Friday 29 January 2016
Darts Weekly
The Premier League is back! Season Preview pages 2-3
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Friday 29 January 2016 Darts Weekly
Anderson and Lewis lock horns in World final repeat on first night of new season Alex Moss CHIEF DARTS WRITER The new Betway Premier League season gets underway at the First Direct Arena in Leeds on Thursday night, with the rematch of the William Hill World Championship final between Gary Anderson and Adrian Lewis topping the bill. The top 10 on the PDC Order of Merit have all been selected for the 12th staging of the invitational event, which for the next 16 weeks will be held across the UK and Ireland, and for the first-time ever, in the Netherlands. With many lauding this year’s selection as the most competitive line-up in the tournament’s history, all 10 players will be setting their sights on a top four finish and a spot in the end of season play-offs at London’s O2 Arena on May 19. Before then though the target is survival. At the end of week nine, the bottom two players in the table will be relegated from the competition to leave eight players to battle it out for the remaining six weeks of the league phase. Last year it was Peter Wright and debutant Kim Huybrechts who were eliminated on Judgement Night, and the latter is one of two players from the 2015 line-up to miss out. The Belgian endured a difficult run of results in the major tournaments following his early
MVG tipped to still be the Master man Before the new Premier League season kicks-off next week, the top 16 on the PDC Order of Merit collide in the Unibet Masters. The two-day tournament begins
exit from the Premier League, reaching only one quarter-final and tasting early defeats in the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix and the World Championship. Wright’s Premier League place would have been up for grabs after he was also relegated on Judgement Night, but the colourful Scot has bounced back from that disappointment. Snakebite has appeared in three televised finals since last year’s Premier League campaign, and narrowly lost in a deciding leg to Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen in two of them. Wright is the only player to have reached the quarter-finals of the last three World Championships, but he will need to get off to a good start if he is to avoid another early Premier League exit this year. Michael Smith is the only new face in this year’s line-up, with the world number eight continuing to rise up the darting ladder. A dramatic 5-4 defeat to Raymond van Barneveld in the World Championship quarterfinals earlier this month showed he can mix it with the big boys, and I expect him to revel playing in front of the big Premier League crowds. The only other change to the line-up has seen Stephen Bunting drop out, and be replaced by Robert Thornton. The Thorn missed out in 2015, but his win over Michael van Gerwen in the Grand Prix earned him a spot back in for 2016. at the Arena:MK in Milton Keynes tomorrow afternoon (12.45pm) with four first round ties. World Grand Prix champion Robert Thornton takes on Dave Chisnall in the opening game of the tournament, before 2014 Masters winner James Wade goes up against Terry Jenkins. Fifth seed Peter Wright faces off with Ian White in the third game of the day, before the afternoon
session concludes with one of three rematches from the recent William Hill World Championship. Michael Smith meets Raymond van Barneveld in a repeat of their thrilling World Championship quarter-final earlier this month, which Barney won 5-4. The first round continues with an evening session tomorrow (7pm) with Adrian Lewis against Kim Huybrechts, before two more
Darts Weekly Friday 29 January 2016
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2016 Betway Premier League line-up By Alex Moss Michael van Gerwen Appearance: 4th Best Performance: Winner 2013 The world number one is aiming to reassert himself as the man to beat. MVG has finished top of the table for the last three seasons but has only won the title once. x 4 Gary Anderson App: 6th BP: Winner 2011, 2015 Anderson beat MVG 11-7 to win the Premier League for a second time last year, and having just lifted his second world title, will be among the main contenders again. Adrian Lewis App: 9th BP: Runner-up 2011 Lewis has failed to qualify for the play-offs for the last four seasons, and will be hoping his recent run to the World Championship final could spark a play-off return. Phil Taylor App: 12th BP: Winner 2005-2008, 2010, 2012 The 16-time world champion missed out on the Premier League play-offs for the first time last year, and faces a tough challenge to book a return to the O2 in May. Peter Wright App: 3rd BP: 5th 2014 After being relegated from the Premier League on Judgement Night last year, Wright has reached three televised finals and is edging closer to a first major title. James Wade App: 8th BP: Winner 2009 Wade returned to the Premier League last year after missing the 2014 season, but a seventh place finish 12 months ago must be improved on this time round. Robert Thornton App: 3rd BP: 5th 2013 The Thorn missed out on selection last year but his stunning win over Michael van Gerwen in the World Grand Prix has single-handedly regained his spot.
