Issue 48 (December 3, 2016)

Saturday 3 December 2016

Darts Weekly

PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS

Van Gerwen racks up 25th title of 2016

Minehead win continues world number one’s dominant year Analysis and reaction pages 2-4

Exclusive Frost aiming to be ice cool at Ally Pally

Duzza into last 16 of the Masters

Page 5

Pages 6-7

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Saturday 3 December 2016 Darts Weekly

Van Gerwen’s dominant year rolls on with third Players Championship Finals crown Alex Moss CHIEF DARTS WRITER Michael van Gerwen’s incredible 2016 continued on Sunday as he won the Cash Converters Players Championship Finals for a third time.

The world number one picked up his 25th tournament win of the year after breezing past Dave Chisnall 11-3 in the final at Butlin’s Minehead.

The £75,000 first prize also took the Dutchman past the £1,500,000 mark on the PDC Order of Merit as his dominance on the tour rolled on with another title.

The increased field from 32 to 64 players for this year’s event meant van Gerwen would have to overcome one extra hurdle in his bid to reclaim the title he had previously won in 2013 and 2015.

But aside from a fascinating semi-final against Darren Webster, in which he had trailed 6-0, van Gerwen never really looked like

Successful defence: Van Gerwen celebrates his victory relinquishing his Players Championship Finals crown.

The 27-year-old went into the final day on Sunday having dropped just four legs, with wins over Andy Hamilton (6-1), Vincent van der Voort (6-1) and Josh Payne (10-2) setting up a quarter-final

“I’m proud because nobody has won as many tournaments as this before” clash with Raymond van Barneveld.

A final average of 108.03 helped van Gerwen on his way to a 10-5 triumph, before that enthralling encounter with Webster came at the start of the evening session.

Webster, playing in his first ever TV semi-final, had raced into a 6-0 lead, but van Gerwen fought back and overcame a major scare, with a

stores.ebay.co.uk/Mojo-DARTS

144 checkout sealing an 11-8 comeback win.

Van Gerwen then proved to be unstoppable in the final, with another 108 average (108.34) seeing him on the way to an 11-3 victory against Chisnall, in what proved to be the most one-sided final in the event’s eight-year history.

“It’s an amazing feeling for me and I’m a happy man,” van Gerwen said.

“It wasn’t easy for me today and I had to work really hard, but I’m really glad that I won this trophy again.

“Darren gave me a scare and Dave had a chance to make it three-all, and Dave’s a dangerous player but I punished him when he let me in.

“Going into the World Championship this is a big confidence boost for me.

“What I’ve done this year is phenomenal and I’m really proud of myself because nobody has won

Darts Weekly Saturday 3 December 2016

3 LAWRENCE LUSTIG/PDC

as many tournaments as this before.”

Chisnall’s fifth televised final ended in the same outcome as the previous four, with the runners-up cheque, this time of £35,000, which has propelled him to seventh in the Order of Merit.

And while van Gerwen’s route to the final had been largely plain sailing, Chizzy had to conquer several obstacles on the way to the decider.

The opening two rounds saw the 36-year-old edge past both Kevin Painter and Jamie Lewis with a 6-4 scoreline, before squeezing through a deciding leg against Jelle Klaasen in the last 16.

A 10-5 win against Robbie Green in the quarter-finals was Chisnall’s most one-sided game of the weekend, with an 11-8 victory against world number three Peter Wright booking a meeting with van

Gerwen in his second TV final of the year.

“I’m trying and I played quite well all week, but Michael did the business against me,” said Chisnall, who has now lost his last 12 games against the Dutchman.

“I’ve had a good weekend and it’s another step forward for me to reach a final but I’m determined to one day get that win.”

All eyes now turn to the big one at the Alexandra Palace, and Chisnall will be hoping to better his previous best in the PDC’s World Championship, which is the last 16.

As for van Gerwen, by the time he starts his bid for a second world title it would have been two months since he last tasted defeat.

Cadby continues breakthrough year with World Youth triumph Corey Cadby became the first player outside of Europe to win the PDC Unicorn World Youth Championship, beating Berry van Peer 6-2 in Sunday’s final at Minehead.

The 21-year-old Australian has enjoyed a breakthrough year, beating Phil Taylor in the Perth Darts Masters and qualifying for the William Hill World Darts Championship for the first time.

And at the weekend his memorable 2016 continued, as he held his nerve in front of 4,000 fans at Butlin’s Minehead to win the World Youth Championship.

“It hasn’t really sunk in yet but I’m over the moon,” Cadby said.

“It’s massive and I’ll only look forward now, this is just the start for me.

“It didn’t feel like I was throwing my best but it got me the win.

“It’s going to be amazing taking this trophy back home to show it off, it means absolutely everything.

“It’s a great experience and I can’t wait to play against the best in the World Championship and hopefully I’ll beat the best, I’ve got no fear!”

Cadby’s final three dart average, 98.35, was the highest recorded in a World Youth Championship final and was yet another indication of how well he can perform on the big stages.

The young Aussie will now aim to make his mark on the Alexandra Palace stage next month.

