Winmau World Masters 2007 - Update

Report by Robert Holmes PR Officer BDO

WINMAU WORLD MASTERS DARTS CHAMPIONSHIPS
LEISURE WORLD, BRIDLINGTON – NOVEMBER 16-18, 2007
2007 WORLD MASTERS IS THE BIGGEST AND BEST EVER!
Prize money for this year’s WINMAU WORLD MASTERS has been increased, and there will be more live coverage than ever before on both BBC-1 and BBC-2.
The World Masters will once again attract the world’s top darts champions from over 140 national and international events.
"The increase in prize money reflects our ongoing commitment to the World Masters, as does the increased live coverage from BBC TV", says Ian Flack, Sales & Marketing Director of Winmau.
"Approximately 300 players from over thirty countries will descend on Bridlington for this year’s World Masters and, after 32 consecutive years we are proud that as the oldest established major in world darts, it remains truly open and competitive and carries a huge slice of darts history.
"Indeed, Winmau is delighted that the World Masters title carries so much history and kudos to darts player worldwide, and will be played on the best board in the World - the Winmau Blade III"
The only major in world darts with four separate finals - Men, Women, Boys and Girls – the Winmau World Masters attracts thousands of darts players, officials and supporters from right around the globe to Bridlington.
With refurbishment of The Spa still not completed, the 2007 World Masters will once again be played at Leisure World, Bridlington. The 2007 dates are November 16 to 18, with BBC Television coverage of the final stages of the Men’s World Masters on BBC-1 on Saturday, November 17 and BBC-2 on Sunday, November 18.
Details of the 2007 prize fund and the full schedule for the 2007 Winmau World Masters will be announced in due course.

2007 Holsten Premier League Darts Play-Offs

PHIL TAYLOR claimed his third successive Holsten Premier League Darts title with a 16-6 win over Terry Jenkins at the Brighton Centre.
The 13-time World Champion extended his incredible unbeaten record in the tournament to 44 matches over the three-year history of the Premier League on the South Coast.
He first defeated Dennis Priestley 11-6 in the semi-finals before then dispatching Jenkins in the decider to claim the £75,000 title.
In a repeat of his semi-final performance, Taylor's mid-game burst again proved too hard for his opponent to handle as he surged from 3-3 to 7-3 in the blink of an eye.
He then stormed to the title with six unanswered legs to repeat his 2006 World Grand Prix win over Jenkins and pick up yet another trophy.
"I'm over the moon," said Taylor. "Winning a hat-trick of Premier League titles is a great achievement and I'm so happy to be unbeaten again.
"It's getting harder all the time and Terry showed the quality of players here - he deserved to beat Ray in the semis and he did well in the final."
Jenkins overcame the odds to defeat current World Champion Raymond van Barneveld 11-10 in the other semi-final.
Van Barneveld fought back from 10-6 down to send the tie into a deciding leg, but fell at the last four stage for a second successive year.
Jenkins claimed £40,000 as the runner-up, the biggest payday of his career.
"It's obviously disappointing to lose but I've loved being a part of the Premier League," he said. "It's been a great tournament and I'm delighted that I reached the final."
A 161 finish in the 11th leg of the final - beating his earlier 128 - also brought Jenkins the night's highest checkout and a bonus of £1,000.

Lakeside champions set for tour

BBC Sport reports:

Lakeside World darts Champions Martin Adams and Trina Gulliver are to embark on a 47-date UK tour starting in June.
Adams clinched his first world title in January at the age of 50, while Gulliver clinched her seventh crown.
Adams's thrilling 7-6 win over Phill Nixon in the men's final was seen by a BBC TV audience of around 4m.
The tour of theatre venues will include a chance for members of the public to share the oche with the two current England captains.

Can you beat a world champ?

