Issue 38 (September 23, 2016)

Friday 23 September 2016

Darts Weekly

LAWRENCE LUSTIG/PDC

Who can stop MVG? World number one heads into PDC’s debut event on the BBC this weekend holding a 35 match unbeaten record KENNY SECURES SPOT

EUROPE CUP BEGINS

IT’S ALL IN THE HEAD

Welsh ace chats to us after qualifying for Lakeside Page 7

All the latest from the 2016 WDF Europe Cup Pages 10-11

Chris Mason delves into the mental side of the game Page 16

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Friday 23 September 2016 Darts Weekly

Historic weekend for the PDC as organisation prepares for its first event on the BBC Alex Moss CHIEF DARTS WRITER “The BBC has got a world class event.” Those were the words uttered by PDC chairman Barry Hearn to us shortly after it was announced that the BBC had struck a TV deal with the PDC. Seven months later and the waiting is almost over. This weekend will see the inaugural Unibet Champions League of Darts take place, with the top eight players in the PDC competing over two days at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena, and every dart will be shown live on the BBC. Tomorrow’s first group matches will be the first time the PDC has had a tournament screened on the BBC, with the coverage to be split between BBC One and BBC Two across the weekend.

Michael van Gerwen is the redhot favourite to be the first name on the new tournament’s trophy.

The world number one heads to

Wales with a 35 match unbeaten record, having claimed the Sydney Darts Masters, two European Tour events, and has landed two nine darters on his way to claiming all three Players Championship events this week in Barnsley.

“My form is fantastic and I don’t think I could have prepared any better for the Champions League,” said the Dutchman, speaking on

“I feel like I can win every game I play and it is a fantastic feeling to have” the PDC’s website.

“I’m very proud of myself because I think I did something special to win three events in three days.

“I feel like I can win every game I play and that is a fantastic feeling to have. I know it is not possible to keep winning forever but I want to keep this run going.

“I have won all the tournaments

stores.ebay.co.uk/Mojo-DARTS

in the PDC so I want to be the first to get my hands on this one.

“I’m sure it will be a big audience for TV and I want to show all the viewers why I am world number one, and I will try my very best to play like I have been playing and win the trophy.”

Van Gerwen opens his Group A campaign against Robert Thornton tomorrow afternoon, while Phil Taylor meets Peter Wright in the other opening fixture of the group.

While van Gerwen has been winning titles all around the world in the last four weeks, Taylor on the other hand has not been in action on the tour since his surprise defeat to Corey Cadby in the Sydney Darts Masters first round on August 25.

“I’m excited and very much looking forward to this,” Taylor said. “I’ve had a good break and been practicing really hard.

“I’ll be trying my best and it’s a tough group, but it’s going to be difficult for the other players as well. It’s a massive event and a new

Darts Weekly Friday 23 September 2016

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audience for us on the BBC and I’d love to win it.”

In an interview back in midAugust, Taylor revealed there was “a little bit of needle” between himself and van Gerwen.

The two players could meet as early as Saturday evening, depending on how results go in the afternoon session, and Taylor is hungry to get one over the in-form Dutchman this weekend.

“Michael is getting on my nerves a bit with his face-pulling and his fist-pumping,” he said.

“People are going to start giving it back to him and I think people are getting fed up with it.

“It’s creating a good atmosphere and you need this in sport - you need that little bit of needle in sport and we’re getting that.

“They’re all good players and it’s a lot more difficult now. They’re more aggressive, more hungry for the prize money and that’s what Barry Hearn’s created, along with Sky and the BBC and ITV. “They’ve created a monster and

they’re good players. The world’s changed as well.

“When I first started it was the older generation, when there was a lot more respect there.

“Over the last few years it’s changed and people aren’t as respectful as they used to be, attitudes are changing.

“These players are jumping on the bandwagon so fair play to them, because I’d be exactly the same. If I was a lot younger I’d give it to them back.”

The final session on Sunday evening will see the top two players from each group battle it out in the semi-finals and final, with the winner set to pocket £100,000.

Group B will be headed by reigning world champion Gary Anderson, who faces former world youth champion Michael Smith in his opening game tomorrow afternoon.

Two-time world champion Adrian Lewis takes on James Wade in the other Group B opener.

West sneaks into the World Grand Prix after run to the final Steve West sneaked into the field for next month’s World Grand Prix after a run to the final of Players Championship 16 yesterday.

The world number 61 needed a run to the final in order to qualify, with the cut off for the £400,000 tournament taking place at the end of the triple header of Players Championship events in Barnsley this week.

The 41-year-old lost out to Michael van Gerwen 6-5 in the final yesterday, but the £6,000 accrued from getting to his first PDC final pushed him into the top 14 of the Pro Tour Order of Merit, and secured his debut appearance in the Grand Prix.

Spain’s Cristo Reyes will also Last minute: Steve West qualified for the World Grand Prix yesterday make his debut in the double-start tournament, as his run to the quarter-finals yesterday put him into the 13th and penultimate spot on the Pro Tour Order of Merit.

Josh Payne and Justin Pipe had begun yesterday in the final two qualifying positions, but first round exits to Mickey Mansell and Ronnie Baxter took their fate out of their hands.

West’s run to the final pushed Vincent van der Voort out of the qualifying spaces, the Dutchman was a quarter-finalist in Dublin last year but will not be involved this time round.

The Players Championship events this week were streamed for the first time, with two boards shown throughout the week, and it was van Gerwen who stole the limelight winning all three titles and hitting two nine darters.

The world number one was also victorious in Sindelfingen last weekend in the European Darts Grand Prix.

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Friday 23 September 2016 Darts Weekly

SPECIAL REPORT

Cardiff awaits a clash of the titans as van Gerwen and Taylor get set to meet in the group stages

Christopher Kempf takes a statistical look at the matches between Taylor and MVG so far in 2016

he Phil Taylor - Michael van Gerwen rivalry is the most compelling in the game of darts today. Each player recognises in facing the other that they are duelling for supremacy in the sport, and accordingly they perform to the highest standard.

When the two meet, Taylor looks to further cement his reputation as an unimpeachable darting legend, and van Gerwen to enforce and extend his remarkable domination of late on the PDC circuit.

The memorable errors and achievements of the two superstars indicates not only the close-fought nature of each of their contests, but also demonstrates how badly they want to beat each other.

One can recall Taylor’s seven missed match darts at the Masters in January, which handed an unlikely semi-final victory to van Gerwen.

