Beaton
Wes Newton 6-1 Steve Grubb
Chris Iedema 6-5 Tony Eccles
Wayne Jones 6-3 Alex Roy
Mark Dudbridge 6-3 Brendan Dolan
Gary Anderson 6-4 Terry Temple
Peter Wright 6-1 Michael van Gerwen
Mervyn King 6-5 Michael Barnard
Kevin Painter 6-1 Martyn Turner
Mark Walsh 6-4 Andy Jenkins
Jamie Atkins 6-5 Steve Farmer
Andy Hamilton 6-4 Peter Manley
Steve Maish 6-5 Ian White
Adrian Lewis 6-5 Kevin Dowling
Joe Cullen 6-1 Ryan Herrington
Denis Ovens 6-3 Paul Rowley
Dennis Priestley 6-2 Robert Thornton
Jamie Caven 6-3 Stuart Dutton
Paul Nicholson 6-0 Mark Jodrill
Mark Webster 6-4 Chris Thompson
Andy Smith 6-3 Wayne Atwood
Losers £200

Third Round
Michael Rosenauer 6-4 Jimmy Mann
Co Stompe 6-0 Alan Tabern
William O’Connor 6-3 Richie Burnett
Ronnie Baxter 6-4 Mareno Michels
Steve Brown 6-3 Dave Smith
Colin Osborne 6-2 Ken MacNeil
Wes Newton 6-3 Chris Iedema
Wayne Jones 6-2 Mark Dudbridge – Mark Dudbridge hits nine-dart finish
Gary Anderson 6-2 Peter Wright
Mervyn King 6-3 Kevin Painter
Mark Walsh 6-0 Jamie Atkins
Andy Hamilton 6-4 Steve Maish
Adrian Lewis 6-4 Joe Cullen
Dennis Priestley 6-3 Denis Ovens
Paul Nicholson 6-1 Jamie Caven
Mark Webster 6-5 Andy Smith
Losers £300

Fourth Round
Co Stompe 6-3 Michael Rosenauer
Ronnie Baxter 6-2 William O’Connor
Colin Osborne 6-4 Steve Brown
Wes Newton 6-4 Wayne Jones
Gary Anderson 6-2 Mervyn King
Mark Walsh 6-3 Andy Hamilton
Dennis Priestley 6-5 Adrian Lewis
Mark Webster 6-2 Paul Nicholson
Losers £500

Quarter-Finals
Ronnie Baxter 6-4 Co Stompe
Wes Newton 6-4 Colin Osborne
Mark Walsh 6-2 Gary Anderson
Mark Webster 6-1 Dennis Priestley
Losers £1,000

Semi-Finals
Wes Newton 6-3 Ronnie Baxter
Mark Webster 6-5 Mark Walsh
Losers £1,500

Final
Wes Newton 6-1 Mark Webster
Winner £6,000
Runner-Up £3,000

The Fleetwood ace’s dream weekend continued at the Barnsley Metrodome, as he followed up qualifying for the Daily Mirror Grand Slam of Darts by taking the £6,000 PDC ProTour title.

Newton began the day in ominous form with a whitewash win over Andy Hutchings, and also defeated Matt Padgett and Arron Monk before edging out Robert Thornton 6-5.

He then overcame Kevin Painter and Steve Beaton to book his place in the final, where he came from 2-1 down to lead 5-2 against Lloyd.

Although the Essex man won the eighth leg to threaten a comeback, Newton pulled clear in the ninth before securing victory with double 16.

The win follows Newton’s Players Championship win in April in Wigan, as he prepares to challenge in the Grand Slam of Darts, which begins next Saturday in Wolverhampton.

Newton’s win denied Lloyd a fifth PDC ProTour win of the year, as the Essex man claimed £3,000 prize money for his day’s work.

Lloyd was made to work hard to reach the final, defeating world number two James Wade as well as Michael van Gerwen, Mervyn King and Mark Webster in the latter stages.

Webster followed up his recent victory in a Players Championship in Germany by reaching the semi-finals, alongside Steve Beaton.