World Championship rematches see Phil Taylor take on Jelle Klaasen and Gary Anderson go up against Vincent van der Voort. Defending champion and 6/4 favourite Michael van Gerwen concludes the first round with a clash against Stephen Bunting. The quarter finals take place on Sunday (12.45pm) before the tournament concludes with the semi finals and final (7pm).
Michael Smith App: 1st BP: Debut The only debutant in this year’s line-up, Smith continues his rapid rise in the sport with his first season in the Premier League. Must settle quickly to avoid relegation. Raymond van Barneveld App: 11th BP: Winner 2014 Barney enjoyed an excellent recent run to the semi-finals of the World Championship, but his current form is questionable after early exits in the European Qualifiers. Dave Chisnall App: 3rd BP: Semi finals 2015 Chisnall fired in 62 180s en route to finishing second in the Premier League last year, and was narrowly beaten 10-9 by eventual winner Anderson in the semi finals.
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Friday 29 January 2016 Darts Weekly
“Things have to change and one day the BDO has got to be a part of the PDC” Cox Alex Moss CHIEF DARTS WRITER In the second and final part of our exclusive interview with PDC cofounder Tommy Cox, we look at what the future holds for the sport, how he became a player manager and what his next plans are. The PDC has enjoyed considerable growth over the last few years, and with the World Series events being introduced in 2014, top level darts is now being brought to new countries across the globe. “I think we will see growth in the World Series of Darts,” Cox said. “We’ve got events in Japan, Australia and Dubai now and that will continue to grow. “That’s what I’m working on still. There’s no way I can just retire. I made the decision to retire when it took me 36 hours to get back from New Zealand and I couldn’t move for a week! “The time has come and I’m still doing things. I’m actually managing players again, but mostly younger players. “Although I’ve got two Dutch players Christian Kist and Jan Dekker. I’ve had Jamie Lewis for five years and he’s making great strides on the circuit. “My son Danny looks after most of that. We’ve just signed up a young lad on the Development Tour called Harry Ward, he’s got great potential.” Cox has managed many of the sport’s best players, including Wilson, Phil Taylor, Alan Warriner-Little, Mike Gregory and Peter Evison, but insists his days of managing players at the very top are long gone. “I’m not interested in managing Phil Taylor or anyone like that,” he said. “It would be hard work, not Phil himself but the whole thing. “Most players have got a manager now. The tournaments
come that thick and fast now that they need somebody to look after that side of it, otherwise they miss out. “Two or three players have missed out on the closing date and the PDC is consistent. Whether it’s Phil Taylor or Joe Bloggs, if you miss the date then you’re not in. “All managers now have to be checked as we’ve had players who have been ripped off. They’ve got to the airport and there’s no transfer for them. “We’ve got to keep that out of the game because it has got to be professional from top to bottom.” Cox’s involvement in darts began as a player, initially playing in pubs before he started representing Northumberland in 1976. It wasn’t until he went to his local to play against Alan Evans in an exhibition that he became more involved with the non-playing side. “Alan Evans was doing an
"The best situation would be for the BDO to bring in new people at the top” exhibition in our pub and I got on well with him,” Cox recalls. “I hit eight straight tons against him when it used to be 1,001 up. “He finished in 19 darts and had two on the floor as well. He was at the time starting to sell some darts flights around pubs, and I got involved in it and from there I started to organise things in pubs. “I started to get players coming up to me. The first two players were Joey Hewer and Peter Evison, and from there it was Jocky Wilson. “In 1990 Jocky lost fairly early in the World Championship and we were leaving the hotel, and that was the first time I spoke to Phil Taylor. “I wished him, good luck and three months later the phone rang