By Staff Copy
Storey from Peterbourough Today
DARTS fans are invited to step up to the oche and challenge a world champ at his own game – in the name of charity.
In a bid to raise funds for the Deepings Rugby Club, in Linchfield Road, Deeping St James, Deepings darts ace Martin “Wolfie” Adams will take on all-comers for a night.
On Tuesday, May 29, at 8pm, he will take part in the charity fund-raiser, and people are invited to play against him.
For more details, call Mark Owen on 07968 553151.
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Sun newspaper launches Worthington darts league

by Alex Donohue Brand Republic 22-May-07, 13:00

LONDON - News International's The Sun is to debut an online fantasy darts league sponsored by Worthington, offering cash prizes.
The league, which is being endorsed by 13-times World Darts Champion Phil "The Power" Taylor, will invite viewers to register their team at The Sun homepage or the tournament's official website.

Entrants will pay £5 to participate and must choose 10 professional darts players for their team; Taylor is not available for selection. Participants earn points depending on their team's performance in all major darts tournaments worldwide, between now and January 1 2008.
Mick Robins, head of fantasy games at News International, said: "Darts has risen to become one of the biggest sports in the UK and we wanted to add to the fans' enjoyment of it."
News International said the fantasy darts league would be the first in a number of similar games launches coming up over the next few months.

Premier League Darts™

Premier League Darts™ from Lunagames
Now challenge world’s best dart players in the official Premier League Darts™ game.
Premier League Darts™ features all the real tournament players including Phil Taylor, Raymond van Barneveld, Peter Manley, Adrian Lewis, Dennis Priestley, Terry Jenkins, Colin Lloyd, and Roland Scholten.
Play a quick game (501, 301, Cricket, or Round the Clock) and build-up your skills, or play it big and enter for the Premier League Darts™ tournament for the ultimate showdown against the stars.
Ready to showoff your skills? Set your own profile and challenge your friends in the two-player game.

Touch Darts

Touch Darts combines individual dart competitions within a stylised playing environment, along with a mixture of amusing multiplayer modes and wildly inspired mini-games.With its stylised look and feel SEGA Presents Touch Darts grabs darts by the flight and boldly steps up to the oche. Players can use the unique touch screen of the Nintendo DS to accurately simulate the throwing of a dart and by drawing the stylus over the touch screen, players will be able to aim their dart and throw it with all the precision of a seasoned pro.Featuring a roster of outrageous extrovert characters, each with their own unique style, SEGA Presents Touch Darts has someone for everyone and mini-games for all, with a healthy dash of artistic license thrown in for good measure.

All information from: http://www.gamershell.com/ds/touch_darts/screenshots.html

Bullseye Game Show Marathon 2 Ratings

The ratings for Bullseye on Saturday evening peaked at 5.3 Million and it’s the highest rating for any of the shows in Game Show Marathon Series 2 to date.

The others have been averaging just over 4 Million.

When you consider Bullseye up against Doctor Who on BBC1 (their ratings just over 7 Million) and not to forget that it was FA Cup Final day it makes the 5.3 Million even better – It goes to prove that public still love Bullseye.

I thought the Producer, Glen Middleham and the entire team on Bullseye did a terrific job.

The show looked polished, had pace, fun and most of all very entertaining for the viewer.

I would like to hear your comments on the show and the ratings.

With best wishes.

Yours sincerely,

Andrew Wood

mailto:bullseyetv@blueyonder.co.uk,

You can't beat a bit of 'Bully'

Playing Darts is the new Rock’n’Roll 180

2008 England Open Darts

Copyright Hans Willink

The England Darts Organisation has announced details of the 2008 England Open Darts Tournament which will be taking place from the 11th to the 13th April 2008. As players from across Europe prepare for the eagerly anticipated 2007 Open next month, plans to host the 2008 Open in the South of England have already been confirmed.

Organisers have selected the Bunn Leisure holiday park as the venue for the 2008 Open. The Chichester-based park is the largest single site park in Europe and with a capacity to accommodate over 14,000 visitors, it is considered to be an ideal location for the major event which draws players and enthusiasts from across Europe.

