Issue 47 (November 25, 2016)

Friday 25 November 2016

Darts Weekly EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Hammer is gunning for MVG

Van Gerwen retains Grand Slam crown Pages 2-3

Exclusive Cadby relishing World Youth final Page 11

2

Friday 25 November 2016 Darts Weekly

Van Gerwen retains Grand Slam to claim untouchable 24th tournament win of 2016 Alex Moss CHIEF DARTS WRITER Another tournament and another win for Michael van Gerwen, whose year of unrivalled dominance continued with the defence of the SINGHA Beer Grand Slam of Darts on Sunday evening.

The Dutchman’s incredible 2016 has now seen him win 24 events on the PDC circuit, the latest of those which pocketed him £102,500 at the Civic Hall, in Wolverhampton.

The world number one completed a convincing 16-8 win against James Wade in Sunday’s final, a win aided by three five-leg bursts which left Wade powerless.

Wade, who was appearing in his first Grand Slam final since 2010, opened up an early 3-1 lead, which included a 112 finish to break the van Gerwen throw.

Back came MVG with the first of those five-leg bursts, as a 104 checkout helped him move 6-3 up,

Winning touch: van Gerwen with the Grand Slam trophy with Wade fighting back with back-to-back legs to close to one behind at 6-5.

Then came another fine spell from the defending champion, with checkouts of 94, 70 and 127 included in a five leg winning run which put van Gerwen 11-5 in

“It was a difficult final and I had to work hard, so it’s fantastic” front.

Having lost 10 of the last 12 legs, Wade needed a response and it came with three legs on the spin as he took out 76 and threw a 14 darter to only trail 11-8.

A 136 finish stopped the world number six in his tracks as van Gerwen regained the momentum.

The biggest checkout of the final sparked the third five-leg streak for

stores.ebay.co.uk/Mojo-DARTS

van Gerwen, who landed double 16 in the 24th leg to seal a 16-8 victory in the final.

“This is the best feeling you can have, to win a tournament,” van Gerwen said.

“It was a difficult final and I had to work hard, so it’s fantastic.

“James is a fantastic player and he made it difficult but I’m really glad I won this trophy.

“I think I proved that I can still win when I’m not 100 per cent, but it’s not how you win a trophy, just that you win it.

“I think I was the best player and I did the right things at the right moments.

“In the groups I wasn’t really tested, but after that I played better and better.

“I’ve won most of the tournaments this year and I love winning.

“I feel confident and I feel good, and I just want to compete and play as well as possible in any tournament I play.”

Darts Weekly Friday 25 November 2016

3 LAWRENCE LUSTIG/PDC

Wade had earlier beaten Gary Anderson 16-14 in a tight semifinal and took home £50,000 for reaching a second Grand Slam final.

“Michael is the best player in the world at the moment and I didn’t give him a game,” he said. “I was very poor in the final.”

Van Gerwen’s passage to the final had seen him come through a high quality semi-final against Peter Wright, averaging 111.17 and hitting a huge 17 180s in a 16-10 win over the Scot.

Wright’s stunning quarter-final win over Phil Taylor had seen him climb to a careerhigh number three on the PDC Order of Merit, but he was once again stopped by MVG. “I couldn’t find my

throw and I couldn’t find the pitch or the happy medium pace, and it felt totally different to the game against Phil where I was so comfortable,” Wright said.

“If you want to win this tournament you have to be averaging 111 like Michael.

“I don’t think I played well all week either apart from the match against Simon Whitlock.

“The next step for me is to stick with these darts and keep working hard with these darts.

“Six months down the line they will be like gloves for me and people will have to watch out.

“I’ll pick myself up and get ready for Minehead and hopefully it will be a different story.”

The story of 2016 still has a few more chapters left to be written, will they follow a similar pattern with van Gerwen lifting the trophy?

Suljovic rules himself out of selection for the Premier League Mensur Suljovic has ruled himself out of being selected for the Premier League next year.

The Austrian has risen to a career-high of number seven on the PDC Order of Merit, as well as reaching the final of the European Championship last month, prompting calls for him to be selected as one of the wildcards for the Premier League in 2017.

But this week, in an interview with Josh’s Dartistry, the 44-yearold has revealed that he has told the PDC he is not ready to be picked for the invitational event.

Suljovic told Josh’s Dartistry: “I have talked about this issue with my family, friends and even with my management.

“After all, I decided that I’m not ready for the Premier League at the moment.

“I’ve already sent a letter to the PDC declining the nomination.

“You have to show constant performances at a level that I do not have at the moment.