and it was him. He asked me to become his manager and then there was Mike Gregory, Alan Warriner-Little and Jamie Harvey, I managed all of those.” Fast forward to 2010 and Cox was involved in putting together an offer for the PDC to buy the BDO, which was turned down. “We offered them over a million pounds to come and join us,” he said. “They didn’t answer for twoand-a-half weeks and then gave us three days. That’s how it fell down. “Things will eventually change and the BDO will be a part of the PDC, it has got to be. “The best situation, and I think it will happen, would be for the people at the BDO to turn the lights off on the hierarchy they’ve got there. “Bring in new people and become a feeder organisation. I’m sure the
Darts Weekly Friday 29 January 2016
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the PDC would help them. I don’t know what will happen with their television coverage for Lakeside. “I know there is a lot of talk that the BBC are going to drop sport, that’s not just the darts but the situation they’re in. It’s looking like it hasn’t got a big future. “But hopefully the two organisations will come together. There must be some people within the BDO system who can see this. “And as we get older there will be more and people round who didn’t live through the animosity. They will want to put it all to bed and become one organisation.” As well as helping launch the PDC, Cox was also their tournament director, and picks out his favourite event to run. “My favourite tournament has always been the World Matchplay in Blackpool,” he said. “We never
Hall of fame: Tommy Cox is inducted into the PDC Hall of Fame alongside fellow cofounder Dick Allix in 2010. PICTURE: Lawrence Lustig/PDC used to play darts in the summer. I was there with my wife having a break and she said ‘why don’t you have a darts tournament in the summer when there’s loads of people here?’ Blackpool was definitely my favourite. “The most difficult one to run was the UK Open, especially when it used to be played in four different pubs on the same day. “The winner from the four pubs would come and play on Sunday night. “That was the most difficult because there was a lot of players in that and it was spread all over the country.”
The Northern Irish thrower, Daryl Gurney, talks us through his darts memories First darts memory? Hitting a 180 when I was 12-yearsold and winning my first league game at the age of 13. First darts hero? Mitchell Crooks. A former teammate of mine and the former manager of the Northern Ireland darts team. He played against Ronnie Baxter at Lakeside one time during his darting career. First set of darts? They were 26 grams, I’m not sure of the make but I won them at a father-son darts themed youth club at my secondary school. First darts team? I first played alongside my father for a local pub called Villas when I was 13, and continue to play for them to this day when I get a chance. My first county experience was for a team called Area 6. First game on TV? I got to the final of the Europe Cup Singles in 2008 while I was in the BDO, but Mark Webster beat me. First nine darter? It was in practice and I’m going to guess I was about 16 or 17. I’ve never hit one during a game, but I have missed double 12 five weeks in a row in different competitions. First professional tournament win? My first win was the England Masters in 2012 while I was in the BDO. That same year I won the Northern Ireland Open as well. I then left the BDO later that year and made the transfer over to the PDC, and hope to win my first tournament with them in the very near future.