Or the 164 checkout in front of a deafening Dutch crowd. Or van Gerwen’s frustration at his lapse of form in the World Cup final.

Or the disastrous 44 visit in the final leg in Sydney, aborting MVG’s comeback and securing victory for a jubilant Taylor.

The two have met eight times on television in 2016. Van Gerwen has emerged victorious five times and fought Taylor to a draw in the Premier League.

There will yet be speculation as to whether Taylor is in the twilight of his career, but for the time begin he is playing impressively well against the world number one.

We can confirm this with the use

‘Taylor has shown greater scoring power in the 130 legs played in 2016’

T

of a statistic called objectivedelimited leg length average (ODLLA), which estimates the number of darts a player uses to reach a finish, then set up a winning double and finally finish off the leg, each in turn.

By counting the number of darts player X throws in a match with the intent of reaching his next objective, and dividing by the number of times it is achieved, we can calculate an intuitively meaningful number that represents a player’s performance at any juncture of a leg.

Surprisingly, Taylor has shown greater scoring power than van Gerwen over the 130 legs of darts that they’ve played in 2016.

Taylor has reached a score of 170 or less - excluding bogey finishes in 10.15 darts, 0.16 faster than van Gerwen.

Though the Dutchman is well known for chalking up prodigious numbers of maximum scores, his scoring overall has proven more erratic than Taylor’s.

In Sydney last month, where Taylor was 0.32 darts faster to a finish, van Gerwen found himself on three occasions throwing for the bull to win the leg after a desperate struggle to catch up with Taylor’s consistent scoring.

Van Gerwen missed each time and allowed Taylor darts at doubles. In fact, Taylor had no need to throw a single dart at the bullseye over the course of 20 legs.

While Taylor derives ‘the Power’ from the treble 20 and treble 19 beds, van Gerwen thrives under

Darts Weekly Friday 23 September 2016 x

x

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“x x x x”

pressure to check out and win the leg.

MVG finished a leg with a threedigit score 11 times in his duels with Taylor so far this year, with only five 100 plus checkouts in response from his rival.

In only one match this year - the Premier League final - was Taylor more effective and accurate in his set up shots, although van Gerwen was coasting to an 11-3 win and probably felt less pressure to throw perfect darts.

No one in the PDC is more dangerous than MVG in a 100 plus checkout situation.

If van Gerwen demolishes a big checkout, snatching back a leg from the jaws of defeat, he visibly

gains confidence.

Witnessing that is often enough to make his opponents lose their composure in a pressure-filled situation.

Taylor is, however, a singularly

‘MVG wants revenge for Sydney while Taylor seeks to turn the screw tighter’ focused and experienced player.

Few others could have summoned the emotional strength to win the last two legs of their first Premier League match this season, robbing van Gerwen of an outright victory after his roof-

5 raising 170 finish.

If there is any area in which Taylor’s game has declined over the years, it is in his checkout attempts.

By surrendering five legs to van Gerwen at the World Matchplay solely through missed doubles, and especially by his infamous penultimate leg debacle at the Masters, Taylor left himself vulnerable to outshots which crippled his chances at winning matches.

It has taken Taylor 2.55 darts in 2016 to check out against van Gerwen, who himself only needed 2.09 against the 16-time world champion.

That difference is more than enough to swing a close match in MVG’s favour.

However, if Taylor can continue the clinical display of form on the doubles that he showed in Sydney - finishing on the doubles faster than van Gerwen by 0.21 darts then he stands a good chance of avenging those painful losses.

Over 130 legs of darts, van Gerwen’s overall advantage over Taylor is just 0.64 darts per leg.

Out of the world’s top 10 players, only MVG is performing better than Taylor in their head-to-head matchups - and not by much.

As the number of legs in a match increases, the statistical confidence we have in favouring van Gerwen to win the match grows.

Taylor’s win in Sydney was his only victory in a long format match over the Dutch star since August of 2014.

But if Taylor can play as he did in Sydney, he can keep the match close - and win.

The effect of a few missed darts at a double, a string of perfect darts or flaring up of the players’ emotions could mean the difference between victory and defeat, and possible elimination before the knockout stage begins in Cardiff this weekend.

Van Gerwen will want revenge for his defeat in Australia, and Taylor will seek to turn the screw even tighter.

In this situation, statistics takes a back-seat to the drama of darts.

Darts Weekly Friday 23 September 2016

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Relief for Kenny as he books his place at Lakeside in 2017 DAVID GILL

Alex Moss CHIEF DARTS WRITER The cut off for the 2017 Lakeside World Darts Championship may not be until next Friday, but the line-up is almost complete.

Last weekend saw the British Classic and British Open held at The Spa, in Bridlington, and two players climbed into the top 26 to book their place at the BDO’s premier event in January.

Nick Kenny went into the weekend in joint-27th place in the BDO rankings, with the top 25 at the cut off guaranteed of qualifying.

After bowing out of the British Classic in the last 32 on Saturday, the Welshman got to the quarterfinals of the British Open the next day to climb up to 19th and secure his World Championship debut early next year.

“I’ve been looking at the rankings for the last couple of months since I won at Brean Sands and I had slipped down a bit,” the 23-yearold said.

“I knew this weekend just gone and the one before it were make or break. I knew I had boxes to fill and I managed to do enough.

“With the way the categories work it’s all about doing it in the big events and at the weekend it was an A and an A+ so there was a lot of points to be won.”

Kenny, who plays county darts for Gwent, first rose into prominence back in 2010 when he won the WDF Europe Youth Cup at the age of 17.

But this year has seen the Welsh ace make big strides, winning his first BDO ranking title, qualifying for the World Trophy and also achieving impressive results on the PDC Unicorn Development Tour.

Despite having only played in half of the Development Tour events this season, Kenny is wellplaced to qualify for the PDC

World Youth Championship, which is played down to the final in Wigan next month.

The last few months have involved plenty of travelling for Kenny, as he endeavoured to make the cut for an automatic place at the BDO’s World Championship.

“It’s been 12 weeks on the bounce away from home,” he said. “It’s a relief getting there, I can relax.

“That’s what you do the tour for, to get to Lakeside and the dream has come true now.

“You do the tour to get to Lakeside and the dream has come true for me” “I won’t be scared of playing anybody, it all depends on the day.

“There could be a lot of hype around certain players.

“Glen Durrant has never won it but he’s clearly the best player in the BDO. “Dean Reynolds is playing absolutely amazing; he’s probably going to the PDC. “Scott Mitchell’s won it before, there’s so many good players and a lot of players making their debut as well.”