Title triumph: Corey Cadby

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Saturday 3 December 2016 Darts Weekly

CHRISTOPHER KEMPF MATCH OF THE WEEK - M VAN GERWEN 11-8 D WEBSTER (PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS)

Van Gerwen pulls off great escape in thriller “When I was 6-0 up, all I could see was 11-0,” said Darren Webster after his semi-final match with Michael van Gerwen. “I thought, ‘Come on, destroy him. Let’s make the man pay.’”

Not only had the Dutchman missed his first eight darts at a double and wasted three more en route to a huge early deficit, he was facing in Webster a fearless opponent.

Here was a man plotting van Gerwen’s destruction as assiduously as he would that of a vacant building way from the oche.

Here, too, was the competitive attitude so many of van Gerwen’s vanquished opponents had lacked.

Demolish him. Whitewash him.

11-0.

In spite of reaching a finish faster than Webster in nearly every leg, MVG’s darts at doubles stubbornly refused to cross the wire into their targets.

Webster, with admirably timed doubles, seemed more than pleased to capitalise on those mistakes.

Even after attempting to regroup during the first break in the action, Mighty Mike’s game failed to improve.

In a debacle of a sixth leg, van Gerwen, having scored well to reach 170 in nine darts, then took eight to reach double 16, missing setup trebles wildly along the way.

Having missed inside the double 16 bed, van Gerwen then bust his score with a 19th dart that strayed from its target of double eight into double 11.

double 11.

Webster, who had already missed finishing darts in his previous visit, closed out the leg with an unlikely 20 darter, leaving an exasperated van Gerwen at the height of his anger and frustration.

When Michael van Gerwen gets angry, incredible things can happen.

So it wasn’t terribly surprising that MVG kicked off the seventh leg with six perfect darts, racing out to an insurmountable lead in the leg.

A 12-dart leg stopped the appalling rot in van Gerwen’s game and kicked off a run of six consecutive winning legs, leading to a tied game and subsequent holds of throw from both players.

With a crucial break of throw in the 17th leg, van Gerwen used peerless scoring power to overwhelm his opponent, in spite of clumsy setup darts.

In a game in which he threw 33 more darts than his Dutch rival to reach the same number of threedart finishes,

averaging 11.56 darts per finish to van Gerwen’s 9.72, Webster needed to seize every opportunity presented to him.

Webster had chances to win seven of the last 13 legs but claimed only two, both after throwing first.

Certainly, van Gerwen’s 10 darter in the 14th leg was unassailable, but another astounding spate of inaccuracy on the doubles ring from the Dutch champion in the 18th leg gave the Demolition Man one last chance.

Even after taking five visits just to reach a score of 156, Webster found himself with an opportunity to score a 116 checkout against the throw.

A second dart in the treble roused the crowd but the Norwich builder failed to finish the job, cringing as his final dart flew just wide of the double 18 bed.

Prolonging the agony to the utmost, a relived van Gerwen finally found double one with his 24th dart of the leg. With that, Webster’s upset hopes were dashed.

A more characteristic 144 finish from a nearly exhausted MVG in the final leg was merely the coda to a superb comeback.

Van Gerwen went on to claim the title in Minehead with an 11-3 rout of Dave Chisnall and was asked in the post-match interview, “How much of a scare did Darren Webster give you, Michael?”

“Not enough,” was his devastating reply. For even when trailing 6-0 and missing numerous fistfuls of darts to win legs, Michael van Gerwen should always be favoured to win.

No other match could have more aptly demonstrated the power and resilience of his game.

Comeback: Van Gerwen came from 6-0 down to beat Webster

LAWRENCE LUSTIG/PDC

Darts Weekly Saturday 3 December 2016

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Frost aiming to be ice cool on World Championship debut PDC

INTERVIEW Alex Moss CHIEF DARTS WRITER Mark Frost is aiming to pull off one of the biggest shocks in the history of the William Hill World Darts Championship later this month.

The 45-year-old, ranked 72nd on the PDC Order of Merit, came through a field of more than 100 players to win the PDPA Qualifier in Wigan on Monday, and with it secure a place in the first round at Alexandra Palace.

Moments after booking his place in a World Championship for the first time in his career, Frost was drawn out against the defending champion, and his good friend, Gary Anderson in the first round.

It is a clash which Frost will be the underdog for, with Anderson having walked away with the Sid Waddell Trophy in the last two stagings of the lucrative event.

And with Frost knowing he will need to beat the second seed to finish the year inside the top 64 to keep his tour card, it is a challenge which the recent Players Championship semi-finalist is ready to embrace.

“I’ve heard he’s not bad,” Frost joked when reminded of the opponent he will face on his Alexandra Palace debut in less than two weeks.

“We always sit on the same table (at Pro Tour events). I’ll be trying my best to beat him.

“It’s going to be hard. I’ve obviously played Barney at the Matchplay which was a fantastic atmosphere.

“I believe it’s supposed to be even more special at this one though.

“I’ve never been. It will be my first time and it’s the first time I’ve ever played Gary I think.”

Frost played 53 legs of darts during Monday’s qualifier, with a

5-2 win against Kevin Simm in the final putting him straight through to the first round.

Simm, along with beaten semifinalists Simon Stevenson and John Bowles will all start in the preliminary round.

“It was nice to know I’d already qualified (when I got to the semifinals) but I still wanted (to win the qualifier) to get to the first

round,” Frost said. “It was a long day. I was shattered by the time it finished.

