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PDC Unicorn World Youth Champion James Hubbard and former under-21 World Champion Arron Monk proudly sported the logos of new sponsors Burghley Sports and Smart Darts 4 Kids at the Speedy Services UK Open last weekend.

ROBERT THORNTON 11 – 5 Phil Taylor

Robert Thornton clinched his first PDC major title with a stunning 11 – 5 victory over 15-time World Champion Phil Taylor in the final of the Speedy Services UK Open on Sunday night.

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

‘The Thorn’, a 250-1 outsider for the title, completed a week of upsets by claiming the biggest scalp of them all, as he smashed in six 180’s to defeat ‘The Power’, exacting revenge for his defeat in the final of the Players Championship three years ago.

The Scotsman, who had encountered a difficult 24 months since his only other PDC major final appearance after suffering with pneumonia and then a broken hand, had beaten Dave Chisnall earlier in the evening.

He also knocked out Mark Webster, Gary Anderson, Dennis Priestley and Wez Newton in a sensational run to the final, where he stormed past Taylor to claim the £40,000 prize.

“I’m over the moon,” said Thornton, who leaps up to 23rd in the world. “Phil missed  a lot of doubles early on and I knew it was my chance. I knew that once I got ahead I had to stay there.

“I just prepared the same way as I did for all the games this week. No pressure, one game at a time and this is where it has got me.

“I’m hoping I can kick on from here now, although there may be a big target on my back.

“The crowd were tremendous and I feel on top of the world. I just wish I’d had a tenner on myself.”

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

Thornton hit his first 180 of the match in the opening leg  but was unable to break ‘The Power’.

The Scotsman responded to Taylor’s first maximum with his second but the world number one grabbed an early break of throw.

‘The Thorn’ hit double one in a tense leg, in which both players missed doubles, breaking Taylor’s throw.

He levelled up with a neat 84 checkout, before starting the fifth leg with a 174. Taylor held, however, to go into the first break with a 3-2 lead.

Thornton kicked off leg six with back to back 140’s, before hitting his third 180, as he levelled the match.

The Scotsman then hit double top to grab a break of throw, before taking out a brilliant 106 finish to hold and move two legs clear.

He then punished ‘The Power’ for some uncharacteristic missed doubles, taking out 50 for another break of throw and a 6-3 lead.

The 2007 World Master followed that up by hitting  his fourth maximum, before taking out 48 to go four legs in front.

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

‘The Thorn’ took out 84 for another break of throw and a sixth consecutive leg.

He hammered home his fifth 180 of the match in the next leg, before taking out 60 to move into an unprecedented six leg lead over the fifteen-time World Champion.

Taylor stopped the rot despite ‘The Thorn’ rattling in another maximum, but Thornton hit double ten to move within a leg of victory.

‘The Power’ won the next leg to pull it back to 10-5, with Thornton throwing for the match in the 15th leg.

The Scotsman hit scores of 140,100 and 140 before clinching victory in style with a sensational 121 checkout on the bull.

By Chris Murphy

See four of the world’s top professional darts players go head to head in the Charlton Masters on Thursday 19 July.

ROBERT THORNTON 10 – 4 Dave Chisnall

Robert Thornton continued his remarkable run at the Reebok Stadium, winning through to the final with a sensational 10-4 triumph over much-fancied Dave Chisnall on Sunday night.

‘The Thorn’ who had already beaten Mark Webster, Gary Anderson, Dennis Priestley and Wez Newton en route to the last four, added ‘Chizzy’ to his list of scalps, hitting six 180’s in the process.

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

Chisnall held his throw in the opening leg before ‘The Thorn’ took out 76 in clinical fashion to go level.

‘Chizzy’ held again, taking out 112 before Thornton hit double 12 to make it two legs apiece.

The Scotsman  then grabbed a break of throw in a brilliant leg, hitting two 180’s before taking out 58 to take the lead for the first time.

Thornton kicked off the sixth leg with a third maximum, and almost ended it with a maximum checkout, but just missed the bull for a 170.

He cleaned up the remaining 45, however, opening up a two leg cushion.

The Scotsman was most definitely flying as he hammered in his fourth 180 of the match, before hitting double 19 for another break of throw.

