Issue 36 (September 9, 2016)

Friday 9 September 2016

Darts Weekly

Suljovic up to world number 14 after winning first PDC title P2-3 A SCHOLAR’S RETURN

LIM’S VIEW ON DARTS

YORKSHIRE ON TOP

Matthew Dennant chats to us ahead of Mülheim Pages 6-7

Exclusive interview with darts legend Paul Lim Pages 8-9

Defending champions get off to a flying start Pages 10-11

PDC EUROPE

Mensur for the Premier League?

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Friday 9 September 2016 Darts Weekly

Suljovic bags first title in the PDC to give Premier League hopes for 2017 a big boost Alex Moss CHIEF DARTS WRITER Mensur Suljovic in the Premier League. It is a statement which both excites and horrifies darts fans in equal measure.

The 44-year-old Austrian gave his chances of a call-up to next year’s season no harm when he landed his maiden ranking title in the PDC on Sunday.

Victory in the HappyBet International Darts Open in Riesa, Germany at the weekend ended Suljovic’s nine-year wait for the winner’s trophy in a PDC event.

A 6-5 win in the final against Kim Huybrechts completed the landmark feat and has pushed the Bosnian-born thrower up to a career high 14th in the PDC Order of Merit.

Now Suljovic has got over the winning line in the PDC, the general consensus is Sunday night’s triumph at the Sachsen Arena will not be the first and last

time we see him with the big prize in his hands.

“I’m overwhelmed,” he said following his win over Huybrechts in the final. “I can’t believe what happened in the final and for Kim to miss so many match darts, but I’m over the moon to win my first event.

“I didn’t think I could win that, I didn’t start very well and I had

“I’m overwhelmed, I’m over the moon to win my first event in the PDC” problems in the beginning.

“So I said as long as I can get chances from him I’ll try to take them and at the end it happened.

“I just wanted to reach the final, finally! I didn’t think about winning it actually but it happened.

“I think to go the next step it’s going to be more and more difficult. It’s not going to be easy,

stores.ebay.co.uk/Mojo-DARTS

it’s getting more and more difficult now.”

Last weekend in Riesa the Austrian ace followed up nine previous PDC ranking event semifinals by reaching his first final, with wins over Dutch pair Jelle Klaasen, Yordi Meeuwisse and England’s James Wilson on the final day of the tournament.

In the final he looked to have thrown away his chance for victory when he saw Huybrechts come from 4-2 down to lead 5-4, before he levelled the match to force a deciding leg.

While it was Huybrechts who was first to a finish, the Belgian missed seven match darts to then allow Suljovic back into the leg.

And last year’s World Grand Prix and Players Championship Finals semi-finalist took out 52 on double 16 before dropping to his knees in celebration.

In a back and forth final, Huybrechts landed a 180 as he took the opening leg, but Suljovic hit back by taking the next two legs

Darts Weekly Friday 9 September 2016

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to edge 2-1 in front. A brilliant 132 finish from Huybrechts saw him level, only for Suljovic to reel off 13 and 14 darters to move 4-2 up.

Huybrechts checked out another 132 for a 12 darter to close the gap to one leg, and was then back in the ascendancy when he finished a 13 darter on double 12 to go 5-4 up with three legs on the bounce.

But Suljovic levelled in leg 10 before recovering from a shaky start in the deciding leg to snatch a dramatic triumph.

Paul Nicholson, who provided commentary on LIVEPDC.TV during the tournament, said of Suljovic’s win: “I think over the last couple of years what he’s done is he’s worked his way up towards this final, and I echo what Mensur said actually.

“I think him making the final was a really big stride for him. It looked pretty difficult to get over that line against James Wilson in that semifinal, however sometimes you need that little bit of luck, a bit of luck which some people just don’t get.”

Should Mensur Suljovic be picked for the Premier League next year?

“I’d change my answer to yes if he could speed things up a bit. His slow style of play doesn’t fit into PL standards imo.” @WorldWideDarts “If he’s in the top ten after the World Championships then yes” @A_Devonshire180 “The PDC have to many tournaments with the top ten players such as the World Series.

Would like to see some new PL players in the next one” @pauriclavin “Only if he wins the World Grand Prix or the Grand Slam of Darts or the World Championship, which seems unlikely.

“I think he could deserve a chance but it would be boring to watch him.” @Phenohyte180

MVG and Wade both return, but Gurney forced to pull out again World number one Michael van Gerwen and multiple time major winner James Wade are both set to return to action on the PDC European Tour at the HappyBet European Darts Trophy in Mülheim this weekend.

The Premier League duo both missed last week’s HappyBet International Darts Open in Riesa through injury and illness respectively.

Wade withdrew earlier in the week, while van Gerwen’s premature departure came during the opening day of the tournament on Friday afternoon.

The pair, seeded first and third for the £115,000 event, have both enjoyed success on the European Still out: Daryl Gurney will miss this weekend’s trip to Mülheim Tour so far in 2016, with van Gerwen claiming four of the seven tournaments he has competed in.

While it was Wade who put a stop to the Dutchman’s winning streak on the European Tour on his way to winning the HappyBet European Darts Matchplay in Hamburg back in May. Northern Ireland’s Daryl Gurney also pulled out of last weekend’s event in Riesa, withdrawing last Friday on medical advice due to a broken finger.

