PartyPoker.net European Championship Preview

Posted on July 28th, 2010

PHIL TAYLOR opens his challenge for a third successive PartyPoker.net European Championship title on Thursday, when he takes on Co Stompe as the £200,000 tournament begins in Dinslaken, Germany.

Taylor has lifted the European Championship trophy in each of the past two years since the tournament was launched in 2008.

The world number one travels to the Stadthalle in Dinslaken on a high after winning his 11th World Matchplay last Sunday, as he seeks to win a fourth major title inside three months.

“Winning the World Matchplay was great and I’d love to go on and win the European Championship this weekend,” said Taylor. “I’m feeling great and playing well, and winning this would round off a perfect summer.”

Taylor takes on Co Stompe in the first round, with the Dutchman having defeated him in the 2008 German Darts Championship final.

“Co has done brilliantly in the last couple of years and he played superbly when he won the German Darts Championship, but that was a different day,” added Taylor.

“I put it behind me and so has Co, and we’ve played a few times since. He did well in the World Matchplay last week and I know he’ll want that to continue in Germany.”

Stompe followed that German Darts Championship victory with two World Championship quarter-final appearances, as well as winning a Players Championship a month ago and reaching the last eight in Blackpool.

“The win over Phil is in the past and you can’t dwell on that because it’s history,” said Stompe. “It’s a new game on Thursday and I’ve got a hard game against Phil.

“I’ve turned my game around, because I’ve been practising on my doubles and they went alright in Blackpool but my scoring let me down.

“I know I can play better than I did in Blackpool, and I’ll go up there on Thursday and hopefully give Phil a big fight.”

The tournament’s opening night will also feature the eagerly-awaited clash between two of the sport’s fastest throwers, Jelle Klaasen and Vincent van der Voort.

The Dutch pair have both enjoyed strong form in 2010, while Klaasen – a European Championship semi-finalist last year – reached the quarter-finals of last week’s World Matchplay with a slightly slower throwing style.

“I tried to slow down and it felt good,” he said. “I’m always trying to improve my game and I’ve tried something new on stage now, and I played well.

“I think I’ll try to play slower now in every tournament. It will be a hard match to play against Vincent because we travel all the time and are good friends, but when we get on stage we’re enemies and want to beat each other 6-0.”

The players ranked fourth and fifth in the world, Mervyn King and Terry Jenkins, have an opportunity to bounce back from first round exits in the World Matchplay when they face Barrie Bates and Germany’s Andree Welge respectively.

Simon Whitlock, the Australian who has jumped to eighth in the PDC Order of Merit following his run to the semi-finals of the World Matchplay, takes on two-time World Champion Dennis Priestley on his European Championship debut.

The tournament will open when Paul Nicholson, January’s Players Championship Finals winner, faces Andy Smith – who had minor surgery on a leg injury a week ago but has previously won a Players Championship on the Dinslaken stage.

Gary Anderson, the UK Open finalist who has been troubled by a shoulder injury in recent weeks and lost to Klaasen in Blackpool, meets Jamie Caven, and number eight seed Mark Walsh faces Spanish debutant Antonio Alcinas.

World number two Raymond van Barneveld – who hit a nine-darter in the World Matchplay before losing to Taylor in the final – takes on Andy Hamilton on the second night of play on Friday, while number three seed James Wade faces Colin Lloyd.

German pair Tomas Seyler and Bernd Roith are in action on home soil, with Roith taking on Denis Ovens on his televised debut while Seyler meets Michael van Gerwen – the Dutch youngster who has been sidelined for the past month with a broken collarbone.

The PartyPoker.net European Championship is being shown live on Sport1 in Germany and on Bravo in the UK – Bravo can be found at channel 123 on Sky and 136 on Virgin Media.

Coverage on Bravo will be fronted by Dave Gorman and James Richardson throughout the tournament.

