Issue 60 (February 24, 2017)

Friday 24 February 2017

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Darts Weekly

Kim Huybrechts says Phil Taylor showed him ‘disrespect’ after last night’s draw in Brighton Pages 2-3 TWO TITLES FOR LUKE

SHERROCK’S VICTORY MENZIES IS ON TOP

Fallon Sherrock beats top two Luke Humphries on his two Development Tour wins Pages 4-5 ladies to lift the title Page 6

Scott Menzies chats to us after Scottish Open triumph Page 7

LAWRENCE LUSTIG/PDC

Call it boardgate?

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Friday 24 February 2017 Darts Weekly

Huybrechts feels ‘disrespect’ in the aftermath of 6-6 draw against Taylor in Brighton Alex Moss CHIEF DARTS WRITER Kim Huybrechts says he felt disrespected by Phil Taylor following their 6-6 draw in the Betway Premier League last night.

The Premier League returned to the Brighton Centre for the first time in two years yesterday, a venue in which Taylor has only lost once at in nine previous visits.

But for only the second time in his career, the 16-time world champion left the East Sussex venue without a victory.

Huybrechts, who had started the night in the bottom two, climbed out of the elimination zone with a 6-6 draw against Taylor, and he could very well have been celebrating a first televised win over the 56-year-old, had he not spurned three match darts in the final two legs of the match.

Taylor, trailing 6-4, looked to be heading for his first defeat in this year’s Premier League, but at the

Fired up: Kim Huybrechts celebrates landing a big finish in his 6-6 draw with Phil Taylor in Brighton last night vital moment, Huybrechts’ finishing deserted him.

The Belgian had fired in checkouts of 110 and 140, as well as two 87 finishes, to take command, but missed three match

“Not being able to sign the board, I think it’s a bit of disrespect” darts to topple Taylor.

In his post-match interview with Sky Sports, the Belgian conceded he had missed a trick in not picking up two points.

He said: “I should have won, 100 per cent. 100 per cent I should have won.

“I should have beat him. I gave it away. Yeah, I am annoyed. “(Phil’s the) best player in the

stores.ebay.co.uk/Mojo-DARTS

world. I gave it away, simple. Phil’s probably the best player ever in the world, I gave it away.”

During the match, Taylor twice declined to set up, or attempt, a shot at the bullseye, with his opponent on a finish on both occasions.

The second of those instances came in the 11th leg, with Taylor turning down a shot at the bullseye, with Huybrechts then returning to the board and missing double eight for a match-winning 136 checkout.

Huybrechts insists Taylor’s tactics did not affect him, but did feel disrespected by the six-time Premier League champion’s antics once the match had finished.

“I was playing my own game, trying my own thing,” he said.

“I was very nervous for the 56 (finish to win the match in the last leg). I was nervous throughout the whole game.

“And the way the game ended really annoys me. The way he reacted at the end, was again

Darts Weekly Friday 24 February 2017

3 LAWRENCE LUSTIG/PDC

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(similar to how he reacted) after the worlds.

“It’s a stupid thing, but not being able to sign the board, I think it’s a bit of disrespect.”

Huybrechts and Taylor played out one of four draws 0n the fourth night of the 2017 Premier League.

Unbeaten Michael van Gerwen defied an inspired Adrian Lewis, who fired in an excellent 170 finish to lead 4-2, to draw 6-6.

James Wade also kept his unbeaten record in tact, despite throwing away a 5-1 lead. The Machine drew 6-6 with Gary Anderson, in a match which saw the Scot battle back from 5-1 down to lead 6-5 going into the decider.

The final game of the night saw Peter Wright and Raymond van Barneveld also share the points, with Barney clinching the last two legs, the second of those via a 140 checkout to earn a draw.

Jelle Klaasen was the only winner of the night, beating Dave Chisnall 7-3 to earn his first win of the season.

Gerwyn pays the price as he sits out the Barnsley double-header Gerwyn Price, ranked 20th on the PDC Order of Merit, has vowed to compete in every event possible up until May, after missing the deadline to enter the first two Players Championship events of the season this weekend.