Gurney has failed to recover in time for this weekend’s Mülheim event and yesterday announced he had withdrawn once again.

The world number 27 posted on Twitter yesterday: “I haven’t travelled to Germany today my hand isn’t right yet gonna (sic) give myself enough time to heal sufficiently!”

Gurney will be hoping to be fully fit for next weekend when the ninth European Tour event of the year takes place in Sindelfingen.

Darts Weekly Friday 9 September 2016

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CHRISTOPHER KEMPF MATCH OF THE WEEK - ANDY BOULTON 6-5 DAVE CHISNALL (INTERNATIONAL OPEN) LAWRENCE LUSTIG/PDC

Nine dart perfection is elusive in Riesa As commentator Dan Dawson counted off the darts in the eighth leg of this third round match, his voice rose to a frenetic pitch as the elusive nine dart leg neared, echoing the expectant cheers of the German fans in attendance.

The end to the three year wait for a European Tour nine darter seemed, as it had so many other times this year, to be fast approaching.

“The nine darter is on!” Treble 20. “Andy Boulton!” Treble 19.

“DOUBLE 12!”, he shouted.

But Boulton couldn’t find the double. Dawson collapsed to the floor in exasperation.

In finishing off the leg in 11 darts, however, Boulton broke Dave Chisnall’s throw to level the match.

Two holds of throw later and Boulton had accomplished one of the best victories of his career, defeating the world number nine and reaching his first PDC quarterfinal of 2016.

It was a superb weekend for many lesser-known players, taking advantage of their opportunity to make a deep run into an International Darts Open in the absence of the world’s top four players.

Chisnall, determined to advance to a second European Tour final this year, did his best to knock off the UK qualifier Boulton, averaging 104.59 for the match and a superb 117.64 over the first nine darts of each leg.

A formidable start saw Chisnall break Boulton’s throw in the first leg and score eight perfect darts in the second.

But he failed to close out the

Andy Boulton missed double 12 for a nine dart leg during his 6-5 win against Dave Chisnall in the International Open on Sunday match with a second break, reaching only 150 and 120 after 12 darts in the third and fifth legs.

The seventh leg presented Chizzy an ideal opportunity to take a 5-2 lead, but he could not check out from 87 with six darts.

Chisnall, averaging over 20 points less on his opponent’s throw than on his own, showed signs of

‘Two holds of throw later and Boulton had one of the best wins of his career’ frustration in the final legs as a poor visit or missed darts around the double ring allowed Boulton back into the match. In contrast, Boulton seemed to gain confidence with each hold of throw.

While Boulton scored on only 30 per cent of his attempts at doubles, not once did he throw a dart at a double in a leg that he lost.

The decisive eighth leg saw

Boulton survive a dart at the bull from Chizzy to check out from 132, turning the tide of the match in the favour of the X Factor.

A subsequent 17-dart hold of throw visibly encouraged Boulton, enabling a clinical 14-dart hold of throw in the final leg as Chisnall could not apply substantial pressure.

It was a disciplined performance against considerable adversity by Boulton, but the match was made memorable by the two excruciatingly near misses at a double for nine dart legs.

The past years’ innumerable failed attempts at the perfect leg suggests that the sudden realisation that perfection is at hand - and the burst of adrenaline that comes with it - can cause a momentary lapse of composure for any player.

Boulton, however, could hardly be dissatisfied with his missed dart at double 12 that set up an 11 dart leg and one of the biggest upsets on this year’s European Tour.

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Friday 9 September 2016 Darts Weekly

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

“I hope I can go and have a good run in Germany this weekend and show what I can do”

Matthew Dennant chats to Alex Moss ahead of his first European Tour appearance in three years

fter one of the most unpredictable weekends in the history of the European Tour last week, Matthew Dennant is hoping it will be his time to be in the spotlight when the HappyBet European Darts Trophy gets underway today.

Last weekend sprung up plenty of surprise results, with Yordi Meeuwisse, Andy Boulton and Dragutin Horvat all enjoying surprise runs to the quarter-finals of the HappyBet International Darts Open in Riesa.

Dennant will be among the 48 players competing in the eighth European Tour event of the year this weekend, with today’s first round clash with Devon Petersen his first appearance on the European Tour in more than three years.

Based in Bloxwich, a small town in the West Midlands, Dennant has made encouraging strides so far in 2016, beating the likes of Robert Thornton and Benito van de Pas on the Pro Tour, but this weekend returning to the European Tour represents his biggest step forward of the season so far.

“I’m really excited,” he said. “I can’t wait to get up there and play to be honest.

“I’m sure I’ll be a little nervous when I get over there but I’m excited to play on the stage again.

“A lot of the players are capable of beating each other, it’s just having that run and luck on the day.

“As soon as it starts coming together the confidence builds and

“I’m sure I’ll be a little bit nervous when I get over there but I’m excited”

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you’re a hard player to beat. You’ve got 90 per cent of the players in the room who can do the same as each other in the PDC, it’s just those at the top do it more often!”