‘Chizzy’ hit back with his first break of throw after Thornton failed to get himself out of the madhouse, missing five darts at double one.

He continued to show his resilience, however, going off 140, 140 in the next leg, which he won against the throw, with a brilliant 95 checkout on the bull.

Chisnall missed two darts to break straight back again before Thornton took out 78 to go 7-3 in front.

Thornton grabbed another break, taking out 60 to go five legs ahead. He hit another 180 in the next leg, before hitting double ten to move within a leg of victory.

The Scotsman hit his sixth maximum of the match in the 13th leg, but Chisnall managed to hold.

He got the job done in the next leg though, taking out 56 to set up a final clash with Phil Taylor.

By Chris Murphy

See four of the world’s top professional darts players go head to head in the Charlton Masters on Thursday 19 July.

ROBERT THORNTON 10 – 8  Wez Newton

Robert Thornton continued his brilliant run of form in the Speedy Services UK Open, with a 10-8 triumph over Wez Newton in the quarter-finals at Bolton’s Reebok Stadium.

‘The Thorn’, who hit four 180’s in the match, added Newton to his list of high profile scalps, after knocking out Mark Webster and Gary Anderson in earlier rounds.

“I’m happy to be through,” said Thornton, who last reached a major semi-final in 2009.

“He kept breaking me and I knew I had to break straight back. The final leg was massive for me. I’d been on four nine-darters in the last few weeks and lost the leg every time so I was delighted to get the job done.”

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

Thornton hit his first maximum in the opening leg, but missed darts at his double allowed Newton in for an early break of throw.

The Scotsman broke straight back, before Newton did the same to edge back in front.

‘The Thorn’ was the width of the wire away from making it four consecutive legs won against the throw, but Newton hit double top to end that trend and go 3-1 ahead.

The former World Master hit double top to reduce the deficit, and then pulled level by taking out 56 after setting it up with a 140 when it looked like the leg might be beyond him.

Thornton hit double ten to take the lead for the first time in the match, before kicking off the next leg with his second 180 followed by a 140.

Newton managed to hold though, hitting double seven to restore parity, before taking out a classy 82 finish to edge back ahead.

Thornton then took out 61 for another break of throw, putting himself 6-4 in front.

Newton broke back but the resilient Thornton did the same to restore his two leg advantage.

‘The Thorn’ hit double five to make it 8-5, before Newton hit double top to effectively keep himself in the match.

‘The Warrior’ grabbed what looked to be a crucial break of throw when he followed up his second 180 with a 121 checkout.

‘The Thorn’ though refused to let his opponent back in, hitting double 18 to break again and leave himself throwing for the match.

Both players kicked off a tense 17th leg with 140’s, before Newton took out another 121 finish to keep himself in the match once more.

Thornton bounced back again, hitting six perfect darts against the throw, before eventually hitting double top to book his place in the last four.

‘The Thorn’ will play Dave Chisnall tonight’s semi-final.

“I’m just happy to be here,” added Thornton, who goes back into the top 32 in the order of merit.

“I’m just going to go and chill and prepare in the same way as I have been all weekend.”

By Chris Murphy

See four of the world’s top professional darts players go head to head in the Charlton Masters on Thursday 19 July.

Robert Thornton and Raymond van Barneveld both made it through to the quarter-finals of the Speedy Services UK Open after winning incredible matches at the Reebok Stadium on Saturday evening.

Thornton won eight consecutive legs to complete a remarkable comeback against Dennis Priestley in Bolton, while van Barneveld won a tense last leg decider against Peter Wright.

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

‘The Thorn’ stormed back from 5-1 down to beat ‘The Menace’ 9-5, setting up a quarter-final clash with Wez Newton.

“At 5-1 down I just thought ‘what am I doing?’,” said Thornton, who reached the last eight for the second consecutive year.

“I managed to calm myself down, relax and start playing darts again. I’d worked so hard to get to this match and I didn’t want to throw that away.

“I love this tournament. The atmosphere is brilliant and I can’t wait to be back tomorrow.”

‘Barney’ had to win the last three legs to pip Wright, who suffered the unfortunate fate of busting 138 when he was throwing for the match.

