Issue 11 (March 11, 2016)

Friday 11 March 2016

Darts Weekly

UK OPEN

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Lynnsanity as Barry reaches last eight Page 4-5

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Friday 11 March 2016 Darts Weekly

Anderson banishes UK Open blues with win against Smith Michael Smith 3 Gary Anderson 7 Gary Anderson bounced back from his disappointment at the UK Open with a 7-3 win over Michael Smith in week six of the Premier League last night.

The defending champion raced into a 4-1 lead, before Bully Boy hit back with consecutive legs to only trail 4-3. A crucial 64 finish then

gave Anderson a bit of breathing space again at 5-3. And the Flying Scotsman took the next two legs to seal a 7-3 win and leave Smith still in the relegation zone with Judgement Night now less than three weeks away.

“I was really nervous about the game because I’ve said for years how good Michael is,” Anderson said. “He was a little bit off tonight so it was good to get the win.”

Taylor in ruthless form in 7-0 victory Robert Thornton 0 Phil Taylor 7 Phil Taylor handed winless Robert Thornton his second 7-0 whitewash of the season and extend his winning run in the Premier League to four games.

The Thorn was restricted to just three shots at a double in their clash at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham last night.

Taylor stamped his authority on the contest straight away as he hit two 180s in the opening leg to quickly break the throw.

Another 180 from the Power put the pressure on in leg three, and after Thornton missed a dart at tops and double 10, Taylor stepped in to make it 3-0.

A fourth 180 from the 16-time

world champion in leg four kept up his ruthless display, with a score of 174 in the sixth leg helping him on the way to securing a point.

And in the very next leg the victory was sealed, as Taylor landed his fifth maximum before hitting double four to complete a whitewash win over Thornton.

“Robert didn’t deserve to be whitewashed and he missed one or two doubles,” Taylor said. “But I had to go out and do a job and I did that tonight.

“I’m gutted for Robert because he’s such a nice guy and a good player and he’s struggling a little bit, but he’ll be back.

“It’s another two points for me and I’m really looking forward to next week against Michael. I’ll be ready for him.”

Wade back into the top four, Raymond van Barneveld 5 James Wade 7 James Wade moved back into the top four of the Premier League after winning a thrilling clash with Raymond van Barneveld 7-5.

In a match which saw five 100+

checkouts hit in just 12 legs of darts, Wade nearly let a commanding 5-2 lead slip against the five-time world champion.

The first big finish came in the very first leg, as the Machine finished off 101 to break the van Barneveld throw, before hitting

double 12 to go 2-0 in front. The Dutchman hit back in leg three with a 104 checkout to get a leg on the board, with Wade then punishing missed doubles to open up a 5-1 lead.

Van Barneveld hit back in style though, producing 118 and 161

Darts Weekly Friday 11 March 2016

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Lewis rediscovers the jackpot to triumph over Snakebite Peter Wright 3 Adrian Lewis 7 Adrian Lewis put a disappointing UK Open campaign behind him with an excellent 7-3 victory against Peter Wright in the Premier League last night.

Jackpot averaged a superb 107.93, while Wright was not far behind on 106.79, as the pair played out an entertaining contest

which swung on a 136 checkout by Lewis in the seventh leg.

Jackpot broke the Wright throw in the first leg and the pair shared legs up until leg seven, when Lewis gained a crucial second break with a 136 checkout to go 5-2 up.

Snakebite held throw to close the deficit to 5-3, but the two-time world champion won the next two legs on double four and double tops to seal a 7-3 win.

while MVG stays in top spot finishes in consecutive legs to close the deficit to 5-3.

Wade then kept the sequence going in leg nine, taking out 121 on the bull to secure at least a point.

Barney grabbed the next two legs to send the match into a final leg, but after he missed three darts at

doubles to rescue a point, Wade stepped in with double 16 to finally wrap up the win.

In the night’s final match, Michael van Gerwen continued his red hot form with a 113.47 average to beat Dave Chisnall 7-2.

The victory included checkouts of

134, 105 and 100 in successive legs as MVG preserved his place at the top of the Premier League table.

It was the Dutchman’s fifth win in a row this season and ensures he heads into next week’s clash with Phil Taylor just ahead in the table on leg difference.

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Friday 11 March 2016 Darts Weekly

Unstoppable van Gerwen retains UK Open to keep up his dominant start to 2016 Alex Moss CHIEF DARTS WRITER at Minehead How can you beat perfection? You do it again. Michael van Gerwen is fast becoming the definition of unbeatable after retaining the Coral UK Open on Sunday night.