How Nick got to Lakeside Jersey Classic - quarter finals Beat Darryl Fitton 4-3 on route to reaching the last eight of the Jersey Classic last November World Trophy - last 16 Came through the qualifiers to play in the televised World Trophy, beat Wesley Harms 6-3 in the first round before losing 7-6 to Mark McGeeney in the last 16 International Open - winner Claimed his first BDO ranking title with victory in Brean Sands in June. After beating Scott Mitchell 5-3 in the semi-finals he edged past Tony O’Shea 6-5 in the final England Classic - semi finals Picked up 35 points for this run to the last four in Selsey British Classic - last 32 Bows out to Darryl Fitton in Bridlington last Saturday British Open - quarter finals Gains revenge on Darryl Fitton the next day on his way to reaching the quarter-finals and adding 28 points to his ranking

Darts Weekly Friday 23 September 2016

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CHRISTOPHER KEMPF MATCH OF THE WEEK - DETA HEDMAN 5-4 LISA ASHTON (BRITISH OPEN) DAVID GILL

Hedman wins a Bridlington belter against Ashton Any match between Deta Hedman and Lisa Ashton, the two greatest female darts players competing today, is worthy of attention.

Hedman, the winner of a record 100 BDO ranking titles, has never won the BDO World Championship, and having lost to Ashton in the final of this year’s World Trophy, has every incentive to demonstrate her prowess against the ladies’ three-dart average world record holder.

And in a weekend which saw Michael van Gerwen romp to victory for his sixth European Tour title of the year, prompting wry comments about the seemingly preordained nature of the outcome of his matches, the compelling and suspenseful British Open ladies final stole the show.

The two players seemed to be the perfect match for one another on Sunday.

Their averages and checkout percentages were nearly identical.

While Hedman scored more trebles than her opponent, her darts also strayed into single and treble one on more than 10 per cent of her attempts at treble 20.

Ashton’s darts headed in the opposite direction - 17 of her darts crossed over the line into the fives.

Every such error thwarted one player’s momentum in multiple legs and rejuvenated the confidence of the other.

The tide of the match seemed to turn this way and that way in every leg.

Hedman’s 113 finish in the first leg capped off a superb 15 dart leg, but each subsequent leg was finished in at least 18 darts and

turned on a knife edge. If either woman scored well in her first few visits, the other found admirable precision in the last few.

Ashton lost all four legs in which she reached a three-dart finish in 12 darts or less, while Hedman lost two of her three legs with such strong starts.

Ashton, who could only find one treble out of 15 darts thrown at the start of the third leg, enabled Hedman to race out to a 200-point

‘Hedman’s 113 was a fitting grand finale to a match filled with fireworks’ lead and assure herself three darts at double 10 to break Ashton’s throw for the second time.

But a subsequent 140 from Ashton heaped the pressure on Hedman, whose fourth dart at double went astray, busting her score.

Ashton completed the whirlwind comeback by checking out from 84 with two darts.

Similarly, Ashton led the sixth leg before a late return to form from

Hedman snatched it back from the oblivion.

A dismal score of 26 followed three clinical visits from Ashton, allowing Hedman six darts in which to check out from 205.

The Dark Destroyer rose to the challenge, saving the leg at the last minute.

The final leg epitomized the unpredictable nature of the match.

Hedman, having rallied from a 3-1 deficit, failed to follow up an opening 140 visit with further trebles, giving Ashton three more match darts after missing the first three in the eighth leg.

Looking distraught after scoring only 105 in two visits to reach 113, Hedman appeared resigned to defeat.

But the Lancashire Rose had no thorns - Ashton’s hard-won match darts came and went without a finish. Hedman stepped to the oche and delivered 19, treble 18 and without hesitation, tops!

Exactly the same 113 checkout with which she began the match!

Unleashing a roar in celebration, Hedman defeated Ashton with a fitting grand finale to a match filled with unexpected fireworks.

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Friday 23 September 2016 Darts Weekly

England quartet all suffer early exits in the men’s singles as Veenstra and Williams avoid the upsets to get through to the final Alex Moss CHIEF DARTS WRITER The men’s singles got underway at the WDF Europe Cup yesterday, and despite all the shock results in the early rounds, it was two familiar faces who made it through to Sunday’s final.

Jim Williams, of Wales, and Richard Veenstra, of the Netherlands, avoided the upsets to progress to Sunday’s decider, while BDO number one Glen Durrant, Scott Mitchell, Jamie Hughes and Wesley Harms all suffered surprising early exits from the competition.

Durrant, fresh from winning the British Classic in Bridlington last weekend, was knocked out 4-3 by Ireland’s Stephen Lennon in the first round.

Two of his three fellow countrymen did not do any better, as former world champion Mitchell lost in a decider to Malta’s Norbert Attard, while Hughes was beaten

by Scotland’s Ross Montgomery 41. It left James Hurrell to fly the flag for England in the men’s singles, but after negotiating through the first two rounds he was beaten 4-3 by Serbia’s Oliver Ferenc in the last 32.

With most of the big names falling by the wayside early on, it left an intriguing line-up for the last 16, which saw no fewer than 14

‘In the last 16 of the men’s singles there were 14 nations represented’ different nations represented.

Williams, who won the WDF World Cup men’s singles last October, had come through two deciders earlier on in the day and was made to work again as he squeezed past Germany’s Daniel Zygla 5-4 in the quarter-finals.

Sweden’s Andreas Harrysson joined him in the last four with a 52 victory over Belgium’s Sven

Wens, while Veenstra got the better of Thibault Tricole, of France, 5-3 in the other half of the draw.

Attard, the conqueror of both Mitchell and Darius Labanauskas, continued his dream run with a 5-4 triumph against Denmark’s Alex Jensen in the last eight.

But Veenstra disposed of him 6-1 in the semi-finals, and Williams beat Harrysson 6-3, to set up a Netherlands v Wales final later this weekend.

Elsewhere, the England ladies team have impressed so far this week to get through to two finals.

Deta Hedman and Lorraine Winstanley are through to the ladies pairs final, where they will play the Welsh duo of Rhian Edwards and Rhian Griffiths.

While in the ladies team event, Hedman and Winstanley are joined by Trina Gulliver and Fallon Sherrock to face the Netherlands in Sunday’s final.

The ladies singles and men’s pairs begin this afternoon.