“I was lucky in the end but I am pleased to be through,” said van Barneveld. “I feel sorry for Peter because he played a brilliant game but I dug in and got the result.

“I was tired after watching Holland lose in the football, so I need to rest and prepare for tomorrow but I’m glad to go back to the hotel smiling and still in the tournament.”

‘Barney’ will face Dave Chisnall in the last eight on Sunday.

Earlier in the evening Michael van Gerwen bowed out at the hands of Terry Jenkins, while Australian pair Simon Whitlock and Paul Nicholson also exited the tournament.

Sunday afternoon sees the remaining eight players go head to head over the best of 19 legs, with the semi-finals and final taking place on Sunday night.

By Chris Murphy

Speedy Services UK Open

Quarter-Final draw (involving MODUS players)

RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD v Dave Chisnall

ROBERT THORNTON v Wez Newton

(Winners meet in semi-final)

See four of the world’s top professional darts players go head to head in the Charlton Masters on Thursday 19 July.

Simon Whitlock was too strong a force for the much-fancied Justin Pipe in the fourth round of the Speedy Services UK Open, while Robert Thornton produced the shock of the round with a 9-7 triumph over fellow Scotsman Gary Anderson on Saturday afternoon.

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

There was also a victory for Paul Nicholson, who is joined in the last 16 by Dutch pair Raymond van Barneveld and Michael van Gerwen.

Whitlock triumphed 9-5 over Pipe to set up an evening clash against Dave Chisnall.

“Justin is one of the hardest players to play,” said Whitlock, who averaged over 95. “I just did enough to win and I’m really pleased to have beaten him.

“I feel good about myself and hopefully I can get a rhythm going. I’m here to win and if I wasn’t I wouldn’t even turn up.”

Thornton grabbed his second scalp in as many days, when he knocked out Gary Anderson, who had hit a nine-darter in the previous round.

“I’m enjoying it again,” said Thornton, who is returning to form after suffering from pneumonia.

“It’s all down to hard work and constant practise. I’m pleased that I’m coming back to form and I’m more relaxed than I’ve ever been. I’m going to go and get some rest ahead of tonight.”

Thornton takes on Dennis Priestley in the battle for a quarter-final place.

Nicholson progressed at the expense of Arron Monk, with ‘The Asset’ posting an average of almost 100.

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

“I said before the tournament that no expectations means no pressure and I think I should adopt this attitude more often,” said Nicholson, who will face Dennis Ovens in round five.

“I learned  a lot from last year and I’m actually feeling a little bit fresher than at this stage last year. Now I’m going to go away and prepare for tonight.”

van Barneveld produced one of the performances of the afternoon, hitting three ton plus finishes in a classy victory over Andy Hamilton.

“I knew what I was up against,” said van Barneveld who faces Peter Wright in the last 16.

“He (Hamilton) had a great World Championship and Premier League so I’m happy with the win.

“He took out two bull finishes, which annoyed me, so I was pleased to win it with the 126 checkout.”

van Gerwen hit a 170 checkout on his way to victory in a thrilling match against Mervyn King.

“I played very well and I’m pleased to be through,” said van Gerwen, who will play Terry Jenkins on the main stage tonight.

“My finishing could be a little bit better, but the 170 was a special moment and I’m looking forward to my next game.”

The fifth round takes place on Saturday evening with all games played over the best of 17 legs.

By Chris Murphy

Speedy Services UK Open

Fifth round draw (involving MODUS players)

MICHAEL VAN GERWEN v Terry Jenkins

SIMON WHITLOCK v Dave Chisnall

RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD v Peter Wright

ROBERT THORNTON v Dennis Priestley

PAUL NICHOLSON v Denis Ovens

See Barney, Whitlock, Wade and Webster live at the CHARLTON MASTERS next month

Raymond van Barneveld put on a classy display to defeat Jelle Klaasen in round three of the Speedy Services UK Open on Friday, while Arron Monk continued his charge at the Reebok Stadium with a 9-8 triumph over 2011 Players Championship winner Kevin Painter.

There were also wins for Simon Whitlock, Paul Nicholson, Mervyn King, Michael van Gerwen, Vincent van der Voort and Robert Thornton in Bolton.

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

‘Barney’ swept past Klaasen with an impressive 8-3 victory, to set up a fourth round clash against Andy Hamilton.