The PDC’s world number one went into the final day at Butlin’s Resort in Minehead having hit a nine-darter and no fewer than four 170 finishes. His name looked certain to be going on the trophy for a second time.

As it turned out, the closest a player got to him in the end was within four legs. Phil Taylor posed the biggest threat to the Dutchman when he went 4-1 up in their semifinal meeting, while Riley’s Amateur Qualifiers Rob Cross and Barry Lynn both impressed in 9-5 and 10-6 defeats to the holder.

This was the third year that the tournament, known as the ‘FA Cup of Darts’ was held down in Somerset, and although some will still have preferred it to stay at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton (now known as the Macron Stadium), it feels like it is starting to get more at home in its new surroundings.

The opening day provided its fair share of drama, with the early rounds conjuring up the demise of its first Premier League player.

Arron Monk, who was crowned the first-ever PDC World Youth Champion back in 2011, showed he still has that same potential as he dumped out Robert Thornton 6-4 in the second round.

Wes Newton, Andrew Gilding and Kevin Painter were all familiar faces who exited the tournament before the third round draw took place, when the likes of van Gerwen and Taylor came in.

Five of the 32 Riley’s Qualifiers had made it into the hat for the last 64 draw, including former tour card holders Alex Roy and Steve Maish as well as the unfamiliar

names of Rob Cross, Andrew Davidson and Barry Lynn.

The big guns dominated the main stage on Friday night, with van Gerwen, Taylor and Adrian Lewis all recording straight forward wins.

While Gary Anderson came from behind to beat Dave Chisnall 9-7 in an all-Premier League contest, and over the weekend it would be one of the closest games on the main stage at the Butlin’s Resort.

With the tournament also operating a second stage and a room with as many as six other boards, the action was coming thick and fast as players battled it out for a place in the fourth round on Saturday afternoon.

Two-time UK Open champion Raymond van Barneveld made a notable appearance on the outside boards, where he narrowly edged out David Pallett, while Stephen Bunting and Michael Smith also had to win deciding legs to beat Jamie Lewis and Daryl Gurney

‘A three leg spell of brilliance ended any hopes Cross had of upsetting MVG’ respectively. Controversy ensued on the outer boards were Mensur Suljovic thrashed James Wade 9-2, with the Machine complaining about the quality of the board after the defeat to the Austrian.

Davidson, Roy and Maish’s UK Open campaigns were ended on Friday night, but Lynn and Cross managed to squeeze through into the last 32, and the rewards for both could not have been better.

Hastings-based electrician Cross was drawn to play defending champion van Gerwen, while Braintree’s Lynn earned a shot at world champion Anderson.

After routine wins for Benito van de Pas and Peter Wright kicked off the action on the main stage on Saturday, Cross took on van

Gerwen and certainly held his own in the 9-5 defeat to the Dutchman.

In fact, Cross was well in the game at 5-3 down and it really did take a three leg spell of brilliance to end his hopes of an upset.

A score of 177 followed by a 170 checkout put van Gerwen 6-3 up, before a stunning nine-dart leg gave him some breathing space.

Another 177 started the 11th leg for the holder, which made it an astonishing 18 perfect darts in a row and it got even better as MVG finished off another 170 checkout to seal the win with a 107 average.

And just minutes later, the buzz around the Butlin’s Resort was further heightened when Lynn produced one of the biggest upsets in the tournament’s 14-year history, as he eased past reigning William Hill World Champion Anderson 9-3.

“If someone else can take out

Darts Weekly Friday 11 March 2016

5 Champion again: Michael van Gerwen kisses the Coral UK Open trophy after beating Peter Wright 11-4 in the final on Sunday night in Minehead PICTURE: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

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Michael van Gerwen, I’d be very grateful and very confident I could win this now. I’ve just taken out a two-time world champion so I’m not afraid of anyone,” Lynn said after beating the Flying Scotsman on board two.

After the pair missed each other in the fifth round draw, Lynn would be pinning his hopes on Kim Huybrechts to dump out MVG. The Hurricane had breezed into the last 16, dropping just four legs in wins over Maish and Justin Pipe, but posted the lowest average of the round (86.72) and was beaten 9-2 by van Gerwen.

Lynn became the first Riley’s Qualifier to reach the quarterfinals of the UK Open as he beat a resurgent Stuart Kellett 9-5, while elsewhere Joe Cullen booked his place in a first major quarter-final after beating Bunting 9-7.