As well as exhibition matches with Martin Adams and Trina Gulliver,
The tournament Finals will feature Bobby George as MC and Richard Ashdown as referee.

Colin Saunders,Commercial & Contracts Director for the EDO commented; “We are extremely excited about the plans for the 2008 Open. The England Open has always been a major date in the International Darts calendar and we expect the 2008 tournament to be no exception. We expect a host of top names to attend and the top class venue exceeds all expectations, being situated in an ideal location with flexible accommodation and a vast range of facilities. We are proud to be associated with Bunn Leisure and are particularly appreciative of their generous sponsorship of the event”.

This is the first major event to be held since the re-structuring of the England Darts Organisation and total prize money for the event exceeds £15,000 in cash, plus Trophies over the weekend with the winners of the Men’s and Women’s singles taking home £2,000 each. The Singles events are WDF, BDO and Grand Prix Ranked. .
A Youth event, which is free to enter, will also be included in the weekend.

Over 600 players and visitors are expected to attend the tournament at Bunn Leisure over the 3-day period.

Those interested in attending the event should contact Bunn Leisure on 01243 606 080 or visit http://www.bunnleisure.co.uk/.

ENDS
May 2007

For further information about Bunn Leisure and the tournament contact:
Echo Ilott or Mike Caven
Nude PR Bunn Leisure
Tel: +44 (0) 1202 738983 Tel: +44 (0) 1243 604121
Mobile: +44 (0) 7931 718 121 Email: mikecaven@bunnleisure.co.uk
Email: echo@nude-pr.com

For further information about the England Darts Organisation and the tournament contact:

Colin Saunders
England Darts Organisation Ltd.
Tel: +44 (0) 07767 360308
Email: colinsaunders@englanddarts.co.uk

On line darts game

This darts game is a bit of fun but quite hard to hit a good score.

Just click the banner and give it a go.

ITV TO BROADCAST DARTS CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS

The Professional Darts Corporation and ITV are delighted to announce that the inaugural Grand Slam of Darts will be screened live on ITV from 17-25 November 2007.
With a massive £300,000 prize fund the tournament will see 32 champions of the sport, from both the PDC and BDO/WDF, compete at the Wolverhampton Civic, with the champion of champions taking away a cool £80,000.
Live coverage of the tournament will be screened on both ITV1 and ITV4 in addition to nightly highlights throughout the week.
"It's great to welcome ITV back into the sport of darts," said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn.
"There has never been a better time to be a professional player and this event will show darts fans nationwide the very best in the business battling for huge prize money.
"If a player has the necessary ambition they really can fulfill their ambitions in their chosen sport now, as the prize money on offer is unprecedented.
"All of the world's best and most successful players will be invited to compete in the Grand Slam of Darts and we hope they have the ambition to want to compete against the real superstars of darts.
"Qualification is still open to all players, with a number of major championships coming up over the next five months for them to win their place alongside Phil Taylor and Raymond van Barneveld in this highly-anticipated event."
ITV's Director of News and Sport, Mark Sharman said: "We are delighted to be back in darts as the exclusive broadcaster of a tournament that will produce the sport's champion of champions. Darts is an enduringly popular sport for television, with wide audience appeal."
17.05.07

-ends-

Darts machine scores a bull`s-eye every time (almost)

Full Storey From: Drives & Controls

It is answer to every pub darts player`s dream - a dartboard that will almost guarantee a bull`s-eye every time. This fantasy has become a reality thanks to a group of German engineers and computer scientists.