The 31-year-old Welshman, who won back-to-back titles on the Pro Tour in 2016, winning Players Championship events in Barnsley and Coventry, was a surprise omission from the list of entries for this weekend’s double-header at the Barnsley Metrodome.

Price competed in all 20 of the Players Championship events held last year, as well as seven of the 10 European Tour events, but will not be in action this weekend, having Missing out: PDC number 20 Gerwyn Price will not be in action this weekend

How they stand P W D L LD Pts M van Gerwen 4 2 2 0 +7 6 P Taylor 4 2 2 0 +7 6 J Wade 4 2 2 0 +5 6 P Wright 4 2 1 1 +1 5 G Anderson 4 1 2 1 +2 4 R van Barneveld 4 1 2 1 -1 4 A Lewis 4 1 1 2 0 3 K Huybrechts 4 0 2 2 -5 2 J Klaasen 4 1 0 3 -6 2 D Chisnall 4 1 0 3 -10 2 4 4 4 4 4 Remaining fixtures 4 Thursday, March 2 (Westpoint Arena, Exeter); March 9 (The SSE Hydro, Glasgow); March 16 (Ahoy Rotterdam, Rotterdam); March 23 (Manchester Arena, Manchester); March 30 (Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, Cardiff); April 6 (3Arena, Dublin); April 13 (Echo Arena Liverpool, Liverpool); April 20 (SSE Arena Belfast, Belfast); April 27 (Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham); May 4 (Sheffield Arena, Sheffield); May 11 (GE Oil and Gas Arena, Aberdeen); May 18 Play-Offs (The O2, London).

Tournament statistics Most 180s - M van Gerwen and R van Barneveld (both 14) Highest tournament average - M van Gerwen (105.15) Highest checkout percentage - G Anderson (47.06%)

not put his entry in on time.

He posted on Twitter earlier this week: ‘Not making that mistake again, every event including Europeans entered up to May’.

Aside from Price, world number one Michael van Gerwen, 16-time world champion Phil Taylor and multiple time major finalist Terry Jenkins are the other highlyranked players not competing.

Three-time world champion John Part, who won his tour card back at Q-School last month, Greece’s John Michael and Royden Lam, of Hong Kong, have also elected not to enter.

The Players Championship events are made up of 128 players, consisting of solely PDC tour card holders and PDPA associate members, with a prize fund of £75,000 on offer at each of the 22 events held throughout the year.

Qualification for the Players Championship Finals, in November, is based solely on prize money won in those events.

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Friday 24 February 2017 Darts Weekly

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

“You’ve got to have the attitude where you’re going to go up there and win every time”

Luke Humphries chats to Alex Moss about his double victory at the Development Tour

ever give up on your dreams. Luke Humphries decided to take a break from darts, a sabbatical from the sport which would last 18 months, before stepping in last minute to help a friend in need saw him return to the oche.

The first weekend of this year’s PDC Unicorn Development Tour took place this past weekend in Wigan, with hundreds of players from around the world, aged between 16 and 23, battling for a slice of the £40,000 total prize fund up for grabs across the four events held over the two days.

Humphries was the star performer of the weekend, winning two of the four events, his firstever PDC titles, to take an early lead at the top of the fledging Development Tour Order of Merit.

“It still hasn’t really sunk in,” the 22-year-old said. “I’m a bit overwhelmed really, it just all feels surreal at the moment.

“I’m so happy, it’s unbelievable.

In my first game I actually missed a nine darter to win the game against Jack Vincent. I missed double 12 for the nine darter.

“I missed a nine darter the weekend before at the UK Open Qualifiers, so I thought ‘well you’re obviously doing something right, you’re playing well’.

“Then I got through my next game, and my next game, and I knew I’d been in the situation before so I thought ‘keep going’.

“Then I had a cracking game against Jimmy Hendriks (won 42). I played really well, then I had

“It still hasn’t really sunk in. I’m a bit overwhelmed really, I’m so happy”

N

two tough games against Dimitri (van den Bergh) and Adam (Hunt).

“In the final against Dawson (Murschell), he didn’t play like he could, but it was just my day.

“I played really well and I deserved that, I was really pleased.