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Friday 29 January 2016 Darts Weekly
Thousands of players set to battle it out at the Dutch Open One of the longest running tournaments on the darts calendar is back this weekend, as thousands of players from around the world all descend to the Dutch Open. Billed as the biggest open darts event on the BDO circuit, a total of 4,614 entries have been put forward, an increase of more than 600 from last year. Three-time Lakeside champion Martin Adams goes into the weekend looking to make history. Wolfie beat Darryl Fitton 3-1 to lift the Dutch Open trophy 12 months ago, which put him up along with Alan Warriner-Little and Raymond van Barneveld to have won the event three times. If Adams can defend his title then he will become the most successful player in the history of the tournament, which was first staged back in 1973. Ton Koster defeated Geoff Kirkman in an all-Dutch final to win the inaugural event, but it has been 40 years since two players from the Netherlands last contested the final. In fact, if you go on the form of recent years, it is likely to be two Englishman who will be battling it out for the trophy on Sunday night. Five of the last six finals have featured an all-English line-up, and Adams will be hoping he can keep the flag flying by reaching a fourth final this weekend. The defending champion has received a bye in the last 4096 of this year’s event, and will begin his title defence against either Siegfried Grantner or Yvo Verdel in the second round. Wolfie will have to win 11 games over the weekend if he is to be crowned Dutch Open champion for a fourth time, and with the format being only the best of five legs up until the last 64, upsets are likely. The Men’s Singles gets underway at 11am tomorrow, and is played up until the last 64, which is set to begin at 10.30am on Sunday. The
of set six, before Anderson reeled off three straight legs to level the match once again. Jackpot's jittery finishing in the seventh set proved costly as the defending champion moved into a 4-3 lead, and another whitewash set then gave Anderson a two-set cushion for the first time. Lewis fought back in set nine, with a 121 checkout securing him the set in consecutive legs. But Anderson then returned the favour in the 10th set to move to within one set of victory. Jackpot would not give up and responded by taking the 11th set 3-0 to close the gap back to one
Vincent van der Voort on Tuesday night, and has set up an intriguing quarter-final clash with James Wade this afternoon. The Machine has also only lost one set so far in the competition, despite having yet to show his best darts in wins over John Michael, Wes Newton and Jamie Caven. With Wade yet to get over the semi-final hurdle at the World Championship, and with either Norris or Klaasen awaiting the winner tomorrow night, you feel that this is a big game for him. Although Anderson has the far superior record against Wade, with
Dutch Open Roll of Honour 1973 Ton Koster 1974 Mary de Knoop 1975 Terry Henney 1976 Henk van Tujil 1977 Peter Smith 1978 Jimmy Cox 1979 Daniel Serie 1980 Brian Fenby 1981 Gordon Watson 1982 Jilles Vernaat 1983 Luc Marreel 1984 Frans Devooght 1985 Frans Devooght 1986 Lee Topper 1987 Bob Renard 1988 Steve Brown 1989 Alan Warriner-Little 1990 Leo Laurens 1991 Kostas Lavassas 1992 Leo Laurens 1993 Alan Warriner-Little 1994 Richie Burnett
1995 Steve Beaton 1996 Steve Beaton 1997 Mervyn King 1998 Alan Warriner-Little 1999 Ted Hankey 2000 Wayne Mardle 2001 Raymond van Barneveld 2002 Shaun Greatbatch 2003 Ted Hankey 2004 Raymond van Barneveld 2005 Tony Eccles 2006 Raymond van Barneveld 2007 Scott Waites 2008 Robert Thornton 2009 Darryl Fitton 2010 Martin Adams 2011 Martin Adams 2012 Tony O’Shea 2013 Scott Waites 2014 Ross Montgomery 2015 Martin Adams 2016 ???
tournament then concludes on the stage from 1.30pm. Elsewhere, Holland’s Aileen de Graaf will be looking to win the Women’s Singles for a third year in a row this weekend. De Graaf beat Deta Hedman 5-2 in last year’s final, and starts her 2016 campaign against ether Evelien Raven or Monique Paalman in the last 256. The
Women’s Singles event has also seen an increase in entrants this year, with 329 in action this year compared to 266 in 2015. Last year’s Men’s Pairs winners Scott Mitchell and Martin Atkins are with different partners this time round, while Hedman and Rachel Brooks start the defence of their Ladies Pairs title against the Wouters duo.