Klaasen’s omission from this

year’s Premier League became even more peculiar as he put in an impressive performance to beat Lewis 9-7 on the main stage.

The Cobra would go on and beat Kyle Anderson 10-0 in the quarterfinals to reach back-to-back major semi-finals for the first time in his PDC career, and if he continues

‘The roar when Lynn got it back to 8-6 was only bettered by the nine dart leg’ this form he could well be nudging ahead of van Barneveld to represent Holland in the World Cup later this year.

The quarter-final draw kept the top four players left in the tournament apart from each other, and the four games all went to the form book. Peter Wright held his

nerve to get over the line against a spirited Cullen 10-7, while Taylor eased past Mark Webster 10-3.

The quarter-final clash between van Gerwen and Lynn lived up to the billing as the amateur thrower produced a plucky performance against the defending champion, eventually losing 10-6.

MVG made a typically explosive start to go 4-0 in front, but Lynn was undeterred as he cut van Gerwen’s lead to 7-5 and then 8-6, which produced a roar from the Minehead crowd only bettered when the nine darter was thrown.

“Playing Michael on stage was amazing,” Lynn said. “I loved it but it was hard at the beginning and the pressure got to me.

“Michael’s just class and to see him doing his business against me is absolutely unbelievable. I truly believe that this is the start of something special.”

The name Barry Lynn will be remembered for quite some time around the darting circles, but after his exit the attention turned to the final session and the four players left battling for the title.

Last year’s beaten finalist Wright made it through to another major final as he saw off Klaasen 10-5 in the first semi-final, before van Gerwen ensured it was a repeat of the 2015 final as he came from 4-1 down to beat Taylor 10-6.

MVG had beaten Wright in four of his six final defeats in front of the television cameras, and kept Snakebite waiting for his first big title in the PDC as he raced away to a comfortable 11-4 victory on the main stage.

All the drama really came in the final leg as the Scot missed double 12 for a nine dart leg, and after missing more doubles in his next turn was punished as MVG completed his title defence.

“I’m really pleased to win another trophy,” he said. “I had four 170 finishes, a nine-darter and won the tournament, it’s fantastic.”

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Friday 11 March 2016 Darts Weekly

Lancashire cut Yorkshire’s lead at the top to 18 points COUNTY ROUND-UP Lancashire eased past Devon 27-9 to climb up to second in the BDO British Inter-County Championship Premier Division table at the weekend.

After storming into a 15-3 overnight lead, Lancashire sealed the victory with the Men’s A games to spare, as former Lakeside champion Lisa Ashton, and then Sue Cusick picked up wins to bring the Women’s A fixtures to a close.

But Lancashire did not take their foot off the peddle though, and won the Men’s A section 8-4 to complete a comfortable 27-9 win on their travels.

Essex dropped down a place to third after losing 19-17 at home to Cambridgeshire, in a match which went all the way down to the 36th game on Sunday.

Cambridgeshire made a flying start to the weekend as they claimed a whitewash 6-0 win in the Women’s B section, before Essex fought back to win the Men’s B section 9-3 and send the teams in level after the first day.

The hosts then took the opening two games on Sunday to go into an 11-9 lead, but Cambridgeshire hit back by winning the next six games to go 15-11 in front.

Essex’s Michael Peel recorded a memorable 4-3 win over threetime world champion Martin Adams, which then inspired a fightback from his side as they won the next four games to go 17-16 up.

However, there was one more twist in the tale as Will Harwood, Dennis Harbour and Steve Carrett all triumphed in the final three games to secure Cambridgeshire a hard-fought 19-17 victory.

Premier Division leaders Yorkshire saw their lead at the top cut down to 18 points, despite them easing to a 23-13 win over Cheshire at the weekend.

A 12-6 overnight lead for the hosts was then increased when

of set six, before Anderson reeled off three straight legs to level the match once again.

Jackpot's jittery finishing in the seventh set proved costly as the defending champion moved into a 4-3 lead, and another whitewash set then gave Anderson a two-set cushion for the first time.

Lewis fought back in set nine, with a 121 checkout securing him the set in consecutive legs.

But Anderson then returned the favour in the 10th set to move to within one set of victory.

Jackpot would not give up and responded by taking the 11th set 3-0 to close the gap back to one

Vincent van der Voort on Tuesday night, and has set up an intriguing quarter-final clash with James Wade this afternoon.

The Machine has also only lost one set so far in the competition, despite having yet to show his best darts in wins over John Michael, Wes Newton and Jamie Caven.