PartyPoker.net European Championship
Schedule of Play
Thursday July 29
First Round
Play commences 8pm German time (7pm UK time)
8.00pm Paul Nicholson v Andy Smith
8.30pm Mark Walsh v Antonio Alcinas
9.00pm Terry Jenkins v Andree Welge
9.30pm Simon Whitlock v Dennis Priestley
10.00pm Gary Anderson v Jamie Caven
10.30pm Phil Taylor v Co Stompe
11.00pm Jelle Klaasen v Vincent van der Voort
11.30pm Mervyn King v Barrie Bates

Friday July 30
First Round
Play commences 8pm German time (7pm UK time)
8.00pm Bernd Roith v Denis Ovens
8.30pm Mark Dudbridge v Robert Thornton
9.00pm Adrian Lewis v Wayne Jones
9.30pm Tomas Seyler v Michael van Gerwen
10.00pm James Wade v Colin Lloyd
10.30pm Raymond van Barneveld v Andy Hamilton
11.00pm Colin Osborne v Wes Newton
11.30pm Ronnie Baxter v Alan Tabern

Saturday July 31
Second Round
Afternoon Session
Play commences 2pm German time (1pm UK time)
2.00pm Walsh/Alcinas v Klaasen/van der Voort
3.00pm Jenkins/Welge v Whitlock/Priestley
4.00pm Baxter/Tabern v Osborne/Newton
5.00pm Lewis/Jones v Dudbridge/Thornton

Evening Session
Play Commences 8pm German time (7pm UK time)
8.00pm King/Bates v Anderson/Caven
9.00pm van Barneveld/Hamilton v Roith/Ovens
10.00pm Taylor/Stompe v Nicholson/Smith
11.00pm Wade/Lloyd v Seyler/van Gerwen

Sunday August 1
Afternoon Session
Quarter-Finals
Play commences 2pm German time (1pm UK time)
2.00pm Jenkins/Welge/Whitlock/Priestley v King/Bates/Anderson/Caven
3.00pm Wade/Lloyd/Seyler/van Gerwen v Baxter/Tabern/Osborne/Newton
4.00pm Taylor/Stompe/Nicholson/Smith v Walsh/Alcinas/Klaasen/van der Voort
5.00pm van Barneveld/Hamilton/Roith/Ovens v Lewis/Jones/Dudbridge/Thornton

Evening Session
Play commences 8pm German time (7pm UK time)
Semi-Finals
8.00pm
9.15pm
Final
11.00pm

Format

Prize Fund

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StanJames.com World Matchplay Preview

Posted on July 16th, 2010

THE StanJames.com World Matchplay begins on Saturday, as 32 players battle to take the £100,000 title at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool.

The 17th staging of the World Matchplay sees arguably the strongest field in the event’s history battling for £400,000 prize money from July 17-25.

Reigning champion Phil Taylor, who won his tenth title last summer with a record margin of victory in defeating Terry Jenkins 18-4 in the final, enters the fray on Tuesday when he plays Barrie Bates in the first round.

However, world number two Raymond van Barneveld is in action in one of four games on the opening night of the event on Saturday, when he takes on in-form Denis Ovens, the 53-year-old who reached his first ever televised semi-final in last month’s Rileys Darts Zones UK Open.

Dutch star van Barneveld failed to qualify for the UK Open and returns to action in Blackpool having had a two-month break from darts since the end of the Whyte & Mackay Premier League – which included a trip to South Africa to cheer on the Netherlands in football’s World Cup.

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UK Open Preview

Posted on June 3rd, 2010

THE Rileys Darts Zones UK Open begins on Thursday night, as amateur stars from around the country get their chance to take on the sport’s top names at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton.

The four-day tournament, screened live on Sky Sports HD, pits the leading 96 professional players against 42 amateur qualifiers, with play in the unique event being held on eight stages simultaneously in the early rounds.

While the likes of reigning champion Phil Taylor, James Wade, Simon Whitlock and Mervyn King enter in the third round, Thursday’s opening rounds see unknown amateurs pitted against nervous professionals at the Reebok Stadium.

The £200,000 event will kick off when Gary Mawson, the American who reached the UK Open final two years ago, takes on 26-year-old Ashley Whisker, a tractor driver from Essex who won through the Rileys Amateur Qualifiers to earn a spot in Bolton.

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Premier League Darts Play-Offs Preview

Posted on May 22nd, 2010

THE Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts season culminates on Sunday with the play-offs at Wembley Arena in London, with Phil Taylor bidding to claim the trophy for a fifth time as James Wade seeks to retain the £125,000 title.

Taylor and Wade are joined by Simon Whitlock and Mervyn King for the play-offs, which will see the semi-finals, third place play-off and final take place in one dramatic evening at Wembley.