Dennant secured his place on the PDC main tour earlier this year after winning a tour card at QSchool via the Order of Merit.

It was the recruitment advisor’s fourth attempt at trying to gain a tour card, having missed out in the previous three years.

“I’ve gone to Q-School for the last four years,” he said. “To get the tour card this year was a big relief.

“I’ve had good days and been close in the last couple of years, but before I went this year, as daft as it seems, I kept saying to everybody that I wasn’t coming back without a tour card.

“I just felt like I was playing really well and I kind of wanted it a bit more I think.

“I snuck in on points so I had to wait around until the end of the day, because there was still a few people who could have pushed me out depending on their results. It was a stressful wait for me.”

Dennant’s best runs so far on the PDC Pro Tour this year have been to the last 32 of two Players Championship events, the first of which back in April was ended by a certain Michael van Gerwen.

“It’s been amazing,” he said. “I have played in some of the Pro Tour events previously when I’ve been on the Challenge Tour so I had a bit of experience before.

“But it’s amazing to play alongside the likes of van Gerwen,

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Phil Taylor and Gary Anderson.

“I’ve had a few good runs in the Pro Tour events and had some unlucky results, but as long as I keep moving in the right direction that’s the main thing.”

Last year Dennant started practicing with former professional Chris Mason, a move which the youngster has already seen reap its rewards with success at Q-School

“Chris Mason has been a massive help and obviously is still as talented as ever” for the first time in January.

“He’s been a massive help to be fair,” Dennant said. “He’s got a lot of knowledge and obviously he’s still as talented as ever.

“He’s still capable of being on the tour himself based on some of the averages he puts in during practice.

“It’s good to play against somebody who is pushing you and

PICTURE: LAWRENCE LUSTIG/PDC giving you the type of game you’d be having on the Pro Tour.

“One big thing he’s helped with is game management and just understanding the situation.

“It is a bit more than standing there and throwing darts. If things are going wrong you have to think about what you can change to try and get back on track.”

Looking ahead to the rest of the season and Dennant has ambitions to get on the TV before the year is out, as he looks to improve on his current ranking of 136 in the PDC Order of Merit.

“This month is a big month,” he said. “I hope I can go and have a good run in Germany and show what I can do.

“Maybe I can push for the top 64 in the Players Championship and qualify for the televised finals, and who knows maybe the World Championships at the end of the year as well.”

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Reynolds now guaranteed tour card after treble win in Wigan DEVELOPMENT TOUR Dean Reynolds guaranteed himself a PDC tour card for next year after claiming three tournament wins during the penultimate weekend of this year’s PDC Unicorn Development Tour.

With two-year tour cards on offer to the top two finishers on the final Development Tour Order of Merit, Welshman Reynolds has now made sure he will finish either first or second following his hat-trick of titles in Wigan last week.

After claiming the Event 13 title on Saturday, Reynolds became the first player to win both events in a day since the double-header weekends were introduced when he went all the way to victory in both Development Tour events on Sunday.

UK Open star Cross in pole position ahead of final events CHALLENGE TOUR Rob Cross and Ryan Searle occupy the coveted top two places in the PDC Unicorn Challenge Tour Order of Merit heading into the start of the final weekend of the season in Wigan tomorrow.

Cross, who reached the last 32 of this year’s Coral UK Open after qualifying as a Riley’s Amateur Qualifier, heads the Order of Merit with £5,100 to his name.

Following the final four events of the Challenge Tour circuit this weekend, the top two players on the Order of Merit will each earn a two-year PDC tour card.

Searle (£4,650) is currently in second place, with Barry Lynn, Adam Hunt and Mark Dudbridge the closest to the top two.

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Friday 9 September 2016 Darts Weekly

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

“I just want to finish on a high note and see the world of darts grow, and one day in the Olympics”

Darts legend Paul Lim chats to Richard Edwards about his career, darts in Asia and the sport’s future

hen asked how big soft tip darts in Asia is, Paul Lim explains how it has exploded on the continent in such a short space of time.

“Soft tip has definitely been on the climb since five years ago,” the Singapore thrower says.

“DARTSLIVE has been pretty aggressive in the overseas market, but has concentrated more on Asia due to its fast pace of growth.

“DARTSLIVE has put on more and more events with the vision of giving more opportunities to players to gain recognition and showcase themselves.

“They don’t only want the top players, DARTSLIVE wants all players to be connected through the program and to bring all the players together. As we say, one card one world.”

With Lim estimating at more than 30,000 soft tip boards now in operation, there have been more and more players take up the different variation of the sport.

Back in the UK, steel tip players are often put off by having to throw with a lighter dart in the soft tip game, but Lim explains the advances in technology should see those doubters soon be converted.

“Playing with lighter darts is definitely not an issue anymore,” he said. “Especially with the DARTSLIVE world stages.

“The legal weight being 24g and most players in the steel tip world don’t even use up to 24g.

“But really throwing darts is about getting used to the darts and being comfortable and having

“I have been playing darts for 42 years and in tournaments for almost 35 years”

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sound mechanics. Years and years ago the weight of darts used to be a problem, but the technology of dartboards have made them a better quality.

“The target segment can withstand and, more importantly, the tips are of much better quality.”