With Wade yet to get over the semi-final hurdle at the World Championship, and with either Norris or Klaasen awaiting the winner tomorrow night, you feel that this is a big game for him.

Although Anderson has the far superior record against Wade, with

winning the Women’s A section 42, with victories for Martin Atkins and John Walton then putting Yorkshire on the verge at 18-8.

Peter Jacques secured the team’s win two games later, before Garry Thompson (94.48) and David Copley (96.97) recorded high averages in their wins over John Speed and Tony Martin.

Cheshire’s Patrick Lynskey (97.47) bettered both of those averages in a 4-3 defeat to Brian Dawson, but it could not stop them from slipping to another defeat.

Warwickshire got back to winning ways with a hard-fought 19-17 win over Hampshire, in a game which also went all the way.

Ted Evetts impressed in the Men’s B with a 91.06 average as Warwickshire took a slender 10-8 lead into the final day.

Current world champion Trina Gulliver (90.18) regained the home side’s lead at 12-11, before the visitors took the next three games.

The lead changed hands several times in the Men’s A section, before wins for Jamie Hughes (91.09) and, in the final game, Dean Stewart (91.63) got the hosts over the line as 19-17 winners.

Cornwall dropped to the bottom of the table after losing

20-16 at home to Lincolnshire.

The visitors took the lead in the very first game and never gave it up, despite several comeback attempts from Cornwall.

Gareth Griffiths kept the match alive by reducing Lincolnshire’s lead to 18-15, but Joby Booth wrapped up the win in the next game with a deciding leg victory over Kevin Mitchell.

Elsewhere, Glamorgan stretched their lead at the top of Division One to 30 points after a 26-10 win at home to Cleveland.

Paul Baker (100.20) posted the highest average of the weekend while playing for Derbyshire, but it could not prevent the Division One bottom side from a 20-16 defeat away at Oxfordshire.

London’s lead at the top of Division Two is now down to just one point after they suffered a surprise 19-17 defeat at Sussex.

West Midlands edged past Northamptonshire 19-17 t0 eat away at London’s lead, while Berkshire are now only five points off the summit after defeating Worcestershire 22-14.

Gwynedd moved to the top of Division Three with a 22-14 win over Tyne and Wear, as previous leaders Northumberland lost.

Darts Weekly Friday 11 March 2016

Harbour seeded 18th for defence of Isle Of Man title from 2015 Dennis Harbour goes into the defence of his PokerStars Isle of Man Open title as the 18th seed, with a field of 428 players set to compete for the trophy at the Villa Marina complex on the Douglas Promenade this weekend.

Harbour defeated Glen Durrant 5-2 in the final 12 months ago, and will begin his defence against Scott Dalton or Warren Larkin in the last 256 of this year’s competition.

Durrant is the number one seed for the tournament, while Martin Adams, Scott Waites, Jamie Hughes, Jim Williams, Scott Mitchell, Martin Phillips and Darryl Fitton complete the top eight seeds.

The 31st staging of the Isle of Current holder: Dennis Harbour won the Isle of Man Open last year Man Festival got underway yesterday, and is a four-day event, which carries a winner’s prize of £3,000 for whoever takes home the Isle of Man Open trophy.

The festival continues today with the Darts Corner Mixed Pairs and Steam Packet Youth events, before the two main tournaments take place tomorrow from 10.30am.

The Isle of Man Open’s men’s and ladies’ events are both classed as category A+ tournaments, and carry big ranking points in them.

On Sunday morning the Darts Corner Pairs tournaments for both the men and ladies start at 10am, with the festival then concluding with the finals from 3pm.

The previous winners list from the Isle of Man Festival includes a whole host of former world champions, with Dennis Priestley, Andy Fordham, Richie Burnett, Gary Anderson, Ted Hankey and Stephen Bunting having all walked away with the trophy and the winner’s cheque in the past.