“My phone hasn’t stopped as you can imagine. It’s amazing really.

“I played really well on the day. I was awesome, that’s not me blowing my own trumpet, I played that well.

“I just played consistent and I was averaging 100 all day.”

William Hill World Darts Championship Draw Preliminary round (best of three sets) - J Hendriks v W Parry; Z Lerchbacher v S Stevenson; T Shah v M Chino; K Simm v G Ulang; Q Sun v C Cadby; J Bowles v D Platt; R Snook v K Viljanen; B Koltsov v D Horvat First round (best of five sets) - M van Gerwen (1) v Snook/Viljanen; C Reyes (32) v D van den Bergh; S Bunting (16) v D Webster; S Whitlock (17) v Koltsov/Horvat; M Suljovic (8) v R Meulenkamp; M Webster (25) v J Murnan; R Thornton (9) v Lerchbacher/ Stevenson; D Gurney (24) v J Wattimena; A Lewis (5) v M Caris; J Cullen (28) v Sun/Cadby; R van

Barneveld (12) v R Green; A Norris (21) v J Michael; P Taylor (4) v Bowles/Platt; J Caven (29) v K Painter; K Huybrechts (13) v Jam Wilson; V van der Voort (20) v M Hopp; G Anderson (2) v M Frost; J Henderson (31) v A Gilding; B van de Pas (15) v Shah/Chino; T Jenkins (18) v J Payne; D Chisnall (7) v R-J Rodriguez; J Pipe (26) v C Dobey; J Klaasen (10) v J de Graaf; B Dolan (23) v C Kist; J Wade (6) v R Huybrechts; S Beaton (27) v D Petersen; M Smith (11) v R Evans; M King (22) v S West; P Wright (3) v Hendriks/ Parry; J Lewis (30) v M McGowan; I White (14) v Simm/Ulang; G Price (19) v J Clayton

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Saturday 3 December 2016 Darts Weekly

Durrant begins Winmau World Masters defence with win against Malta’s Attard Alex Moss CHIEF DARTS WRITER

Safely through: Glen Durrant beat Norbert Attard 3-0 in the last 32 yesterday afternoon

It was far from vintage from the BDO number one, but Glen Durrant opened up the defence of his Winmau World Masters title with a straight sets win against Norbert Attard at Lakeside yesterday.

Last year’s winner kicked off the televised coverage of the 43rd World Masters, which was being held at the famous Lakeside Country Club, in Frimley Green, for the first time since 2001.

While Durrant, along with the rest of the 16 seeded players, came into the tournament yesterday, the other 16 players left in the draw had all battled through the earlier rounds away from the cameras on Thursday.

Since the World Masters was first held back in 1974, only four men have been able to successfully defend the title.

Eric Bristow and Bob Anderson were the first to claim back-toback World Masters crowns in the 1980s, while in recent years Martin Adams and Stephen Bunting have both achieved the same feat.

Durrant’s bid to become the fifth man to clinch successive World Masters titles began against Malta’s Attard yesterday afternoon.

And while Duzza had checkouts of 133 and 140 during the contest, his final three-dart average of 87.78 was several gears short of his usual standard at the oche.

Durrant will be hoping for a better display when he takes on Belgium’s Davy van Baelen in the last 16 later today.

Van Baelen is a player throwing with plenty of confidence after coming through the minefield that is the Lakeside World Pro International Play-Offs on Wednesday night.

The recent Denmark Open

runner-up saw off 2014 World Masters champion Martin Phillips 3-1 in the last 32 during yesterday’s session.

Phillips was one of four seeds to crash out of the tournament at what was their first hurdle.

The most surprising of the four was third seed Danny Noppert, who was edged out in a deciding set by Canada’s Kiley Edmunds.

Three-time World Masters champion Martin Adams also suffered an early departure after losing in a final set to Ireland’s John O’Shea earlier in the day.

And Dutchman Richard Veenstra completed the quartet of seeds to fall on Friday, losing out 3-1 to Scotland’s Alan Soutar.

Second seed Scott Mitchell comfortably progressed to the last

‘The most surprising of the four seeds to exit was third seed Danny Noppert’ 16 with a straight sets victory over Sweden’s Oskar Lukasiak in the final game of the day.

Jamie Hughes, the fourth seed, posted the second highest winning average of the round, with a 90.51 average helping him to a 3-1 win against Gary Robson.

The 2014 runner-up fired in three 100 plus checkouts, 167, 130 and 103, on his way to victory and will next face Jim Williams in the last 16 today.

Williams also finished with a 90+ average during his last 32 game, edging past Germany’s Robert Allenstein in a final set win.

Reigning world champion Scott Waites is also through to today’s last 16, having completed a whitewash sets win over David Copley in his first outing, while

World Trophy champion Darryl Fitton was in good form during his 3-0 triumph against Dave Parletti.

Elsewhere, Dutchman Wesley Harms and Darius Labanauskas set up a last 16 clash after recording wins over Raymond Smith (3-2) and Steve Alker (3-0) respectively.

Brian Dawson also tasted victory on the Lakeside stage, getting the better of Canada’s Jeff Smith 3-2 in a closely fought encounter.