The name Paul Lim is one of the most well-known names in darts around the world. In 1990 he became the first player to throw a nine darter in a World Championship, a feat which earned him £52,000, more than the winner of the tournament, Phil Taylor, who pocketed £28,000.

“The nine darter is in the history book and a great achievement,” the 62-year-old said.

“I have been playing darts for 42 years and in tournaments for almost 35 years.

“I know people always say practice makes perfect and that is true, but practice with desire and motivation is the most important.

“For me now I want to keep being motivated, play hard and enjoy the game until I retire.

“Sooner or later everything has got to come to an end. I just want to finish on a high note and see the world of darts grow, and maybe one day be in the Olympics or another major sports event.”

At the end of last year Lim made his 21st appearance in a World Championship, losing 2-1 in sets to Russia’s Aleksandr Oreshkin in the preliminary round.

After being absent from the PDC World Championship between

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“With the PDC they can capture and watch the pros at work and observe and learn from their stroke and movement and tournament presence and composure.

“So as to say, the generation now

the past and I envy them! Soft tip darts has definitely opened up and the growth is so much faster than steel tip over here in Asia.

“The enjoyment factor and simplicity of soft tip has taken the world of darts into another level.

“The growth of players is so rapid and some of it overflows into trying steel tip and so the steel darts market also flourishes.

“DARTSLIVE aims to provide entertainment values, leading to bigger competitions if desired by individuals.

“Players are now able to choose where to go and play in tournaments and have the chance to visit new countries and see players from all different countries.

“I am lucky to be able to work and play the game I love most and share it with the world.”

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“x x x x” 2003 and 2012, Lim has qualified for three of the last four events held at the Alexandra Palace, and still desires to be in more.

“I personally would want to be involved with as many tournaments as possible, especially the televised ones,” he said.

“Due to my job commitment it is harder for me to chase the steel tip circuit though.

“My job with DARTSLIVE is to promote DARTSLIVE and I am sure people should understand that.

“But truly, for myself, I just want to promote darts and by doing that helping people enjoy the game more.

“There are so many young, Asian players coming up and improving at the moment.

“The exposure of darts, steel and soft tip, can be commonly seen on

“I’m lucky to be able to play the game I love and share it with the world” are lucky to have that and that’s why the standard has gone so much higher.

“Equipment, technology of online play allows players to enjoy friendly competition worldwide from their home or local bar.

“We never had that chance in the

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Friday 9 September 2016 Darts Weekly

Dream debut for McGeeney as Yorkshire claim top spot Alex Moss CHIEF DARTS WRITER

which further affirms the Yorkshire youngster’s undoubted potential to be one of the top ladies players in the future.

Keith Flint got Yorkshire over the winning line with nine games left to spare, before McGeeney made his mark for his new team and David Copley and captain Brian Dawson chalked up victories to give the hosts a 22-8 lead.

Warwickshire added some

respectably to the scoreline by claiming five of the last six games, the highlight of which was Nigel Heydon’s 4-0 triumph against Peter Jacques.

The PDC tour card holder finished with a one dart average of 32.32 - the second highest across the entire Premier Division over the whole weekend - as the visitors

clawed back some points to open their campaign with a 23-13 defeat.

Promoted Nottinghamshire overcame an overnight deficit to beat Devon 19-17.

Devon went into the final day with a narrow 10-8 advantage, which was extended to 11-8 after Sunday’s first game, before the hosts went on a hot spell by winning 10 of the next 13 games to go 18-14 in front.

Jay Foreman sealed the victory for Nottinghamshire in the 34th game, with Devon taking the final two points to finish two behind.

Lancashire ran away with it on the final day of their trip to Cheshire, as they powered home to a 21-15 win, after the opening day had seen the teams locked at 9-9.

The other promoted side, Glamorgan came from 16-12 behind to draw 18-18 in a back and forth clash at Essex.

Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire also played out an 18-18 draw, in a game which saw both sides hold hefty leads.

Cambridgeshire v Lincolnshire At the GER Club (Overnight 7-11)

Cheshire v Lancashire At the Coppenhall WM Club (Overnight 9-9)

Essex v Glamorgan At Chelmsford Social Club (Overnight 8-10)

Women’s A J Findley 22.88 (3-1) T Montgomery 23.10 J Judges 19.61 (3-2) P Jacklin 19.53 B Greatbatch 21.47 (3-1) S Edwards 20.22 N Bentley 21.47 (3-0) L Tye 18.88 S Greatbatch 17.88 (2-3) D Armstrong 19.73 D Nash 18.07 (3-2) H Lodge 18.22 Men’s A B Claydon 27.90 (4-2) C Hill 27.90 D Harbour 26.69 (4-2) M Foreman 27.42 M Adams 30.53 (4-1) K Forrington 29.01 M David 20.16 (4-1) A Bingham 20.28 W Harwood 21.34 (2-4) P Brown 23.52 A Jones 27.80 (2-4) M Taylor 27.58 S Carrett 23.72 (2-4) A Beck 25.84 P Carter 25.45 (3-4) S Stainton 25.71 I Withers 23.35 (2-4) C Fidler 20.56 A Cousins 24.44 (4-0) J Booth 21.37 S Ward 25.39 (3-4) L Pennell 24.72 C Venman 26.90 (4-3) A Ward 26.99