They have developed a system (shown above) that uses machine vision cameras to track the flight of a dart and then moves a dartboard rapidly and accurately enough for it to be in the right place for the dart to score a bull`s-eye.
At first, nobody thought that it would be possible to determine the dart`s flight path, calculate the point of impact, and move the board to the correct position, within the 250ms flight time of a dart. Despite this, about a year ago, a group of students from the Munich Technical University (TUM) formed a multidisciplinary team to determine whether the dart machine would be feasible.
First, they had to find out whether commercially available vision systems would be fast enough to acquire the image of the flying dart, and to work out how to arrange the actuators needed to move the board quickly and precisely. They calculated that 100ms was needed to acquire of the dart data and position the board, and a further 50ms was needed to allow for communications between the components and for the various movements to be co-ordinated.
The team decided to limit the movement of the dartboard to half its diameter in both the vertical and horizontal axes. This would mean that the dart-thrower was going to hit the board anyway, but the system would help to ensure that the dart would score a bull`s-eye.
Several German automation suppliers, including igus, Leuze Lumiflex, and Softing provided equipment for the project. Festo supplied the servomotors and the electrical toothed belt axes that move the board, while Bosch Rexroth provided the supporting profiles.

Two cameras - one looking down on the dart from above, and the other viewing it from the side - track the dart`s motion in three dimensions. This information is fed to an industrial PC, which calculates the trajectory and sends commands via CANbus to the motion controllers that supervise the servo-driven axes.

The dartboard is mounted on horizontal and vertical beams which are propelled by co-ordinated pairs of belt-driven axes at either end. This design was chosen to minimise the moving mass.
The developers completed the project within four months. They claim that the dartboard machine will "score" a bull`s-eye at least nine times out of ten. Since the machine was completed, it has drawn crowds at several trade shows and can be seen again at the Hannover Fair in April this year, and at the Automatica show in Munich in May.
A short video of the dartboard in action can be seen on the development team`s Web site.

Fitton also shines in Holland

Copyright Hans Willink

Storey from Stockport Express

FELLOW Stockport star Darryl Fitton was also in fine form at the International Darts League tournament, where he reached the quarter-finals and picked up 4,500 euros in prize money for his efforts.
Fitton topped the so-called ‘group of death’ in the second group stage after beating 13-time World champion Phil Taylor and young sensation Michael van Gerwen, while also losing out 7-6 to current PDC champion Raymond van Barneveld.
After that though, the Stockport favourite crashed 6-2 to Ady Lewis in the last eight.
Advertisement
"I missed too many doubles against Lewis," said Fitton.
"But overall I played well all week, and it was particularly sweet to beat Phil Taylor. I averaged 35 per dart in that game."

Tony’s birthday boost

Copyright Hans Willink

Professional Darts
LAST week certainly turned out to be a happy birthday week for Tony O’Shea.
The Stockport arrows ace was in super form in Holland at the prestigious Topic International Darts League tournament, where he won 10,000 euros for reaching the semi-finals and a brand new sporty convertible car.

Full Storey from Stockport Express by Simon Smedley

Winmau World Masters & Lakeside World Championship

Copyright Hans Willink

The British Darts Organisation is delighted to announce the BBC scheduled dates for the two most prestigious televised Championships in World Darts: the WINMAU WORLD MASTERS (played annually since 1974) and the WORLD PROFESSIONAL DARTS CHAMPIONSHIPS (played annually since 1978).
The 2007 WINMAU WORLD MASTERS will be played at Leisure World, Bridlington on November 16th, 17th and 18th, with the Saturday (17th) and Sunday (18th) Men’s Masters matches being televised exclusively by BBC TV Sport.
The 2008 LAKESIDE WORLD PROFESSIONAL DARTS CHAMPIONSHIPS will be played at ‘the home of World Darts’, Lakeside Country Club, Frimley Green, Surrey, and televised by BBC TV Sport, BBC Worldwide, BBCi, SBS-6 Holland and Eurosport, for nine consecutive days from Saturday, January 5th to Sunday, January 13th, 2008.
The International Play-Offs for the 2008 World Professional will be played at Leisure World, Bridlington on Thursday, November 15th.
“These two BBC televised World Championships provide the most coveted titles in World Darts”, says Olly Croft of the BDO. “Since their inception, both have established themselves as the very best in terms of global participation, competitiveness and kudos.
“The World Masters is unique in providing four World titles: Men’s, Women’s, Boys and Girls, and the World Professional has produced a Men’s World title since 1978, and a Women’s World title since 2001.
“Both of these great World Championships are made more unique because each provides women players with their own stand alone World Titles.
“There isn’t a darts player anywhere in the world who doesn’t dream of being crowned Winmau World Master or Lakeside World Pro Champion. They are titles which truly encapsulate all the history of World Darts, and the status that goes with them.
“Both are open to the 250,000 playing members of the World Darts Federation (now officially recognised as the worldwide governing body for darts) whose 64 member nations are representative of all six continents around the globe.
“World Titles do not get any bigger or more prestigious than the World Masters and World Professional – they have been looking after the future of the sport of darts since the 1970s, and will continue to do so by giving players – men, women and youth – the opportunities to develop from grass roots level, right through to National, International, World and Professional levels.”
MAJOR BDO DATES