“I’m sure I could win some matches, but after all I’d just be a punch-ball and I’m quite sure that wouldn’t help anybody.”

The Premier League was first launched in 2005 and has been one of the big success stories in darts in recent years, selling out large arenas across the UK and Ireland, and for the first time this year also in the Netherlands.

The travel commitments which would come from playing in the tournament, which runs from early February until the middle of May, was another reason for Suljovic’s decision to rule himself out from being selected.

“Furthermore, this would mean that I have to travel to the UK for six days a week for several weeks and months,” Suljovic said.

“I couldn’t spend enough time with my family and it also means a bunch of costs for accommodation in the UK.”

Darts Weekly Friday 25 November 2016

5

CHRISTOPHER KEMPF MATCH OF THE WEEK - G ANDERSON 16-13 R VAN BARNEVELD (GRAND SLAM OF DARTS)

Anderson finds extra gear to race past Barney

thrilled the Civic Hall crowd. A valiant effort in the final leg from Barney, which produced six perfect darts but resulted only in a missed dart at the bull, showed the pressure he was under to save the match.

Every player wants to throw a nine-dart leg, after all, but no one wants to be forced to do so to stave off defeat.

When facing an opponent throwing an average similar to his own, Anderson never seems to lose focus or alter his rhythmic pace of play. At the end of a long-format match, with a deciding leg looming and an opponent close behind, the Scot remains unperturbable.

That placid demeanour suggests he is prepared to deliver superlative legs to put it away.

LAWRENCE LUSTIG/PDC

Playing for over an hour on a blisteringly hot stage typically does not bring out the best in darts players.

Pressure begins to fray at the nerves, sweat gets in the eyes, and the precise mechanics of throwing darts begins to break down after hundreds of gruelling repetitions.

In spite of these well-known perils, Gary Anderson thrives in the final legs of a long-format match by pushing exhausted opponents to the breaking point.

Recall, for instance, his monumental 170 finish in the 44th leg of the World Championship final - featuring the longest format of any televised darts match which broke the will of Adrian Lewis and enabled a 13-dart break of throw to win the 12th set and the title.

Anderson rarely relies on maintaining a huge early lead, as Michael van Gerwen often does, and that was once more the case on Saturday.

After taking an early 4-1 lead, Anderson missed four darts at doubles in the sixth and seventh legs, failing to further extend his advantage.

Sensing that the match could easily get away from him without an urgent riposte, Raymond van Barneveld won four out of five legs after the second break in action, taking the lead after the 11th leg with a delightful 164 finish.

Anderson replied with an impressive finish of his own, taking a risky line (25, double 18 after the initial treble 20) to complete a 121 outshot. Thus the match was tied at 12 legs apiece.

At this point, both players seemed to settle in to the demands of the long-format match, conserving energy for a final push later in the evening.

Neither player took a lead of more than one leg for a period of 15 legs, in spite of numerous breaks of throw.

Anderson’s abortive nine-dart attempt in the 19th leg aside, the two world champions produced thoroughly competent, if unspectacular, legs of darts for more than half an hour of playing time.

Though Barney’s average continued to lag behind Anderson’s, it was indicative of the Dutchman winning more legs with last dart in hand than with the first, as well as a leg of particularly poor setup play, than any failure of his to keep up with the Flying Scotsman.

The players, in their strategic thrusts and parries as well as their utterly stoic faces, resembled two chess masters locked in an evenly-matched struggle.

Anderson broke it open by realising that van Barneveld, who won only one - the 164 finish leg - of his 23 knockout stage legs at the Grand Slam in four visits or less, was extremely vulnerable to a 12-dart break or 15-dart hold of throw.

With the help of a 180 in each of the final four legs, won in 13, 12, 11 and 11 darts respectively, Anderson’s late charge completely overwhelmed van Barneveld’s defences and

6

Friday 25 November 2016 Darts Weekly

Will Players Championship Finals benefit from an increased 64-man field?

Dave South DARTS WRITER The Cash Converters Players Championship Finals has been revamped in a couple of ways for 2016, the first being the size of the field from 32 to 64 players.

The basis of this event is purely on money earned via the Pro Tour floor events, which there was 20 of throughout 2016.

Just to get a flavour of how much was earned at both ends of the qualification table, world number one Michael van Gerwen topped the list with £71,750, while the final qualifier Brendan Dolan edged through yielding £8,000 for the year.

With 20 events you may think £8,000 to qualify does not appear to be that difficult?

Big names such as Phil Taylor, who is worth mentioning failed to qualify, only entered three of the events.