Women’s A J Densley 21.47 (3-0) T Cunningham 17.81 G O’Shea 19.17 (1-3) S Cusick 17.13 A Hunt 15.74 (1-3) G Jones 18.86 J Stubbs 15.69 (0-3) S Seed 17.48 R Davies 19.08 (1-3) A Smith 19.72 B Martin 18.67 (3-2) J Clements 18.93 Men’s A M Graham 25.77 (2-4) C Sneyd 25.90 M Barrow 21.81 (3-4) L Shewan 27.16 C Ware 23.07 (0-4) M Oversby 26.37 S Walshe 21.13 (1-4) D Airey 22.98 B Suckley 24.54 (2-4) I Lever 29.31 D Bird 25.56 (2-4) R Rickwood 27.62 A Cope 25.07 (2-4) P Taylor 26.33 M Haynes 26.68 (4-3) M Barratt 25.07 S Preston 26.60 (4-2) M Atkins 26.88 P Boughley 28.63 (4-0) C O’Connor 27.59 D Smith-Hayes 25.51 (4-3) A Johnson 25.72 P Lynskey 24.69 (3-4) D Adshead 26.41

Women’s A W Reader 18.56 (3-0) P Clemett 17.47 D Gleed 18.79 (3-0) A Waters 16.97 S Ellis 21.47 (3-0) S Quinn 14.78 S Hewson 17.99 (3-2) D Thomas 16.32 S Baker 20.04 (1-3) R Edwards 26.63 N Bewick 18.41 (0-3) I Powell 19.27 Men’s A S Johnson 27.83 (4-0) J Davies 22.53 W Bloomfield 26.63 (4-2) L Browning 26.36 B Lynn 28.23 (4-0) T Jones 24.53 P Barham 25.72 (4-1) M Dacey 22.65 P Marsh 24.74 (3-4) R Edwards 26.08 D Day 30.69 (3-4) K Carter 26.75 C Vickers 26.02 (2-4) J Bass 27.06 P Halls 24.14 (3-4) D Rogers 23.65 A Collins 24.75 (2-4) S Dibbs 26.77 R Turner 25.69 (4-0) M Huntley 23.47 W Gleed 26.20 (3-4) W Davies 28.36 S Hardy 26.37 (4-0) C Langford 23.07

Cambridgeshire (19 pts) draw 18-18 with Lincolnshire (19 pts)

Cheshire (15 pts) lost 21-15 to Lancashire (24 pts)

Essex (19 pts) draw 18-18 with Glamorgan (19 pts)

Mark McGeeney enjoyed a dream debut for Yorkshire after posting the highest Premier Division average on the opening weekend of the new British Inter-County Championships season.

The England international left Lancashire to join the Premier Division holders, and on his first game for his new club on Sunday he clocked a 32.70 one dart average in his 4-1 win over Warwickshire’s Dickie Foster.

Yorkshire had already secured enough points for the overall win by the time McGeeney made his debut, as after leading 13-5 overnight their Women’s A side won 4-2 to put them 17-7 in front.

The most eye-catching result of the entire opening weekend came there, with 12-year-old Beau Greaves pulling off a memorable 3-2 win over 10-time ladies world champion Trina Gulliver, a result

‘12-year-old Beau Greaves pulled off a memorable 3-2 win over Trina Gulliver’

Database British Inter-County Championship Premier Division

Darts Weekly Friday 9 September 2016

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Alex Moss CHIEF DARTS WRITER

Alex Moss CHIEF DARTS WRITER

Alex Moss CHIEF DARTS WRITER

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British Inter-County Championship Division One Nottinghamshire v Devon At Rolls Royce Gate One (Overnight 8-10)

Yorkshire v Warwickshire At Glasshoughton WM Club (Overnight 13-5)

Women’s A J Oldershaw 20.71 (2-3) M Dennis 21.70 J Pitchford 20.43 (3-1) K Gabriel 19.99 S Brent 21.33 (3-1) M Andrews 18.77 K Handford 2210 (3-0) A Johnson 1970 K Stevens 17.33 (3-2) L Hughes 17.60 T Johnson 16.72 (1-3) M O’Brien 18.20 Men’s A A McCracken 24.74 (4-0) P Stewart 24.18 P Harvey 30.54 (4-2) M Pearce 26.68 M Stocks 27.83 (4-0) S Dring 26.29 N Birkin 25.39 (4-3) T McDermott 25.75 J Esam 24.24 (1-4) R Dennis 26.20 M Hopkins 25.76 (1-4) P Milford 28.12 S Hay 20.44 (4-1) K Winter 19.65 T Allies 27.61 (4-1) M Vellacott 21.29 W Pepper 26.07 (2-4) A Hayman 26.58 J Foreman 25.64 (4-3) M Turner 24.83 P McConville (3-4) M Dickinson 24.44 N Lawton 26.03 (0-4) J Imrie 30.83