7 Database PDC CORAL UK OPEN (legs) (Butlin’s Resort, Minehead) First round - W Newton 6-4 M Cox, R Huybrechts 6-3 M Rice, D Smith 1-6 A Roy, J Wattimena 6-5 A Smith, A Boulton 6-4 L Grimshaw, W O’Connor 6-1 M Jodrill, M Caris 6-5 J Mold, M McGowan 4-6 N Aspinall, D van Dijk 2-6 K Dowling, J Worsley 6-1 C Turner, A Monk 6-3 S Rattray, D Stewart 4-6 B Lynn, D van Duijvenbode 6-3 M McFall, J Hogg w/o Ben Green, A Tabern 3-6 H Ward, P Hogan 6-3 D Day, M Barilli 6-1 D Layden, J Clayton 6-2 I McFarlane, R de Vreede 6-3 N Derry, D Webster 6-0 L Morris, M Frost 6-0 A Brown, J Murnan 6-2 P Whitworth, J Dekker 5-6 A Davidson, S Maish 6-5 J Heaver, D Winstanley 6-5 J Scott, M Wilson w/o L Delderfield, P Milford 6-1 C Jones, S Marsh 6-1 S Rose, J Haines 5-6 G Stone, K MacNeil 3-6 R Cross, R Harrington 6-1 G McGrandle, J Payne 6-2 D Parletti. Second round - J de Graaf 6-5 W O’Connor, L Evans 6-2 R-J Rodriguez, R Thornton 4-6 A Monk, K Painter 4-6 D Winstanley, M de Decker 5-6 M Clark, M Dudbridge 5-6 J ten Berge, B Dolan 6-3 S Marsh, D Brown 4-6 R Harrington, J Caven 6-2 G Stone, M Frost 6-4 M Barilli, Y Meeuwisse 3-6 R Green, J Foreman 4-6 R Huybrechts, W Jones 5-6 A Jenkins, P Milford 4-6 S Maish, J Payne 6-1 H Ward, S Dale 2-6 D Webster, B van Peer 5-6 R Corner, J de Zwaan 5-6 A Roy, B Claydon 4-6 B Lynn, C Reyes 4-6 A Davidson, M Edgar 6-4 M Wilson, D Pallett 6-1 J Marriott, J Wilson 6-3 J Clayton, W Newton 4-6 R Cross, R Edhouse 4-6 J Murnan, P Hudson 4-6 D van Duijvenbode, J Wattimena 6-1 K Dowling, M Caris 6-3 B Green, A Boulton 6-2 J Worsley, A Gilding 5-6 R de Vreede, T Newell 6-1 P Hogan, S Kellett 6-5 N Aspinall. Third round - J Cullen 9-1 M Frost, R Eidams 3-9 J Wilson, S Kellett 9-7 J ten Berge, R Evans 9-5 A Boulton, R de Vreede 9-5 J Payne, R Green 5-9 D van Duijvenbode, R van Barneveld 9-8 D Pallett, J Klaasen 9-6 M Clark, V van der Voort 9-3 D Winstanley, J de Graaf 8-9 R Cross, L Evans 7-9 J Caven, S Whitlock 9-6 I White, T Jenkins 9-7 R Huybrechts, A Norris 9-7 J Wattimena, G Anderson 9-7 D Chisnall, D Webster 9-5 A Davidson, J Wade 2-9 M Suljovic, K Huybrechts 9-1 S Maish, S Bunting 9-8 J Lewis, J Pipe 9-6 A Roy, G Price 8-9 J Murnan, M Webster 9-3 M Edgar, K Anderson 9-2 A Hamilton, B Dolan 6-9 B Lynn, M van Gerwen 9-2 R Harrington, B van de Pas 9-7 M King, M Smith 9-8 D Gurney, S Beaton 5-9 P Wright, J Henderson 9-4 M Caris, P Taylor 9-5 A Monk, A Jenkins 9-5 R Corner, A Lewis 9-1 T Newell. Fourth round - A Norris 6-9 J Cullen, M Smith 59 S Kellett, P Taylor 9-3 R van Barneveld, R Evans 8-9 D Webster, J Klaasen 9-8 J Murnan, V van der Voort 9-2 A Jenkins, S Whitlock 3-9 B van de Pas, G Anderson 3-9 B Lynn, M Suljovic 9-8 R de Vreede, K Huybrechts 9-3 J Pipe, S Bunting 9-6 J PDC BETWAY PREMIER LEAGUE

Caven, M Webster 9-4 D van Duijvenbode, K Anderson 9-2 J Wilson, M van Gerwen 95 R Cross, T Jenkins 5-9 P Wright, A Lewis 9-6 J Henderson. Fifth round - M Webster 9-5 M Suljovic, M van Gerwen 9-2 K Huybrechts, S Kellett 5-9 B Lynn, P Taylor 9-7 V van der Voort, B van de Pas 2-9 K Anderson, S Bunting 7-9 J Cullen, P Wright 9-5 D Webster, A Lewis 7-9 J Klaasen. Quarter finals - J Klaasen 10-0 K Anderson, P Wright 10-7 J Cullen, M van Gerwen 10-6 B Lynn, P Taylor 10-3 M Webster. Semi finals - J Klaasen 5-10 P Wright, M van Gerwen 10-6 P Taylor.