Database

Men’s singles last 128 - (selected) M Meaney 3-4 O Ferenc, J Hurrell 4-2 A Soteriou, W Warren 2-4 S Tomassetti, C Turgut 3-4 S Wens, C Blot 2-4 L Helsinghof, A Soutar 3-4 G Vos, G Durrant 3-4 S Lennon, K McKinstry 4-1 G Stanmore, W Harms 2-4 M Christensen, J van Egdom 2-4 C Quinn, K Sivertsen 2-4 J Williams, R Montgomery 4-1 J Hughes, D O’Connor 2-4 M Phillips, M Schindler 4-2 U Meyn, S Verdonck 3-4 R Veenstra, P Jirkal 1-4 D Larsson, J

Sparidaans 4-0 G Dzialkowski, R Nelson 2-4 N Kenny, S Ritchie 4-3 M Razma, N Attard 43 S Mitchell, D Vigato 0-4 D Labanauskas.

Last 64 - O Ferenc 4-3 M Smejda, T Burquel 0-4 J Hurrell, M Hirzel 0-4 K Svardal, U Ceder 2-4 A Harrysson, N Duff 3-4 S Tomassetti, G Takacs 2-4 S Wens, L Helsinghof 4-0 V Busuttil, P Kelly 1-4 G Vos, S Lennon 1-4 W Halliwell, K Chmielewski 4-3 K McKinstry, M Kantele 4-0 N Glegu, G Pascaru 3-4 D Zygla, M Christensen 4-1 G Krontiris, T Alanentalo 4-0 T Patrik, L Catallo 4-1 J Milo, C Quinn 3-4 J Williams, S Mils 4-2 M Barauskas, R Montgomery 4-3 P Ruckstuhl, J Ross 0-4 M Phillips, S Eusebini 1-4 T Tricole, M Schindler 1-4 J Broton, C Dekker 4-0 Z Meszaros, C Gilliland 3-4 A Scerri, R Veenstra 4-2 D Larsson, M Puls 1-4 V Elvevoll, A Niskala 4-3 J Flood, V Charrua 0-4 J Sparidaans, A Jensen 4-3 T Becker, N Kenny 4-0 D Francis, P Shaw 4-3 P Kovacs, S Ritchie 2-4 O Lukasiak, N Attard 4-1 D Labanauskas. Last 32 - O Ferenc 4-3 J Hurrell, K Svardal 2-4 A Harrysson, S Tomassetti 0-4 S Wens, L Helinsinghof 0-4 G Vos, W Halliwell 2-4 K Chmielewski, M Kantele 2-4 D Zygla, M Christensen 4-2 T Alanentalo, L Catallo 3-4 J Williams, S Miles 4-0 R Montgomery, M Phillips 1-4 T Tricole,

Sparidaans 4-0 G Dzialkowski, A Jensen 4-2 A Frim, I Selachoglou 2-4 T Becker, R Nelson

J Broton 0-4 C Dekker, A Scerri 3-4 R

Men’s team last 16 - Norway 7-9 Poland, Malta 4-9 Scotland, Sweden 9-5 Luxembourg, Netherlands 9-4 Wales, Northern Ireland 9-3 Romania, Belgium 2-9 Denmark, Finland 9-6 Lithuania, England 94 Serbia.

Ladies team last 16 - England 9-0 Turkey, Czech Republic 9-8 Poland, Germany 9-5 Italy, Finland 9-2 Switzerland, Norway 9-7 Scotland, Wales 9-0 Romania, Republic of Ireland 9-6 Sweden, Netherlands 9-3 Denmark. Quarter finals - England 9-3 Czech Republic, Germany 9-6 Finland, Norway 5-9 Wales, Republic of Ireland 3-9 Netherlands. Semi finals - England 9-4 Germany, Wales 8-9 Netherlands.

J Broton 0-4 C Dekker, A Scerri 3-4 R Veenstra, V Elvevoll 0-4 A Niskala, J Sparidaans 0-4 A Jensen, N Kenny 2-4 P Shaw, O Lukasiak 1-4 N Attard. Last 16 - O Ferenc 2-4 A Harrysson, S Wens 4-2 G Vos, K Chmielewski 3-4 D Zygla, M Christensen 0-4 J Williams, S Miles 3-4 T Tricole, C Dekker 14 R Veenstra, A Niskala 3-4 A Jensen, P Shaw 2-4 N Attard. Quarter finals - A Harrysson 5-2 S Wens, D Zygla 4-5 J Williams, T Tricole 3-5 R Veenstra, A Jensen 4-5 N Attard. Semi finals - A Harrysson 3-6 J Williams, R Veenstra 6-1 N Attard.

Ladies pairs last 16 - Zwitkowitsch/Luck 4-2 Stoop/Rudin, Zijlstra/Kuijten 4-1 Marani/Catino, Edwards/Griffiths 4-1 Silvan/Rekinen, Frison/Lemaire 2-4 Prium/ Korpi, de Graaf/Prins 3-4 Wilkomm/Lowe, Kanovska/Cisarova 4-0 Larsen/Schouw, Soderstrom/Jansson 4-0 Nikula/Juhola, David/Eriksen 2-4 Hedman/Winstanley.

Quarter finals - Zwitkowitsch/Luck 4-1 Zijlstra/Kuijten, Edwards/Griffiths 4-3 Pruim/Korpi, Willkomm/Lowe 4-0 Kanovska/Cisarova, Soderstrom/Jansson 0-4 Hedman/Winstanley. Semi finals Zwitkowitsch/Luck 2-5 Edwards/Griffiths, Willkomm/Lowe 2-5 Hedman/Winstanley.

Darts Weekly Friday 23 September 2016

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Friday 23 September 2016 Darts Weekly

EVERY MATCH. EVERY TABLE. EVERY STAT PROFESSIONAL DARTS CORPORATION EUROPEAN DARTS GRAND PRIX

First round - D Webster (95.94) 6-0 R Allenstein (89.94), A Tabern (87.38) 6-2 S Taylor (80.55), R Huybrechts (88.29) 3-6 M McGowan (98.32), M Hopp (88.66) 6-2 J Hubbard (75.22), J de Graaf (73.47) 2-6 T West (76.20), J Wattimena (89.53) 6-3 F Herz (86.85), A Boulton (85.81) 4-6 M Schindler (89.38), N Aspinall (90.23) 6-4 J Foreman (85.80), B Dolan (88.30) 6-5 C Kist (80.02), R Green w/o A Monk w/d, M Frost (78.75) 6-5 R Owen (79.20), J Clayton (89.87) 6-1 G Clemens (81.06), C Reyes (93.90) SWEDISH 6-3 R Marijanovic (82.98), J OPEN Murnan (92.83) 6-2 D Horvat (83.60), Jam Wilson (89.23) 6-3 D Petersen (89.78), R van Barneveld (99.73) 6-3 S Dale (89.05).