Women’s A D Bateman 22.29 (3-1) K Bambridge 21.48 R Brooks 18.80 (3-1) M Hill G Khaosoi 20.52 (3-1) N Gilbert 18.69 L Simmonds 20.06 (1-3) D Pinch 19.32 L Winstanley 23.04 (1-3) S Gulliver 24.55 B Greaves 20.87 (3-2) T Gulliver MBE 20.61 Men’s A J Walton 25.22 (4-2) D Stewart 25.23 B Hallas 26.70 (3-4) M Westgarth 28.51 K Flint 26.91 (4-1) W Naylor 22.63 M McGeeney 32.70 (4-1) D Foster 24.23 D Copley 31.02 (4-2) J Hughes 29.98 B Dawson 28.57 (4-3) T Aldridge 29.67 T Gregory 26.15 (2-4) B Nixon 27.35 C Gill 26.92 (0-4) N Grant 29.91 G Thompson 26.14 (2-4) A Allen 27.17 P Jacques 28.42 (0-4) N Heydon 32.32 M Atkins 27.87 (4-3) M Carter 29.59 T Hull 24.66 (3-4) M Strong 26.52

Nottinghamshire (22 pts) beat Devon (17 pts) 19-17.

Yorkshire (26 pts) beat Warwickshire (13 pts) 23-13.

Cleveland 19-17 Cornwall County Durham 20-16 Oxfordshire Gwent 18-18 Dorset Hampshire 20-16 West Midlands London P-P Kent Division Two Berkshire 18-18 Cumbria Northamptonshire 29-7 Northumberland Surrey 22-14 Staffordshire Worcestershire 21-15 Suffolk Division Three Gwynedd 22-14 Somerset Merseyside 23-13 Buckinghamshire Tyne & Wear 20-16 Montgomery & Radnor Division Four Clwyd 27-9 Breconshire Isle of Wight 10-26 Middlesex Norfolk 26-10 Shropshire Pembrokeshire 14-22 Wiltshire West of England 14-22 Bedfordshire

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Friday 9 September 2016 Darts Weekly

EVERY MATCH. EVERY TABLE. EVERY STAT PROFESSIONAL DARTS CORPORATION INTERNATIONAL DARTS OPEN

First round - R Meikle (83.50) 60 M Rasztovits (76.08), B Dolan (90.32) 5-6 Y Meeuwisse (94.82), C Dobey (102.33) 6-1 K Ratajski (93.69), M Barnard (84.61) 5-6 M Holz (87.35), A Hamilton (80.55) 2-6 Jam Wilson (94.66), D Webster (90.26) 6-3 M Hopp (90.07), J de Zwaan (81.63) 2-6 J Wattimena (86.21), J Caven (81.98) 3-6 A Boulton (80.64), S West (83.65) 6-1 R Eidams (85.16), K Painter (80.12) 1-6 D Petersen (85.86), K Anderson (91.58) 6-2 V Kamphuis (78.71), R Huybrechts SWEDISH (93.41) 6-3 M Frost (85.54), J Walker (84.6) 6-3 M OPENR Evans Langendorf (81.15), (93.22) 4-6 D Horvat (94.81), J Cullen (98.88) 6-4 J de Graaf (90.85), R Green (93.65) 6-4 J Richardson (94.64). Second round - M van Gerwen w/d R Meikle w/o, D Gurney w/d Y Meeuwisse w/o, J Klaasen (91.14) 6-3 C Dobey (82.81), M Suljovic (95.21) 6-3 M Holz (89.09), M Smith (96.89) 4-6 Jam Wilson (100.31), T Jenkins (90.98) 6-5 D Webster (91.80), D Chisnall (94.19) 6-1 J Wattimena (84.52), A Norris (73.97) 1-6 A Boulton (84.36), P Wright 91.09) 6-4 S West (85.62), S Whitlock (95.39) 6-1 D Petersen (88.50), B van de Pas (89.75) 6-5 K Anderson (89.38), R Thornton (89.28) 6-4 R Huybrechts (89.22), I White (95.41) 6-2 J Walker (84.05), G Price (94.25) 5-6 D Horvat (93.89), K Huybrechts (104.55) 65 J Cullen (95.46), S Bunting (99.59) 1-6 R Green (101.11).

Third round - R Meikle (94.84) 2-6 Y Meeuwisse (100.49), J Klaasen (90.41) 5-6 M Suljovic (98.14), Jam Wilson (93.58) 6-4 T Jenkins (88.20), D Chisnall (104.59) 5-6 A Boulton (98.15), P Wright (107.19) 3-6 S Whitlock (103.30), B van de Pas (90.66) 6-2 R Thornton (78.02), I White

(101.33) 4-6 D Horvat (99.41), K Huybrechts (93.12) 6-2 R Green (81.47). Quarter finals - Y Meeuwisse (89.58) 1-6 M Suljovic (98.54), Jam Wilson (93.56) 6-1 A Boulton (84.67), S Whitlock (94.38) 5-6 B van de Pas (90.57), D Horvat (86.97) 1-6 K Huybrechts (100.75). Semi finals - M Suljovic (96.87) 6-1 Jam Wilson (86.48), B van de Pas (94.96) 2-6 K Huybrechts (95.95).

Final - M Suljovic (95.15) 6-5 K Huybrechts (93.89).