Mark McGeeney was another player to need all five sets to get over the line yesterday, squeezing

Darts Weekly Saturday 3 December 2016 DAVID GILL

x

past James Hurrell 3-2, with Hurrell finishing with the highest average of the round (94.44).

Welshman Dean Reynolds is also still in the running for a first major title after he sealed a 3-0 win over Neil Duff in his first game yesterday.

While Belgium’s Geert de Vos also completed a straight sets win in the last 32, easing past Ireland’s Michael Meaney 3-0.

The World Masters continues today with the last 16 of the men’s draw, as well as the quarter-finals of the ladies draw.

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Lim wants to create history as the Soft Darts World Championship Grand Final makes its return at the KITEC in Hong Kong tomorrow Paul Lim has his sights set on creating more darts history when the Grand Final of the Soft Darts World Championship makes its return in Hong Kong tomorrow.

The 62-year-old was the inaugural winner of the Grand Final back in 2011, with Japan’s Takehiro Suzuki and Lourence Ilagan, of the Philippines, winning the next two stagings, before the tournament took a sabbatical.

The Grand Final will be held for the first time in three years tomorrow, when the top eight players of THE WORLD rankings are joined by Premium Stage winner Keita Ono and seven players to come through yesterday’s Wildcard tournament.

And after finishing top of the annual rankings this year, Singapore’s Lim, is aiming to be crowned Grand Final champion for a second time this weekend.

“I’ve won the Grand Final before and I just want to be the first one to win it twice,” he said.

“It’s very important for me. It’s a personal achievement. Every

tournament, every world stage, I want to win it.

“I will be prepared. All I know is the players in the top 16, everyone is going to be excited, but I’m going to be the one who is gunning you down.”

While the Grand Final was not staged in 2014 and 2015, it was Croatia’s Boris Krcmar who was the undoubted top player during that period.

Krcmar finished top of the annual ranking in both years and this year was only pipped to top spot by Lim on total prize money.

Lim is in no doubt who his main competition will be tomorrow and sites his two wins over Krcmar during this year as his most memorable achievements in 2016.

“Boris is a guy that everyone is gunning for,” he said. “He is consistently one of the greatest players out there.

“For me to go past him two times, in stage three and stage four when I beat him to win the tournament, this is a player who if you beat it is something.”

I just want to be the first 1 to win it twice its v imp for me it’s a personal achiev every tourn every world stage I want to win it and I will be prep and all I know players in the top 16 every1 going to be excited but im going to be the one who is gunning you down x x

Lucky seven: The seven players who won through yesterday’s Wildcard tournament to qualify for tomorrow’s Grand Final

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Saturday 3 December 2016 Darts Weekly

Bristow axed from Sky Sports role after Twitter comments

Database PDC CASH CONVERTERS PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS (Minehead) First round - M van Gerwen (95.08) bt A Hamilton (92.20) 6-1; V van der Voort (95.53) bt A Gilding (87.81) 6-5; J Payne (89.80) bt M Walsh (80.88) 6-5; B van Peer (81.42) bt C Reyes (87.31) 6-5; R van Barneveld (107.40) bt M Suljovic (102.79) 64; A Lewis (85.71) bt R Thornton (81.59) 6-3; J Cullen (84.05) bt S Brown (74.46) 6-1; R-J Rodriguez (80.93) bt R Huybrechts (84.62) 6-4; D van den Bergh (91.99) bt G Price (88.01) 6-5; C Kist (94.11) bt R Evans (94.48) 6-4; J Dekker (89.32) bt S West (85.68) 6-3; J Pipe (84.64) bt A Jenkins (83.21) 6-3; S Whitlock (95.20) bt M Edgar (89.20) 6-3; D Webster (92.82) bt J Clayton (92.46) 6-3; M McGowan (90.02) bt C Dobey (95.04) 6-3; A Norris (106.24) bt M Smith (88.73) 6-4; B Dolan (92.47) bt B van de Pas (85.19) 6-5; J Wattimena (93.94) bt J Murnan (78.50) 6-0; K Huybrechts (91.27) bt M Mansell (83.03) 6-3; D Gurney (89.63) bt R Baxter (91.69) 63; P Wright (94.17) bt Jas Wilson (83.34) 6-3; J Wade (92.59) bt M King (90.36) 6-4; R Meulenkamp (93.08) bt S Bunting (88.62) 64; G Anderson (94.22) bt J Henderson (90.60) 6-3; D Chisnall (96.08) bt K Painter (93.26) 6-4; J Lewis (90.80) bt J Caven (95.62) 6-4; V Kamphuis (93.51) bt Jam Wilson (90.92) 6-2; J Klaasen (96.20) bt S Stevenson (95.96) 6-4; I White (82.93) bt K Brown (85.76) 6-5; T Jenkins (92.33) bt M Webster (92.55) 6-3; J de Graaf (88.65) bt S Beaton (94.91) 6-4; R Green (93.33) bt D Petersen (91.25). Second round - M van