“He (Klaasen) let me in early on and I never looked back really,” said van Barneveld, who topped the tournament’s qualifying rankings.

“I hit my doubles and I am pleased to be through. This is a special place for me and the crowd were fantastic.”

Monk showed plenty of bottle to win a last leg decider against Painter, who missed a dart at the bull before the former under-21 World Champion stepped in to hit double top.

“I’m playing well, I’m hitting 180′s for fun,” said Monk, who exacted revenge for his defeat against Painter at the World Championships.

“Kevin has beat me every time we’ve played before so it’s a massive win for me.

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

“I’m happy to go against any of the big boys. I want to keep playing well and go far in the competition.”

Monk will face Nicholson on Saturday afternoon, after ‘The Asset’ beat Michael Mansell 9-7, hitting a 170 checkout along the way.

“The aim was always to get to the weekend,” said Nicholson “I’ve made it so I’ll see what I can do from here.”

Whitlock ran out as a 9-6 winner over Terry Temple. ‘The Wizard’ now faces a tough test against Justin Pipe in round four.

“It doesn’t matter who I play,” said the Premier League finalist. “I’m playing really well at the moment and I hope to keep that going.”

King triumphed 9-3 over Gareth Cousins, while van Gerwen beat William O’Connor by the same margin. The pair now meet in the fourth round.

van der Voort fought back from 6-5 down to end the challenge of amateur qualifier Paul Amos.

“My form’s getting better and better,” said the 2007 runner-up. “It’s not easy because there are so many good players.”

“Paul played brilliant but I dug in and I can feel that my best darts are coming back.”

Thornton came out on top in a topsy-turvy battle with Mark Webster, a match that included eleven breaks of throw.

Defending champion James Wade suffered an early exit however, losing out to Colin Lloyd despite hitting mammoth finishes 160 and 170.

PDC Unicorn World Youth Champion James Hubbard also bowed out of the tournament at the hands of Terry Jenkins.

Saturday sees the last 32 players battle it out in the afternoon session before the final 16 play for quarter-final places in the evening.

All of Saturday’s matches are best of 17 legs.

By Chris Murphy

See four of the world’s top professional darts players go head to head in the Charlton Masters on Thursday 19 July.

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

James Wade, Mark Webster and Paul Nicholson all won last leg deciders to book their places in round three of the Speedy Services UK Open, while Arron Monk and Mervyn King produced impressive displays at Bolton’s Reebok Stadium on Thursday.

Wade had to fight off a strong challenge from the impressive Stephen Bunting. ‘The Machine’ won the last two legs to keep his title defence on course.

Webster needed to win the final three legs to overcome the challenge of Johnny Haines.

The Welshman trailed 3-1 after missing doubles earlier in the match but found his form in time to ensure he would be staying in Bolton for at least another day.

Nicholson beat Harry Miles 4-2 in round one, and then edged out Tony Cooper in the second round.

King produced one of the performances of the night with a 4-1 triumph over Ted Hankey, who had built up some momentum with two wins before closing the action on the main stage.

Former under-21 World Champion Arron Monk did brilliantly to win three matches, including an impressive 4-1 second round success over Adam Hunt.

Monk’s reward is a third round tie against Premier League star Kevin Painter.

Wade will face Colin Lloyd in round three on Friday evening, when Webster takes on Robert Thornton.

Nicholson takes on Michael Mansell, while King faces Gareth Cousins.

Adam Smith-Neale won two matches on Thursday before eventually losing out to Dan Stuart.

Andy Jenkins lost out to Hankey after beating Gus Santana in the preliminary round, while John Henderson won his first round tie but was denied a place in round three by Colin Osborne.

Premier League finalist Simon Whitlock, five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld and PDC Unicorn World Youth Champion James Hubbard enter the tournament on Friday.

‘The Wizard’ has drawn Terry Temple in round three, while ‘Barney’ and Hubbard face Jelle Klaasen and Terry Jenkins respectively.

Vincent van der Voort, also enters on Friday. He plays Paul Amos, while his compatriot Michael van Gerwen faces William O’Connor.

By Chris Murphy

See four of the world’s top professional darts players go head to head in the Charlton Masters on Thursday 19 July.