Other notable names to not make the revamped 64-man field include former champion Paul Nicholson, Max Hopp, Wes Newton, Dean Winstanley and John Part.

All those mentioned have missed out via a combination of injuries, a dip in form, and of course the incredible impending difficulty on the Pro Tour of progressing to a half decent result in each Pro Tour event to count towards their Order of Merit is no easy task.

Just a flavour of how the money was dished out at each £75,000 event, it included £10,000 for the winner, £6,000 for the runner-up, the semi-finalists took away £3,000 each, with the quarterfinalists earning £2,250 each.

Players who got to the last 16, 32 and 64 took away £1,500, £1,000 and £500 respectively.

With this in mind, turning around £8,000 to qualify was a tough task for those who did not make the cut. In theory, had a

player won at least one game in every event, they would have banked £10,000 from the 20 events in 2016. Quite obviously a taller task than made on paper above was this.

The question is: will the event benefit from a doubling of the field?

Absolutely yes, and for more than one reason alone, for the easy conformation that the field will be playing on two stages for the first couple of days until reduced to 16.

The main stage will host ITV4’s television coverage, whereas Red’s will host the second stage at Butlin’s Minehead.

In addition, increasing the field will give players without much stage experience a chance to perform.

It will also motivate these players wanting to break through the

‘It is great for the lesser known players without stage experience’ system and into more of the big TV events on the tour.

The other factor, which I do think has not been picked up on by many, is that effectively qualifying for the event is literally a minimum £2,000 end of year bonus for all of the 64 players competing.

I see this as a reward for the players participating. For some of the lesser known players, this could be a contribution towards investing in their 2017 participation for those without a sponsor.

When PDC chairman Barry Hearn announced the changes to the prize fund at the time, it was well taken from this quarter to give any person a chance of getting a tour card from Q-School to take the carrot dangling over them and take the prize money. The event will work with an increased field,

although armchair viewers should be disappointed that the first two days will see games missed out on, due to there being a second stage, which I doubt will carry much coverage.

I do also think the increase in the field should spur commuters to get to the event earlier, unlike previous years where the afternoon has been poorly attended. I would

Darts Weekly Friday 25 November 2016

7

LAWRENCE LUSTIG/PDC

YOUR GUIDE TO ROUND ONE GAME OF THE ROUND Mensur Suljovic v Raymond van Barneveld Barney got the better of Suljovic in their most recent meeting, in the group stage of the Grand Slam of Darts, last week by five legs to three, and this promises to be another close encounter.

Suljovic reached the semi-finals on his debut in the Players Championship Finals last year, while van Barneveld has gone out at the first hurdle in this tournament in three of the last four years.

With the seedings for the World Championship to be finalised after this weekend, a good run for Barney could see him break back into the top 10, while Suljovic will be hoping to consolidate his place in the top eight.

TOP SEED IN DANGER Dave Chisnall (above) v Kevin Painter After a poor Grand Slam, Chizzy could have had a more favourable draw than the former Players Championship Finals winner

ORDER OF PLAY Top eight seeds in bold

like to see ITV introduce a split screen with dual commentary, or introduce a red button option where viewers can switch stages, like we have seen implemented on other sporting events.

I would be surprised if ITV introduced this today, but I would highly recommend that they make it possible for the UK Open in March next year.

Friday November 25 (1pm): (Main Stage) Joe Cullen (Eng) v Steve Brown (Eng); (3) Ian White (Eng) v Keegan Brown (Eng); Chris Dobey (Eng) v Mick McGowan (Ire); Jelle Klaasen (Net) v Simon Stevenson (Eng); (4) Simon Whitlock (Aus) v Matthew Edgar (Eng), Cristo Reyes (Spa) v Berry van Peer (Net); Christian Kist (Net) v Ricky Evans (Eng); (6) Dave Chisnall (Eng) v Kevin Painter (Eng).

(Stage Two) James Wilson (Eng) v Vincent Kamphuis (Net); Joe Murnan (Eng) v Jermaine Wattimena (Net); Justin Pipe (Eng) v Andy Jenkins (Eng); Darren Webster (Eng) v Jonny Clayton (Wal); Josh Payne (Eng) v Mark Walsh (Eng); Vincent van der Voort (Net) v Andrew Gilding (Eng); Jamie Caven (Eng) v Jamie Lewis (Wal); Robbie Green (Eng) v Devon Petersen (Rsa).