Gerwen (102.15) bt V van der Voort (100.74) 6-1; J Payne (85.07) bt B van Peer (88.47) 64; R van Barneveld (101.96) bt A Lewis (101.22) 6-4; J Cullen (101.33) bt R-J Rodriguez (89.97) 6-0; C Kist (91.44) bt D van den Bergh (85.68) 6-2; J Pipe (86.34) bt J Dekker (80.54) 6-1; D Webster (95.40) bt S Whitlock (92.56) 6-3; A Norris (91.89) bt M McGowan (87.73) 6-3; B Dolan (85.05) bt J Wattimena (83.72) 6-5; K Huybrechts (108.10) bt D Gurney (105.85) 6-1; P Wright (104.61) bt J Wade (94.02) 6-2; R Meulenkamp (93.34) bt G Anderson (101.61) 6-5; D Chisnall (96.65) bt J Lewis (95.96) 64; J Klaasen (96.39) bt V Kamphuis (88.89) 6-2; T Jenkins (88.58) bt I White (85.85) 65; R Green (105.79) bt J de Graaf (101.22) 61. Third round - M van Gerwen (105.69) bt J Payne (99.79) 10-2; R van Barneveld (87.84) bt J Cullen (71.13) 10-2; C Kist (94.97) bt J Pipe (89.34) 10-6; D Webster (90.08) bt A Norris (85.47) 10-5; K Huybrechts (100.72) bt B Dolan (88.18) 10-4; P Wright (100.75) bt R Meulenkamp (84.67) 10-3; D Chisnall (94.84) bt J Klaasen (91.67) 10-9; R Green (96.89) bt T Jenkins (89.60) 10-7. Quarter-finals - M van Gerwen (108.03) bt R van Barneveld (103.00) 10-5; D Webster (91.30) bt C Kist (91.17) 10-6; P Wright (97.37) bt K Huybrechts (100.10) 109; D Chisnall (93.17) bt R Green (85.67) 10-5.

Semi-finals - M van Gerwen (94.59) bt D Webster (89.45) 11-8; D Chisnall (100.58) bt P Wright (98.06) 11-8. Final - M van Gerwen (108.34) bt D Chisnall (99.24) 11-3.

UNICORN WORLD YOUTH

CHAMPIONSHIP (Minehead) Final - C Cadby (98.35) bt B van Peer (86.92) 6-2.

WILLIAM HILL WORLD DARTS CHAMPIONSHIP PDPA QUALIFIER (Wigan) Second round - K Brown bt J Walker 5-4; Darren Brown bt L Moffatt 5-1; M Frost bt B Claydon 5-1; P Hudson bt C Fowler 5-1; M Dennant bt W Jones 5-2; R Edhouse bt K Shepherd 5-3; A Jenkins bt J Lovett 5-1; I Lever bt L Shewan 5-4; S Stevenson bt D van Duijvenbode 5-3; R Williams bt R Palmer 5-4; Ja Richardson bt K Dowling 5-3; K Parry bt M Walsh 5-1; B Bates bt W Newton 5-2; M Edgar bt E Dootson 5-2; M Barnard bt P Nicholson 5-2; S Taylor bt S Stubbs 5-2; A Hamilton bt S Dale 5-4; J Bowles bt J Hubbard 5-0; D Johnson bt M Turner 5-3; M Todd bt Y Meeuwisse 5-4; R Baxter bt M Clark 5-0; J Bain bt J Forman 52; S Kellett bt N Heydon 5-1; N Daniels bt L Woodhouse 5-4; A Boulton bt D Smith 5-1; N Derry bt C Quantock 5-4; J Worsley bt A Smith 5-2; R Smith bt K Hart 5-3; P Milford bt D Pallett 5-4; H Robinson bt C Singh Nagi 5-4; P Jiwa bt N Aspinall 5-4; K Simm bt S McNally 5-4. Third round - K Brown bt Darren Brown 5-0; M Frost bt P Hudson 5-3; R Edhouse bt M Dennant 5-4; A Jenkins bt I Lever 5-3; S Stevenson bt R Williams 5-3; K Parry bt Ja Richardson 5-4; B Bates bt M Edgar 5-3; S Taylor bt M Barnard 5-2; J Bowles bt A Hamilton 5-3; D Johnson bt M Todd 5-2; R Baxter bt J Bain 5-3; S Kellett bt N Daniels 5-3; A Boulton bt N Derry 5-2; R Smith bt J Worsley 5-3; P Milford bt H Robinson 5-4; K Simm bt P Jiwa 5-3. Fourth

LAWRENCE LUSTIG/PDC

Sky have announced they will no longer be using Eric Bristow for their darts coverage following his comments on Twitter about the football sexual abuse story on Monday night.

In a series of tweets posted on Bristow’s official Twitter account, he said the victims were not ‘proper men’ for failing to ‘sort out’ the abusers.

Most of the tweets have since been deleted, but a Sky spokesperson has said: “He was a contributor to our darts coverage in the past but we will not be using him in the future.”

The five-time world champion has been used in various roles for the channel’s darts coverage since he stopped playing professionally, which included punditry, Axed: Eric Bristow has been sacked by Sky Sports after his commentating and spotting. comments on Twitter about the football sexual abuse story

Darts Weekly Saturday 3 December 2016 round - M Frost bt K Brown 5-4; R Edhouse bt A Jenkins 5-2; S Stevenson bt K Parry 5-4; S Taylor bt B Bates 5-4; J Bowles bt D Johnson 5-3; S Kellett bt R Baxter 5-3; R Smith bt A Boulton 5-3; K Simm bt P Milford 5-2. Quarter-finals - M Frost bt R Edhouse 5-3 (Frost qualifies); S Stevenson bt S Taylor 5-2 (Stevenson qualifies); J Bowles bt S Kellett 5-3 (Bowles qualifies); K Simm bt R Smith (Simm qualifies). Semi-finals - M Frost bt S Stevenson 5-4; K Simm bt J Bowles 5-0. Final - M Frost bt K Simm 5-2.

