March 2012

SIMON WHITLOCK 8 – 6 Gary Anderson

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

Simon Whitlock produced a strong performance to beat ‘The Flying Scotsman’, Gary Anderson, in Glasgow. ‘The Wizard’ took out a spectacular 164 finish on his way to victory to silence the patriotic Scottish crowd, keeping himself in the playoff places in the McCoy’s Premier League.

‘The Wizard’ grabbed his second successive win, and his third of the season, to increase his points tally to seven after six matches.

Whitlock won the first leg against the throw and looked liked he would double his lead when he hit his first 180, but Anderson made him pay for missed doubles to break back. The Scotsman held to edge in front before ‘The Wizard’ responded in sensational style, taking out a fabulous 164 checkout on the bull. Anderson won the fifth leg to go back in front before Whitlock levelled up again; hitting his third maximum before hitting double top to make it three legs apiece at the break.

The Australian hit double two to break Anderson’s throw. The Scotsman looked like he would hit back immediately when he filled the treble twenty to leave a double, but Whitlock refused to surrender his lead this time and took out a brilliant 104 checkout to increase it to 5-3. ‘The Wizard’ hit another maximum but Anderson won the ninth leg to reduce Whitlock’s lead to one leg.  The world number five immediately restored his advantage by hitting double top, to leave himself a leg away from ensuring he would get at least a draw.

Anderson held his throw to keep his chances of victory alive but Whitlock ended the Scotsman’s hopes with a clinical 76 finish. The reigning champion hit double two to hold his throw as he attempted to salvage a draw, but Whitlock got the job done in the deciding leg, going off with a 180 before hitting double top to gain his third victory of the season.

By Chris Murphy

JAMES WADE 8 – 5 Adrian Lewis

James Wade made it three wins in as many weeks with victory over world champion Adrian Lewis in the McCoy’s Premier League in Glasgow. The seven-time major winner avenged his defeat against ‘Jackpot’ from the semi-finals of the World Championship with an 8-5 success over the world number two.

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

Wade, who lost his first three matches of the campaign, hit four 180’s on his way to an impressive victory at the SECC, as he continued to climb the league table.

Wade opened with a 180 before hitting double ten to hold his throw in the first leg. ‘The Machine’ hit another maximum in the next leg but was unable to break Lewis’ throw.  Wade hit double five to regain the lead and then double top to grab a break of throw, increasing his advantage to 3-1.

The world number three hit double ten again to open up a three leg lead, but ‘Jackpot’ held his throw to reduce the deficit to 4-2 before the break. Wade took out a brilliant 114 finish to hold his throw in leg seven before Lewis hit a 106 checkout to pull a leg back. The world champion then broke Wade’s throw to leave himself throwing to level the match. ‘The Machine’ had other ideas though, and wrapped in his third 180 before just missing the bull for a 161 checkout. He finally tidied up five to break back immediately.

Wade guaranteed at least a point when he hit double 18 to take a 7-4 lead. Lewis held his throw in leg twelve to keep the match alive, but Wade made sure of a third successive victory when he hammered home his fourth maximum before taking out 56.

By Chris Murphy

James Wade takes on world champion Adrian Lewis on week six of the McCoy’s Premier League in Glasgow, where Simon Whitlock faces Gary Anderson and Raymond van Barneveld goes head to head with Kevin Painter.

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

Wade has won his last two games and is determined to extend that run against world number two Lewis, who is yet to win a game in this year’s tournament. ‘The Machine’, who is finding his form after losing his first three games, is out to prevent the winless world champion from gaining his first victory.

“The tide is turning,” said Wade. “My confidence is there as much as ever but I’m thinking far too much about the game.

“It’s starting to feel good in patches – I felt brilliant for three or four legs last week but then shut off. That’s how I’m playing at the moment but I’ve got to keep my foot on the gas.”

Whitlock produced an impressive performance to beat Lewis last week, and victory tonight could send him up to second in the table. ‘The Wizard’ will have to beat reigning Premier League champion Anderson in front of the Scotsman’s home crowd for that to happen.

