James Wade and Michael van Gerwen produced some fantastic performances in the World Matchplay at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens before both being denied places in the final by Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis respectively.
Wade followed up his opening round defeat of John Part with a fine performance in seeing off Gary Anderson to reach the quarter-finals.
There, he edged out Simon Whitlock in a thrilling encounter before losing out in his semi-final clash against Taylor, who went on to win the title.
van Gerwen defeated Colin Lloyd in round one before producing a fabulous display to demolish Peter Wright 13-3.
He then saw off Dave Chisnall to reach the semi-final, where he suffered a narrow defeat at the hands of Lewis.
Simon Whitlock and Michael van Gerwen progressed into the semi-finals of the European Darts Championship with sensational victories in Mulheim on Sunday afternoon.
Whitlock produced an amazing comeback fron 9-3 down to defeat Jamie Caven 10-9, winning the deciding leg with a sublime 146 checkout when his opponent was waiting on 56.
“That came from the heart,” said defending champion Whitlock, who will face Ronny Huybrechts this evening.
“I was thinking about when Andy Hamilton did it to me at the World Matchplay a couple of years ago and I just hung in there and weathered the storm.
“Jamie lost his way a bit when I started coming back and I do feel for him but I am the defending champion and I don’t want to let this title go.”
van Gerwen averaged 105 as he defeated Jelle Klaasen with a brilliant performance, which included seven 180s and a 136 finish for the world number two.
“I really wanted to win this game and I’m very happy to have won it,” said van Gerwen, who takes on Adrian Lewis in the last four.
“It was a quality game and I’m very pleased to be through to the semi-finals.
“I’m looking forward to tonight because I know I can play even better than this so hopefully I can keep on improving in this tournament.
“I think I am the favourite but that means nothing and I’ll make sure I’m prepared for a tough opponent.”
Robert Thornton was denied a semi-final spot after losing out in a last leg decider to Huybrechts.
Lewis defeated Andy Hamilton in the afternoon’s other match.
By Chris Murphy
Bronze tickets are still available to see van Gerwen, Whitlock, Wade, van Barneveld, Priestley, Huybrechts and Winstanley at OVER THE TOP in Barnsley on September 27 – GET YOURS HERE
Michael van Gerwen, Simon Whitlock and Robert Thornton all won through to the quarter-finals of the European Championship with impressive victories on Saturday in Mulheim, Germany.
van Gerwen claimed a commanding win against Mervyn King, Whitlock saw off Colin Lloyd and Thornton completed his first ever success over Raymond van Barneveld.
Dutch star van Gerwen was in imperious form in his 10-3 triumph over King.
The reigning Premier League champion took out four finishes of over 100 and averaged 105 as he set up a last eight tie against Jelle Klaasen.
“I’m really pleased with the win and the performance,” said van Gerwen, the world number two.
“I was glad to improve on yesterday but I had to against Mervyn.
“I hope I can take this form into tomorrow and it could turn out to be a very good day for me.”
Whitlock moved a step closer to a successful defence of his first major title with a 10-6 triumph over Lloyd, which included six 180s for the Australian.
‘The Wizard’, who won the tournament last year, will take on Jamie Caven in Sunday afternoon’s quarter-finals.
“I’m over the moon as I took the couple of chances I had there,” said Whitlock.
“I don’t want to let this title go. I’m like a dog with a bone.
“Colin played very well but I found the shots I needed when I needed them and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
Thornton came out on top in an absolute thriller against ‘Barney’, with the Scotsman winning a dramatic last leg decider.
The Scotsman had looked in control when he led 9-7 but van Barneveld forced the last leg shootout, in which both players missed darts to win.
“I thought i had him when i went 9-7 up,” said former UK Open champion Thornton, who faces Ronny Huybrects in the last eight.
“I always do it the hard way but his comeback got into my head a bit so I’m delighted to be through.
“I’m happy going into Sunday after that and I’m looking forward to another great battle.”
James Wade missed out on a quarter-final spot after suffering defeat at the hands of Jamie Caven, while Paul Nicholson was beaten narrowly by Andy Hamilton.
Meanwhile, Huybrechts won through to meet Thornton after knocking out Phil Taylor in a shock victory for the Belgian.
Sunday sees the conclusion of the £200,000 tournament, with the quarter-finals being played out in the afternoon before the semi-finals and final take place in the evening.
By Chris Murphy
Bronze tickets are still available to see van Gerwen, Whitlock, Wade, van Barneveld, Priestley, Huybrechts and Winstanley at OVER THE TOP in Barnsley on September 27 – GET YOURS HERE
Stephen Fry has backed the upcoming Untouchables charity darts night by tweeting about the event.
Fry, who is an avid darts fan, mentioned the event on his official twitter page in a huge boost for potential fundraising for the two charities it is being held in aid of – Bipolar UK and Bradbury Enhanced Care Service.
Wade, MvG & more top #Darts players on show in fundraiser for @bipolaruk All the info here: bit.ly/14gNE7A thanks to @modusdarts180
— Stephen Fry (@stephenfry) June 13, 2013
The fundraiser, which will take place on the evening of Friday 21 June, will see some of the world’s top professional darts players perform at Roffey Sports and Social Club, Horsham.
