Wade Wins Spanish Darts Trophy PC
Posted on October 29th, 2011
JAMES WADE took Players Championship glory for a second successive Saturday with a 6-2 win over Raymond van Barneveld in the Spanish Darts Trophy.
The world number three took first blood in the double-header weekend in Benidorm with the triumph, as he followed up last weekend’s win in Germany with another £6,000 title.
Wade’s triumph secures his place in December’s Players Championship Finals in Doncaster, while van Barneveld also improved his qualification hopes by picking up £3,000 as runner-up.
The left-hander opened the day with a whitewash of Holland’s Mareno Michels, and saw off Gary Welding, Colin Osborne, Mensur Suljovic to reach the quarter-finals, where he came from 5-4 down to defeat Mark Webster. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Benidorm, Dave Chisnall, James Wade, Players Championship, Raymond van Barneveld, Spain
Filed under News, PDC, PDPA Players Championship | No Comments »
PDC Pro Tour Derby Results
Posted on September 3rd, 2011
RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD won his first Players Championship for over three years with a 6-2 defeat of John Part in the final of Saturday’s tournament at the Moorways Centre in Derby.
The Dutch ace claimed the £6,000 title and his first ranking win since April 2008 in the Open Holland Masters with the success, which saw him make a winning return from a summer break in Spain.
Van Barneveld was pushed all the way to an 11th leg in three of his matches, but punishing Jamie Caven for misses in their second round contest, took out 106 to defeat Co Stompe and then edged out Steve Farmer in the quarter-finals.
He also defeated Adrian Bolitho and Brendan Dolan during the event, and a 6-4 win over Paul Nicholson in the semi-finals set up a tasty final against three-time World Champion Part. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: John Part, PDC Pro Tour Derby, Raymond van Barneveld, Results
Filed under PDC, PDC Youth Tour, PDPA Players Championship | No Comments »
European Championship Darts Quarter Final Results
Posted on July 31st, 2011
CLINICAL TAYLOR OUSTS NICHOLSON IN GERMANY
PHIL TAYLOR’S bid for a fourth European Championship title remains on track as he beat Paul Nicholson 10-8 in the quarter-finals of the PartyPoker.net European Championship in Dusseldorf on Sunday afternoon.
The hotly anticipated game swung both ways and looked likely to head to a final-leg shoot-out at 7-7, but the World number one moved away from Nicholson with a 129 checkout, a 13-dart leg and a 138 checkout to seal the win.
“Every time you play Paul it’s like a final, he gets the best out of you,” said Taylor. “It was a good atmosphere and a hard fought match, really nip and tuck and not the best scoring but very exciting – and it was great to finish on the 138.”
“There was massive tension out there, one of the best atmosphere’s I’ve ever played in and I felt tremendous,” said Nicholson – who led 3-0 after a fast start. “I played pretty well today but at times my first dart just wasn’t good enough and you cannot afford any slack darts against Phil. He was the better player today, no question.” Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: European Championship, Paul Nicholson, Phil Taylor, quarter final results, Raymond van Barneveld, Simon Whitlock
Filed under European Championship, News, PDC, Tournament News | No Comments »
European Championship Darts Night 3 Results
Posted on July 31st, 2011
LEWIS THRILLS GERMAN CROWD AS HUYBRECHTS SHOCKS NEWTON
ADRIAN LEWIS turned on the style at the PartyPoker.net European Championship in Dusseldorf, reaching the quarter-final with an electric 10-5 win over Dave Chisnall.
The World Champion was tied at five apiece against the St Helens man, but when they returned from the break Lewis fired in four 180s and took out 146 and 104 as he won five in a row, then clinched the match with a 123 checkout to send a message to the rest of the field with a 105.80 average – with the eight players in action tonight averaging 100.14 between them.
Lewis will face Kim Huybrechts in Sunday’s quarter-finals after the Belgian won a tense match with World number seven Wes Newton 10-8. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Adrian Lewis, Day 3, European championship darts, Kim Huybrechts, Raymond van Barneveld, Results, Review, Round 2
Filed under European Championship, News, PDC, Tournament News | No Comments »
European Championship Darts Night 2 Results
Posted on July 30th, 2011
BATTLING BARNEY SEES OFF HAMILTON AS LEWIS & WADE PROGRESS
RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD came from 3-1 down to defeat Andy Hamilton in a thriller at the PartyPoker.net European Championship, while World Champion Adrian Lewis and James Wade both progressed safely into the second round in Dusseldorf.