2007 WINMAU WORLD MASTERS
Leisure World, Bridlington
NOVEMBER 16, 17 & 18, 2007

2008 LAKESIDE WORLD PROFESSONAL
INTERNATIONAL PLAY OFFS:
Leisure World, Bridlington
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2007

2008 LAKESIDE WORLD PROFESSIONAL DARTS CHAMPIONSHIPS:
Lakeside Country Club, Frimley Green, Surrey:
JANUARY 5 to 13, 2008

Issued by THE BRITISH DARTS ORGANISATION: 15/5/07

Holsten 2007 Playoffs

The 2007 Premier League Darts will playoff on May the 28th 6pm at the Brighton Centre.

Dennis Priestley will take on the unbeaten Phil Taylor and Raymond Van Barneveld will be playing Terry Jenkins.

Doors open at 5pm with the darts starting at 6pm and all tickets are already sold out.

Blue Square UK Open Draw

MICHAEL VAN GERWEN will begin his Blue Square UK Open challenge against Punch Taverns Qualifier Chris McTernan on Thursday 7 June.
The exciting Dutch teenager is among 81 players starting out in the Preliminary and First Rounds of the tournament, alongside American Ray Carver, legendary Cliff Lazarenko and former World Champion Richie Burnett.
Van Gerwen takes on Chris McTernan, an Adhesives Technician from Bacup in Lancashire, in the first Round One game on the main stage at Bolton's Reebok Stadium.
That will be preceded by two high-profile Preliminary Round games, with Lazarenko opening the action against Chris Daglish and Carver taking on another Punch Taverns Qualifier, Mark Hylton - an Airline Cabin Manager from the West Midlands nicknamed "Mile High".
Pub qualifier Eddie Hughes will be another player living the dream, after being drawn against Welshman Burnett on the main stage in front of the Sky Sports camers.
Friday's Second Round sees Andy Callaby, a quarter-finalist last year, meet in-form Welshman Sean Palfrey, while David Platt and Matt Chapman also clash on Stage Two.
Mark Walsh, the UK Open runner-up in 2005, will begin his bid against Ireland's Garrett Gray, who qualified for the World Grand Prix last October.
2004 finalist John Part comes in on Friday night at the Third Round stage against Kevin Dowling or Matt Sheehan, while the tie of the night sees Mark Dudbridge and Ronnie Baxter clash.
Alan Warriner-Little meets Wayne Jones on the main stage, with Northern Ireland's Brendan Dolan returning to the spotlight after being drawn against Bob Anderson.

Dave Askew and Dennis Smith come head-to-head on the second stage, with another of last year's defeated quarter-finalists, Alex Roy, meeting Dave Smith.
The Fourth Round draw will be made immediately following the conclusion of the Third Round on Friday evening. Defending champion Raymond van Barneveld and two-time UK Open winner Phil Taylor are among the top 32 ranked players to come into the tournament at this stage.
Tickets are still available for Thursday and Friday - call the Reebok Stadium Box Office on 0871 871 2932 to purchase.