Reigning champion Wade takes on Australian star Whitlock in the opening semi-final, before Taylor and King clash in the second last four contest.

Taylor lost to King 10-6 in last year’s semi-finals, but has stormed through the 14-game league season unbeaten since February and is the 1/3 favourite to take glory on Sunday night.

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Premier League Darts Night 14 Preview

Posted on May 12th, 2010

THE battle for places in the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts play-offs will be decided when the last of 14 league nights takes place at the Trent FM Arena in Nottingham on Thursday.

The eight stars in the £400,000 tournament have competed over the past three months for places at the Wembley Arena on May 23, when the top four players will contest for the £125,000 first prize.

While World Champion Phil Taylor has already ensured a semi-final berth, having progressed through 13 weeks unbeaten, five players enter the final league night able to finish in the top four.

Simon Whitlock sits second in the league table with 14 points, a point ahead of Mervyn King and Ronnie Baxter, with James Wade on 12 points and Adrian Lewis on 11 points.

But even Australian star Whitlock, the World Championship runner-up, could still miss out on a play-off spot should he lose to King and other results go against him.

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Premier League Darts Night 13 Preview

Posted on May 5th, 2010

NEWCASTLE’S Metro Radio Arena hosts the penultimate league night of the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts on Thursday, as the battle to qualify for the play-offs reaches boiling point.

With two league nights remaining before the top four players progress to compete for the £125,000 title at Wembley Arena on May 23, five players are fighting to join league leader Phil Taylor in the semi-finals later this month.

The visit to Newcastle sees two pivotal games feature four of the rivals, while second placed Mervyn King comes up against resurgent Raymond van Barneveld, who cannot qualify for the play-offs but hit a nine-dart finish in Aberdeen last week.

The night opens when Ronnie Baxter, one of three players locked on 12 points, takes on Adrian Lewis – who has to avoid defeat in his bid to reach the semi-finals after slipping to two points adrift of the top four.

Lewis has picked up only one point from his last three matches and takes on Phil Taylor in Nottingham next week, and said: “There’s no reason why I can’t qualify – but I’ve got to win both games.

“My point snapped when one fell out of the board recently and I had to use heavier darts for a couple of weeks, and my darts were dropping lower. Now I’ve got a set which are a replica of the other ones, I’m confident again with the darts and I think I can beat both Ronnie and Phil.”

Baxter drew with James Wade in Aberdeen last week, but was defeated 8-6 in a dramatic finale when he last faced Lewis, who took out 118 in the deciding leg to claim both points.

“I love playing Adrian because he’s the same pace as me and we have a good game together,” said Baxter. “He’s got a lovely throw and he knows he can hit the big scores, but it’s about who performs on the night.

“I missed my doubles last time for a draw and he took out 118 to get the win. He did very well against me and he’s played pretty well throughout the league.”

The night’s third game may also prove key in the play-off race, as the other two players who join Baxter on 12 points, reigning champion James Wade and World Championship runner-up Simon Whitlock, lock horns.

“It’s obviously a huge game and to win and get the two points would be massive for me,” said Wade. “I had my chances to win last week and was disappointed only to draw against Ronnie but this is a new match.

“Simon’s had a good first season in the Premier League and is a lethal finisher, but if I play like I can there’s no reason I can’t win.”

Whitlock admitted that it was his biggest game since reaching the final of the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship in January, as he bids to celebrate his debut Premier League campaign with a play-off berth.

“It’s a huge game,” said Whitlock. “It’s massive for me and the following week against Mervyn will be massive too because it’s all on the next two games.

“I love playing every player and all the matches are tough but I’ll be prepared for James. I think he brings the best out of me and I’ve got to perform on the night.”

The night’s other clash sees unbeaten league leader Taylor take on Terry Jenkins, whose feint play-off hopes were ended by a loss to van Barneveld last week.

“In a way I’m glad the pressure won’t be on me,” said Taylor. “The other players are fighting for their lives and even though Terry can’t qualify he’s wanting to finish the season on a high so it will be a cracking game.”

Over 6,000 fans will pack the Metro Radio Arena for the event, but a small number of tickets remain on sale on 0844 493 6666 or via www.metroradioarena.co.uk.

Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts
Week 13 – Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle
Adrian Lewis v Ronnie Baxter
Mervyn King v Raymond van Barneveld
James Wade v Simon Whitlock
Terry Jenkins v Phil Taylor
Live on Sky Sports HD3 from 7pm

Sky Bet Odds
Adrian Lewis 5/6, Draw 7/2, Ronnie Baxter 15/8
Mervyn King 6/5, Draw 7/2, Raymond van Barneveld 11/8
James Wade 6/5, Draw 7/2, Simon Whitlock 11/8
Terry Jenkins 12/1, Draw 7/1, Phil Taylor 1/8
Sky Bet are the official bookmakers of the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts. Odds correct at 11.30am Tuesday May 4.

Current League Table

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Premier League Darts Night 12 Preview

Posted on April 29th, 2010

THE top two players in the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts clash at the AECC in Aberdeen on Thursday, as the battle for play-off places continues amongst their rivals.

Unbeaten four-time Premier League Darts champion Phil Taylor takes on second-placed Mervyn King in one of four games to be held in front of a sold-out 4,000 crowd in Aberdeen.

While they may be battling in the most high-profile game of the evening, the other three contests could hold greater significance in the race for places in the league’s top four.

With only two league nights remaining after the visit to Aberdeen, the games involving Ronnie Baxter and reigning champion James Wade, Raymond van Barneveld’s clash with Ronnie Baxter and Simon Whitlock’s meeting with Adrian Lewis all hold added significance.

Wade and Baxter sit alongside Simon Whitlock on 11 points – two behind King – in the table, while Lewis is two points adrift on nine points to mean the games between that quartet are key.

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Premier League Darts Night 11 Preview

Posted on April 21st, 2010

THE race to qualify for the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts intensifies as the tournament visits the Liverpool Echo Arena on Thursday, on a night which includes a rematch of the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship final.

The 11th of 14 league nights is likely to prove instrumental in the race for players to secure spots in the top four to compete in May’s play-offs at Wembley.

While Phil Taylor, who is unbeaten so far this year, has already booked his top four finish, the other seven competitors are all still chasing a play-off place.

The league’s bottom two players, Terry Jenkins and Raymond van Barneveld, have to win in Liverpool if they are to keep their hopes alive, but the evening could end with five players tied on 11 points in second place.

Mervyn King, Ronnie Baxter and Simon Whitlock have already reached that total, while reigning champion James Wade and Adrian Lewis are sat on nine points.

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Premier League Darts Night 10 Preview

Posted on April 14th, 2010

PHIL TAYLOR is expecting reigning Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts champion James Wade to hit top form when they clash at the Sheffield Arena on Thursday.

Wade has yet to find the form which saw him pick up the £125,000 title last year, but after losing his opening three games he has moved to the brink of the play-off places with two wins from his last three.

The left-hander has also defeated Taylor twice in the Premier League previously, and the 15-time World Champion believes Wade is returning to his best at the right time of the season.

“James hasn’t clicked yet this season but when he’s under pressure he does the business,” said Taylor. “It’s getting down to the nitty gritty now and I think that’s when we’ll see the best of James.

“He’s a really good player, one of the best in the game, but him and Adrian Lewis are untapped talents in many ways at the moment; their time will come eventually and they’re doing very well so far.”

Taylor is unbeaten after nine of the 14 weekly rounds, and comfortably defeated Wade 8-2 when they met in Belfast in February.
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Premier League Darts Night 9 Preview

Posted on April 7th, 2010

RONNIE BAXTER bids to inflict Phil Taylor’s first defeat in the 2010 Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts when they meet at the S.E.C.C. in Glasgow on Thursday.

Taylor sits five points clear in the Premier League table having gone through the first eight weeks of the season unbeaten so far.

Baxter, though, allowed Taylor to come from 4-0 down to take an 8-6 victory when the pair met in Bournemouth earlier this year, and is determined to follow through in taking victory this time out.

“I’ve put the game in Bournemouth behind me now and I’m joint second in the league, but I’m looking forward to playing Phil,” said Baxter.

“I might have to see if he can come back from me being 5-0 up this time – I’ve gone 3-0 up against him and lost in the past, I did 4-0 in Bournemouth and blew it, so we’ll see what happens in Glasgow.

“I’ll be pushing to win by whatever score I can.”

Taylor and Baxter have enjoyed many duels on the oche during their careers, and the world number one has been impressed by his rival’s return to the top six of the PDC Order of Merit.
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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.