Van Barneveld produced a superb performance in winning five of the final six legs against Hamilton, hitting six 180s in the match and ending the game with a 101.98 average.
Hamilton had opened the game with a 146 checkout and continued the form which had seen him reach the World Matchplay semi-finals last week, but was edged out as the Dutchman moved into the last 16.
“I’m very pleased,” said van Barneveld. “I struggled in the first couple of legs and at 3-1 down I knew I had to fight back, and I think I played really well. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Adrian Lewis, Andy Hamilton, European championship darts, Kim Huybrechts, Night 2, PartyPoker.net, Raymond van Barneveld, Results, Review, Round 1, Wes Newton
Filed under European Championship, News, PDC | No Comments »
Face Off 2011 Derby Exhibition Details and Ticket Giveaway
Posted on July 23rd, 2011
Face Off 2011
MDA and Mitchell Promotions are proud to present Face Off an event which is set to be the largest independent darts event in derby to be held at the Heritage hotel, Macklin Street, Derby, DE11 1LF on Friday September 2nd 2011.
The event is unique in the fact it features top players from world darts going up against amateur players form all over the midlands. The top players include Colin Osborne (who lives in Derby), 5 Times world champion Raymond Van Barneveld , Gary Anderson and 2 times champion of the world Ted “The Count” Hankey.
They will be joined by 4 local players who are Andrew Hibbert – Leicestershire/Coalville, Drew Smith – Burton Upon Trent, Lyndon Hextall – Leics and Ricky Sudale – Woodville. All the amateur players have great pedigree and have all played county level.
Tickets are available NOW and are priced in three tiers:-
Gold VIP £65 or 5 for £300 – Includes early entry, meet and greet before the event, Reserved VIP seat front of stage and a free official event programme as well as free signed photo with one of the four pros of your choice.
Silver VIP – £30 each includes reserved seat for the event and free event programme
Bronze – £15 of 4 for £50 includes entry to the event and the last of the unreserved seating.
Tickets are available to buy online on the website www.mdapromotions.co.uk and for more information please call 07851428018.
Advertising opportunities and packages are available at the venue and in the official events programme and on the website.
For More Information Please Visit www.mdapromotions.co.uk or call 07851-428018.
All of the amateur players are available for interviews please call 07851428018 to arrange times.
Thanks to Matt at MDA, DartsMad.com has a pair of bronze tickets to give away to one lucky reader, simply email the answer to the following question.
MDA currently manage PDC Pro Justin Pipe, Pipe beat darting royalty in the first round of this years World Matchplay in Blackpool, who was it? and by what scoreline?
This competition is now closed, the winner is Michael Griffiths, Lancashire
Tags: Derby, Exhibition, Face Off 2011, Heritage Hotel, MDA Promotions, Raymond van Barneveld, Ted Hankey
Filed under Competitions, Exhibitions, News, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Sky Bet World Matchplay Quarter Finals Evening Session Results
Posted on July 23rd, 2011
TAYLOR BRILLIANCE ENDS NEWTON’S HOPES AS WADE BEATS BARNEY IN BLACKPOOL
PHIL TAYLOR and James Wade moved into the semi-finals of the Sky Bet Mobile World Matchplay on Friday night, defeating Wes Newton and Raymond van Barneveld in thrilling quarter-finals at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool.
Reigning champion Taylor produced one of his finest performances on the Winter Gardens stage with a 16-5 victory over Newton, a win which was made more remarkable as he had to come from 4-1 down.
Fleetwood’s world number eight Newton took the early advantage in an inspired opening, but Taylor followed a 150 checkout with a brace of 128 finishes in taking the lead, and eventually won nine straight legs in storming to victory.
Taylor averaged over 108 – his highest of the event this year – in taking the victory, and will now play Stoke-born Andy Hamilton in an all-Potteries semi-final on Saturday.
“I’m delighted with that,” said Taylor. “I’m not starting brilliantly but it’s going well after that, and I’m playing maybe as well as I can.
“Wes is setting a good standard at the moment and he’s getting better and better. He doesn’t miss and you have to play well to beat him.
He hit everything early on but the 150 and 128 were massive shots and you could see his head drop a little bit.