Terry Jenkins, Kevin Painter, Wade and Martyn Turner won through to the quarter-finals to take home £1,000 prize money.

York left-hander Turner began the day with a 6-4 win over world number five Adrian Lewis before edging out both Jelle Klaasen and Dennis Priestley in a deciding leg to progress to the last eight.

Players Championship 34
Preliminary Round
Mark Jones 6-4 Steven Pearson
Wayne Atwood 6-4 Gary Blades
Robert Thornton 6-2 Andy Pearce
Gary Eastwood 6-4 Andy Pearson
Mark Tiller 6-1 Jimi Parr
Steve Musson 6-1 Ken Dobson
Nigel Heydon 6-3 Ken MacNeil

First Round
Gary Anderson (1) 6-1 Tony Blundell
Anastasia Dobromyslova 6-5 Michael Smith
Justin Pipe (32) 6-1 Colin Monk
Andy Relf 6-1 Dylan Duo
Andy Smith (16) 6-3 Mark Cox
Terry Temple 6-2 Steve Hine
Steve Beaton (17) 6-3 Kevin Dowling
Scott Rand 6-1 Mark Jones
Ronnie Baxter (8) 6-1 Ian Lever
Mark Jodrill 6-1 Andy Callaby
Steve Brown (25) 6-1 Dave Ahmet
Louis Blundell 6-2 Chris Daglish
Peter Hudson 6-4 Denis Ovens (9)
Michael Rosenauer 6-3 Darren Latham
Terry Jenkins (24) Bye (Matt Clark timed out)
Lionel Sams 6-5 Martyn Bevan
Vincent van der Voort (5) 6-3 Nick Fullwell
Aodhagan O’Neill 6-4 Mark Lawrence
Darren Johnson 6-3 Steve Farmer (28)
Andy Jenkins 6-5 Andy Fordham
Colin Osborne (12) 6-4 Adrian Gray
Dennis Smith 6-4 Sam Allen
Kevin Painter (21) 6-1 Peter Wright
Wayne Atwood 6-1 Ron Atwill
Wes Newton (4) 6-0 Andy Hutchings
Matt Padgett 6-1 Jon Archer
Kirk Shepherd 6-3 Tony Eccles (29)
Arron Monk 6-4 Steve Grubb
Wayne Jones (13) 6-1 Mick McGowan
Joe Cullen 6-1 Anton Liscsey
Mark Dudbridge (20) 6-1 Steve Cupitt
Robert Thornton 6-5 Jamie Atkins
Colin Lloyd (2) 6-2 Dave Ladley
Mareno Michels 6-4 Ian McFarlane
Michael van Gerwen (31) 6-2 Simon Burt
John MaGowan 6-2 Mark Stephenson
Mervyn King (15) 6-1 Gary Welding
William O’Connor 6-2 Geoff Whitworth
Co Stompe (18) 6-3 Mark Frost
Gary Eastwood 6-1 Sean White
Mark Walsh (7) 6-2 Paul Williams
Chris Iedema 6-0 Norman Fletcher
Roland Scholten 6-5 Richie Burnett (26)
Dave Honey 6-2 Steve Perkins
James Wade (10) 6-1 Danny Pinhorne
Ian White 6-1 Denis McCarthy
Brendan Dolan 6-5 Barrie Bates (23)
Tony Ayres 6-5 Mark Tiller
Martyn Turner 6-4 Adrian Lewis (6)
Ian Jopling 6-5 Chris Thompson
Jelle Klaasen (27) 6-2 Jimmy Mann
Steve Maish 6-2 Robbie Newland
Andy Hamilton (11) 6-1 Darren Weaver
Dave Smith 6-1 Dean Allsopp
Dennis Priestley (22) 6-0 Robert Alford
Steve Musson 6-5 Nigel Birch
Jamie Caven (3) 6-4 Alex Roy
Stephen Hardy 6-5 Stuart Dutton
Paul Nicholson (30) 6-4 Steve Evans
Paul Rowley 6-0 Steve Randall
Mark Webster (14) 6-5 Michael Barnard
Kevin McDine 6-1 Peter Manley
Alan Tabern (19) 6-4 John Part
Nigel Heydon 6-1 Mark Hylton