“I’m not reasonably well known am I? So, to beat them sort of players is an achievement for me, and it was the way I beat them.

“I took out the right shots at the right times. I took out some great finishes against them and you need to do it, because they’re class.

“Everybody there’s class. It’s so tough. It was just such a relief and gave me a huge amount of confidence.”

The Newbury-based ace played on the Development Tour in 2011 and 2012, but only managed to pick up £225 from the 16 events which he entered.

“I did have an 18-month break from darts,” Humphries explains.

“I was a steady player, I wasn’t brilliant. I enjoyed going out with friends and that.

“I’ve just come back into it, looking back at the achievements I’ve done in the last 18 months is brilliant.

“One of my friends needed me to play a super league game because they were short.

“I was thinking of coming back into it. I won my game 4-1. I hadn’t played for 18 months and I played really well.

“It just progressed from there. I was then playing all the time, practicing a lot like I used to, and I’m 10 times better now.”

Darts Weekly Friday 24 February 2017

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“x x x x” Humphries was among hundreds of hopefuls aiming to win PDC tour cards at Q-School last month, but was unsuccessful, with his best performance two runs to the last 128 on the first and last days.

“The experience (of Q-School) was probably what helped me this weekend,” he said. “I was playing good people day in day out, four days straight.

“I changed my darts after QSchool. It was a valuable experience and it did help me out this weekend.

“There’s always room for improvement. At the next Development Tour weekend in four weeks I want to win another two titles.

“You’ve got to have the attitude where you’re going to go up there and win every time.

“I obviously want to keep my

number one spot now and get my tour card.

“My dream is to be a professional darts player. If I finish in the top two I’ll get a tour card, but there are a lot of people gunning for that.”

As well as £10,000 up for grabs

“I want to keep the number one spot my dream is to be a professional player” in prize money at each of the 20 Development Tour events being held this year, the top two players on the final Order of Merit are handed two-year tour cards onto the main PDC circuit.

Last year, Wales’ Dean Reynolds won six of the 19 events to finish top of the Order of Merit, but

decided to turn down his tour card and stay with the BDO, while runner-up Ross Twell accepted his tour card to return to the PDC’s main circuit.

While he knows there is still a long way to go in this year’s Development Tour, Humphries is hopeful of holding onto a top two spot on the Order of Merit to secure his first tour card.

Humphries, who plays county darts for Wiltshire, will be in action for their Division Four home clash with Isle of Wight in two weeks, says he is determined to make it on the main PDC tour.

“If I do get a tour card there will be a lot more costs and a lot of time and effort needed,” he said.

“I love darts and I always find the time to practice, an hour a day at least. I’m hoping I can be a professional darts player.”

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Friday 24 February 2017 Darts Weekly

CHRISTOPHER KEMPF MATCH OF THE WEEK - FALLON SHERROCK 5-4 DETA HEDMAN (SCOTTISH OPEN)

Sherrock sublime in Scottish Open final In countless BDO ladies’ events of the past few years, two of the most successful and dominant women in darts, Lisa Ashton and Deta Hedman, have been seeded #1 and #2, and have justified their seedings by reaching the final.

Any other player, then, must expect to complete the unlikely task of beating Ashton in the semifinal and Hedman in the final, or vice versa.

This is such a difficult task, and Ashton and Hedman have won so many titles, that only one player did it within the past 12 months Lorraine Winstanley at the 2016 Scottish Open, who even knocked off Aileen de Graaf as well.

It takes a player reaching new heights of form to challenge the elite women of the BDO, and indeed Fallon Sherrock rediscovered those heights in spectacular style to send first de Graaf, then Ashton, and finally Hedman packing, matching Winstanley’s superb achievement one year later.

If Hedman was astonished to be blown out of the water in the very first leg of the final, she didn’t look it.

Sherrock had only thrown four perfect darts to start the leg, throwing 180, 140 and 135 to leave 46 after nine darts.

Hedman had not even made it halfway from 501 to zero before Sherrock struck double 18 for an 11-darter.