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Yozza fires in a 106 average to retain Romanian Classic title Jamie Hughes retained the BDO Romanian Classic on Sunday with a stunning performance in the final, averaging 106.17 to beat Alan Bell 6-1. Fresh from reaching the semifinals of the BDO World Championship earlier this month, Yozza claimed his sixth ranking title with success in Bucharest. Hughes raced into a 5-0 lead in the final at the Intercontinental Hotel, and was averaging more than 120 after the first three legs. Bell kept his hopes alive by taking the sixth leg, but Yozza powered home in the next leg, with double 10 securing him back-to-back Romanian Classic titles. The 29-yer-old, from Tipton, scooped the €1,500 winner’s prize, and as the tournament went on the West Midlands thrower went from strength to strength. A 4-0 whitewash victory over Marnix de Beer in the last 32 was followed by a 4-1 triumph over former Lakeside semi-finalist Chris
Mason, before wins over Matt Dickinson (4-2) and Krzysztof Ratajski (5-1) helped him progress into the final. Elsewhere, Holland’s Fabian Roosenbrand was back in the winner’s enclosure after he toppled Scott Baker 6-3 to win the Romanian International Open on the same night. The 27-year-old, who famously beat Gary Anderson in the first round of the 2008 BDO World Championship, won a back and forth final to lift the trophy. Roosenbrand eased past Stefan Ghita (4-1) and David Carr (4-1) to set up a quarter-final clash with Darryl Fitton, who he beat in a deciding leg to reach the last four. A 5-2 victory over England’s James Hurrell then booked the Dutchman’s place in the final, where he beat another Brit to be crowned the champion. In the women’s event, Rachel Brooks edged out Marjolein Noijens 5-3 in the final.
Classic winner: Jamie Hughes
Database
Chester - M Jodrill; Harlow - P Hogan; Norwich - J Mold; Wolverhampton D Stewart and M Cox.
4-2 G Pascaru. Semi finals - J Hughes 5-1 K Ratajski, A Bell 5-3 J Hurrell. Final - J Hughes 6-1 A Bell.
BDO FLEETWOOD MEMORIAL LAS VEGAS OPEN
BDO ROMANIAN INTERNATIONAL DARTS OPEN (legs) (Bucharest, Romania)
in style
PDC DUTCH DARTS MASTERS QUALIFIERS (legs) (Evenementenhal, Venray) Host Nation Qualifier final round - D van Duijvenbode 6-5 K Voornhout, R van Eijden 6-3 Y Meeuwisse, Wattimena 6-3 J de Zwaan, J Dekker 6-3 B van Peer. European Qualifier final round - Z Lerchbacher 6-4 O Tupuschis, J Artut 6-1 K Reiszner, J Michel 6-2 M Langendorf, M De Decker 6-1 C Reyes, A Welge 6-4 R Marijanovic, M Schindler 6-1 G Clemens, D Van den Bergh 6-1 T Restovic, R-J Rodriguez 6-3 M Kersbeek. PDC GERMAN DARTS MASTERS EUROPEAN QUALIFIERS (legs) (Evenementenhal, Venray) Final round - C Reyes 6-2 J van de Ven, T Junghans 6-4 R Meulenkamp, D Van den Bergh 6-2 M Kantele, M Zuydwijk 6-1 S Groen, J Michael 6-2 V van der Voort, J de Graaf 6-4 M van der Horst, R Huybrechts 6-3 B van Peer, J Wattimena 6-2 T Legius. PDC CORAL UK OPEN RILEYS AMATEUR QUALIFIERS
Men’s Singles - B Dersch. Women’s Singles - P Murphy. BDO ROMANIAN CLASSIC (legs) (Bucharest, Romania) Last 32 - J Hughes 4-0 M de Beer, C Mason 4-1 P Carter, M Barratt 4-0 M Georgiou, V Symeondis 4-2 W Mandigers, C Anderson 4-0 D de Wulf, K Ratajski 4-3 T Clark, D Prins 4-0 M Razma, W Vaeus 4-0 M Phillips, S Carroll 4-0 I Knight, C Quinn 4-0 C Roelofs, J Hurrell 4-0 N Bezzeg, A Bell 4-0 F Roosenbrand, N Attard 4-2 J van Egdom, D van der Zande 4-2 G Vos, G Pascaru 4-3 I Neykov. Last 16 - J Hughes 4-1 C Mason, M Dickinson 4-0 M Barratt, V Symeondis 4-0 C Anderson, K Ratajski 4-0 D Prins, S Carroll 4-2 W Vaeus, J Hurrell 4-1 C Quinn, A Bell 4-0 N Attard, G Pascaru 4-2 D van der Zande. Quarter finals - J Hughes 4-2 M Dickinson, K Ratajski 4-2 V Symeondis, J Hurrell 4-3 S Carroll, A Bell