Second Round
Gary Anderson 6-0 Anastasia Dobromyslova
Justin Pipe 6-2 Andy Relf
Terry Temple 6-2 Andy Smith
Steve Beaton 6-5 Scott Rand
Ronnie Baxter 6-3 Mark Jodrill
Steve Brown 6-2 Louis Blundell
Michael Rosenauer 6-5 Peter Hudson
Terry Jenkins 6-5 Lionel Sams
Vincent van der Voort 6-5 Aodhagan O’Neill
Darren Johnson 6-5 Andy Jenkins
Colin Osborne 6-2 Dennis Smith
Kevin Painter 6-4 Wayne Atwood
Wes Newton 6-3 Matt Padgett
Arron Monk 6-4 Kirk Shepherd
Joe Cullen 6-5 Wayne Jones
Robert Thornton 6-3 Mark Dudbridge
Colin Lloyd 6-0 Mareno Michels
Michael van Gerwen 6-1 John MaGowan
Mervyn King 6-5 William O’Connor
Gary Eastwood 6-5 Co Stompe
Mark Walsh 6-0 Chris Iedema
Roland Scholten 6-3 Dave Honey
James Wade 6-4 Ian White
Brendan Dolan 6-3 Tony Ayres
Martyn Turner 6-4 Ian Jopling
Jelle Klaasen 6-3 Steve Maish
Dave Smith 6-3 Andy Hamilton
Dennis Priestley 6-2 Steve Musson
Jamie Caven 6-0 Stephen Hardy
Paul Nicholson 6-4 Paul Rowley
Mark Webster 6-2 Kevin McDine
Nigel Heydon 6-0 Alan Tabern
Losers £200

Third Round
Justin Pipe 6-5 Gary Anderson
Steve Beaton 6-0 Terry Temple
Ronnie Baxter 6-5 Steve Brown
Terry Jenkins 6-4 Michael Rosenauer
Vincent van der Voort 6-4 Darren Johnson
Kevin Painter 6-1 Colin Osborne
Wes Newton 6-1 Arron Monk
Robert Thornton 6-1 Joe Cullen
Colin Lloyd 6-2 Michael van Gerwen
Mervyn King 6-2 Gary Eastwood
Mark Walsh 6-5 Roland Scholten
James Wade 6-4 Brendan Dolan
Martyn Turner 6-5 Jelle Klaasen
Dennis Priestley 6-1 Dave Smith
Jamie Caven 6-2 Paul Nicholson
Mark Webster 6-5 Nigel Heydon
Losers £300

Fourth Round
Steve Beaton 6-3 Justin Pipe
Terry Jenkins 6-1 Ronnie Baxter
Kevin Painter 6-1 Vincent van der Voort
Wes Newton 6-5 Robert Thornton
Colin Lloyd 6-4 Mervyn King
James Wade 6-4 Mark Walsh
Martyn Turner 6-5 Dennis Priestley
Mark Webster 6-5 Jamie Caven
Losers £500

Quarter-Finals
Steve Beaton 6-1 Terry Jenkins
Wes Newton 6-3 Kevin Painter
Colin Lloyd 6-3 James Wade
Mark Webster 6-3 Martyn Turner
Losers £1,000

Semi-Finals
Wes Newton 6-1 Steve Beaton
Colin Lloyd 6-3 Mark Webster
Losers £1,500

Final
Wes Newton 6-3 Colin Lloyd
Winner £6,000
Runner-Up £3,000

The Australian continued his remarkable run of success on the PDC ProTour with the triumph, as Burnett suffered defeat in the final for a second successive day.

Whitlock moves up to fourth in the PDC Order of Merit following the victory, which he sealed in brilliant fashion with a 160 finish to cruelly deny Burnett.

Burnett held the early edge in the final, leading 2-1 after taking the first break of throw before Whitlock levelled with a 116 finish for a 12-darter and took out tops to lead.

Burnett finished 123 on the bull to win the sixth and also levelled at four-all with a 12-darter in the eighth, featuring a 180 and an 81 finish.