Sherrock had the advantage of throwing first, though, so losing the first leg, even to an intimidating performance from her opponent, was no

great disaster. Failing to hold throw in 21 darts in the second leg and watching her opponent open up a 3-0 lead, however, certainly increased the pressure on Hedman.

She responded well to it, moreover; having hit only nine trebles in her first three legs and squandered three darts at tops to get on the board, the Dark Destroyer fired back with 15 and 18-darters that concluded with 76 and 60 finishes.

Sherrock, whose darts at treble 20 typically landed below the red bit, was frequently forced into

uncomfortable switches to treble 19, while Hedman’s darts typically flew north of the bed and gave her a better opportunity to fill it up.

However, Hedman only managed four scores of 140 in the match as her darts appeared to miss the treble by a wider margin than Sherrock’s.

Both players were superb on the doubles. Those three missed at tops in the second leg, however, would prove decisive as Hedman would never again have a dart at double in a leg ultimately won by her opponent.

Taking advantage of poor seventh and eighth legs from Sherrock, Hedman had levelled the match at 4-4, getting more visibly excited as the Buckinghamshire player’s lead dwindled.

That enthusiasm soon faded into resignation, however, as Sherrock blasted off with an opening 177 to race into the lead in the last-leg decider.

Two ensuing tons gave Sherrock a dart at double for a 14-darter, and with Hedman closing the gap quickly with a timely 140, she threw a perfect dart into the madhouse to secure the Scottish Open title.

In throwing the only two three-treble visits of the match, Sherrock laid down an impressive marker for her opponent; and in doing so in the first visits of the first and last legs of the final, she put Hedman in the uncomfortable position of catching up to an unexpectedly dangerous opponent.

‘Sherrock blasted off with an opening 177 to race into the lead in the last-leg decider’ DAVID GILL

Darts Weekly Friday 24 February 2017

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Menzies targets Lakeside spot after Scottish Open triumph Alex Moss CHIEF DARTS WRITER Cameron Menzies has his sights set on making his Lakeside debut next year after lifting the Scottish Open title for the first time in Renfrew at the weekend.

The Muirkirk thrower ended a ten-year wait for a home winner of the Scottish event, as he saw off England’s Daniel Day 6-2 in the final to scoop the £3,000 prize.

And after claiming his second BDO ranking title in the space of five months, Menzies is hoping to continue his push up the rankings and qualify for the Lakeside World Professional Darts Championship in 2018.

“Being from Scotland and winning the Scottish Open, I don’t think it gets any bigger, apart from your proper majors,” he said.

“I think that’s the biggest in the BDO for me, apart from Lakeside and the Winmau (World Masters) obviously.

“I lost out in the final qualifying game last year (to qualify for Lakeside).

“I hope this year to collect some points and see how it goes. When it gets to June, July time we’ll see how we’re standing. If I’m way down it would be pointless chasing them (points).

“If I’m quite high up, I think I’m not doing too bad at the moment, then I’ll think about doing Selsey.

“I think the Isle of Man for me is next. I’ve been once before, I’m going there this year.

“The Welsh (Open) I usually go to, I’m going there. I think Selsey as well.

“I’ll have done more tournaments in the first four or five months this year than I’ve done in a full year.”

Menzies broke into the top 50 of the rolling rankings in the BDO with his win at the Scottish Open on Sunday evening.

The Scot climbed almost 20

places, with his 35 ranking points earned from the Scottish Open triumph propelling him from 65th to joint 47th in the latest published rankings this week.

With seven of the top eight men in the BDO rankings having entered the Scottish Open this year, a series of shock results provided the Scottish crowd with a surprise line-up for the semi-finals on the stage.

Menzies (65th), Wayne Warren

“I think I had the biggest cheer of the weekend beating Danny Noppert!”

(58th), Day (141st) and Gary Stafford (168th) comprised the line-up for the semi-finals, with the likes of defending champion Danny Noppert and newly crowned BDO world champion Glen Durrant both having suffered early exits.

Durrant, making his first competitive return to action since winning at Lakeside last month, was beaten 3-1 by Ireland’s John

O’Shea in the last 256, while Noppert departed one round later, losing 3-1 to eventual winner Menzies in the last 128.