BDO BRITISH INTER-COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP Premier Division Devon (17 pts) lost to Cheshire (22 pts) 19-17; Essex (12 pts) lost to Yorkshire (27 pts) 2412; Glamorgan (19 pts) drew with Lancashire (19 pts) 18-18; Nottinghamshire (17 pts) lost to Cambridgeshire (22 pts) 19-17; Warwickshire (17 pts) lost to Lincolnshire (22 pts) 19-17. Division One - Co Durham (13 pts) lost to Hampshire (26 pts) 23-13; Kent (17 pts) lost to Gwent (22 pts) 19-17; London (25 pts) beat Dorset (14 pts) 22-14; Oxfordshire (26 pts) beat Cleveland (13 pts) 23-13; West Midlands (27 pts) beat Cornwall (12 pts) 24-12. Division Two - Cumbria (14 pts) lost to Northumberland (25 pts) 22-14; Hertfordshire (13 pts) lost to Worcestershire (26 pts) 23-13; Surrey (23 pts) beat Berkshire (16 pts) 20-16. Division Three Buckinghamshire (16 pts) lost to Montgomery & Radnor (23 pts) 20-16; Somerset (23 pts) beat Tyne & Wear (16 pts) 20-16. Division Four - Breconshire (15 pts) lost to Bedfordshire (24 pts) 21-15; Middlesex (24 pts) beat Wiltshire (15 pts) 21-15; Norfolk (26 pts) beat West of England (13 pts) 23-13.

Scotland North - Fife (8 pts) lost to Grampian (28 pts) 21-7; Central (14 pts) lost to East Stirlingshire (22 pts) 17-11; Angus (16 pts) lost to Tay Valley (20 pts) 16-12; Perthshire (10 pts) lost to Highland (26 pts) 20-8. Scotland South - Ayrshire (33 pts) beat West Lothian (3 pts) 25-3; Lothian (18 pts) drew with Greater Glasgow (18 pts) 1414; Borders (23 pts) beat Renfrewshire (13 pts) 18-10; Lanarkshire (24 pts) beat Clackmannanshire (12 pts) 17-11.

LAKESIDE WORLD PRO INTERNATIONAL PLAY-OFF (Lakeside, Frimley Green) Men’s last 32 - A Fordham bt D Parletti 2-1; S Warnock bt D Irving 2-0; C Quinn bt P Bolduc 2-0; P Hogan bt D Zygla 2-0; A Soutar bt C Gilliland 2-0; T Junghans bt J Clark 2-0; W Mandigers bt M Grimes 21; A Smith-Neale bt M Heneghan 2-0; D van Baelen bt D Beveridge 2-0; W Warren bt T Hankey 2-1; A Harrysson bt S Stainton 2-0; A Jensen bt J Chaney 2-0; M McGrath bt A Beck 2-1; D Stokell bt R Hogarth 2-1; C Menzies bt L Boeijink 2-0; S Lennon bt L Humphries 2-1. Last 16 - S Warnock bt A Fordham 2-1; P Hogan bt C Quinn 2-0; T Junghans bt A Soutar 2-1; W Mandigers bt A Smith-Neale 2-1; D van Baelen bt W Warren 2-1; A Harrysson bt A Jensen 2-1; M McGrath bt D Stokell 2-1; C Menzies bt S Lennon 2-0.

Quarter-finals - P Hogan bt S Warnock 2-0 (Hogan qualifies); W Mandigers bt T Junghans 2-0 (Mandigers qualifies); D van Baelen bt A Harrysson 2-1 (Van Baelen qualifies); M McGrath bt C Menzies 2-0 (McGrath qualifies).

Ladies last 16 - O Byamukama bt L Turner 3-0; G Crane bt S Shepherd 3-1; R David bt P Steenbergen 3-1; T Wright bt T Osborne 3-2;

P Farrell bt C Brookin 3-2; M O’Brien bt S Chick 3-2; M Coulter bt R Byrne 3-2; Z Jones bt M Sulovska 3-2. Quarter-finals - O Byamukama bt G Crane 3-0; T Wright bt R David 3-1; P Farrell bt M O’Brien 3-1; M Coulter bt Z Jones 3-0. Semi-finals - O Byamukama bt T Wright 3-0 (Byamukama qualifies); P Farrell bt M Coulter 3-2 (Farrell qualifies).