2007 Blue Square UK Open
Preliminary & First Rounds
Board One (Main Stage)
Chris Daglish v Cliff Lazarenko (P)
Ray Carver v Mark Hylton (P)
Chris McTernan v Michael van Gerwen
Steve Cusick v Toon Greebe
Eddie Hughes v Richie Burnett
Paul Knighton v Alan Green

Board Two (Second Stage)
Ian Gunion v Sean Dowling (P)
Stuart Holden v Darrel Thorpe (P)
Mick Savvery v Ray Farrell
Vernon Sheppard v Michael Barnard
Paul Whitworth v Andy Roberts
Rico Vonck v Noonan/Riley

Board Three
Brian Cathcart v James Keogh (P)
Kevin Harris v Richard McLaughlin (P)
Peter Green v Dylan Cook
Mark Frost v Chris Allen
Daglish/Lazarenko v Payne/Macken
Carver/Hylton v Mark Robinson

Board Four
Nigel Payne v Ross Macken (P)
Barry French v Ian Branks (P)
John Burton v Nigel Heydon
Geoff Wylie v Mark Stephenson
Hunion/S Dowling v Sam Rooney
Mark Wilson v Birch/Turley

Board Five
Andrew Gourlay v Rikki Williams (P)
Geoff Harkup v Wayne Brown (P)
Dave Blenkarne v Ian Wise
Ian Walters v Darrell Townsend
Harris/McLaughlin v Rick Andrews
Aaron Turner v Whitehouse/N Turner

Board Six
Johnny Haines v Steve Hardy (P)
Steve Whitehouse v Nicky Turner (P)
Jason Crawley v Mark Pooke
Dale Newton v Gourlay/R Williams
Simon Craven v Henshaw/Blades
Harkup/Brown v Haines/Hardy

Board Seven
Justin Henshaw v Gary Blades (P)
Rob Hawker v James Barton (P)
Stephen Davidson v Bob Crawley
Andrew Coulter v Ian Whillis
Hawker/Barton v Danny Pinhorne
Scott Mitchell v Cathcart/Keogh

Board Eight
Nigel Birch v Alf Turley (P)
Gary Noonan v Pete Riley (P)
Henry O'Neill v Matty Dalwood
Mick Rodgers v Mark Thomson
Holden/Thorpe v Kieron Leal
French/Branks v Doug Walker

Second Round
Board One
Mitchell/Cathcart/Keogh v Jelle Klaasen
Kirk Shepherd v Roger Carter
Garry Spedding v Dave Honey
Andy Callaby v Sean Palfrey

Board Two
Mark Walsh v Garrett Gray
Alan Reynolds v Pete Allen
David Platt v Matt Chapman
Robbie Green v Blenkarne/Wise

Board Three
Kevin Dowling v Matt Sheehan
Stuart Dutton v Cusick/Greebe
Lee Palfreyman v French/Branks/Walker
Wylie/Stephenson v Shaun McDonald

Board Four
Holden/Thorpe/Leal v Wilson/Birch/Turley
Craven/Henshaw/Blades v Knighton/A Green
Chris Thompson v Hughes/Burnett
Rodgers/Thomson v O'Neill/Dalwood

Board Five
D Newton/Gourlay/R Williams v Darren Latham
Gunion/S Dowling/Rooney v Tom Wilson
Savvery/Farrell v A Turner/Whitehouse/N Turner
Frost/C Allen v Darren Webster

Board Six
Paul Watton v Carver/Hylton/Robinson
Sheppard/Barnard v Paul Williams
Harris/McLaughlin/Andrews v Davidson/B Crawley
Burton/Hayden v Simon Whatley

Board Seven
Coulter/Whillis v McTernan/van Gerwen
Martin Burchell v Daglish/Lazarenko/Payne/Macken
John Quantock v P Green/Cook
Hawker/Barton/Pinhorne v Mark Cox

Board Eight
Tony Randell v Lyndon Davies
Whitworth/Roberts v Walters/Townsend
J Crawley/Pooke v Vonck/Noonan/Riley
Harkup/W Brown/Haines/Hardy v Josephus Schenk