(7pm): (Main Stage) James Wade (Eng) v Mervyn King (Eng); (5) Gerwyn Price (Wal) v Dimitri van den Bergh (Bel); (8) Mensur Suljovic (Aut) v Raymond van Barneveld (Net); (2) Benito van de Pas (Net) v Brendan Dolan (Nir); (1) Michael van Gerwen (Net) v Andy Hamilton (Eng); Gary Anderson (Sco) v John Henderson (Sco); (7) Peter Wright (Sco) v Jason Wilson (Eng); Adrian Lewis (Eng) v Robert Thornton (Sco). (Stage Two) Steve West (Eng) v Jan Dekker (Net); Steve Beaton (Eng) v Jeffrey de Graaf (Net); Mark Webster (Wal) v Terry Jenkins (Eng); Daryl Gurney (Nir) v Ronnie Baxter (Eng); Kim Huybrechts (Bel) v Mickey Mansell (Nir); Alan Norris (Eng) v Michael Smith (Eng); Ronny Huybrechts (Bel) v Rowby-John Rodriguez (Aut); Stephen Bunting (Eng) v Ron Meulenkamp (Net).

Live coverage in the UK on ITV4

ORDER OF PLAY

8

Friday 25 November 2016 Darts Weekly

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

“I know van Gerwen’s in top form at the moment, but he brings the best out of me”

Andy Hamilton chats to Alex Moss about an unlikely opportunity to face the world number one

our years have passed since Andy Hamilton’s last win against Michael van Gerwen on television, and tonight will see the two players meet again on the stage on which it happened.

Single two, treble 18, double 18 completed a 92 checkout and a 108 win for Hamilton over the Dutchman, in the Cash Converters Players Championship Finals, and put him into a seventh TV quarterfinal in 2012.

Fast forward to 2016 and the roles have been reversed. While TV quarter-finals are now second nature for van Gerwen, who has risen to the top of the PDC Order of Merit, Hamilton will be playing his first game of the year in front of the TV cameras, when he takes on MVG in the first round of the Players Championship Finals this evening.

The former World Championship finalist looked set to miss out on a pre-Christmas trip to Minehead after finishing 65th on the Players Championship Order of Merit.

But after Australia’s Kyle Anderson was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to visa

“I feel sorry for Kyle having to pull out but these things happen sometimes”

F

problems, Hamilton received an unlikely call up.

“It’s exciting news for me,” the 49-year-old said. “I’ve not been on TV for a while so I’m excited to be up there playing on TV. “Yeah there’s disappointment obviously coming in at someone’s expense and I feel sorry for Kyle, but these things happen sometimes.

“I’m glad I’ve got the opportunity to go up there and prove how well I’m playing at the moment.

“I’d only heard rumours (about Anderson’s possible withdrawal), then I got told on Friday he didn’t get his visa, so I wasn’t told officially until then anyway.

“I knew how things were going a few weeks ago and what could happen, so it’s not like I didn’t know what was going to happen. I knew I’d be playing Michael if I got there.

“I’ve been preparing for Michael. I know Michael’s in top form at the moment, but he brings the best out of me.

“So I hope I can give him a great game and if I have a bit of luck I hope it goes my way.

“It’s best of 11 so I’ve just got to try and hit

Darts Weekly Friday 25 November 2016

9 x

x

x x

him hard at the beginning and go a couple of legs up, or stay level with him, keep my throw and you never know what could happen.”

Aside from Phil Taylor, Hamilton can boast the most wins against van Gerwen (19), with the 2012 triumph at Minehead particularly memorable.

“I do remember it vaguely because I know I beat him,” Hamilton said.

“Beforehand a few of us were having a practice and Michael come up the stairs and was talking beyond me.

“He was saying ‘oh yeah, I’ll have Adrian in the next round’. I said ‘Michael, you’ve to get past me first’ and so I won that game to defuse the situation!”

Barring a run to the final in Minehead this weekend, Hamilton will be at the PDPA Qualifier in Wigan on Monday, in a last bid to qualify for the William Hill World Darts Championship next month.

Since joining the PDC circuit in 2004, the Stoke-on-Trent-born thrower has yet to miss a World

Championship, a run which could end this year.

“It depends on what happens this weekend,” Hamilton said.

“Obviously if I have a great run I go straight in, but if not I’ll be in the qualifier on Monday.”

Hamilton’s new partnership with Team XQMax, the darts manufacturer who also work with van Gerwen, Benito van de Pas

“It’s taken time to adjust to the new darts and the different set up” and Vincent van der Voort, began in August.

And although it is a relationship which the world number 40 is enjoying, he admits it has taken him more time than he expected to adjust to the changes.