LAKESIDE WORLD YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP (Lakeside, Frimley Green) Last 32 - N Rafferty bt D Mateo Wunsch 3-0; M Hochman bt J Bishorek Jnr 3-0; J Cole bt A Douglas 3-0; N Girvan bt M van Velzen 3-2; K Kay bt W Nijman 3-1; M Verberk bt V van den Bergh 3-1; K van Velzen bt B Brooks 3-2; J Peetoom bt A Paavilainen 3-2; J van Tergouw bt O Kekalainen 3-0; K Barry bt G van Malsen 3-1; L Gurney bt B Gilmore 3-0; M Kuritcin bt D Perry 3-0; T Radlett bt J Gallazzi 3-0; L Frauenfelder bt H Coates 3-1; J Vincent bt B Turner 3-2; B Nagy bt F Box 3-1. Last 16 - N Rafferty bt M Hochman 3-0; N Girvan bt J Cole 3-1; M Verberk bt K Kay 3-1; K van Velzen bt J Peetoom 3-1; J van Tergouw bt K Barry 3-2; M Kuritcin bt L Gurney 3-2; L Frauenfelder bt T Radlett 3-1; J Vincent bt B Nagy 3-0. Quarter-finals - N Girvan bt N Rafferty 3-2; M Verberk bt K van Velzen 3-1; J van Tergouw bt M Kuritcin 3-2; L Frauenfelder bt J Vincent 3-1. Semi-finals N Girvan bt M Verberk 4-1; J van Tergouw bt L Frauenfelder 4-3.

WINMAU WORLD MASTERS (Lakeside, Frimley Green) Men’s last 80 - B Lynn bt P Bolduc 3-1; N Attard bt R Roberts 3-0; O Lukasiak bt R Huizinga 3-0; B Kirk bt L Boejiink 3-1; H Schnier bt M Koverhult 3-1; K Edmunds bt D Nilsson 3-1; D Airey bt R Murray 3-1; G Robson bt M Moreland 3-0; M Razma bt S Carroll 3-2; J O’Shea bt C Menzies 3-2; S Stainton bt S Robertson 3-1; D Copley bt M Layton 3-1; N Duff bt H Tooren 3-2; C Gilchrist bt D Clifford 3-2; S Alker bt M McGrath 3-2; J Bain bt R Janssen; T Greebe bt M Padgett 3-0; R Smith bt P Cook 3-0; D Larsson bt B Raman 3-1; D Parletti bt S Enomata 3-1; J Hurrell bt H Eglisson 3-0; K McKinstry bt D Barborak 30; J Smith bt J Neil 3-0; T Hankey bt S Lennon 3-0; R Allenstein bt D Murschell 3-0; T Concannon bt L Gallagher 3-1; A Soutar bt K Pantelidis 3-1; W Vaes bt M Baker 3-0; M Meaney bt S Burt 3-1; R Griffin bt B Green 30; D van Baelen bt G Moss 3-0; T O’Shea bt K Ratajski 3-2. Last 48 - N Attard bt B Lynn 3-2; O Lukasiak bt B Kirk 3-1; K Edmunds bt H Schnier 3-0; G Robson bt D Airey 3-1; J O’Shea bt M Razma 3-1; D Copley bt S Stainton 3-1; N Duff bt C Gilchrist 3-2; S Alker bt J Bain 3-2; R Smith bt T Greebe 3-2; D Parletti bt D Larsson 3-0; J Hurrell bt K McKinstry 3-2; J Smith bt T Hankey; R Allenstein bt T Concannon 3-1; A Soutar bt W Vaes 3-0; M Meaney bt R Griffin 3-2; D van Baelen bt T O’Shea 3-1. Last 32 - G Durrant (87.78) bt N Attard (81.60) 3-0; D van Baelen (86.67) bt M Phillips (79.80) 3-1; W Harms (88.07) bt R Smith (85.08) 3-2; D Labanauskas (83.13) bt S Alker (78.09) 3-0; J O’Shea (79.35) bt M Adams (79.29) 3-2; B Dawson (86.76) bt J Smith (87.00) 3-2; J Williams (92.79) bt R Allenstein (84.84) 3-2; J Hughes (90.51) bt G Robson (85.41) 3-1; K Edmunds (89.91) bt D Noppert (86.91) 3-2; A Soutar (89.40) bt R Veenstra (84.24) 3-1; M McGeeney (88.65) bt J Hurrell (94.44) 32; S Waites v D Copley; D Reynolds v N Duff; D Fitton v D Parletti; G de Vos v M Meaney;

9 2; S Waites (83.76) bt D Copley (87.99) 3-0; D Reynolds (82.17) bt N Duff (73.11) 3-0; D Fitton (90.18) bt D Parletti (85.98) 3-0; G de Vos (83.49) bt M Meaney (71.94) 3-0; S Mitchell (90.18) bt O Alukasiak (73.89) 3-0.

Ladies last 20 - M O’Brien bt N Furse; R Brooks bt C Gallagher 4-0; S Rennoch bt S Luck 4-0; C Hammond bt K Rekinen 4-0; V Pruim bt O Byamukama 4-2; R Griffiths bt P Jacklin 4-2; A M Potts bt F Gaylor 4-2; T Gulliver bt A-L Peters 4-0. Last 12 - M O’Brien bt R Brooks 4-0; C Hammond bt S Rennoch 4-3; V Pruim bt R Griffiths 4-1; T Gulliver bt A M Potts.