“I’m loving this event and with the way the players are playing, you have to be completely on your game.
“I want to hit a 110 average against Andy and to keep improving too because I want to leave here on Sunday with the trophy again.
With World Champion Adrian Lewis having won through to the last four earlier in the day, seeing off Mark Webster, James Wade secured a spot in the semis against the Stoke ace with a 16-11 defeat of Raymond van Barneveld.
The Dutchman shared the opening 14 legs against Wade, who pulled clear in the final stages with some clinical finishing, notably on his favoured double top.
“I’m not in top gear but I’m winning and I need five more percent in my game before I’m at my best,” said Wade.
“This is the best tournament in the world, for me it’s bigger than the World Championship and I get a feeling from this tournament that I don’t get from any other.”
Hamilton, the world number 17 who had claimed the last of 16 Players Championship qualifying places just to get into the World Matchplay before defeating Scottish pair Gary Anderson and John Henderson, had won through to the semis in dramatic fashion earlier on Friday.
He looked set to crash out to Simon Whitlock when the Australian ace led 15-8, but he incredibly won nine successive legs in arguably the greatest comeback in the 18-year history of the World Matchplay.
Coverage of the Sky Bet Mobile World Matchplay semi-finals will be shown live on Sky Sports HD1 on Saturday evening, as well as in 3D on the Sky 3D channel.
Sky Bet Mobile World Matchplay
Quarter-Finals
Simon Whitlock 15-17 Andy Hamilton
Adrian Lewis 16-12 Mark Webster
Raymond van Barneveld 11-16 James Wade
Phil Taylor 16-5 Wes Newton
Saturday July 23
Semi-Finals (7pm)
Phil Taylor v Andy Hamilton
Adrian Lewis v James Wade
Best of 33 legs. Matches must be won by two clear legs.
JAMES WADE 16-11 RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD
JAMES WADE secured his place in the Sky Bet Mobile World Matchplay quarter-finals with a 16-11 defeat of Raymond van Barneveld at the Winter Gardens on Friday night.
Dutch star van Barneveld had defeated Wade during his run to the World Matchplay final in Blackpool last year, and had performed superbly against Steve Brown and Paul Nicholson to book his last eight spot this week.
However, he was punished for missed doubles at key times as Wade, the 2007 World Matchplay champion, took out four ton-plus finishes to set up a tantalising semi-final with World Champion Adrian Lewis.
Van Barneveld made a bright start, hitting double top to win the opening two legs without reply before Wade landed a second 180 of the game and double ten to get off the mark in the third.
When he hit tops to take the next three legs and a 4-2 lead, Wade’s early double troubles seemed to have been put behind him, only for the left-hander to then miss three darts to win the seventh as van BArneveld hit back.
Wade hit a 180 in the eighth, but double six drew van Barneveld level – and the tables were turned in the next when the Dutchman landed a maximum only to see his opponent finish 121.
The next two were shared before van Barneveld finished 126 on the bullseye to square the match at six-all, and the pair traded the next two legs as the match remained finely poised.
Wade, through, produced two fine finishes to take the next two legs, taking out 95 and 96 to lead 9-7, assuming an advantage he would never lose.
Van Barneveld landed a 174 and double eight to take the next, but when he missed his chance to level in leg 18 Wade hit double ten to break and a 100 finish for a 14-darter to move 11-8 up.
Finishes of double eight and double six pulled the five-time World Champion back into the game, but again a chance to level slipped away as he missed the bull for another 126 finish, with Wade taking out 116.
Three further missed doubles from van Barneveld gave Wade the chance to hit double ten for a 13-10 lead, and when he took out 127 on double eight the winning line loomed into sight.
Double top saw Wade edge to the brink of victory, and although van Barneveld landed double 16 to stay in the contest it proved only brief respite as the left-hander’s trusted double top secured the win.
“I’m not in top gear but I’m winning and I need five more percent in my game before I’m at my best,” said Wade. “The big finishes were good but they were rescue shots for me – I’m not scoring as well as I can.
“It’s not felt comfortable for the first two games and it didn’t quite click for me, and it’s testing my ability.
“This is the best tournament in the world, for me it’s bigger than the World Championship and I get a feeling from this tournament that I don’t get from any other.”