He looked set to edge in front in the ninth when three tons and a 140 left him 61, but he hit the bull when aiming for 25 before then missing double four, with Whitlock clinically finishing 92 on double eight for a 5-4 cushion.

Burnett then hit the bull again when aiming for 25 in the next when on a 121 finish, hitting treble 20 and then the bull when a 25 score would have left double 18.

Again there was to be no mercy as the Australian powered home a 160 checkout to take the win and the £6,000 first prize.

Whitlock had also produced similar moments of brilliance during the day, notably including finishes of 121, 130 and 97 in his semi-final win over Ronnie Baxter.

He rode his luck when Nigel Heydon missed darts to defeat him during their tight last 32 battle, while Whitlock also overcame Tony Randell, Vladimir Andersen, Steve Beaton and Mark Walsh on the day, before avenging Saturday’s semi-final loss to Burnett to claim glory.

Burnett’s display earned him a further £3,000 to complete his successful week, as he followed last weekend’s semi-final in Killarney with two finals in Bad Nauheim.

He won a thrilling semi-final with Gary Anderson 6-4, taking a 4-1 lead before the Scot levelled, only for Burnett to punish misses from his opponent in the ninth and seal victory with a 13-darter.

He had edged out Andy Jenkins 6-5 in the last eight, and also gained revenge over Mark Webster for his defeat in Saturday’s all-Welsh final as well as defeating Colin Lloyd.

Anderson’s semi-final appearance followed up his quarter-final run on Saturday, while Mark Walsh was a loser to Whitlock in the last eight for a second successive day.

Jenkins’ run to quarter-finals was his best display of the year, and included wins over Vincent van der Voort and Colin Osborne as he claimed a £1,000 prize which boosts his hopes of qualifying for the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship.

German Darts Trophy Players Championship (Sunday)
Preliminary Round
Peter Hochhauser 6-1 Gabriela Gobel

First Round
Simon Whitlock (1) 6-3 Tony Randell
Vladimir Andersen 6-3 Martino Tagliapietra
Nigel Heydon (32) 6-1 Mario Masurka
Steve Evans 6-1 Olaf Tupuschis
Steve Beaton (16) 6-5 Tony Ayres
Aodhagan O’Neill 6-0 Markus Tillmann
Alan Tabern (17) 6-5 Adrian Gray
Braulio Roncero 6-1 Peter Hochhauser
Mark Walsh (8) 6-1 Andre Michel
Andy Relf 6-2 Frank Liebeton
Paul Nicholson (25) 6-0 Daniel Hubner
Ian McFarlane 6-5 Anna Stephinger
Andy Hamilton (9) 6-2 Helmut Bergold
Kirk Shepherd 6-2 Willem Kralt
Steve Farmer (24) 6-0 Sabrina Sporle
Mensur Suljovic 6-1 Arron Monk
Wes Newton (5) 6-3 Marko Jovanovich
Chris Iedema 6-1 Thomas Schmidt
Justin Pipe (28) 6-0 Bernhard Pfeuffer
Steve Maish 6-0 Teddy Trenti
Ronnie Baxter (12) 6-1 Benjamin Freudenreich
Michael Peters 6-2 Maurizio Monterubbianesi
Steve Hine 6-3 Terry Jenkins (21)
Dylan Duo 6-4 Chris Thompson
Jamie Caven (4) 6-3 Ian White
Sebastijan Pecjak 6-4 Steve Grubb
Dennis Smith (29) 6-1 Milos Bedy
Nick Fullwell 6-0 Romano Ruggeri
Wayne Jones (13) 6-0 Peter Trapp
Colin Monk 6-0 Mirko Wunder
Barrie Bates (20) 6-2 Kevin Munch
Wayne Atwood 6-1 Hermie van Orsouw
Gary Anderson (2) 6-3 Antonio Alcinas
Scott Rand 6-4 Joe Cullen
Peter Wright (31) 6-0 Carlos Garbayo Martinez
Bernd Roith 6-5 Dave Ladley
Andy Smith (15) 6-2 Michael Kiebel
John MaGowan 6-0 Stefanie Luck
Co Stompe (18) 6-5 Alex Roy
Jon Archer 6-1 Jochen Graudenz
Adrian Lewis (7) 6-0 Bjorn Pfalzgraf
Johnny Okken 6-0 Sascha Ruloffs
Tony Eccles (26) 6-2 Anastasia Dobromyslova
Maik Langendorf 6-4 Darren Johnson
Denis Ovens (10) 6-0 Stefan Lammer
Michael Rosenauer 6-3 Mick McGowan
Jelle Klaasen (23) 6-3 Mareno Michels
Mark Hylton 6-4 Paul Williams
Vincent van der Voort (6) 6-0 Arno Merk
Andy Jenkins 6-3 Gregor Gorjup
Kevin McDine 6-4 Michael van Gerwen (27)
Andree Welge 6-1 Tony Blundell
Colin Osborne (11) 6-1 Andre Kobel
Marko Puls 6-0 Carlos Rodriguez
Brendan Dolan (22) 6-1 Peter Martin
Benito van der Pas 6-2 Patrick Langbecker
Colin Lloyd (3) 6-4 Matt Clark
Louis Blundell 6-2 Hans-Peter Benseler
Richie Burnett (30) 6-0 Tomas Seyler
Kim Huybrechts 6-1 Lars Erkelenz
Mark Webster (14) 6-0 Dieter Probach
Sladan Nedic 6-0 Karsten Kornath
Kevin Painter (19) 6-0 Peter van der Broek
Roland Scholten 6-5 Par Riihonen