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP ORDER OF MERIT 1 M van Gerwen £108,500 2 M Suljovic £43,500 3 P Wright £36,000 4 J Wade £32,500 5 D Chisnall £31,000 6 K Huybrechts £26,500 7 P Taylor £25,000 8 M Smith £24,500 9 B van de Pas £19,500 10 T Jenkins £17,500 FIXTURES = I White £17,500 12 D Gurney £17,000 13 J Klaasen £16,500 14 S Bunting £14,500 15 G Anderson £14,000 16 S Whitlock £13,500 17 R Thornton £10,000 18 K Anderson £9,500 = M King £9,500 20 A Norris £9,000 = J Richardson £9,000 = J Cullen £9,000 23 Jam Wilson £8,000 = G Price £8,000 = C Dobey £8,000 26 M Hopp £7,500 = D Petersen £7,500 = A Lewis £7,500 29 J Caven £7,000 = J Wattimena £7,000 31 K Painter £6,500 32 S West £6,000 = J Henderson £6,000 = J Pipe £6,000  Order of Merit the HappyBet International Darts Open.

UNICORN DEVELOPMENT TOUR

Event 13 last 16 - T Field 4-2 K Brown, D Reynolds 4-1 A Cope, J Hubbard 4-3 A Fairweather, A Hunt 4-3 A Kirk, J Moston 4-3 S Lennon, J Payne 4-3 J Lane, J Hendriks 4-3 S Groen, A Dyer 4-0 Z Cross. Quarter finals - D Reynolds 4-1 T Field, A Hunt 4-3 J Hubbard, J Moston 4-3 J Payne, A Dyer 4-3 J Hendriks. Semi finals - D Reynolds 4-2 A Hunt, A Dyer 4-1 J Moston. Final - D Reynolds 4-2 A Dyer.

Event 14 last 16 - S Lennon 4-0 L Whitworth, A Kirk 4-1 A Dyer, D Reynolds 4-1 F Gselmann, J Pane 4-3 S Head, N Rafferty 4-3 S Ryan, B van Peer 4-2 M Baxter, D van den Bergh 4-2 T Evetts, R Colley 41 S Johnson. Quarter finals - S Lennon 4-3 A Kirk, J Payne 4-2 D Reynolds, B van Peer 4-2 N Rafferty, D van den Bergh 4-2 R Colley. Semi finals - S Lennon 42 J Payne, D van den Bergh 4-3 B van Peer. Final - D van den Bergh 4-2 S Lennon.

Event 15 last 16 - J de Kruijf 4-0 J Vincent, R Roberts 4-2 J Hendriks, R Twell 4-1 A Kirk, R Jones 4-1 A Fairweather, S Groen 4-2 J Lane, J Hubbard 4-1 D Jensen, J Payne 4-3 B van Peer, D Reynolds 4-1 D van Beek.

Quarter finals - J de Kruijf 4-3 R Roberts, R Twell 4-1 R Jones, J Hubbard 4-1 S Groen, D Reynolds 4-1 J Payne. Semi finals - J de Kruijf 4-3 R Twell, D Reynolds 4-0 J Hubbard. Final - D Reynolds 43 J de Kruijf.

Event 16 quarter finals - R Roberts 4-0 T Sykes, A Hunt 4-2 R Colley, D Reynolds 4-1 L Devries, S Lennon 4-2 J Payne, A Kirk 4-2 M Dicken, A Dyer 4-0 D van Beek, J Matthews 4-2 S Johnson, R Jones 4-1 C Loose. Quarter finals - R Roberts 4-2 A Hunt, D Reynolds 40 S Lennon, A Kirk 4-2 A Dyer, J

Darts Weekly Friday 9 September 2016

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EVERY STAT HERE. darts

firsts Matthews 4-2 R Jones. Semi finals - D Reynolds 4-2 R Roberts, A Kirk 4-1 J Matthews.

Final - D Reynolds 4-1 A Kirk.

UNICORN DEVELOPMENT TOUR ORDER OF MERIT 1 D Reynolds £12,500 2 R Twell £7,400 3 A Kirk £5,850 4 S Lennon £5,500 5 A Hunt £5,350 6 C Loose £4,700 7 J Payne £4,500 8 Ro-Jo Rodriguez £4,350 9 D van den Bergh £3,650 10 K Parry £2,950 11 B van Peer £2,850 12 M Hopp £2,800 13 J de Zwaan £2,600 14 J Hendriks £2,550 DARTS = KINTERNATIONAL Neyens £2,550 OPEN QUALIFIERS 16 A Dyer £2,300 = K Brown £2,300 18 L Humphries £2,100 19 B Kirk £2,000 20 S Dale £1,800 21 N Kenny £1,750 22 S Groen £1,700 23 H Ward £1,650 24 J Hubbard £1,600 = D van Duijvenbode £1,600 26 R Roberts £1,500 = C Beaumont £1,500 28 L Devries £1,450 = J de Kruijf £1,450 30 R de Vreede £1,350 31 T Evetts FIXTURES £1,300 = K De Vries £1,300 33 M Dicken £1,250 = A Smith-Neale £1,250 35 J Young £1,200 36 R Colley £1,150 = S Head £1,150 = F Herz £1,150 39 D Jensen £1,100 = A Fairweather £1,100 41 D Lidgett £1,050 42 M De Decker £1,000 = B Raman £1,000  Order of Merit following event 16 of 19 of the 2016 Unicorn Development Tour.