Premier League stars James Wade, Simon Whitlock, Michael van Gerwen and Robert Thornton are amongst a fantastic line-up for the event.
They will be joined by former Players Champion Paul Nicholson, former World Champions Mark Webster and Andy Fordham and the Dutch duo of Vincent van der Voort and Co Stompe.
Tickets are priced at £20 and are available from www.dartshop.tv / 08450 180 180
or 01403 210 223
All funds raised from the event will be split directly between the two charities.
Bipolar UK is the national charity dedicated to supporting individuals with the much misunderstood and devastating condition of Bipolar, while Bradbury Enhanced Care Service provides crucial support for young adults with complex health needs, physical disabilities and life limiting conditions.
Fry, the famous actor, comedian and presenter, has been diagnosed with Bipolar disorder and is a patron of Bipolar UK.
His tweet is a huge boost for both charities as it raises awareness of the event to his millions of twitter followers.
Tickets are priced at £20 and are available here or by calling MODUS on 08450 180 180.
Attendees are reminded that all proceeds will be split between the two causes, with further fund-raising activities taking place on the evening.
Items have already been donated for auction by World Snooker, Matchroom Sport and Unicorn Darts.
Donations can also be made via this page for Bipolar UK or text the amount you would like to donate & Dart52 to 70070 OR click here for Bradbury Enhanced care or text the amount you would like to donate & Dart54 to 70070.
By Chris Murphy
James Wade dropped just two legs in three matches on Thursday evening has he stormed through to the third round of the UK Open in Bolton, while Andy Jenkins and John Henderson also progressed.
Two-time champion Wade defeated former quarter-finalist Robbie Green 5-2 in a preliminary round tie before securing back-to-back whitewashes.
The 30-year-old swept past Matt Gallett 5-0 to reach the second round, where he saw off Wayne Jones by the same margin.
“It wasn’t as easy as it might look,” admitted Wade, who last won the title in 2011.
“I always believe I can win this but it can be a bit of a lottery on night’s like this so I’m glad I got the job done.”
Jenkins won through to the third round by defeating Nigel Heydon 5-4 and revealed his pride after the victory.
He said: “I love the game and I’m trying to get back to my best. It is hard and I have beaten a very good player tonight so it is a good step for me.”
Scotsman Henderson sealed his spot in round three with a 5-2 victory over Dave Place.
There was disappointment for former World Youth Champions James Hubbard and Arron Monk, however.
The pair both missed out at the second round stage after Hubbard had produced a strong showing in a 5-2 victory over John Scott to get there.
He was beaten 5-3 by Andy Smith, while Monk lost out to Gaz Cousins.
Dutch duo Vincent van der Voort and Co Stompe were both eliminated in round one.
Youngster Keegan Brown, who is sponsored by Simon Whitlock, performed brilliantly to reach round two.
He picked up wins against Keith Rooney and Shaun Griffiths but was denied a place in the hat for the third round draw by Joey Palfreyman.
Another promising youngster, Chris Aubrey, suffered a narrow defeat against Steve Farmer in the preliminary round.
The draw for the third round will be made at the end of Thursday’s play.
By Chris Murphy
The PDC’s elite will compete in the inaugural Sydney Darts Masters in August, it has been announced today.
The Australian event is the second leg in the new World Series of Darts, which kicked off in Dubai last month.
The tournament will be held at Luna Park in Sydney from August 29-31.
The PDC’s top eight from the Order of Merit, including James Wade, Michael van Gerwen and Australia’s Simon Whitlock, will make up half of the 16-strong field for the three-day event.
Whitlock’s World Cup team-mate Paul Nicholson will also be on show along with the top three players from the DPA rankings, three home nation qualifiers and a qualifier from New Zealand.
The visit of top PDC darts stars to Millwall Football Club has been moved to a new date.
Premier League Darts aces James Wade and Michael van Gerwen are still heading to do battle in Millwall, but will appear a couple of weeks later than originally planned.
The Millwall Masters will now take place on 12 September, and will feature world number two van Gerwen and Wade, who is ranked fourth, alongside three more top players.
Also on show are the charismatic trio of former World Champions Ted Hankey and Andy Fordham and former Players Champion Paul Nicholson.
Wade is the second most successful player in PDC history, having won seven major titles, while van Gerwen, the 2013 Premier League champion, is widely tipped to be a dominant force in darts for years to come.
The event will see four local qualifiers given the chance to take on the professionals. Details of how to qualify will be announced in due course.
World Grand Prix winner van Gerwen, who was a guest of honour at a Millwall home game last season, said: “I’m really looking forward to this event.
“I’m a big football fan and enjoyed visiting the club. I’m looking forward to coming back to show everyone what I do best in what is going to be a great night.
“The line-up for the event is fantastic. We are all players that would expect to meet in the quarters and semi-finals of major tournaments so fans are in for a treat.
“We will put on a good show and I hope the qualifiers will be ready because we will all be out to win!”
The date change is due to unforeseen professional commitments. Customers that have already purchased tickets are advised to contact MODUS Sports Management on 08450 180 180 or original place of purchase.
Tickets for the Millwall Masters are available from www.dartshop.tv / 08450 180 180 or from the box office 0207 740 0504.