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Arron Monk sealed his place at the Grand Slam of Darts in style, winning Saturday’s PDC Unicorn Youth Tour Event in Crawley to ensure that he will top this year’s Order of Merit.

The 22-year-old ace defeated Chris Aubrey 4-1 in the final to claim his fifth Youth Tour victory of 2012.

The youngster had lead Michael Smith by just £50 at the top of the rankings ahead of this weekend’s events, the final two of the year.

But Monk’s latest success gives him an unassailable lead before Sunday’s event, with a place at the prestigious Grand Slam his reward.

“It feels amazing,” Monk told the PDC’s official website after his triumph, which also guarantees him a place in the World Championships.

“It’s been a great year on the Youth Tour and at one stage I was quite a way ahead of Michael Smith but then he won £1,200 in Wigan and caught me right up.

“Luckily enough I’ve done the business this weekend and it would be a great bonus to win Sunday’s event too.

“Michael van Gerwen has said that his success on the Youth Tour last year helped his confidence and it’s brought my confidence along as well this year.”

“Thanks to the PDC Unicorn Youth Tour, I’ve now qualified for the Grand Slam of Darts and made sure of my World Championship place, so I’ve got a good couple of months ahead of me.

“The Grand Slam’s taught me a lot in the last two years because it’s a short format and I need to start off well this time. In the last two years I’ve not done that, but this could be my year.”

Monk had also defeated Scott Pearson, Cain Unwin, Ryan Harrington, Jake Patchett and Matthew Dicken before seeing off Aubrey in the decider to clinch the £500 first prize.

He will compete in the final Youth Tour event on Sunday before the Grand Slam of Darts kicks off in Wolverhampton next weekend.

By Chris Murphy

Book tickets to see some of the world’s top darts players in action at The Carlsberg Masters, Birmingham on Friday December 7.

Image courtesy of Lawrence Lustig/PDC

Simon Whitlock won the PDC’s fifth and final European Tour event of 2012, defeating Australian World Cup teammate Paul Nicholson in the final of the Dutch Darts Masters on Sunday evening.

‘The Wizard’, who recently won his first major title when he was crowned European Champion in Germany, triumphed 6-1 against Nicholson to clinch the £15,000 first prize.

The world number six, who had seen off Per Laursen and Alan Tabern to reach Sunday’s last 16, began the day with a 6-1 victory over Ian White.

He then saw off Johnny Haines 6-2, before producing a brilliant semi-final performance to beat Kim Huybrechts 6-1.

Whitlock then made sure he claimed his third PDC title in less than two months, when he defeated ‘The Asset’ by the same scoreline.
“It feels fantastic and I’m over the moon to win,” Whitlock told the PDC’s official website.

“It’s brilliant for two Australians to be in the final and Paul’s done really well this weekend.

“I seem to perform well on the Continent and to follow up the European Championship win with this is great.

“I can’t wait for the World Championship now and hopefully I’ll be holding the trophy at the end of that too!

“Paul’s a very good friend of mine and we’re World Cup pairs partners, so it was tough playing him and I’m just happy to get the win.”

Nicholson, who was competing in the final day of a European Tour event for the first time, kicked off his Sunday with a 6-1 success over Max Hopp in the last 16, having beaten Ross Smith and Michael van Gerwen to reach that stage.

The 2010 Players Championship Finals winner saw off Arron Monk, who reached his first European Tour quarter-final, before producing a fabulous display to defeat Wayne Jones in the semis, with the aid of a 101.02 average.

Nicholson said: “It’s been a huge weekend for me. This year has been up and down but this weekend has proved to me that all the hard work really has been worth it.

“I’ve had some really tough games and played some great darts. By the time the final came around I was shattered and ran out of steam but Simon’s been used to getting this far in tournaments this year and I haven’t. He’s had a bit more darts fitness than me and I give him all the credit.

“I’m so privileged to have been part of the first all-Aussie final on the Pro Tour and I’m proud of myself to have got this far. Before this week, nobody had any expectation of me and I’m thrilled to have been in the final.”

By Chris Murphy

Book tickets to see some of the world’s top darts players in action at The Carlsberg Masters, Birmingham on Friday December 7.

Images courtesy of Lawrence Lustig/PDC

Arron Monk reached his first European Tour quarter-final with an impressive win over Andy Hamilton, while Australian pair Paul Nicholson and Simon Whitlock also won through to the last eight of the Dutch Darts Masters on Sunday afternoon.

Monk, the former under-21 World Champion, claimed a 6-4 victory against the world number seven in Nuland, setting up a quarter-final clash with Nicholson.

‘The Asset’ ended the run of German teenager Max Hopp with a 6-1 success, while Whitlock defeated Ian White by the same scoreline, posting a 102.5 average in a brilliant performance.

Sunday evening sees the £82,100 tournament reach its conclusion, with the remaining eight players competing for the £15,000 first prize.

Quarter-Finals
Phil Taylor v Wayne Jones
Paul Nicholson v Arron Monk
Simon Whitlock v Johnny Haines
Kim Huybrechts v Mark Walsh

Semi-Finals

Taylor/Jones v Nicholson/Monk

Whitlock/Haines v Huybrechts/Walsh

By Chris Murphy

Book tickets to see some of the world’s top darts players in action at The Carlsberg Masters, Birmingham on Friday December 7.

Image courtesy of Lawrence Lustig/PDC