“I watched Danny at Lakeside and I thought he was brilliant,” Menzies said.

“If you want to do well in these tournaments, these are the players you’ve got to beat.

“I think I had the biggest cheer of the weekend beating Danny Noppert!”

In the final against Day, Menzies stormed into a 2-0 lead, before his opponent hit back with back-toback legs, the second of those a 14darter, to level up at 2-2.

Home favourites Menzies responded with three straight legs to go 5-2 in front and one leg away from the title, and in the next leg he took out 96 to complete a 6-2 victory.

Menzies is the fourth Scot to have won the title, following in the footsteps of Peter Johnstone, Mike Veitch and Gary Anderson.

Listen to the full interview with Cameron on this week’s Weekly Dartscast, available on iTunes and at darts-weekly.com

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Friday 24 February 2017 Darts Weekly

Taehoon topples both the top on his way to winning title in Taehoon Kim produced some scintillating darts to win the DartsLive Korea Final on Sunday, writes Richard Edwards.

Taehoon, who finished the regular season ranked fifth, beat Vidal De La Cruz after a first round bye, before stunning the crowd with a fine display to beat second seed Hyunchul Park.

The shocks continued as he deservedly disposed of top seed Woonghe Han. Taehoon then held his nerve to claim the title in a hard-fought win against eighth seed Kiyoung Kim. Next week, I will have an interview with the newly crowned champion.

I will also be discussing the tour with his second round opponent in Korea this past weekend, Vidal De La Cruz.

I will also be talking to official DartsLive player and UK DartsLive operator, Adrian Gray, about all things DartsLive and also how the growth of soft tip darts is going in the UK.

‘x x x x x

Database BDO SCOTTISH OPEN (Renfrew, Scotland) Men’s last 32 - R Brown bt C Tweddell 4-1; G Stafford bt W Plank 4-1; J Anderson Mitchell bt R Montgomery 4-2; W Harms bt D Lawrie 4-1; S Baker bt D Lumley 4-2; D Day bt N Kenny 4-3; B Dawson bt W Mandigers 4-2; R Morrison bt S Jowers 4-1; M Atkins bt K Leadenham 4-1; R Joyce bt S Robertson 4-1; N Duff bt S Buchan 4-1; C Menzies bt K McKinstry 4-3; D Labanauskas bt H Todman 4-1; R Edwards bt M Adams 40; W Warren bt R Veenstra 4-2; G Thompson bt D Turnbull 4-3. Last 16 - G Stafford bt R Brown 4-0; W Harms bt J Anderson Mitchell 4-3; D Day bt S Baker 4-2; R Morrison bt B Dawson 4-0; M Atkins bt R Joyce 4-2; C Menzies bt N Duff 4-0; R Edwards bt D Labanauskas 4-3; W Warren bt G Thompson 4-3. Quarter-finals - G Stafford bt W Harms 5-1; D Day bt R Morrison 5-4; C Menzies bt M Atkins 5-4; W Warren bt R Edwards 5-3. Semi-finals - D Day bt G Stafford 5-4; C Menzies bt W Warren 5-2.

Final - C Menzies bt D Day 6-2. Ladies last 16 - D Hedman bt S Roberts 4-0; L Turner bt P Jacklin 4-3; S Prins bt H Lodge 4-0; L Winstanley bt T Wright 4-1; A de Graaf bt H Draper 4-0; F Sherrock bt M Sutton 4-0; S

McGimpsey bt A Cox 4-2; L Ashton bt D Ijpelaar 4-0. Quarter-finals - D Hedman bt L Turner 4-1; L Winstanley bt S Prins 4-2; F Sherrock bt A de Graaf 4-2; L Ashton bt S McGimpsey 4-0. Semi-finals - D Hedman bt L Winstanley 4-1; F Sherrock bt L Ashton 4-2. Final - F Sherrock bt D Hedman 5-4.

Men’s pairs final - R Joyce/K McDine bt T Gregory/G Thompson 3-2. Ladies pairs final - A de Graaf/S Prins bt D Ashton/L Ashton 3-2.