EUROPEAN DARTS TROPHY Host Nation Qualifiers - M Schindler (HNQ1), K Munch (HNQ2), J Webers (HNQ3), J Artut (HNQ4), M Hopp (HNQ5).

FIXTURES FIXTURES TODAY HappyBet European Darts Trophy first round - J Murnan v Z Lerchbacher, R Huybrechts v V Kamphuis, J Vesgo v M Schindler, J Payne v C Reyes, A Smith v R Green, K Brown v J Webers, M King v D van den Bergh, R Edhouse v J Pipe, S Stevenson v J Wattimena, J Artut v R Evans, A Jenkins v S West, K Anderson v D Webster, J Caven v K Munch, D Petersen v M Dennant, M Hopp v V van der Voort, J Cullen v J Lewis.

PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP TOMORROW 13 HappyBet European Darts Trophy (second round) Unicorn Challenge Tour 13 and 14 (Wigan) SUNDAY HappyBet European Darts Trophy (third round, quarter finals, semi finals and final) Unicorn Challenge Tour 15 and 16 (Wigan) FIXTURES THURSDAY HappyBet European Darts Grand Prix European and Host Nation Qualifiers and HappyBet German Darts Championship European Qualifier (Sindelfingen) To find out more about advertising in our magazine please send an email to dartsweekly@gmail.com

2016 World Trophy runnerup, Peter Machin, talks us through his darts memories First darts memory?

It would be playing junior darts. My coach Silvia May and her husband drove us kids to state trials and championships all over south Australia. I made some lifelong friends who I still play against now.

First darts hero?

I’ve always admired John Lowe and how he conducted himself when he played. I use his dart myself. Also my father Brian Machin, he was one of the greats in Australia back in the 1960s and 1970s.

First set of darts?

An old set of copper tungsten darts.

I don’t know who made them. My dad still has them with all of his darting gear.

First darts team?

My first darts team was the south Australian junior team in 1988. I wasn’t allowed to play league darts until I was 16.

First game on TV? The World Trophy earlier this year was my first live TV tournament, but the Australian singles in 2014 was also broadcast later on TV, where I lost in the quarter-finals.

First nine darter?

I’ve only wired the nine darter once in a tournament and missed it at home on countless occasions. One day I’ll hit it!

First professional tournament win?

The Asia Pacific Cup in 2008.

Who would you like to see reveal their Darts Firsts next?

Tweet us at @darts_weekly with your suggested players!

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Friday 9 September 2016 Darts Weekly

DAVE McNALLY DARTS WRITER

A brief look at the history of music in darts Music and darts have gone hand in hand since the 1980s and has even gone as far as compilation CD’s being manufactured with the various walk-on music from the players on the circuits.

Without doubt some of the most iconic music from darts is the advert break music, that of ‘Chelsea Dagger’ by The Fratelli’s and ‘Chase the Sun’ by Planet Funk.

These two have had such an impact and association with the sport that even people who aren’t fans often call them ‘the darts music.’

Walk-on music seems to be important these days and players are giving more thought to what they walk on to.

Crawling through the records, there seems to be plenty of rock, prog rock and novelty stuff that blasts out at venues.

Queen have been popular over the years, as have a number of ‘hair metal bands’ such as Def Leppard and Van Halen.

Even Marillion have been known to make an appearance thanks to Martin Atkins.

How important has the walk-on music now become to today’s players? Speaking to Mark McGeeney at the World Trophy earlier this year he professed his love for all things heavy metal, which includes sporting a Metallica tattoo on his arm.

McGeeney’s walk-on music reflects his tastes and personality, choosing to enter the stage to Metalingus by Alter Bridge.

Other players have tended to have songs that relate to their

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Planet Funk’s ‘Chase the Sun’ record has become synonymous with darts through its continued use on Sky Sports nicknames rather than their tastes, such as ‘The Power’ by Snap, as I doubt Phil Taylor would list the ‘World Power’ album as one of his favourites of all time.

Some professionals opt for music that represents where they are from, such as ‘Born in the USA’

‘Players are now giving more thought to what song they walk out to’ that Larry Butler often enters to.

Lately, walk-on music has caused quite a stir. In a recent match at the International Darts Open, Robbie Green was up against Stephen Bunting.

Green marched on the stage to ‘You’ll never walk alone’ a well-

known Liverpool Football Club anthem, which stirred the crowd and Bunting himself joined in with the masses to finish off the song long after the entrance music had died down.

Although seen as a bit of fun by most, some were angered because of the connotations the song has with the football team.

Twitter went into meltdown with people threatening to boycott Green’s matches and any support for him in the future.

Although this may seem extreme, it’s maybe food for thought for players in the future when choosing their walk-on music, especially if they are coming up against a particularly partisan crowd.

As for me, I dream of wandering onto the stage to ‘She rides the waves’ by Pale Saints.