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Michael van Gerwen is arguably the most promising young talent in darts. The Dutchman, who capped off 2011 by being named as PDC Young Player of the year, is aiming to make this year his most successful yet.

Photo: Lawerence Lustig/PDC

The 22 year-old has started 2012 in typically explosive style. He won a UK Open qualifier in Crawley in February, hitting a nine-dart finish and a 170 checkout in the final. ‘Mighty Mike’ has continued to play fantastic darts in the floor tournaments so far, and he hopes that his impressive start to the year is a sign of things to come.

He said: “I played very well in Crawley and it was brilliant to hit the nine-darter, especially in the final. That meant a lot. It was special. These floor tournaments are very important for qualifying for the TV majors and building confidence, so it was a massive boost to win and I hope I can win a few more.”

Van Gerwen exploded onto the circuit in 2006, when he won the World Masters, aged just 17, becoming the youngest player ever to win a major title. The Dutchman has shown flashes of his electrifying ability at times, notably a nine-darter against Raymond van Barneveld at the 2007 Masters of Darts, but is starting to enjoy more consistency in his game after a year of mixed fortunes.

“Last year was very strange for me,” said van Gerwen. “In the first half of the year I didn’t get any good results. I failed to qualify for the World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix, which was very disappointing for me. I am a winner, but if you don’t qualify, you can’t win. For me to show what I can do I need to qualify for the televised tournaments.

“The second half of the year was so much better. I played very well in the floor tournaments and had some good results, which got my confidence levels up. I played well in the Grand Slam, finishing top of my group, and reached the last 16 of the World Championship too. I was happy with that. My confidence grows with every match I win on the big stage and the end of last year set me up nicely to do even better this year.”

‘Mighty Mike’ is set to compete on the biggest stage of his career, when he takes on James Hubbard in the final of the World Youth Championship at the O2 Arena in May. The match will be played in front of a humungous crowd on the night of the McCoy’s Premier League Final and van Gerwen is desperate to win the competition, after losing out to Arron Monk in last year’s final.

He said: “I’m looking forward to the final, especially to playing in front of such a big crowd. I’ve never been to a venue in the Premier League since I joined the PDC, so it’s even more exciting that the first time I do, I’ll have the chance to win a title. James (Hubbard) is a nice lad and I’m looking forward to playing him but I want to beat him on the night.

Photo: Lawerence Lustig/PDC

“The youth final is very important to me as it’s my last chance to win it. Last year Arron (Monk) was a bit too good for me in the final. I didn’t play my own game, so now I want to show everyone what I can do on the main stage.”

Van Gerwen hopes that victory in the youth final can act as a catalyst to bigger and better achievements this year, and the ambitious youngster is taking a wise and measured approach.

“I want to take small steps, not giant leaps,” said van Gerwen. “I want to improve game by game, leg by leg, step by step. Everybody knows how good I can be and I’ve shown it many times, but this year I really want to establish myself as a top player. I want qualify for all of the TV tournaments and improve in each one. One of the main things is to win the youth final. Confidence is the most important thing for me, but that only comes with winning games. I am getting there slowly but surely. I just have to keep focused and I know I can achieve a lot.”

By Chris Murphy

James Wade and Raymond van Barneveld moved firmly into contention for the McCoy’s Premier league play-off places, while Simon Whitlock climbed to second in the table, as all three MODUS stars triumphed in Glasgow.

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

Wade exacted revenge on Adrian Lewis, for defeat in the semi-finals of the World Championship, with an impressive 8-5 victory over ‘Jackpot’. The 2009 Premier League champion has turned his form around in this year’s competition, by following three consecutive defeats with the same amount of successive wins. ‘The Machine’ joins three other players on six points in the table ahead of next week’s trip to Dublin, which marks the halfway stage of the tournament.

“I’m not playing my best darts at the moment but it’s another two points which I’ll take gladly,” said Wade. “It’s coming good and I’m getting a little bit of rub of the green, and I took my chances well at times.”

Van Barneveld is also on six points after claiming a hard fought victory over Kevin Painter. The popular Dutchman won five of the last six legs to grab his second win of the season, leaving the boisterous Scottish crowd delighted.

“It wasn’t the best game we’ve both played but at the end I’ve got the two points,” said van Barneveld. “I lost to Phil with a 106 average a few weeks ago, and I’m happy just to get the two points this time. I don’t think I played as well as in recent weeks but it’s a good win for me. I’m working hard and I know I’ll get back to my best, I’m getting there.”

Simon Whitlock silenced the patriotic Glasgow crowd earlier in the evening, with an 8-6 success over ‘Flying Scotsman’, Gary Anderson. ‘The Wizard’, who hit a stunning 164 checkout in the match, moved above the defending champion with his third win of the season.

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

“I probably could have made it a lot easier for myself but I’m very happy to get the win,” said Whitlock. “I missed a lot of doubles and, credit to Gary because he came back at me. Last season I lost both matches to Gary, so to get one back is great for me and keeps me up there in the table. I’m taking one game at a time and battling away.”

Phil Taylor continued his unbeaten start to the season with an 8-3 triumph over Andy Hamilton in the other match of the night.

Wade will attempt to become the first player to beat ‘The Power’ this season when he takes on Taylor in Dublin next Thursday. Van Barneveld is up against Anderson in Ireland, where Whitlock faces Hamilton.

By Chris Murphy

Latest League Table

RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD 8 – 5 Kevin Painter

Raymond van Barneveld claimed victory over Kevin Painter on night six of the McCoy’s Premier League in Glasgow.

‘Barney’ averaged over 103 on his way to victory, in a match where more legs were won against the throw than with it.

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

Painter grabbed a break of throw in the opening leg. ‘Barney’ responded with a maximum before hitting double top to draw level. The Dutchman just missed double sixteen for a 146 finish in leg three, but hit it in his next visit to put himself ahead. ‘The Artist’ hit back by taking out a stunning 157 finish to hold before breaking van Barneveld’s throw to take a 3-2 lead. ‘Barney’ broke back immediately once more to go into the break on level terms.

The second half of the match started in similar fashion to the first, as Painter claimed another break of throw before ‘Barney’ did the same, hitting another maximum in the process. The five-time world champion hit his third 180 in the ninth leg, which he won by hitting double 18. ‘Barney’ then closed in on victory when he hit double eight for another break of throw.

The pendulum briefly swung back Painter’s way when he hit double fifteen to break van Barneveld’s throw, but ‘Barney’ broke straight back once again to leave himself throwing for the match. He completed the job by hitting double 16, much to the delight of the Glaswegian ‘Barney Army’.

“I cherish the two points, I’m happy tonight,” said van Barneveld. “Kevin Painter is a world class player so I’m pleased to get the win. He will be disappointed, as I would have been if I’d lost tonight, but he’ll be back next week. I’ve been working hard, practising and working out in the gym. I am tired but I cherish every moment and if I need to climb a mountain to win games, I will do it.”

By Chris Murphy

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.