Second round - M van Gerwen (104.04) 6-4 D Webster (94.30), S Beaton (91.34) 6-3 A Tabern (85.20), M Suljovic (108.45) 6-2 M McGowan (87.66), G Price (93.30) 6-3 M Hopp (89.60), M Smith (91.99) 6-3 T West (81.40), S Bunting (89.81) 6-2 J Wattimena (87.66), K Huybrechts (92.02) 6-0 M Schindler (77.16), A Norris (94.93) 6-0 N Aspinall (82.00), P Wright (94.49) 6-1 B Dolan (86.66), J Cullen (98.35) 6-1 R Green (87.51), J Wade (87.70) 6-4 M Frost (86.24), J Klaasen (91.71) 1-6 J Clayton (102.33), B van de Pas (98.11) 6-5 C Reyes (87.97), T Jenkins (89.93) 5-6 J Murnan (93.29), I White (96.39) 3-6 Jam Wilson (99.32), S Whitlock (97.41) 5-6 R van Barneveld (93.50).

Third round - M van Gerwen (97.86) 6-3 S Beaton (88.73), M Suljovic (100.42) 3-6 G Price (101.30), M Smith (93.38) 2-6 S Bunting (90.90), K Huybrechts (96.40) 6-2 A Norris (88.65), P Wright (102.68) 6-1 J Cullen (97.91), J Wade (102.30) 6-3 J Clayton (97.56), B van de Pas (96.22) 6-2 J Murnan (86.55), Jam

Wilson (99.37) 3-6 R van Barneveld (108.03). Quarter finals - M van Gerwen (94.42) 6-3 G Price (93.87), S Bunting (87.67) 5-6 K Huybrechts (88.45), P Wright (106.14) 6-3 J Wade (99.68), B van de Pas (91.44) 1-6 R van Barneveld 94.95). Semi finals - M van Gerwen (107.36) 60 K Huybrechts (99.92), P Wright (103.43) 6-2 R van Barneveld (91.70). Final - M van Gerwen (105.38) 6-2 P Wright (102.36).

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP ORDER OF MERIT 1 M van Gerwen 2 M Suljovic 3 P Wright 4 J Wade 5 K Huybrechts 5 D Chisnall 7 M Smith 8 B van de Pas = P Taylor 10 J Klaasen 11 T JenkinsFIXTURES = I White 13 S Bunting 14 S Whitlock = D Gurney 16 G Price 17 G Anderson 18 J Cullen 19 A Norris 20 R Thornton 21 K Anderson 22 M King 23 Jam Wilson = D Petersen = J Wattimena = M Hopp 27 J Richardson 28 J Caven 29 C Dobey 30 C Reyes = J Pipe = A Lewis 33 S West 34 R Green

£158,500 £55,500 £49,500 £41,000 £36,500 £33,000 £30,000 £25,000 £25,000 £21,500 £21,000 £21,000 £19,500 £17,000 £17,000 £15,000 £14,000 £13,000 £12,500 £12,000 £11,000 £10,500 £10,000 £10,000 £10,000 £10,000 £9,000 £8,500 £8,000 £7,500 £7,500 £7,500 £7,000 £6,500

 Order of Merit following the HappyBet European Darts Grand Prix (one event remaining)

PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP 14

Second round - M van Gerwen 6-2 J Richardson, J Clayton 6-4 N Heydon, R-J Rodriguez 6-3 S Beaton, A Lewis 6-0 Y Meeuwisse, G Price 6-5 A Smith, T Burkhill 6-5 A Monk, J Klaasen 6-2 J Lewis, Jam Wilson 6-2 W O’Connor, C Kist 6-1 P Hudson, D Petersen 6-4 C Quantock, J Henderson 6-1 M Smith, D Webster 6-4 J Payne, K Huybrechts 6-3 M de Decker, J Foreman 6-4 J Wattimena, V Kamphuis 6-5 A Norris, S Stevenson 6-4 R Green, P Wright 6-2 S Hine, R van Barneveld 6-5 R Corner, S Whitlock 6-3 S Griffiths, M King 6-2 M Barilli, T Evetts 6-4 D Chisnall, V van der Voort 6-1 R Baxter, M McGowan 6-2 A Parsons, J Bowles 6-4 R Thornton, B van de Pas 6-4 R Huybrechts, J Pipe 6-5 D van Duijvenbode, S Bunting 6-3 A Boulton, J Dekker 6-1 P Nicholson, M Suljovic 6-3 M Barnard, J Murnan 6-2 J Lovett, J Cullen 6-4 B Bates, B Dolan 6-4 J Walker. Third round - M van Gerwen 6-2 J Clayton, A Lewis 6-4 R-J Rodriguez, G Price 6-4 T Burkhill, Jam Wilson 6-3 J Klaasen, C Kist 6-2 D Petersen, J Henderson 6-3 D Webster, K Huybrechts 6-5 J Foreman, S Stevenson 6-5 V Kamphuis, R van Barneveld 6-5 P Wright, M King 63 S Whitlock, V van der Voort 6-3 T Evetts, M McGowan 6-4 J Bowles, J Pipe 6-3 B van de Pas, S Bunting 6-2 J Dekker, M Suljovic 6-5 J Murnan, J Cullen 6-5 B Dolan. Fourth round - M van Gerwen 6-0 A Lewis, Jam Wilson 6-1 G Price, J Henderson 6-5 C Kist, K Huybrechts 6-2 S Stevenson, M King 6-5 R van Barneveld, M McGowan 6-5 V van der Voort, J Pipe 6-5 S Bunting, M Suljovic 6-3 J Cullen. Quarter finals - M van Gerwen 6-2 Jam Wilson, J Henderson 6-5 K Huybrechts, M McGowan 6-4 M King, M Suljovic 6-2 J Pipe. Semi finals - M van Gerwen 6-4 J

Darts Weekly Friday 23 September 2016

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EVERY STAT YOU NEED HERE. Henderson, M Suljovic 6-2 M McGowan. Final - M van Gerwen 6-0 M Suljovic.

PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP 15 Second round - M van Gerwen 6-4 A Tabern, J Lovett 6-4 M McGowan, S Whitlock 6-4 T Burkhill, R Williams 6-4 A Lewis, M Mansell 6-4 J Wade, R Corner 6-4 M Webster, T Newell 6-5 B Woods, R Thornton 6-2 R Baxter, A Gilding 6-5 P Nicholson, C Reyes 6-5 K Painter, S Bunting 6-2 R Palmer, W Newton 6-3 J Caven, R Huybrechts 6-5 K Huybrechts, D van den Bergh 6-3 J Dekker, M Smith 6-5 A Monk, C Dobey 6-5 J de Graaf, P Wright 6-5 M Clark, J Wattimena 6-4 D Pallett, S Stevenson 6-1 R-J Rodriguez, J Murnan 6-4 S Brown, D Chisnall 6-3 D Winstanley, J Pipe 6-5 M Hopp, J Klaasen 6-3 W Jones, M Walsh 6-0 B van Peer, A Jenkins 6-1 J de Zwaan,ET10 V van der Voort 61 K Brown, S West 6-0 J Walker, QUALIFIER Jam Wilson 6-3 J Richardson, J Worsley 6-5 K Dowling, R van Barneveld 6-3 D Webster, A Norris 6-1 N Daniels, J Lewis 6-4 P Milford. Third round - M van Gerwen 6-0 J Lovett, S Whitlock 6-2 R Williams, R Corner 6-4 M Mansell, R Thornton 6-4 T Newell, C Reyes 6-4 A Gilding, S Bunting 6-1 W Newton, D van den Bergh 63 R Huybrechts, C Dobey 6-1 M Smith, J Wattimena 6-2 P Wright, S Stevenson 6-1 J Murnan, D Chisnall 6-2 J Pipe, J Klaasen 6-2 M Walsh, V van der Voort 6-4 A Jenkins, Jam Wilson 6-5 S West, R van Barneveld 6-2 J Worsley, A Norris 6-3 J Lewis. Fourth round - M van Gerwen 6-2 S Whitlock, R Thornton 6-4 R PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP Corner, C Reyes 6-3 S Bunting, D 12C Dobey, J van den Bergh 6-4 Wattimena 6-2 S Stevenson, J Klaasen 6-4 D Chisnall, Jam Wilson 6-5 V van der Voort, R van

Barneveld 6-2 A Norris. Quarter finals - M van Gerwen 6-3 R Thornton, D van den Bergh 6-3 C Reyes, J Wattimena 6-4 J Klaasen, Jam Wilson 6-3 R van Barneveld.

Semi finals - M van Gerwen 6-3 D van den Bergh, Jam Wilson 6-4 J Wattimena. Final - M van Gerwen 6-3 Jam Wilson.

FIXTURES PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP 16 Second round - M van Gerwen 6-3 J Clayton, J Murnan 6-0 J Lewis, J Cullen 6-1 P Hudson, S Stevenson 6-1 B Woods, B Bates 62 J Wade, D Webster 6-2 V van der Voort, G Price 6-1 B Claydon, B van Peer 6-4 R Baxter, I White 6-2 M Barnard, S Brown 6-2 J Wattimena, A Hamilton 6-3 T Jenkins, R-J Rodriguez 6-4 M Clark, K Huybrechts 6-1 C Loose, R van Barneveld 6-1 J Bowles, M Smith 6-2 M Barilli, S McNally 6-4 JPLAYERS Caven, J de CHAMPIONSHIP Zwaan 6-5 S Griffiths, S West13 6-3 W O’Connor, S Whitlock 6-3 A Gilding, A Jenkins 6-5 M McGowan, T Evetts 6-1 D Chisnall, M Mansell 6-3 W Newton, J Klaasen 6-5 D van den Bergh, C Reyes 6-2 Jas Wilson, R Evans 6-5 B van de Pas, M Webster 6-3 S Kellett, S Bunting 65 C Hammond, V Kamphuis 6-1 D Smith, M Walsh 6-3 M Suljovic, D Petersen 6-3 R Harrington, C Dobey 6-3 JFIXTURES Richardson, A Smith 6-1 N Heydon. Third round - M van Gerwen 6-2 J Murnan, S Stevenson 6-1 J Cullen, D Webster 6-2 B Bates, B van Peer 6-5 G Price, S Brown 6-5 I White, R-J Rodriguez 6-4 A Hamilton, K Huybrechts 6-3 R van Barneveld, M Smith 6-2 S McNally, S West 6-1 J de Zwaan, S Whitlock 6-3 A Jenkins, M Mansell 6-4 T Evetts, C Reyes 6-5 J Klaasen, R Evans 6-1 M Webster, S Bunting 6-4 V Kamphuis, D Petersen 6-2 M Walsh, C Dobey 6-3 A Smith.

Fourth round - M van Gerwen 6-

1 S Stevenson, B van Peer 6-4 D Webster, R-J Rodriguez 6-3 S Brown, K Huybrechts 6-3 M Smith, S West 6-2 S Whitlock, C Reyes 6-1 M Mansell, R Evans 6-2 S Bunting, C Dobey 6-4 D Petersen. Quarter finals - M van Gerwen 6-3 B van Peer, K Huybrechts 6-1 R-J Rodriguez, S West 6-4 C Reyes, R Evans 6-4 C Dobey. Semi finals - M van Gerwen 6-1 K Huybrechts, S West 6-4 R Evans. Final - M van Gerwen 6-5 S West.

FIXTURES TOMORROW Unibet Champions League of Darts (Group Stage - (from 1.15pm) G Anderson v M Smith, A Lewis v J Wade, P Taylor v P Wright, M van Gerwen v R Thornton, (from 6.30pm) second group matches) SUNDAY Unibet Champions League of Darts (Group Stage - (from 1pm) final group matches, (from 6.30pm) semi finals and final)

Jim Moston won the first staging of the Junior European Championship at FIXTURES Pontins Brean Sands last weekend, beating Justin van Tergouw 5-4 in the final

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Friday 23 September 2016 Darts Weekly

EVERY MATCH. EVERY TABLE. EVERY STAT BRITISH DARTS ORGANISATION WINMAU BRITISH CLASSIC

Men’s last 32 - G Durrant 4-1 R Joyce, A Wheeler 3-4 R Griffin, B Dawson 3-4 C Vaughan, P Blackwell 1-4 G Watts, P Jennings 4-2 S Baker, D Stokell 2-4 J Williams, M Phillips 4-2 R Hewson, W Mandigers 3-4 S Waites, C Menzies 4-2 S Verdonck, C McGurn 0-4 L Delderfield, M McGeeney 4-3 C Whitehead, D Brand 4-0 A Edwards, I Jones 4-1 S Robertson, N Kenny 1-4 D Fitton, C Belmont 3-4 G Thompson, T Hankey 1-4 M Adams. Last 16 - G Durrant 4-3 R Griffin, C Vaughan 3-4 G Watts, P SWEDISH Jennings 4-3 J Williams, M OPEN C Menzies 3Phillips 4-3 S Waites, 4 L Delderfield, M McGeeney 4-2 D Brand, I Jones 4-1 D Fitton, G Thompson 1-4 M Adams. Quarter finals - G Durrant 4-1 G Wells, P Jennings 2-4 M Phillips, L Delderfield 2-4 M McGeeney, I Jones 4-3 M Adams. Semi finals - G Durrant 5-3 M Phillips, M McGeeney 5-3 I Jones. Final - G Durrant 6-3 M McGeeney.