WDF SYRACUSE OPEN (New York) Men’s final - L Butler bt D Young 4-0. Ladies final - M Mason bt B Cunningham 4-1.

PDC UNICORN DEVELOPMENT TOUR (Robin Park Tennis Centre, Wigan) Event One last 16 - A Hunt bt R Jones 4-1; Ro-Jo Rodriguez bt Ru-Ja Rodriguez 4-0; L Humphries bt J Hendriks 4-2; D van den Bergh bt M van Duivenbode 4-2; K Neyens bt S Groen 4-1; M Schindler bt D Cole 4-3; C Beaumont bt T Evetts 4-3; D Murschell bt R Roberts 4-3. Quarter-finals - A Hunt bt Ro-Jo Rodriguez 5-0; L Humphries bt D van den Bergh 5-3; K Neyens bt M Schindler 5-3;

D Murschell bt C Beaumont 5-2. Semifinals - L Humphries bt A Hunt 5-3; D Murschell bt K Neyens 5-4. Final - L Humphries bt D Murschell 5-1. Event Two last 16 - S Head bt M Baxter 4-2; K Neyens bt J Hendriks 4-0; R Hayden bt A SmithNeale 4-3; M Schindler bt R Hewson 4-1; D van den Bergh bt M De Decker 4-2; S Lennon bt T Evetts 4-2; R Meikle bt R Griffin 4-2; A Hunt bt S Rosney 4-1. Quarter-finals - K Neyens bt S Head 5-0; M Schindler bt R Hayden 5-3; D van den Bergh bt S Lennon 51; A Hunt bt R Meikle 5-2. Semi-finals - K Neyens bt M Schindler 5-3; D van den Bergh bt A Hunt 5-2. Final - D van den Bergh bt K Neyens 5-2. Event Three last 16 - Ro-Jo Rodriguez bt J Payne 4-3; A Davidson bt R Hewson 4-0; R Meikle bt R Hayden 4-1; N Blum bt L Bugden 4-1; A Hunt bt S Lennon 4-3; C Loose bt F Herz 4-1; S Hewson bt D Jensen 4-2; H Ward bt B van Peer 4-3.

Quarter-finals - Ro-Jo Rodriguez bt A Davidson 5-0; R Meikle bt N Blum 5-1; A Hunt bt C Loose 5-1; H Ward bt S Hewson 54. Semi-finals - R Meikle bt Ro-Jo Rodriguez 5-4; H Ward bt A Hunt 5-2. Final - R Meikle bt H Ward 5-1. Event Four last 16 - L Humphries bt L Freeman 4-2; S Rosney bt A Hunt 4-2; R Roberts bt R Griffin

Darts Weekly Friday 24 February 2017

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two seeds Korea ‘x x x x x

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4-2; S Dale bt R Meikle 4-1; J Hendriks bt A Davidson 4-1; K Neyens bt N Blum 4-2; T Evetts bt J van Tergouw 4-2; D Finn bt S Johal 4-2. Quarter-finals - L Humphries bt S Rosney 5-1; R Roberts bt S Dale 5-2; K Neyens bt J Hendriks 5-3; T Evetts bt D Finn 5-1. Semi-finals - L Humphries bt R Roberts 5-3; K Neyens bt T Evetts 5-2. Final - L Humphries bt K Neyens 5-2.

BETWAY PREMIER LEAGUE (Brighton Centre, Brighton) Week Four - J Klaasen (98.90) bt D Chisnall (93.28) 7-3; M van Gerwen (104.67) drew with A Lewis (101.20) 6-6; G Anderson (96.80) drew with J Wade (89.61) 6-6; P Taylor (96.44) drew with K Huybrechts (94.56) 6-6; R van Barneveld (103.40) drew with P Wright (95.87) 6-6.

Highest checkout - A Lewis 170.

DEVELOPMENT TOUR ORDER OF MERIT (after four of 20 events)

JDC MODUS UK TOUR (George Albert Hotel, Evershot) Event One final - J Beeton bt J Cole 5-4.