“It’s good but it’s taken time because of the new darts and the different set up,” Hamilton said.

“It hasn’t worked straight away which has been frustrating for me,

I’m playing all right at times. I thought the transition would have been easier than what it has been, but I think the time is now where it’s coming together.

“I had my old darts for seven or eight years with Unicorn, so mentally wise it has been a challenge, rather than the equipment itself really.

“Team XQMax are absolutely amazing, it’s the best I’ve been treated.

“They’re talking to me every day, asking me how things are going, making me part of the team and it’s probably something I’ve never had before.

“Yes, I had it at Unicorn but not like this close and personal. I think it’s because they’ve only got a few players at the moment, so they can be more personal with the players.

“They give me more time, ask if I need anything and I feel wanted and that they are there for me.

“After the new year I want to come back to where I used to be, because the darts are working for me. I can’t wait for the future.”

Darts Weekly Friday 25 November 2016

11

Cadby hoping to top off 2016 with win in World Youth final PDC

INTERVIEW Alex Moss CHIEF DARTS WRITER Corey Cadby is relishing the chance to top off his breakthrough year with victory in the Unicorn World Youth Championship final this weekend.

The 21-year-old Australian flew back into the UK at the end of last week ahead of facing Berry van Peer, of the Netherlands, in Sunday’s final at Butlin’s Minehead.

And ahead of taking on the Dutchman for the £10,000 prize, Cadby says he is starting to acclimatise to the long haul flight from his home in Kalgoorlie, in western Australia.

“I’m feeling pretty keen,” he said.

“I’m not really feeling much (pressure) but I’m sure I will a day or two before.

“I’m feeling good and prepared, ready to go.

“This one is a major title. I wouldn’t say it’s a bigger game but it’s a major title.

“I wouldn’t have a clue how he (van Peer) plays. I’m just going to play my own game and hopefully it gets me across the line.

“I’ve been here for four days now.

It’s a lot easier this trip knowing what the flight was like, and being all prepared properly for the flight.

“I’ve had a real good year which is only going to be topped off with the World Youth and the worlds.

“Hopefully I can do what I really want to do in the World Youth and that’s win it obviously, but then go really well in the worlds as well.”

This Sunday will be the third time darts fans in the UK have seen Cadby on their screens, with the Aussie youngster having played in two of the World Series of Darts events during the summer.

In what was only his second match on TV, Cadby defeated 16-

time world champion Phil Taylor 6-2 in the first round of the Perth Darts Masters, with a 103 average.

A 10-2 defeat to Peter Wright in the quarter-finals looked like a thrashing on paper, but the Tasmanian-born thrower did finish with a losing average of 109.

Earlier this year, Cadby signed up with the TSMC Ltd management team, who also have

Mensur Suljovic, Kim Huybrechts, Jelle Klaasen, Kyle Anderson and Glen Durrant on their books.

Mac Elkin, of TSMC Ltd, said of Cadby: “He’s acclimatising well now this time. The first time he was struggling a bit, waking up at two in the morning and four in the morning, but he’s better now.

“He’s got a bug for the game which is absolutely brilliant.”

In brief Former World Championship finalists head list of entries Andy Hamilton and Kevin Painter head the list of entries for the William Hill World Darts Championship PDPA Qualifier.

The two former World Championship finalists are among a list of 121 entries for the qualifier, which takes place at the Robin Park Tennis Centre, in Wigan on Monday.

Former Players Championship Finals winner Paul Nicholson is also in the field, and will be joined by former major finalists Ronnie Baxter, Wayne Jones and Wes Newton. The winner of the qualifier will go straight into the

first round of the World Championship, while the runnerup qualifies for the preliminary round at Alexandra Palace.

Trio secure Ally Pally spots Jerry Hendriks, Dragutin Horvat and Tengku Shah have won places at the William Hill World Darts Championship next month.

Hendriks took victory in Sunday’s West Europe Qualifier, beating fellow Dutchman Jan Dekker 6-4 in the final.

Horvat won through Saturday’s Bull’s Superleague Germany finals, while Shah won the Asia Qualifier which was held in Taipei over the weekend.

Darts Weekly Friday 25 November 2016

13

Premier Sports agrees deal to broadcast the World Masters DAVID GILL

Premier Sports will be screening live coverage of the Winmau World Masters to viewers in the UK after agreeing a deal with the BDO last Friday.

For the first time since 1990, it had looked like the BDO major tournament would not be televised, but last week it was announced that sports television channel Premier Sports had picked up the rights to show the event.