Ladies last 32 - D Hedman 4-1 A Abbott, C Brookin 4-1 S Roberts, L Ithurralde 1-4 C Gallagher, C Savvery 4-2 S Lowe, F Sherrock 41 C Readhead, N Gilbert 1-4 P Jacklin, F Lawson 2-4 S Edwards, G Khaosoi 0-4 L Winstanley, A Dobromyslova 4-0 T-L Bowstead, K Hutchingson 4-0 A-M Swindells, M Binns 2-4 S Bontoft-Gash, D Bateman 4-2 T Gulliver, R Griffiths 4-0 A Cox, B Greaves 4-1 F Blay, L Wiltshire 1-4 J Thompson, A-M Potts 0-4 L Ashton. Last 16 - D Hedman 1-4 C Brookin, C Gallagher 4-2 C Savvery, F Sherrock 4-0 P Jacklin, S Edwards 0-4 L Winstanley, A Dobromyslova 4-2 K Hutchingson, S Bontoft-Gash 3-4 D Bateman, R Griffiths 4-1 B Greaves, J Thompson 0-4 L Ashton. Quarter finals - C Brookin 4-2 C

Gallagher, F Sherrock 4-3 L Winstanley, A Dobromyslova 4-1 D Bateman, R Griffiths 4-3 L Ashton.

Semi finals - C Brookin 4-1 F Sherrock, A Dobromyslova 1-4 R Griffiths. Final - C Brookin 5-2 R Griffiths.

BRITISH OPEN Men’s last 32 - P Williams 1-4 P Jennings, R Montgomery 4-2 R Edwards, B Davies 1-4 C Menzies, P Blackwell 4-1 W Harms, J Hughes 3-4 S Robertson, R Robinson 2-4 J McEwan, R Hayden 1-4 W Vaes, J Clark 3-4 S Waites, S Mitchell 2-4 S Baker, K Forrington 1-4 I Walters, M McGeeney 4-3 J Burgess, H FIXTURES Todman 0-4 D Noppert, D Reynolds 4-1 G Elvidge, N Kenny 4-2 D Fitton, R Veenstra 4-3 J Hurrell, A Fordham 4-2 K Rimmer. Last 16 - P Jennings 4-0 R Montgomery, C Menzies 4-0 P Blackwell, S Robertson 3-4 J McEwan, W Vaes 1-4 S Waites, S Baker 3-4 I Walters, M McGeeney 4-2 D Noppert, D Reynolds 1-4 N Kenny, R Veenstra 4-3 A Fordham.

Quarter finals - P Jennings 2-4 C Menzies, J McEwan 2-4 S Waites, I Walters 4-3 M McGeeney, N Kenny 1-4 R Veenstra. Semi finals - C Menzies 5-3 S Waites, I Walters 25 R Veenstra. Final - C Menzies 61 R Veenstra.

Ladies last 32 - D Hedman 4-1 C Gallagher, K Curran 1-4 S Cusick, C Hunt 0-4 P Jacklin, K Hutchingson 3-4 R Brooks, F Sherrock 4-2 J Summerson, V Kelly 1-4 C Savvery, B Greaves 4-1 F Lawson, J Robbins 1-4 L Winstanley, A Dobromyslova 0-4 S Roberts, L Simmonds 4-1 H Johnsen, S Edwards 4-0 L Marsden, A Abbott 0-4 T Gulliver, R Griffiths 4-1 L Raper, E Pearce WINMAU 4-0 C Pike, C Brookin 4-2 OPEN A-M WOLVERHAMPTON Potts, R Sheard 1-4 L Ashton. Last 16 - D Hedman 4-0 S Cusick, P

Jacklin 3-4 R Brooks, F Sherrock 4-1 C Savvery, B Greaves 0-4 L Winstanley, S Roberts 4-1 L Simmonds, S Edwards 3-4 T Gulliver, R Griffiths 2-4 E Pearce, C Brookin 1-4 L Ashton. Quarter finals - D Hedman 4-3 R Brooks, F Sherrock 1-4 L Winstanley, S Roberts 3-4 T Gulliver, E Pearce 14 L Ashton. Semi finals - D Hedman 4-2 L Winstanley, T Gulliver 0-4 L Ashton. Final - D Hedman 5-4 L Ashton.

Men’s pairs quarter finals - A Chalmers/R Joyce 3-2 J Gordan/G Elvidge, J Hughes/J Hurrell 3-2 C Whitehead/B Kirk, A Beck/C Hill 2-3 G Thompson/S Waites, R Montgomery/S Mitchell 3-2 R Edwards/J Williams. Semi finals - A Chalmers/R Joyce 3-0 J Hughes/J Hurrell, G Thompson/S Waites 1-3 R Montgomery/S Mitchell. Final - A Chalmers/R Joyce 1-3 R Montgomery/S Mitchell.

Ladies pairs quarter finals - L Winstanley/A Dobromyslova 3-2 C Savvery/J Robbins, L Ashton/C Brookin 2-3 R Brooks/D Hedman, D Ashton/F Sherrock 3-0 M McKenzie/G Khaosoi, P Jacklin/S Bontoft-Gash 3-0 C Pike/W Adams. Semi finals - L Winstanley/A Dobromyslova 3-2 R Brooks/D Hedman, D Ashton/F Sherrock 3-2 P Jacklin/S BontoftGash. Final - L Winstanley/A Dobromyslova 1-3 D Ashton/F Sherrock.

AUCKLAND OPEN Men’s final - M Cleaver 6-1 G Moss. Ladies final - Tina Osborne 3-6 J Steed.