“It’s going to be tough,” said Whitlock. “I played Phil Taylor in Exeter with the crowd on his side and it didn’t affect me, and hopefully against Gary it won’t.

“He’s a strange player. He can be the best player in the world on his night and I only beat him once last year – in the World Championship – and every other time we played he was unbelievable against me, so I’ll have to play well on Thursday.”

Van Barneveld will be hoping to bounce back from defeat last week when he takes on Painter. ‘Barney’ has been in good form of late, but lost out in a last leg decider to James Wade in Brighton.

In the nights other match, league leader Phil Taylor is up against World Championship finalist Andy Hamilton.

Tonight’s matches (involving MODUS players)

JAMES WADE v Adrian Lewis (Game one)

SIMON WHITLOCK v Gary Anderson (Game two)

RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD v Kevin Painter (Game four)

By Chris Murphy

Simon Whitlock and James Wade both earned victories on night five of the McCoy’s Premier League at the Brighton Centre.

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

Whitlock hit eight 180’s in an 8-4 win over Adrian Lewis, while James Wade claimed his second successive victory with an 8-6 triumph over Raymond van Barneveld.

Whitlock climbed to fourth in the table, with five points, after beating the reigning world champion in a high-scoring affair. Lewis, who hit seven maximums himself, had kept up with the Australian’s heavy scoring in the first few legs but ‘The Wizard’ won six of the last eight to move into the play-off positions.

“It felt really good tonight, I was aggressive and I enjoyed it,” said Whitlock. “I don’t get too many wins over Adrian but I took my chances, so it’s a fantastic win.”

World number three Wade made it back to back wins when he eventually saw off the challenge from ‘Barney’. The 2009 champion had led 6-1 before the Dutchman forced a deciding leg, which ‘The Machine’ won to record an 8-6 victory.

“I did a good job on Raymond early doors but I shut off so I’m not happy with that,” said Wade, who hit finishes of 110 and 154. “I’ve got to keep my foot on the gas but I got the win and it’s another step in the right direction.”

In the night’s other matches, Kevin Painter came from behind to beat Andy Hamilton while Phil Taylor remains unbeaten after an 8-1 success over Gary Anderson.

Whitlock faces Anderson next week in Glasgow, where Wade will take on Lewis. Van Barneveld is up against Painter.

By Chris Murphy

Latest League Table

SIMON WHITLOCK 8 – 4 Adrian Lewis

Simon Whitlock hit eight 180’s on his way to an 8-4 victory over reigning world champion Adrian Lewis in Brighton, to end a run of back to back defeats.

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

‘The Wizard’ produced a fantastic performance on night five of the McCoy’s Premier League at the Brighton Centre, as he moved back into the playoff positions. Whitlock had dropped out of the top four after suffering defeat last week, thanks to a record breaking average from Phil Taylor.

He said: “To get a win tonight is fantastic for me. The crowd were behind me, which was great and I was pleased to win that. This is the greatest Premier League ever. I played well against Phil Taylor last week but you can’t beat him when he’s in that form so it was nice to get back to winning ways tonight. I’m pleased to be back in the playoff places because I hate being in that bottom four.”

Whitlock responded to early pressure from the world champion by taking out a brilliant 118 finish to hold his throw. ‘The Wizard’ hit his first maximum in the second leg but was unable to break his opponent. Whitlock hit double top to go back in front but back to back 180’s in the fourth leg were not enough to prevent Lewis holding again. The Australian held his throw once more before grabbing the first break of throw in the match to take a 4-2 lead.

‘Jackpot’ broke back immediately despite Whitlock hitting his fourth maximum, but ‘The Wizard’ restored his advantage when he took out 68 to win another leg against the throw. The world number five hit his fifth maximum in the ninth leg before hitting double top to open up a 6-3 lead. Another 180 followed for ‘The Wizard’ as he broke Lewis’ throw again to ensure he would take at least a point from the match.