A statement on the BDO website revealed that: ‘Friday’s to Sunday’s action (will be) aired LIVE and for FREE by Premier Sports HD in the UK (via the Sky platform) and eir Sports in Ireland.

‘Premier Sports on the Virgin platform is unable to make the channel freeview, but viewers can watch on the Premier Sports Facebook page in HD. ‘Viewers across the rest of the world will receive LIVE and FREE coverage via Winmau’s industryleading streaming channel Winmau TV. ‘There will be over 20 hours of action broadcast from Friday to

Sunday, including expert commentary from legend John Gwynne.’

Premier Sports launched in August 2010 and is available through subscription in more than 16 million homes via the Sky and Virgin platforms but, in a coup for the BDO, the statement says Sky viewers, not subscribed to the channel, will be able to watch the

coverage, while Winmau TV will be offering worldwide coverage via an online stream.

The 43rd Winmau World Masters will get underway with the early rounds next Thursday, before the men’s last 32 opens the televised coverage on Friday.

Glen Durrant is the defending men’s champion and is part of a field of more than 500 players.

14

Friday 25 November 2016 Darts Weekly

Baetens holds off Fitton fight back to land first WDF title Andy Baetens held off a late comeback from Darryl Fitton to win the Czech Open and his first WDF title on Saturday.

The Belgian had established a strong 5-2 lead in the best of 11 legs final in Prague, before the reigning BDO World Trophy champion fought back with consecutive legs to close the gap to just one leg.

Baetens held his nerve in the 10th leg and checked out 76 to complete a 14 darter and a 6-4 victory over the fourth seed.

The 22nd staging of the Czech Open attracted more than 800 players across the men’s, ladies and youth events, with the weekend kicking off with the warm up, mixed pairs and junior events.

Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski whitewashed Mark Blandford, of England, 4-0 in the final of the men’s warm up tournament, while Anca Zijlstra, of the Netherlands, defeated Austria’s Tina Kostner 40 in the ladies final.

Lisa Ashton and Tom Gregory

were the winners of the mixed pairs, beating Sue Cusick and Jimmy Hendriks 4-1 in the final.

In the junior events, Hungary’s Vivien Czipo beat home favourite Barbora Hospodarska 4-0 to win the girls singles, but the Czechs did provide one winner after Roman Benecky came from 2-0 and 3-2 down to edge past England’s Owen Maiden 4-3 in the boys final.

‘Baetens held his nerve in the 10th leg and checked out 76 for a 14 dart leg’ Saturday saw the men’s and ladies singles competitions take place, with two of the BDO’s eight representatives in last week’s Grand Slam of Darts in action.

Scott Mitchell was the top seed in Prague and dropped just one leg on his way to the semi-finals, where he took on the other Grand Slam player, Fitton.

Danny Noppert, who narrowly

Top four: Semi-finalists Ross Montgomery (left) and Scott Mitchell (far right), runnerup Darryl Fitton (second left) with Czech Open champion Andy Baetens (second right) lost 10-9 to Gary Anderson at Wolverhampton, was the second seed, but pulled out of the event.

Fitton made a quick start against Mitchell in their semi-final clash, with checkouts of 96 and 148 helping him establish a 2-0 lead.

Mitchell fought back with 13 and 14 dart legs to level up at 2-2, and after the next two legs were shared it was Fitton who pulled away again with back-to-back legs to close out a 5-3 win.

The other semi-final was a lot less closer, with Baetens beating seventh seed Ross Montgomery 50, the 30th seed aided by two 116 checkouts during the contest.

In the ladies final, Anastasia Dobromyslova reeled off three legs on the spin to beat Aileen de Graaf 5-3 and lift the trophy.

Database

WILLIAM HILL WORLD DARTS CHAMPIONSHIP WEST EUROPE QUALIFIER (Rosmalen, Netherlands) Semi-finals - J Dekker bt R Bruul 6-1; J Hendriks bt S Visser 6-4. Final - J Hendriks bt J Dekker 6-4. BULL’S SUPERLEAGUE GERMANY FINALS (Monchengladbach, Germany) Semi-finals - D Horvat bt K Munch 8-7; S Stoyke bt M Langendorf 8-7.

Final - D Horvat bt S Stoyke 10-6.

Jackson 4-2; D Prins bt S Head 4-3; P Hogan bt C Stoner 4-0. Quarter-finals - P Williams bt D Labanauskas 4-2; C van Cleff bt A Keen 4-3; A Scerri bt B Zander 4-2; D Prins bt P Hogan 4-2. Semi-finals - P Williams bt C van Cleff 5-4; D Prins bt A Scerri 5-2. Final - P Williams bt D Prins 6-2.