Third Round
Board One
John Part v K Dowling/Sheehan
Mark Dudbridge v Ronnie Baxter
Alan Warriner-Little v Wayne Jones
Bob Anderson v Brendan Dolan

Board Two
Alex Roy v Dave Smith
Martyn Turner v Colin Monk
Dave Askew v Dennis Smith
Rodgers/Thomson/O'Neill/Dalwood v Chris Mason

Board Three
Gary Welding v Darren Williams
K Shepherd/Carter v Walsh/Gray
Dave Jowett v Spedding/Honey
Callaby/Palfrey v Harris/McLaughlin/Andrews/Davidson/B Crawley

Board Four
Jason Clark v Dutton/Cusick/Greebe
Reynolds/P Allen v Watton/Carver/Hylton/Robinson
J Crawley/Pooke/Vonck/Noonan/Riley v Darren Johnson
R Green/Blenkarne/Wise v Lionel Sams

Board Five
Coulter/Whillis/McTiernan/van Gerwen v Dave Ladley
Craven/Henshaw/Blades/Knighton/A Green v Keith Deller
Palfreyman/French/Branks/Walker v D Newton/Gourlay/R Williams/Latham
Owen Caffrey v Wylie/Stephenson/McDonald

Board Six
Tony Martin v Mitchell/Cathcart/Keogh/Klaasen
Jamie Harvey v Gunion/S Dowling/Rooney/T Wilson
Platt/Chapman v Harkup/W Brown/Haines/Hardy/Schenk
Frost/C Allen/Webster v Alan Caves

Board Seven
Whitworth/Roberts/Walters/Townsend v Chris Hook
Sheppard/Barnard/P Williams v Wayne Atwood
Thompson/Hughes/Burnett v Quantock/P Green/Cook
Matt Clark v Burton/Heydon/Whatley

Board Eight
Holden/Thorpe/Leal/M Wilson/Birch/Turley v Steve Brown
Randell/Davies v Burchell/Daglish/Lazarenko/Payne/Macken
Savvery/Farrell/A Turner/Whitehouse/N Turner v John Kuczynski
Hawker/Barton/Pinhorne v Mark Holden

IDL FINAL WEEKEND REPORT - Robert Holmes BDO

Copyright Hans Willink

The two Semi-Finals could best be described as a ‘hangover’ from the night before! All four players had played terrific darts and enjoyed a great IDL, but the scorelines of 9-1 in each Semi-Final mirrored the way the games panned out.

Tony O’Shea had performed so brilliantly against Raymond Barneveld on the previous evening, but he came up against an unbeaten Mark Webster, who had a deadly night on double-tops. Admitting that he felt ‘shattered’ after his Barney win, O’Shea only won 7 legs.

Webster, the 23 year-old left-hander is the new ‘Prince Of Wales’ and went through to the final with a 32.39 single darts average, boosted by a 12 dart leg and a 129 checkout in the last set.

Gary Anderson also remained unbeaten after his 9-1 victory over Adrian Lewis. Once again he had a 100+ three-dart average and hit another nine maximums on route to an all BDO final.

Lewis started well by breaking Anderson in the opening leg, but Gary won the next two with a superb 118 and tops to take the set. In the next, Lewis again took the lead with the aid of a 112 checkout. But once again it spurred Gary to bounce back and, with the aid of a 155 checkout he went 2-0 up in sets.

The plucky Lewis did win one set and was gracious to heap praise on the Scot afterwards: ‘Gary has been the best player all week’ he said, ‘and deserves his place in the final’.

The first final was the conclusion of the excellent Junior IDL between 17 year-old Richie George (youngest son of Bobby) and Dutch youngster Pascal van Mourik (16). Both played extremely well and it went all the way to the 11th leg decider, in which Richie’s doubles let him down. He had two clear chances on tops and then d-0, but he missed and Van Mourik took the final 6-5 with double 8.