Second Round
Simon Whitlock 6-2 Vladimir Andersen
Nigel Heydon 6-4 Steve Evans
Steve Beaton 6-3 Aodhagan O’Neill
Braulio Roncero 6-1 Alan Tabern
Mark Walsh 6-4 Andy Relf
Paul Nicholson 6-3 Ian McFarlane
Andy Hamilton 6-3 Kirk Shepherd
Steve Farmer 6-3 Mensur Suljovic
Wes Newton 6-2 Chris Iedema
Justin Pipe 6-2 Steve Maish
Ronnie Baxter 6-0 Michael Peters
Steve Hine 6-1 Dylan Duo
Jamie Caven 6-0 Sebastijan Pecjak
Dennis Smith 6-3 Nick Fullwell
Wayne Jones 6-1 Colin Monk
Wayne Atwood 6-2 Barrie Bates
Gary Anderson 6-1 Scott Rand
Bernd Roith 6-2 Peter Wright
Andy Smith 6-2 John MaGowan
Co Stompe 6-1 Jon Archer
Johnny Okken 6-4 Adrian Lewis
Tony Eccles 6-5 Maik Langendorf
Denis Ovens 6-3 Michael Rosenauer
Jelle Klaasen 6-0 Mark Hylton
Andy Jenkins 6-3 Vincent van der Voort
Kevin McDine 6-4 Andree Welge
Colin Osborne 6-4 Marko Puls
Benito van der Pas 6-4 Brendan Dolan
Colin Lloyd 6-0 Louis Blundell
Richie Burnett 6-3 Kim Huybrechts
Mark Webster 6-2 Sladan Nedic
Roland Scholten 6-2 Kevin Painter
Losers £200

Third Round
Simon Whitlock 6-5 Nigel Heydon
Steve Beaton 6-3 Braulio Roncero
Mark Walsh 6-2 Paul Nicholson
Steve Farmer 6-1 Andy Hamilton
Wes Newton 6-3 Justin Pipe
Ronnie Baxter 6-1 Steve Hine
Jamie Caven 6-2 Dennis Smith
Wayne Jones 6-2 Wayne Atwood
Gary Anderson 6-1 Bernd Roith
Co Stompe 6-2 Andy Smith
Tony Eccles 6-0 Johnny Okken
Jelle Klaasen 6-3 Denis Ovens
Andy Jenkins 6-3 Kevin McDine
Colin Osborne 6-5 Benito van der Pas
Richie Burnett 6-1 Colin Lloyd
Mark Webster 6-4 Roland Scholten
Losers £300