Ladies singles last 16 - S Bode bt A-K Wigmann 3-2; G Johnson bt S Smith 3-1; C McLoughlin bt M Paine 3-2; K Kirkby bt T Chambers 3-1; C Redhead bt P Collins 3-1; S Chick bt C Perkins Robbins 3-1; S Thame bt N Kallen 3-1; K Byo bt A Hogan 3-1.

Quarter-finals - S Smith bt S Bode 3-0; K Kirkby bt C McLoughlin 3-1; C Redhead bt S Chick 3-2; K Byo bt S Thame 3-2. Semifinals - K Kirkby bt S Smith 3-0; C Redhead bt K Byo 3-1. Final - C Redhead bt K Kirkby 4-0. Men’s pairs final - N Attard/D Attard bt D Prins/W Halliwell 4-1. Ladies pairs final - L Woodrow/S Chick bt K Bispham/K Kirkby 4-1.

WDF MALTA OPEN (Topaz Hotel, Bugibba) Men’s singles last 16 - D Labanauskas bt C Littlecott 4-1; P Williams bt G Upton 4-0; A Keen bt N Attard 4-2; C van Cleff bt J Davis 4-0; A Scerri bt S Wens 4-1; B Zander bt C

CZECH OPEN (OREA Pyramida Hotel, Prague) Men’s singles last 32 - S Mitchell bt J Hlavacek 4-1; T Martin bt R Schulz 4-0, S Rose bt A Turner 4-1; W Nijman bt J Tunistra 4-1; G de Vos bt C Landman 4-2; Z Antunovic bt S Stainton 4-2; P Drtil bt A

PDC SINGHA BEER GRAND SLAM OF DARTS (Wolverhampton) Quarter-finals M van Gerwen (97.33) bt B Dolan (88.24) 163; P Wright (103.37) bt P Taylor (100.57) 1610; G Anderson (103.81) bt R van Barneveld (98.24) 16-13; J Wade (92.18) bt C Dobey (92.00) 16-5. Semi-finals - M van Gerwen (111.17) bt P Wright (102.13) 16-10; J Wade (91.93) bt G Anderson (98.36) 16-14. Final M van Gerwen (98.74) bt J Wad (90.73) 16-8.

Slotboom 4-1; D Fitton bt G Takacs 4-1; A Baetens bt M Ondo 4-2; J Hendriks bt M Blandford 4-2; G Vos bt C Whitehead 4-3; P Seidl bt A Davidek 4-3; R Montgomery bt R Griffin 4-0; K Ratajski bt W Vaes 4-2; W Mandigers bt M Unterbuchner 4-1; P Schnupfhagen bt B Raman 4-3. Last 16 - S Mitchell bt T Martin 4-1; W Nijman bt S Rose 4-1; Z Antunovic bt G de Vos 4-3; D Fitton bt P Drtil 4-3; A Baetens bt J Hendriks 4-1; G Vos bt P Seidl 4-0; R Montgomery bt K Ratajski 4-3; W Mandigers bt P Schnupfhagen 4-1. Quarter-finals - S Mitchell bt W Nijman 4-0; D Fitton bt Z Antunovic 4-3; A Baetens bt G Vos 4-3; R Montgomery bt W Mandigers 4-1. Semifinals - D Fitton bt S Mitchell 5-3; A Baetens bt R Montgomery 5-0. Final - A Baetens bt D Fitton 6-4. Ladies singles last 32 - D Hedman bt J Stoop 4-0; V Tonarova bt H Johnsen 4-2; M Noijens bt H Lodge 4-0; M Sutton bt N Wachter 4-0; S Prins bt C Rudin 4-0; V Czipo bt M Liiri 4-0; J Cisarova bt I Powell 4-2; A Dobromyslova bt N Fekete 4-0; A de Graaf bt P Urdeva 4-0; A Cox bt J Kanovska 4-0; M Abadzievova bt S Cusick 40; A Zijlstra bt S Evans 4-0; S RennochZwitkowitsch bt P Jacklin 4-0; H Belobradkova bt A Kirchermeier 4-0; D

Darts Weekly Friday 25 November 2016

15 CONTRIBUTED

x

x

‘x x x x

‘x x x x

x

x

Midlands are within touching distance of top spot now after overcoming previously-unbeaten Gwent 24-12.

Dorset, the only other unbeaten side left in Division One, also tasted defeat for the first time this season after losing 20-16 at home to Cornwall.