Final - M van Gerwen 11-4 P Wright.

PDC BETWAY PREMIER LEAGUE (legs) (Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham) Week six - M Smith 3-7 G Anderson, P Wright 3-7 A Lewis, R van Barneveld 5-7 J Wade, R Thornton 0-7 P Taylor, D Chisnall 2-7 M van Gerwen.

BDO INTER-COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP Premier Division - Cornwall 16-20 Lincolnshire, Devon 9-27 Lancashire, Essex 17-19 Cambridgeshire, Warwickshire 19-17 Hampshire, Yorkshire 23-13 Cheshire.

Division One - County Durham 17-19 Nottinghamshire, Glamorgan 26-10 Cleveland, Kent 15-21 Dorset, Oxfordshire 20-16 Derbyshire, Surrey 15-21 Gwent.

Division Two - Berkshire 22-14 Worcestershire, Cumbria 19-17 Staffordshire, Somerset 21-15 Suffolk, Sussex 19-17 London, West Midlands 19-17 Northamptonshire.

Division Three - Buckinghamshire 22-14 Wiltshire, Gwynedd 22-14 Tyne and Wear, Humberside 13-23 Hertfordshire, Merseyside 23-13 Northumberland, Norfolk 15-21 Leicestershire.

Division Four - Isle of Wight 11-25 Gloucestershire, Middlesex 19-19 Bedfordshire, Shropshire 19-17 Breconshire, West of Midland 21-15 Clwyd.

Scotland North - Central 9-19 Angus, East Stirlingshire 11-17 Fife, Highland 16-12 Tay Valley, Perthshire 18-10 Clackmannanshire.

Scotland South - Borders 18-10 Lanarkshire, Greater Glasgow 15-13 West Ayrshire, Lothian 15-13 Ayrshire, Renfrewshire 22-6 West Lothian.

For any advertising enquiries please contact Ben Chambers on 01903 899942 or email ben@chambers.media

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Friday 11 March 2016 Darts Weekly

ALEX MOSS CHIEF DARTS WRITER

Could Wade sneak into the play-offs this season?

He’s a former Premier League winner and has also won the World Matchplay, UK Open and World Grand Prix during his career, but few would have predicted James Wade as one of their four players to make it through to the end of season play-offs in this year’s Betway Premier League.

At the conclusion of week six of the competition in Nottingham last night, the Machine is on eight points and occupies fourth place in the table.

The illness to Robert Thornton in week two means Wade, along with Michael Smith, has played a game more than most of the field, and in some cases two, but his performances in the Premier League in the last two weeks have certainly been impressive.

Wade hit three 100+ checkouts on his way to a 7-4 victory against Dave Chisnall last week in Exeter, and followed that up last night with a 7-5 triumph over Raymond van Barneveld.

Those two wins shows how far the Aldershot thrower has pushed on in this Premier League. Wade lost 10-7 to van Barneveld in the last 16 of the Grand Slam of Darts last November, in a match which he let Barney’s slowing down antics get the better of him.

And in the Masters in late January of this year, Wade had no answer for Chisnall’s scoring power as he succumbed to an 11-6 defeat in the semi-finals.

The Machine has had an up and down season so far in this year’s Premier League. It began last month with the daunting prospect of facing Michael van Gerwen on

the opening night in Leeds. A surprise 7-4 win over MVG was followed by a win against Smith by the same scoreline the following week, but then it appeared to go downhill for the 2009 Premier League champion.

Defeats to Phil Taylor, Peter Wright and Adrian Lewis left Wade languishing in sixth place and starting to look over his shoulder, yet he has reacted brilliantly in the last few weeks with backto-back wins.

Wade can further boost his claim for a top four place when he takes on relegation-threatened Robert Thornton in Glasgow next Thursday, before he then sits out the Liverpool leg of the competition

on March 24. Last year Wade had six points from his opening seven games of the Premier League, but then went on to win just one of his remaining nine fixtures.

The 32-year-old finished in seventh place in 2015, seven points adrift of the top four, but this year he looks like he means business.

After missing out on the Premier League in 2014, Wade returned to the tournament last year and I think the demands of playing each week over that length of time caught up with him.

This year I believe Wade is ready to have a real go at trying to disrupt the main frontrunners and finish in the play-off spots.