Fourth Round
Simon Whitlock 6-4 Steve Beaton
Mark Walsh 6-2 Steve Farmer
Ronnie Baxter 6-1 Wes Newton
Jamie Caven 6-0 Wayne Jones
Gary Anderson 6-2 Co Stompe
Tony Eccles 6-5 Jelle Klaasen
Andy Jenkins 6-5 Colin Osborne
Richie Burnett 6-3 Mark Webster
Losers £500

Quarter-Finals
Simon Whitlock 6-3 Mark Walsh
Ronnie Baxter 6-3 Jamie Caven
Gary Anderson 6-4 Tony Eccles
Richie Burnett 6-5 Andy Jenkins
Losers £1,000

Semi-Finals
Simon Whitlock 6-3 Ronnie Baxter
Richie Burnett 6-4 Gary Anderson
Losers £1,500

Final
Simon Whitlock 6-4 Richie Burnett
Winner £6,000
Runner-Up £3,000

The left-hander won his first event since joining the PDC in early 2009 with the triumph at the Dolce Bad Nauheim in a battle between two former World Champions.

Having defeated Aodhagan O’Neill, Wim Mink and Denis Ovens in the early rounds, Webster came from 3-0 down to see off Vincent van der Voort 6-5 and reach the quarter-finals.

He repeated that scoreline against Dennis Smith in the last eight and also in the semis, where Germany’s Andree Welge led 5-3 but failed to close out victory.

Webster found himself behind again in the final, as rejuvanated Burnett led 3-1 and 4-2 only to see Webster reel off four straight legs to claim the title.

Burnett’s run saw him reach his first PDC ranking final since 2002 and follows a semi-final appearance in the John McEvoy Gold Dart Classic Players Championship last Sunday.

His victories on the day included narrow wins over Jamie Caven and Colin Osborne as well as a comeback defeat of Justin Pipe before he saw off Simon Whitlock 6-2 in the semi-finals.

Burnett took out finishes of 141, 91, 83 and 81 during the game, as he pulled from two-all to win four successive legs in denying the Australian.

Whitlock had hit two 164 finishes in his quarter-final win against Mark Walsh, having earlier come back from 5-2 down to punish Johnny Okken in the last 32.

Welge’s run to the semis saw him defeat Adrian Lewis, Andy Hamilton and Gary Anderson as he emulated the success of Michael Rosenauer, who had been Germany’s only previous Players Championship semi-finalist two years ago in Las Vegas.

Dennis Smith, who was the runner-up in last Sunday’s Players Championship in Killarney, continued his run of form by reaching the quarter-finals in Bad Nauheim before losing to Webster.

Play in Germany continues with a second £31,600 Players Championship on Sunday.

German Darts Trophy Players Championship (Saturday)
Preliminary Round
Helmut Bergold 6-0 Bjorn Pfalzgraf 
Marko Jovanivic 6-0 Gabriela Gobel
Arno Merk 6-0 Andre Michel
Stefan Lammer 6-4 Benjamin Freudenreich
Michael Kiebel 6-5 Peter Hochhauser
Peter Trapp 6-2 Andre Kosel
Markus Riether 6-4 Gerhard Kramer