Whitlock hit his seventh maximum in the next leg but Lewis responded in kind, hitting a seventh of his own on his way to grabbing a break of throw. ‘The Wizard’ went back in front on the maximum count before hitting double sixteen to seal the win and move up to fourth in the table.

By Chris Murphy

JAMES WADE 8 – 6 RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD

James Wade saw off a potential comeback from Raymond van Barneveld in a high quality all MODUS clash at the Brighton Centre on week five of the McCoy’s Premier League.

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

‘The Machine’ hit five 180’s and two ton-plus finishes as he sealed an 8-6 victory over the Dutchman. Wade had led 6-1 but ‘Barney ‘, who fought back from four legs down to win last week, pulled the score back to 6-5 and 7-6 before Wade won a last leg decider to grab his second successive win.

The 2009 Premier League champion admitted that he is yet to peak in this year’s competition but is pleased to have started to turn his form around, after losing his first three matches.

Wade said: “I did a job on Raymond early doors but I seemed to shut off later on. I’m glad to get the win, I’m slowly but surely getting there and I feel like I’m going in the right direction now. I’m still not playing my best though, but if I do play my best darts I know I will be in the top four come the end of the season.”

Wade sprung into life from the start, opening with a maximum and winning the first leg in eleven darts. ‘Barney’ replied by hitting his first 180 in leg two, which he claimed in the same number of darts. The Dutchman just missed the bull for a 161 finish before ‘The Machine’ hit double ten to edge back in front. Wade then grabbed the first break of throw by hitting double top. The left-hander increased his lead to 4-1 with a brilliant 110 checkout.

Van Barneveld looked like he might claw a leg back when he hit his second maximum but Wade took out a stunning 154 finish to go four legs up before the break. ‘The Machine’ hit his second 180, followed immediately by his third, on his way to winning the seventh leg. ‘Barney’ levelled the maximum count in the next leg before hitting double 16 to reduce Wade’s lead to 6-2.

The five-time world champion won the ninth leg against the throw before holding to make it three legs on the spin. Wade relieved the pressure by winning the eleventh leg to ensure he would claim at least a point, hitting his fourth maximum in the process. ‘Barney’ kept his hopes alive by hitting double two to reduce Wade’s lead to two legs. He then grabbed another break of throw to ensure that the match would go all the way, despite Wade hitting his fifth 180.

The world number three almost won the match in sensational style but just missed the bull for a fabulous 161 finish. He sealed the victory nonetheless, hitting his trademark double ten to add to two more points to his total, having claimed his first with victory over Kevin Painter last week.

By Chris Murphy

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

MODUS stars James Wade, Simon Whitlock and Raymond van Barneveld and the rest of the McCoy’s Premier League line-up have recorded a charity single with Chas Hodges and his band.

The single, called ‘Got My Tickets For The Darts’, is to be released in May. Hodges, of ‘Chas and Dave’ fame, and his band teamed up with the eight Premier League players and walk-on girl Jacqui Adams to record the video for the single, which he decided to make to celebrate the recent surge in popularity and success in the sport.

The song will be released exclusively on iTunes on Friday May 18 after being premiered at the McCoy’s Premier League Darts Play-Offs at The O2 in London the previous night.

Proceeds from the single will be donated to the Haven House Children’s Hospice, which cares for youngsters aged 19 and under in north and east London and Essex who have life-limiting illnesses, as well as providing support for their families. For more information, visit www.havenhouse.org.uk.

The McCoy’s Premier League continues tonight in Brighton, where 2009 winner James Wade takes on Raymond van Barneveld in an all MODUS clash, before Simon Whitlock does battle with world champion Adrian Lewis.

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

Wade is chasing a second successive victory after beating Kevin Painter in Exeter last week; to claim his first win of this campaign. He said: “I didn’t put any pressure on myself last week and went out to enjoy the game. I did enough to win last week but playing Raymond will be a good test for me.”