Neil Meener was the man of the match for Cornwall with a 96.97

Lamb 4-0, as the visitors won four of the last five games to pull away to victory.

Elsewhere in Division One, Cleveland and Kent drew 18-18 and bottom side London beat County Durham 19-17.

Northamptonshire maintained top spot in Division Two with a 23-13 win at home against Staffordshire.

Ashton bt R Slowikowska 4-0; L Ashton bt R Newman 4-0. Last 16 - D Hedman bt V Tonarova 4-0; M Noijens bt M Sutton 4-2; S Prins bt V Czipo 4-0; A Dobromyslova bt J Cisarova 4-0; A de Graaf bt A Cox 4-0; A Zijlstra bt M Abadzievova 4-0; S RennochZwitkowitsch bt H Belobradkova 4-0; L Ashton bt D Ashton 4-0. Quarter-finals - D Hedman bt M Noijens 4-3; A Dobromyslova bt S Prins 4-1; A de Graaf bt A Zijlstra 4-3; L Ashton bt S Rennoch-Zwitkowitsch 4-0.

Semi-finals - A Dobromyslova bt D Hedman 4-1; A de Graaf bt L Ashton 4-3.

Final - A Dobromyslova bt A d Graaf 5-3.

CHAMPIONSHIP (November 26-27) Premier Division - Devon v Cheshire; Essex v Yorkshire; Glamorgan v Lancashire; Nottinghamshire v Cambridgeshire; Warwickshire v Lincolnshire. Division One - Co Durham v Hampshire; Kent v Gwent; London v Dorset; Oxfordshire v Cleveland; West Midlands v Cornwall. Division Two Cumbria v Northumberland; Hertfordshire v Worcestershire; Surrey v Berkshire.

Division Three - Buckinghamshire v Montgomery & Radnor; Somerset v Tyne & Wear. Division Four - Breconshire v Bedfordshire; Middlesex v Wiltshire; Norfolk v West of England. Scotland North - Fife v Grampian; Central v East Stirlingshire; Angus v Tay Valley; Perthshire v Highland.

Scotland South - Ayrshire v West Lothian; Lothian v Greater Glasgow; Borders v Renfrewshire; Lanarkshire v Clackmannanshire.

LAKESIDE WORLD PRO INTERNATIONAL PLAY-OFF (Lakeside, Frimley Green) (November 30)

FIXTURES PDC CASH CONVERTERS PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS (Minehead) (November 25-27) Order of play on page 7.

UNICORN WORLD YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP (Minehead) (November 27) Final - B van Peer v C Cadby.

WILLIAM HILL WORLD DARTS CHAMPIONSHIP PDPA QUALIFIER (Wigan) (November 28) BDO BRITISH INTER-COUNTY

DARTS ON TV CASH CONVERTERS PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS (ITV4) (November 25-27)

triumph over Berkshire, while Cumbria slipped to fourth after losing 21-15 to Worcestershire.

The other Division Two fixture saw Northumberland win the battle of the lowly sides against Suffolk, winning 21-15.

In Division Three, Gwynedd won the battle of the top two sides with a 21-15 triumph at home over Merseyside.

It was the visitors Merseyside who held a slender 10-8 overnight lead, but hosts Gwynedd fought back on the Sunday and took the Women’s A section 4-2 and the Men’s A section 9-3 to pull away to victory over their title rivals.

And finally, Norfolk opened up an 11 point lead at the top of Division Four after thrashing bottom of the table Isle of Wight 30-6.

Closest challengers Clwyd and Wiltshire also recorded wins at the weekend, beating Shropshire (26-10) and Bedfordshire (20-1

DARTS WEEKLY DOZEN (22/11/2016) Data compiled by Christopher Kempf Player M van Gerwen P Taylor J Klaasen M Suljovic S Whitlock V van der Voort B van de Pas J Cullen M King D Gurney A Norris S Beaton

LLE 15.454 16.009 17.215 17.294 17.683 18.003 18.159 18.218 18.332 18.412 18.609 18.636

Change 0.042 -0.364 N/C N/C N/C N/C -0.097 N/C N/C N/C N/C N/C

◊ The Darts Weekly Dozen estimates and compares the length of the average leg over players’ last 180 televised and streamed legs. ◊ Continued small declines in setup play and finishing from Michael van Gerwen, whose overall estimate was buoyed entirely by unparalleled power scoring. ◊ Legs from Phil Taylor’s 16-10 loss to Peter Wright replaced dominant Champions League darts no longer within the 180 most recent legs: subsequent massive declines for The Power.

18

Friday 18 November 2016 Darts Weekly