1. L Humphries 2. K Neyens 3. R Meikle 4. D van den Bergh 5. A Hunt 6. H Ward 7. D Murschell 8. T Evetts 9. M Schindler 10. Ro-Jo Rodriguez 11. R Roberts 12. J Hendriks 13. A Davidson = S Lennon 15. N Blum = R Hayden

£4,000 £2,550 £2,500 £2,350 £1,700 £1,150 £1,050 £1,000 £900 £850 £800 £750 £650 £650 £550 £550

DARTS WEEKLY DOZEN (16/02/2017) Data compiled by Christopher Kempf

FIXTURES

Player M van Gerwen R van Barneveld P Taylor M Suljovic D Gurney S Whitlock J Klaasen B van de Pas S Beaton A Norris M King J Cullen

TODAY - SUNDAY PORT CITY OPEN (South Portland, USA) TOMORROW - SUNDAY PDC PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP 1-2 (Barnsley Metrodome, Barnsley) THURSDAY BETWAY PREMIER LEAGUE WEEK FIVE (Westpoint Arena, Exeter) - D Chisnall v R van Barneveld; J Klaasen v K Huybrechts; G Anderson v P Taylor; M van Gerwen v J Wade; A Lewis v P Wright (all best of 12 legs).

◊ The Darts Weekly Dozen estimates and compares the length of the average leg over players’ last 180 stage legs. ◊ Further disappointment for Klaasen in a third Premier League loss as finishing estimate approaches three darts at double per leg. ◊ MVG will be defending WC SF form next week: a superb performance needed to avoid plunge in DW12 statistics. ◊ Taylor’s continued plunge in the DW12 rankings a result of fewer scoring trebles.

LLE 15.082 16.778 16.883 17.302 17.696 17.724 17.963 17.966 18.216 18.232 18.728 18.844

Change 0.005 -0.081 -0.138 N/C N/C N/C -0.084 N/C N/C N/C N/C N/C

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Friday 24 February 2017 Darts Weekly

DAVE McNALLY DARTS WRITER LAWRENCE LUSTIG/PDC

The old king is dead, long live the new king MVG With Raymond van Barneveld taking to the microphone and giving a heartfelt speech about his deadliest rival on the Premier League stage last week, it is without doubt that a whole host of professionals on the circuit are getting ready to breathe a huge collective sigh of relief when Phil Taylor finally puts away his darts for good.

Taylor, so often the nemesis of many players throughout his career, has not really produced over the last two years or so, as he winds down a quite extraordinary career.

He’s up there with the also rans these days, with semi and quarterfinal places in most tournaments, but he’s well aware that it’s not good enough for him and, despite this, he is by and large still too much for most players.

So, before the professional circuit rejoices and shouts ‘the king is dead’, it might be all to no avail as the new king is alive and well in the form of Michael van Gerwen.

Van Gerwen over the last couple of years has took over Taylor’s mantle of winning virtually everything in sight, especially the ranking and televised events and, like Taylor, manages to make the sport look so easy.

With Taylor almost done, I cannot help but believe that the circuit will once again be about picking up the scraps and runnersup spots for those on the fringes.

Van Gerwen has already gone on record to say that he will never achieve what Taylor has, simply because he wants to retire long before then.

This could be the only crumb of comfort for his fellow professionals, but if things pan out as they have been it could still end up being a long wait before some newer names are etched onto the trophies.

So, the retirement of Taylor will

‘Taylor has not really produced over the last two years or so’ be greeted by some with jubilation, but it will be slightly muted knowing that it will be just as tough, if not tougher, to make a name for themselves as van Gerwen takes darts to a whole new level.

I’d also like to take the time to congratulate Fallon Sherrock and Cameron Menzies on winning the Scottish Open titles on Sunday.

Sherrock brilliantly overcame Deta Hedman 5-4 in the ladies final, with a superb 180 in an 11dart leg to start proceedings and a superb 177 in the deciding leg.

Sherrock by no means had an easy route, having to see off world champion Lisa Ashton 4-2 in the semi-finals, so we’ll see if she can build on this success in the coming months.

Menzies saw off Daniel Day 6-2 to add his name to previous Scottish winners of the event, Gary Anderson, Mike Veitch and Peter Johnstone, in a harder fought contest than the final scoreline suggests.