Boys last 16 - D Perry bt T Radlett 4-0; R Colley bt L Gurney 4-3; O Maiden bt S Sueshige 4-2; K Kay bt M Kuritsin 4-1; M Verberk bt M van Velzen 4-2; W Nijman bt G van Malsen 4-2; J Boyce bt C Gracey 4-3; J van Tergouw bt K Barry 4-0. Quarterfinals - D Perry bt R Colley; O Maiden bt K Kay 4-3; W Nijman bt M Verberk 4-1; J van Tergouw bt J Boyce 4-1. Semi-finals - O Maiden bt D Perry 4-2; J van Tergouw bt W Nijman 4-1. Final - J van Tergouw bt O Maiden 4-1.

Girls last 16 - N Bidgway bt K Roy 4-0; M Reus bt L Bowley 4-2; V Koroleva bt A Collins 4-0; D Schuler bt A Sylvest 4-2; V Hamelink bt H Tomkins 4-3; B Greaves bt J Bonner 4-1; T Probert bt M Ebenau 4-2; L Kristansen bt S Frost 4-0. Quarter-finals M Reus bt N Bidgway 4-0; V Koroleva bt D Schuler 4-0; B Greaves bt V Hamelink 4-2; L Kristansen bt T Probert 4-3. Semi-finals - V Koroleva bt M Reus; B Greaves bt L Kristansen 4-0. Final - V Koroleva bt B Greaves 4-3.

FIXTURES WINMAU WORLD MASTERS (Lakeside, Frimley Green) Men’s last 16 - G Durrant v D van Baelen; W Harms v D Labanauskas; J O’Shea v B Dawson; J Williams v J Hughes; K Edmunds v A Soutar; M McGeeney v S Waites; D Reynolds v D Fitton; G de Vos v S Mitchell.

Ladies quarter-finals - D Hedman v C Hammond; L Ashton v V Pruim; A de Graaf v T Gulliver; A Dobromyslova v M O’Brien.

DARTS WEEKLY DOZEN (29/11/2016) Data compiled by Christopher Kempf Player M van Gerwen P Taylor M Suljovic J Klaasen S Whitlock D Gurney V van der Voort A Norris B van de Pas M King J Cullen S Beaton

LLE 15.754 16.009 17.139 17.140 17.668 18.024 18.044 18.308 18.381 18.413 18.502 18.607

Change -0.300 N/C 0.155 0.075 0.015 0.388 -0.041 0.301 -0.222 -0.081 -0.824 0.029

◊ The Darts Weekly Dozen estimates and compares the length of the average leg over players’ last 180 televised and streamed legs.

N/Cfor ◊ Mediocre form on doubles to blame N/C MVG’s decline in form; finishing doubles per N/C leg increased from 2.574 to 2.766 darts N/C ◊ Nine-dart finish from Alan Norris aids leap N/C from 11th to eighth in the rankings; major improvements in scoring and finishing ◊ Joe Cullen’s scoring estimate plunges from 11.067 to 11.481 after debacle against Raymond van Barneveld

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Saturday 3 December 2016 Darts Weekly

DAVE McNALLY DARTS WRITER LAWRENCE LUSTIG/PDC

Darts shirts the next boom in sporting attire?

Darts was always unfashionable, both on and off the oche. The perception of ‘fat blokes’ in tatty tshirts, half drunk, smoking, throwing at a dartboard will always be etched in some peoples’ minds, but times are changing.

The old 70s and 80s players togged out in polo shirts with the odd sponsor on for TV tournaments used to grace the stages worldwide.

Add to this, a player’s name sewn onto or beneath the pocket and it is still not the sort of thing the man in the street would be wearing, it was strictly dart players only attire.

The odd bootleg market stall churned out a shoddy copy of Eric Bristow’s Crafty Cockney shirt, but by and large people wouldn’t be seen dead wearing one.

As darts has grown in stature and received more exposure both here and on the continent, a whole new audience has become available to exploit in marketing terms. Darts is trendy now, you know.

Using the blueprint normally assigned to football clubs, sponsors and players alike have spotted an opportunity to make darting apparel acceptable, if not fashionable on the streets.

As obvious as spotting a Manchester United shirt while out and about, more and more lime green Michael van Gerwen tops are appearing along with various horrendous designs depicting flashes of lightening, garish smattering of luminous colours and everything from bullets through to fake muscles etched onto the shirts.

Not particularly stylish, much like the average football shirt (Everton excluded!) but allowing people to show their allegiances to certain players. Who’d have thought this only a few years ago?

Producers, organisations and players are filling their websites with these shirts and releasing them as exclusives on launch days,

‘Players in pubs are also seen wearing professional players’ colours’ along with matching darts so you can support your player in “style.”

Weighing in at roughly the same price as a Premier League football top, fans are snapping up the replica shirts online and at venues the length of Britain and beyond.

Dart players in pubs are also seen wearing professional players’

“colours”, which would have been laughed at a few years ago.

There are even suppliers who allow the supporters to create their own shirt, complete with logos and nickname emblazoned across the back.

The old guard, still cynically perhaps, still rubbish the replica top brigade, while the producers take advantage of newer trends and the new breed of fans across the globe desperate to proclaim their adherence to all things darts.

That’s not all. Players’ fans tshirts and polo shirts are available and common sight at venues.

There’s even kids wandering around with the stuff on. How times have changed from the 70s and 80s.

Are darts replica shirts set to become the newest big boom in sporting attire?

They are certainly cropping up a lot more these days.