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Darts Weekly Friday 23 September 2016

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EVERY STAT HERE. darts MEN’S INVITATIONAL TABLE (SEASONAL) 1 G Durrant 2 S Mitchell 3 D Noppert 4 J Hughes 5 M Adams 6 S Waites 7 D Reynolds 8 D Labanauskas 9 W Harms 10 D Fitton 11 M McGeeney 12 B Dawson 13 J Williams 14 R Veenstra 15 G de Vos 16 M Phillips 17 T O’Shea 18 R Montgomery 19 N Kenny = W Vaes 21 P Blackwell 22 J Hurrell 23 C Whitehead 24 M C Atkins 25 D Harbour 26 J Hendriks 27 R Joyce 28 G Robson = M Razma 30 A Fordham 31 B Kirk 32 S Verdonck

413 pts 325 pts 316 pts 307 pts 303 pts 293 pts 282 pts 262 pts 260 pts 255 pts 247 pts 231 pts 227 pts 226 pts 225 pts 222 pts 217 pts 204 pts 186 pts 186 pts 173 pts 172 pts 169 pts 168 pts 165 pts 162 pts 161 pts 160 pts 160 pts 159 pts 157 pts 152 pts

 Table above correct as at 19/09/2016

LADIES INVITATIONAL TABLE (SEASONAL) 1 D Hedman 459 pts 2 L Ashton 434 pts 3 A de Graaf 394 pts 4 A Dobromyslova 353 pts 5 L Winstanley 336 pts 6 T Gulliver 310 pts 7 F Sherrock 302 pts FIXTURES 8 C Hammond 293 pts 9 S Prins 271 pts 10 R Griffiths 242 pts 11 A Zijlstra 231 pts 12 R Brooks 219 pts 13 C Gallagher 212 pts 14 C Brookin 204 pts 15 P Jacklin 192 pts 16 M Sutton 187 pts 17 M Noijens 182 pts 18 T Wright 179 pts 19 S Edwards 164 pts 20 M Liiri 157 pts 21 D Ijpelaar 151 pts = D Bateman 151 pts 23 A Kuijten 148 pts 24 S Roberts 138 pts PLAYERS 25 S Cusick CHAMPIONSHIP 132 pts 26 N Carter 129 pts 13 27 C Savvery 127 pts 28 A-M Swindells 126 pts 29 T Kewish 118 pts 30 A M Potts 117 pts 31 J Paterson 115 pts = L Wilson 115 pts FIXTURES TODAY FIXTURES Europe Cup (continues) South of England tournament TOMORROW Europe Cup (finals) South of England tournament Winmau Midlands Area Play-Off North Queensland Classic

Martin Adams, along with Scott Mitchell, Danny Noppert and Jamie Hughes, have qualified for the Grand Slam of Darts

SUNDAY South of England tournament North Queensland Classic Finder Darts Masters Qualifiers Winmau South West Area PlayOff

firsts 2015 BDO world champion, Scott Mitchell, talks us through his darts memories First darts memory?

I have a vague memory of watching Leighton Rees as a seven-year-old, but I definitely remember Bobby George playing Eric Bristow in 1980. Back then Dave Lanning commentated on both darts and speedway, our family were big speedway fans and Dave was a link for us to watch both on TV. First darts hero?

Bobby George and Bob Anderson.

Both were the first two pros I ever played and are now friends of mine.

First set of darts?

A brass set from Woolworths in 1987. Three weeks later an old guy gave a tungsten set to my best mate in a pub. He had a set of tungsten Alan Glazier ton machines, he lent them to me for the night and I never gave them back. I qualified for Lakeside with them in 2010.

First darts team?

I joined two at the same time, The Young Farmers in the Hants and Dorset League and New Queen B, run by my godfather Ray, in the Ringwood and District League.

First game on TV? The UK Open in 2007 as a qualifier.

I played Jelle Klaasen on the main stage and lost 8-4.

First nine darter?

Two days before my first Lakeside in 2010 during practice. I’d have got £52,000 had I done it two days later. I always have been clever like that!

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 23 September 2016 Darts Weekly

DAVE McNALLY DARTS WRITER

How nerves and mental strength play a factor in darts Mental agility is imperative to succeed at the top level. We’ve all crumbled at some point on the oche due to pressure or nerves, some more than others.

Players can thrive on the pressure or completely fold because their throw is hampered so much.

I caught up with former World Championship semi-finalist Chris Mason for his thoughts on it all.

One of the most common things heard about top professionals is that they can’t make the switch from the floor to the stage.

Mason explained: “’most players can make the switch but can struggle with the longer format initially, as for televised matches; I feel that it is all to do with familiarity and once this is overcome most players adapt swiftly.”

The mind can play tricks on you and darts, being mainly an individual sport, gives the player time to think about the game in progress, in the past and the future.

“I feel fear, anxiety and all sorts, even what I’m having for my dinner tomorrow!” Mason said.

“On a personal note I was always wary of what version of me was going to show up.

“It does affect a player’s game but I really think it can be overcome. I’m a firm advocate of mind coaching and sport psychology.”

Having strong mental prowess could also have adverse effects in the same way that a weaker mind can destroy a player.

Over confidence can often cost

x

players matches, underestimating opponents and having misplaced belief.

Darts is pretty much an instant success/failure sort of game as Mason states: “it has two phases to it, scoring, that most players are able to deal with, and closing out a leg.

“This is a different story; often players who hit early doubles will carry that confidence right through

“I feel fear, anxiety, and all sorts, even what I’m having for dinner tomorrow!” the match but if you miss that can also become infectious.”

Some may suggest that some sportsmen are born mentally weak and for this reason are unable to reach their maximum potential, despite all the hours of practice and ability they have shown.

How often do we hear about players who are tipped for the top but somehow don’t manage to achieve anything of note?

“The non-thinking players seem to be more spontaneous and don’t overthink any situations they find themselves in during matches,” Mason says. “It’s imperative to not overthink in sport.”

Nerves are often associated with performance on the oche and this needs to be utilised and turned into a positive for a player to get the best out of their game.

“I would suffer more in the last few hours pre-match but most of the nerves would go in the first few legs once I settled,” Mason says.

“More often than not I would say nerves are created by a lack of experience in the situation you find yourself in.

“I suffered without being able to get over the winning line; the more it continued the anxiety of this situation escalated.”

Nerves and mental issues are here to stay in the sport and it is part of the game being able to cope with it, so Chris: what’s the strangest thing that’s ever gone through your head during a match? “(laughs) That’s too scary to publish!”