Wade defeated Lewis in last year’s World Grand Prix final and also in the 2007 World Matchplay semi-finals, but is expecting a huge test against the World Champion.
“He’s supposed to be the best player and roughly is, more times than not,” added Wade.
“He’s done very well to win the one title I want, the World Championship. He’s brilliant at darts, amazing, and there’s no other player who can string together two or three legs when you need them like he can.”
PHIL TAYLOR 16-5 WES NEWTON
PHIL TAYLOR stormed into the semi-finals of the Sky Bet Mobile World Matchplay with an amazing fightback to hit back from 4-1 down and defeat Wes Newton 16-5 at the Winter Gardens.
Local star Fleetwood, the world number eight who was appearing in his first World Matchplay quarter-final, stunned the reigning champion by taking an early 4-1 lead.
But Taylor showed his quality in a relentless barrage as he won 15 of the next 16 legs, including nine in a row, to take a superb win, hitting a key 150 finish and a brace of 128 checkouts along the way.
Following his victories over Andy Smith and Justin Pipe earlier in the event, home favourite Newton made a great start by winning the opening leg on double 16 and hitting the same bed to double his lead with an immediate break of throw.
After hitting a 180 in the third, Newton missed the bullseye for an 84 finish in a bid to move further clear as Taylor opened his account with a 66 checkout.
The duo traded maximums in the fourth, and after Taylor missed the bull Newton finished double top for a fine 11-dart leg, and then took the fifth to move 4-1 up at the first break.
He also hit a 180 in the sixth leg, but was left waiting on 40 when Taylor took out 150 before the reigning champion piled in a 128 finish in the next and a 14-darter to draw level.
Taylor then hit another 128 finish to take the lead for the first time, despite a fourth 180 of the game from Newton, and landed a 180 and double ten to edge 6-4 up.
Newton hit back well in the 11th, with Taylor hitting a 174 to leave 32 but being denied a dart at the double as Newton finished 72 on double six to win his fifth leg.
However, Taylor asserted his dominance with a clinical 64 finish before breaking in a key 13th with a 71 checkout after trading 180s with Newton, and double 18 gave him a 9-5 cushion.
He added a 12-darter win his tenth leg, and also produced an 11-dart finish which featured a 180 and a 96 checkout, but it was his accuracy on double 16 – allied to his pounding of the treble 20 and treble 19 beds – which saw him power to victory.
Taylor hit the double 16 bed in five of the final six legs, with none being over 13 darts as he stormed into a a semi-final against Stoke-born Andy Hamilton.
“I’m delighted with that,” said Taylor. “I’m not starting brilliantly but it’s going well after that, and I’m playing maybe as well as I can.
“Wes is setting a good standard at the moment and he’s getting better and better. He doesn’t miss and you have to play well to beat him.
He hit everything early on but the 150 and 128 were massive shots and you could see his head drop a little bit.
“I’m loving this event and with the way the players are playing, you have to be completely on your game.
“I want to hit a 110 average against Andy and to keep improving too because I want to leave here on Sunday with the trophy again.
“Andy will battle for every dart and he wears his heart on his sleeve. He showed that against Simon Whitlock with the best performance I’ve seen all year.
“I can’t think of anyone who can take nine legs in a row against Simon, but Andy never legs his concentration slip. He works hard for what he’s got and he earns everything he gets.”
Taylor added: “It’s a great semi-final line-up and I’m glad I’m on first so that I can watch the other semi-final. Everyones a little bit in awe of Adrian because he’s World Champion and James is on a high at the minute, so that will be a cracking game.”
Newton said: “I’m obviously very disappointed but I gave it my all.
“It’s starting to get on my nerves a bit that Phil seems to play at his very best against me, but I’ve got to take the positives from that because perhaps he does it for a reason, and maybe I’m bringing the best out in him.
“I will keep plugging away and hopefully get the better of him one day. I’ll regroup now and get ready for the European Championship now.
“It’s been a good step forward for me. I’ve come into this tournament and won a couple of games in Blackpool at last.”