The Speedy Services UK Open gets underway on Thursday evening, with James Wade preparing to begin his defence of the £40,000 title.

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

‘The Machine’, who is bidding for his third UK Open triumph and eighth major title, will start his campaign in round two, where he will face one of four potential qualifiers, after the preliminary and first rounds have taken place.

“I know people say they only take one game at a time but that’s literally all you can do because you’ve no idea who you’ll play in the next round if you get through,” said the world number three.

“I’m fortunate enough to have won twice in Bolton and it would be fantastic to do it again, but I know I’ll have a tough weekend ahead of me.”

Paul Nicholson, who was one of the stars of the tournament last year, will need to win two matches on Thursday to be part of the third round draw at the end of the evening.

‘The Asset’, who beat Phil Taylor and Gary Anderson during a blistering run to last year’s quarter-finals, starts in round one against one of two amateur qualifiers.

“I’m going to try and keep a slightly lower profile and then, if the fight warrants it, I’ll try and lift the profile by making some fireworks go off,” said Nicholson, who is known by many for his ‘bad boy’ image.

“That will only happen if it suits me though, I’m not going to do it for SKY or the crowd this year. I’m going to do it for myself and try and gain some confidence by playing good darts instead of doing it in other ways.”

Last year’s semi-finalist Mark Webster is also in action on the opening night. He enter’s in the second round, where he faces Johnny Haines.

Mervyn King enters the tournament at the same stage as ‘Spider’, where he could face a high-profile clash with Ted Hankey.

“There’s no guarantee that Ted will make it,” said King. “Whether it is him or one of the other players, I’ll give it my best shot. I know I have the game to beat anybody on my day. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”

One of King’s potential opponents is Andy Jenkins, who would meet Hankey in round one if both players make it through their preliminary games.

“I’ve known Ted for over 20 years,” said Jenkins, who made the cut for the tournament after competing in just two qualifying events.

“We are good friends and I probably taught him most of the tricks he knows.”

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

“It would be great to play him on TV in his first major tournament since coming over from the BDO, but I’m not looking that far in front. We both have games to win before that can happen.”

Also in first night action are young guns Arron Monk and Adam Smith-Neale, as are Co Stompe and John Henderson, who faces amateur qualifier Lee Bryant in the preliminary round.

“It doesn’t really matter who I play, getting to the Friday would be an achievement for me,” added Henderson.

“I know I’m capable of beating anyone on my day, so hopefully I can win three tough games on Thursday and take it from there.

“I won’t be taking anything or anyone for granted because a lot of the qualifiers will be very good players. I’ll just go out there and do my best and hopefully it’s good enough.”

On completion of the prelims and first two rounds, the top 32 qualifiers join the second round winners in the open draw for round three.

Amongst the players entering in the third round are Raymond van Barneveld, Simon Whitlock, Michael van Gerwen, Vincent van der Voort, Robert Thornton and World Youth Champion James Hubbard.

By Chris Murphy

See four of the world’s top professional darts players go head to head in the Charlton Masters on Thursday 19 July.

John Henderson believes that he has got the game to do well at the Speedy Services UK Open, but insists that he won’t be taking anything for granted in Bolton on Thursday.

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

‘Highlander’, who faces Riley’s qualifier Lee Bryant in the preliminary round, is pleased with the way he is playing going into to his first televised tournament of 2012.

He said: “My preparations are going quite well. I’m practising a lot more at the moment. I struggled a little bit at the beginning of the year with a couple of injuries.

“I had a good weekend in Crawley at the last Pro-Tour events. I had two good wins against Simon Whitlock and Gino Vos and gave Mervyn King a great game so my confidence is up just at the right time.”

Henderson must win three games on Thursday, including a potential second round tie against Colin Osborne, to go into the draw for Friday, when the top 32 qualifiers join the competition.

“It doesn’t really matter who I play, getting to the Friday would be an achievement for me,” added Henderson.

“I know I’m capable of beating anyone on my day, so hopefully I can win three tough games on Thursday and take it from there.

“I won’t be taking anything or anyone for granted because a lot of the qualifiers will be very good players. I’ll just go out there and do my best and hopefully it’s good enough.”

By Chris Murphy