First Round
Simon Whitlock (1) 6-0 Harald Trenz
Louis Blundell 6-3 Roland Scholten
Nigel Heydon (32) 6-1 Albin Kulasic
Johnny Okken 6-0 Teddy Trenti
Andy Smith (16) 6-1 Martino Tagliapietra
Joe Cullen 6-2 Sladan Nedic
Alan Tabern (17) 6-0 Markus Tillmann
Braulio Roncero 6-1 Helmut Bergold
Mark Walsh (8) 6-1 Lars Erkelenz
Sebastijan Pecjak 6-4 Stefanie Luck
Steve Farmer (25) 6-2 Kevin McDine
Anna Stephinger 6-1 Michael Peters
Steve Beaton (9) 6-2 Carlos Rodriguez
Willem Kralt 6-4 Tomas Seyler
Jelle Klaasen (24) 6-3 Ian McFarlane
Gregor Gorjup 6-2 Franz Wuehrer 
Wes Newton (5) 6-4 Andy Jenkins
Arron Monk 6-2 Dylan Duo
Dave Ladley 6-1 Michael van Gerwen (28)
Adrian Gray 6-2 Mark Hylton 
Colin Osborne (12) 6-3 Tony Randell
Peter Martin 6-0 Frank Liebeton
Terry Jenkins (21) 6-0 Jon Archer
Marko Jovanivic 6-2 Thorsten Alver 
Jamie Caven (4) 6-0 Daniel Hubner
Richie Burnett 6-0 Peter van der Broek
Justin Pipe (29) 6-3 Steve Maish
Sabrina Sporle 6-4 Milos Bedy 
Wayne Jones (13) 6-2 Kevin Munch
Ian White 6-2 Tony Blundell 
Steve Hine 6-1 Barrie Bates (20) 
Kim Huybrechts 6-2 Arno Merk
Gary Anderson (2) 6-1 Anastasia Dobromyslova
Bernd Roith 6-0 Hans-Peter Benseler 
Peter Wright (31) 6-1 Frank Eisentrager
Marko Puls Bye (Mario Masurka disqualified)
Mervyn King (15) 6-1 Mick McGowan
Mirko Wunder 6-4 Muzaffer Celik 
Co Stompe (18) 6-1 Tony Ayres 
Michael Rosenauer 6-0 Stefan Lammer
Adrian Lewis (7) 6-0 Harald Schiffl
Andree Welge 6-1 Par Riihonen
Matt Clark 6-5 Paul Nicholson (26) 
Darren Johnson 6-5 Chris Thompson
Andy Hamilton (10) 6-1 Paul Williams
Alex Roy 6-2 Antonio Alcinas
Brendan Dolan (23) 6-5 Colin Monk
Michael Kiebel 6-1 Jochen Graudenz 
Vincent van der Voort (6) 6-3 Chris Iedema
Scott Rand 6-5 Maik Langendorf
Tony Eccles (27) 6-2 Maurizio Monterubbianesi
Kirk Shepherd 6-0 Michael Hartl
Denis Ovens (11) 6-1 Hermie van Orsouw
Nick Fullwell 6-0 Olaf Tupuschis
Mark Webster (22) 6-4 Aodhagan O’Neill
Wim Mink 6-4 Peter Trapp
Colin Lloyd (3) 6-0 Romano Ruggeri
John MaGowan 6-2 Steve Grubb 
Dennis Smith (30) 6-2 Mareno Michels
Steve Evans 6-0 Andy Relf
Ronnie Baxter (14) 6-4 Wayne Atwood
Mensur Suljovic 6-1 Carlos Garbayo Martinez
Kevin Painter (19) 6-0 Rene Hellmich
Karsten Kornath 6-2 Markus Riether

Second Round
Simon Whitlock 6-3 Louis Blundell
Johnny Okken 6-2 Nigel Heydon
Andy Smith 6-1 Joe Cullen
Alan Tabern 6-4 Braulio Roncero
Mark Walsh 6-4 Sebastijan Pecjak
Steve Farmer 6-0 Anna Stephinger
Steve Beaton 6-2 Willem Kralt
Jelle Klaasen 6-3 Gregor Gorjup
Wes Newton 6-5 Arron Monk
Adrian Gray 6-4 Dave Ladley 
Colin Osborne 6-4 Peter Martin
Terry Jenkins 6-3 Marko Jovanivic
Richie Burnett 6-5 Jamie Caven 
Justin Pipe 6-0 Sabrina Sporle
Wayne Jones 6-5 Ian White
Steve Hine 6-2 Kim Huybrechts
Gary Anderson 6-0 Bernd Roith
Peter Wright 6-1 Marko Puls
Mervyn King 6-1 Mirko Wunder
Co Stompe 6-5 Michael Rosenauer
Andree Welge 6-3 Adrian Lewis 
Matt Clark 6-4 Darren Johnson
Andy Hamilton 6-1 Alex Roy
Brendan Dolan 6-0 Michael Kiebl
Vincent van der Voort 6-4 Scott Rand
Tony Eccles 6-1 Kirk Shepherd
Denis Ovens 6-0 Nick Fullwell
Mark Webster 6-3 Wim Mink
John MaGowan 6-3 Colin Lloyd 
Dennis Smith 6-2 Steve Evans
Ronnie Baxter 6-5 Mensur Suljovic
Kevin Painter 6-0 Karsten Kornath
Losers £200