Source – PDC/Lawrence Lustig
Tags: 2011, James Wade, Phil Taylor, Quarter Final, Raymond van Barneveld, Results, Wes Newton, World Matchplay
Filed under News, PDC, Tournament News, World Matchplay | No Comments »
2011 Sky Bet Mobile World Matchplay Preview
Posted on July 14th, 2011
Draw | Schedule | Roll of Honour | History & Related News | 2010 Results | PDC Preview
Changes are afoot in the PDC; the major tournaments are being sponsored by ever more obscure companies (what the Dickens are Speedy Hire doing sponsoring darts?) and the names no longer roll off the tongue, as the upcoming Sky Bet Mobile World Matchplay demonstrates.
In fact several of the majors do not currently have a sponsor (the World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts, Players Championship, World Cup) which reflects the global economy and must be a continual struggle for Barry Hearn and his team to find backers. Watch out for the ‘Domino’s Pizza UK & Ireland Championship League Darts’ coming soon to a laptop near you.
That is all away from the board and regardless of any suspected financial struggles darts is reported to be booming so prize money continues to rise. £400,000 is up for grabs in Blackpool next week, with a quarter of it going to the winner.
The World Matchplay is generally considered to be second only to the World Championship and a favourite of many fans. The ornate majesty of the Winter Gardens is an unlikely darts venue but is a sight to behold and a pilgrimage that all darts fans should experience.
In keeping with the sea change away from the oche there is a strong whiff of change on it. Phil Taylor is no longer the domineering force we have gotten used to and although he still goes off 11/8 favourite with tournament sponsors, Sky Bet, now is the time to take him on in the tournament he loves.
Tags: Adrian Lewis, Gary Anderson, James Wade, Phil Taylor, Preview, Raymond van Barneveld, Simon Whitlock, Sky Bet Mobile World Matchplay 2011, Winter Gardens
Filed under Darts Blog, Newsletter, PDC, Tournament News, World Matchplay | No Comments »
Anderson 2011 Premier League Champ
Posted on May 20th, 2011
Despite thrashing an out of form Phil Taylor 8-3 earlier in the night, World Champion Adrian Lewis couldn’t maintain the standard of darts required to topple Gary Anderson at Wembley, in a repeat of their 2011 Ally Pally World Final.
The pair met following The Flying Scotsman’s 8-6 defeat over Raymond van Barneveld in the evenings other semi-final, after recovering from a 4-1 deficit.
In taking the title Anderson scored heavy and achieved the consistency often lacking in his finishing to race away with an 8-1 lead over a frustrated and bewildered Jackpot. At 9-4 Lewis packed away his darts with Gando only requiring 20 with three darts in hand, shy of the target with all three he forced Lewis to throw again and miss a big checkout. Anderson composed himself to take out double 10 and walk away with his first PDC TV final win and a£125,000 cheque for his troubles.
In the post match interview Anderson confessed to wanting to relax and put his feet up for 7 days, and buy a new settee with his winnings! Respectful in defeat Lewis who earnt £65,000 for his 2011 Premier League efforts, perhaps peaked too early against Taylor and understandably seemed disappointed with his performance.
In the wooden spoon play-off for 3rd and 4th place The Power managed an 8-6 victory over van Barneveld which saw the pair take home £50,000 and £40,000 respectively. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 2011 Premier League Champion, 888.com, Adrian Lewis, Gary Anderson, Phil Taylor, Raymond van Barneveld, Wembley
Filed under Uncategorized | No Comments »
Premier League Wembley
Posted on May 18th, 2011
STARS TO COLLIDE AT WEMBLEY IN 888.COM PREMIER LEAGUE DARTS PLAY-OFFS
PHIL TAYLOR, Raymond van Barneveld, Gary Anderson and Adrian Lewis will do battle for the 888.com Premier League Darts title in Thursday’s Play-Offs at the Wembley Arena.
The quartet will compete for the £125,000 first prize and the prestigious trophy after finishing the 14-week league phase of the tournament as the top four.
Reigning Premier League Darts champion Phil Taylor – who hit two nine-darters at Wembley in last year’s final – will meet World Champion Adrian Lewis in an all-Stoke semi-final, before Holland’s Raymond van Barneveld takes on Scottish ace Gary Anderson.
Lewis inflicted Taylor’s only defeat in the regular season, taking an 8-2 win at The O2 on the opening night before the world number one picked up 13 straight wins to reach the Play-Offs in top form. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Adrian Lewis, Gary Anderson, Phil Taylor, Play Offs, Premier League, Raymond van Barneveld, Wembley
Filed under News, PDC, Premier League Darts | No Comments »
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.
