One of the world’s leading darters has taken the chance to brush up on his painting skills – after being inspired by having a colour named after him.
Ayrshire ace Robert Thornton is one of five oche favourites to feature on the ‘Colours of the Darts Scene’ colour card created by Leyland Paints along with Simon Whitlock, Mark Webster, Premier League champion Michael van Gerwen and James Wade. (more…)
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
Michael van Gerwen and Robert Thornton both won UK Open qualifiers on a wonderful weekend for the Premier League pair in Wigan.
van Gerwen added Saturday’s title to the two he had previously won last month, before Thornton stopped his rampant run on Sunday and took the honours himself.
‘Mighty Mike’ saw off Michael Smith in Saturday’s final to clinch the £6,000 first prize after he had narrowly missed double twelve to nail a nine-dart-finish in an earlier round.
“It’s always nice to win a tournament like this and I’m delighted,” van Gerwen told PDC.tv
“I know I’m playing well and I’ve shown everyone again today.
“I was strong from the beginning but I played a lot of good players, like Simon Whitlock, Gary Anderson and Peter Wright. I’m full of confidence and I’m taking that into my games at the moment.”
The Dutch sensation looked set to continue is incredible run of success on the Pro Tour, having won UK Open qualifiers 1, 2 & 3 in addition to the final Players Championship event in 2012, before he ran into the brilliant Thornton in Sunday’s semi-finals.
Thornton, the reigning Speedy Services UK Open champion, claimed a 6-3 victory, before triumphing 6-4 against Jamie Caven in the final.
“I’m chuffed to bits to get the win,” said Thornton, who will be appearing alongside van Gerwen in the Portsmouth International Masters in June.
“It’s about time Michael let somebody else win!
“In all seriousness though it’s so tough now.
“The standard is incredible and it’s a proud day when you win one of these.
“It’s harder than winning your Premier League match on a Thursday night and in an odd way, playing in that tournament has prepared me for this!”
Both players will turn their attentions to night seven of the McCoy’s Premier League in Cardiff, where they are in action on Thursday.
There was also a strong showing from Paul Nicholson in both of the weekend’s events, with ‘The Asset’ reaching the quarter-finals on both days.
By Chris Murphy
Image courtesy of Lawrence Lustig/PDC