Third Round
Simon Whitlock 6-5 Johnny Okken
Alan Tabern 6-2 Andy Smith
Mark Walsh 6-3 Steve Farmer
Jelle Klaasen 6-5 Steve Beaton
Wes Newton 6-0 Adrian Gray
Colin Osborne 6-2 Terry Jenkins
Richie Burnett 6-4 Justin Pipe
Steve Hine 6-4 Wayne Jones 
Gary Anderson 6-1 Peter Wright
Mervyn King 6-1 Co Stompe
Andree Welge 6-2 Matt Clark
Andy Hamilton 6-4 Brendan Dolan
Vincent van der Voort 6-5 Tony Eccles
Mark Webster 6-4 Denis Ovens 
Dennis Smith 6-0 John MaGowan
Ronnie Baxter 6-3 Kevin Painter
Losers £300

Fourth Round
Simon Whitlock 6-4 Alan Tabern
Mark Walsh 6-1 Jelle Klaasen
Colin Osborne 6-5 Wes Newton
Richie Burnett 6-2 Steve Hine
Gary Anderson 6-1 Mervyn King
Andree Welge 6-4 Andy Hamilton
Mark Webster 6-5 Vincent van der Voort 
Dennis Smith 6-2 Ronnie Baxter
Losers £500

Quarter-Finals
Simon Whitlock 6-5 Mark Walsh
Richie Burnett 6-5 Colin Osborne 
Andree Welge 6-5 Gary Anderson
Mark Webster 6-5 Dennis Smith
Losers £1,000

Semi-Finals
Richie Burnett 6-2 Simon Whitlock 
Mark Webster 6-5 Andree Welge
Losers £1,500

Final
Mark Webster 6-4 Richie Burnett 
Winner £6,000
Runner-Up £3,000

Semi-Finals
Richie Burnett defeated Simon Whitlock 6-2 to reach his first PDC ranking final since 2002. Whitlock started brilliantly with a 180 to open the final, and took the opening leg in 12 darts before Burnett hit back with two-dart finishes of 91 and 83 to lead 2-1. Whitlock hit another 180 and took out 68 on double 16 to level, but missed two darts at double 18 to punish misses from Burnett in the next before the Welshman returned to hit double one. He then took out 81 and 141 to lead 5-2, and hit scores of 180, 140 and 140 to set up a finish in the next, giving him the cushion to miss seven match darts before double one put him into his first Players Championship final.
Mark Webster set up an all-Welsh final with a comeback win over German Andree Welge, who led 5-3 but failed to close out victory. Welge led 2-1 before Webster punished a miss at double top to level on the same bed and hit double 12 for a 3-2 lead. The German, though, took out 107 to level and a brace of double 16 finishes moved him a leg away from a history victory at 5-3, as he closed in on being the first-ever German finalist in a PDC ProTour event. Webster won the ninth on double ten, and after Welge missed a dart at the bull for a 91 finish and the match another double 12 gave Webster a lifeline as he forced a decider, in which he was too strong and landed double top at the first time of asking to reach the final. 

Final
1-0 - Burnett breaks on double top after four missed doubles from Webster
1-1 - The left-hander breaks back on double ten
2-1 – Burnett takes out double four for another break
3-1 – Webster misses two darts at double 17 to break and Burnett hits double top for a two-leg lead
3-2 – Webster posts double top for the fifth leg 
4-2 – Burnett finishes 81 in two darts to maintain his advantage
4-3 – Webster hits a 147 score to leave double top, which he finishes at the first attempt
4-4 – Burnett misses double eight and Webster takes out 86 on the bull to level
4-5 – Webster lands double top once more to lead for the first time in the game
4-6 – Webster hits tops once more to claim his first PDC ProTour victory