Last 32 - S Baker 4-1 J Arimany, T Tricole 4-0 S Carroll, M Dickinson 4-0 S Savvs, R Hogarth 4-3 R Donkers, C Arola 4-3 W Mandigers, C van Cleef 4-3 M Graham, K Ratajski 4-1 V Symenondis, D Prins 4-1 M Razma, M Phillips 4-2 D Clifford, A Bell 4-3 G Vos, S Stainton 4-0 A Stolan, J Hurrell 4-3, F Roosenbrand 4-1 S Ghita, D Carr 4-3 U Uygunsoziu, D van der Zande 42 S Wens, D Fitton 4-2 C Cimpoca. Last 16 - S Baker 4-0 T Tricole, M Dickinson 4-2 R Hogarth, C van Cleef 4-0 C Arola, K Ratajski 4-0 D Prins, M Phillips 4-1 A Bell, J Hurrell 4-0 S Stainton, F Roosenbrand 4-1 D Carr, D Fitton 4-0 D van der Zande. Quarter finals - S Baker 4-1 M Dickinson, C van Cleef 4-3 K Ratajski, J Hurrell 4-0 M Phillips, F Roosenbrand 4-3 D Fitton. Semi finals - S Baker 5-3 C van Cleef, F Roosenbrand 5-2 J Hurrell. Final - F Roosenbrand 6-3 S Baker.
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Friday 29 January 2016 Darts Weekly
ANDREW DEVONSHIRE DARTS WRITER
Does practice make perfect in order to get to the top? As the world’s top 16 dart players gather to battle it out for the ITV4 televised Unibet Masters this weekend, we ask ourselves: is talent enough on its own to make it to the very top of the PDC tree? In every sport practice plays a huge part, but do all dart players take it seriously? There are players who regularly practice up to five hours a day, and more often than not, these same players are usually at the business end of tournaments. On the other hand, there are those players who are just naturally gifted and can play the game to the very highest standard with only a little practice here and there. We all know who these players are. But what about the players who moan about a disastrous run of form? ‘I’m not getting any luck’ they stress, or ‘it was just a bad day at the office.’ When we look deeper, it is a common occurrence that they have not been putting in the hours on the practice board. In some cases, it has been known for players to take a holiday prior to a major tournament. Michael van Gerwen revealed he went away before the start of the William Hill World Championship, and taking nothing away from Raymond van Barneveld’s win over him in the last 16, but did that break take away a bit of MVG’s sharpness that night? In my opinion it is a recipe for a disaster. The old saying ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail’ rings out loud and clear. I believe the practice time that a
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watch an evening of the Premier
watch an evening of the Premier
player sets aside reflect his ambitions, and what he’s happy to achieve in the game. If you never want to win a major event, or even a tour event for that matter, then keep enjoying your holidays in the run up to the important competitions. Those players with high ambitions are busy walking back and forth along the oche for hours on end, and reaping the rewards for their efforts. So it’s fair to say that talent alone
male and female, set your ambitions and sights high. With hard work you can achieve your goals and remember to practice, practice, practice and take your holidays after you’ve won events. The world is your oyster!
‘Taylor’s attitude to the practice board is the perfect example for the youngsters’ isn’t enough. You have to work at your game and 16-time world champion Phil Taylor is a prime example of this. Throughout his career, Phil’s attitude to the game and the allimportant practice board is the perfect example for those young, up and coming players that want to make a successful career in the sport. For all you youngsters out there,
Happy holidays? Michael van Gerwen took a break before he went to Ally Pally last year