Standing in Wade’s way is a rejuvenated ‘Barney’. He fought back from 6-4 down to claim victory over Andy Hamilton last Thursday, and currently sits fourth in the league table. Van Barneveld and ‘The Machine’ lock horns in the penultimate game of the evening.

‘The Wizard’ takes on ‘Jackpot’ in the final match, as Whitlock hopes to bounce back from two successive defeats. The Australian had started well, claiming a victory over Wade and a draw with ‘Barney’ to put himself top of the table. He has since suffered defeats at the hands of Kevin Painter and the record-breaking Phil Taylor though, and while he is looking forward to his next match, he knows it could be just as hard.

He said: “I love playing against the best players in the world and that’s why the McCoy’s Premier League this year is absolutely brilliant, because it’s the eight best players in the world and all the games are tough. If I can play like I did last week though, I should get a result.”

In the night’s other matches, Painter takes on Hamilton before Taylor goes head to head with defending champion Gary Anderson.

Tonight’s matches (involving MODUS players)

JAMES WADE v RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD (Game three)

SIMON WHITLOCK v Adrian Lewis (Game four)

By Chris Murphy

Some of the world’s best professional darts players will be on show at a charity fundraising night for Bradbury Enhanced Care Service, which is part of Chailey Heritage Clinical Services run by Sussex Community NHS Trust.

Premier League stars James Wade, Simon Whitlock and five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld will be joined by a whole host of top professionals for the star studded event at Roffey Social and Sports Club, Horsham on May 25^th.

All proceeds from the event will go to Bradbury Enhanced Care Service, which provides crucial support for young adults with complex health needs, physical disabilities and life limiting conditions.

The night provides the chance for you to play against some of the best PDC professionals, whilst contributing to an excellent cause.

Terry ‘The Bull’ Jenkins will be shaving off his famous moustache for the first time in 33 years. There will also be auctions, as well as photo and autograph opportunities with all of the players, in what it guaranteed to be a fun packed evening.

Other star players taking part in the event include Mark Webster, Paul Nicholson, Vincent van der Voort, Co Stompe and Michael van Gerwen.

MODUS, Unicorn, Holsten and all the professional players and officials feel privileged to be able to lend their support to such a worthwhile cause.

Bradbury Enhanced Care Service is a small four bedded unit in the heart of the Sussex countryside, within the grounds of Chailey Heritage School. The service provides a high standard of clinical care with the emphasis of being a ‘home from home’ for patients and their families.

The friendly team of health professionals include experienced nurses and fully trained care support workers, who provide round the clock care, as well as a 24 hour ‘on call’ consultant.

All fundraising donations are currently being earmarked to provide an adapted vehicle, to enable the young people within Bradbury Enhanced Care Service to have the freedom and flexibility to be able to enjoy outings in their own vehicle, which is something they have never had before.

Tickets for the event are available for just £20 for table seating or £12.50 for standing, and can be purchased by calling 01403 210223 or 08450 180 180 or online at www.dartshop.tv

The event will be held at Roffey Social and Sports Club, Spooners Road, Roffey, Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 4DY on 25^th May 2012.

Rising star Chris Aubrey was rewarded for a promising breakthrough year by being named Young Sportsman of the Year at the Swindon Advertiser Sports Awards.

The 20 year old announced his arrival on the PDC circuit in style in 2011, with wins against world champion Adrian Lewis and former world number one Colin Lloyd. The Swindon youngster also reached three semi-finals on the PDC youth tour, and recently received the backing of Premier League star James Wade in the form of a sponsorship deal.

Aubrey was delighted to be recognised by his local community, he said: “For me 2011 was a superb year and it is great to have been given an award. I am used to winning trophies for actually playing darts so to get something like this is great.”

The youngster is aiming to add to his early success by qualifying for more senior tournaments in 2012, he added: “I got to the UK Open last year and I really want to do that again, then from there I would like to think I can make a real go of getting to the World Championships after I was not far off getting there last year.”

By Chris Murphy