All the youngsters played well during the week, and the two finalists in particular have a great future in darts at the highest level.

The Scotland v Wales 25 set final between Gary Anderson and Mark Webster (both unbeaten) began with a superb 11 dart first leg from Anderson and a 164 checkout as he raced to a 2-0 lead in sets. Not to be outdone, Webster hit a 164 on his way to taking the third set, and soon levelled at 2-2 in sets. Anderson then won the 5th with a stunning 161 checkout to go ahead 3-2. Webby started the 6th by breaking Gary in the 1st leg, but opening the 2nd leg with a 180, Anderson broke back and then won the set to go into the first break 4-2 up.

Webster hit a 180 with his first throw after break and a 15 dart leg helped him back to 4-3 after Anderson missed crucial doubles. Another Webby 180 in the 8th set didn’t stop Anderson getting a 2 set lead back at 5-3. Gary hit a 180 in 1st leg of the 9th set, but Mark hit back with one of his own in the 2nd leg and got back to 5-4.

It was nip and tuck all the way with never more than 2 sets in it. Gary checked on 112 to return to a 6-4 lead, only to see Mark come back again to 6-5. With the second break looming, Mark was keen to go in 6-6, and almost did so with a 180 in the deciding leg, but Gary hit a crucial 95 to go to the break 7-5 ahead.

Anderson hit another 180 after the break, but it was Webster who found the 13th set to be ucky as he clawed the score back to 7-6. With a 14 dart leg from Webster followed by a 13 darter from Anderson, the Scot pounced back to make it 8-6. Then Webby came back again and with a 90 checkout the scoreline was 8-7. Anderson just couldn’t shake him off!

The Welshman hit another 180 in the 1st leg of the 16th set to break the Scot. But it was missed doubles by Webster that allowed Gary to level 1-1 in legs, with a 91 checkout in the decider taking Anderson back to a 2 set lead at 9-7.

Gary hit another 180 in the 2nd leg of the 17th set, but there was lots of double trouble from both players with Gary finally hitting double-3 for a10-7 lead. He then hit a 180 in the 2nd leg of the 18th set, but Webster levelled and then went on to take the set and go into the final break at 10-8.

In the 19th set Webster continued to prosper on the 19 bed hitting numerous 134s, but missed 120 in the 1st leg and Anderson checked out on 65. The Scot then won the set with a 122 checkout and was 11-8 up. He then won the next and suddenly the gap was 4 sets for the first time in the match and Gary was one set away from a famous victory at 12-8.

Typically, Mark had his say and took the 1st leg of the 21st leg with a superb 11-darter (his second of the final to equal two from Gary). Although Gary levelled, Mark won the set to make it 12-9. Gary opened the 22nd set with yet another 180 in the 1st leg, but Mark won it, only to see Gary level yet again to be that crucial one leg from victory.

This time he made sure that his magnificent unbeaten run remained intact to win the 2007 IDL with double 4. The final scoreline being 13-9.

Afterwards he said: “This is my best ever win because I have not been beaten once in a tournament that has so many big names in it. It is unbelievable and Mark has played a great part in making it so special – that was his first defeat tonight!”

GARY ANDERSON also set a new tournament record of 59 x 180s, which beat Raymond Barneveld’s previous record of 55.

IDL QUARTER-FINALS

GARY ANDERSON not only kept his unbeaten run going, but lived up to his ‘Dreamboy’ nickname with a dream quarter final against James Wade. He won 6-3, with yet another 30 plus single dart average that included a magnificent 12 maximums! After the first 5 sets Anderson’s single dart average was an incredible 38!

But it was left to TONY O’SHEA to pull off the win of the quarter finals with an impressive 6-4 triumph over defending IDL Champion Raymond Barneveld.

Barney was favourite to progress to the Semi-Finals, and when Tony went 3-1 down early in the match, it looked ominous for the England International. However, Tony levelled at 4-4 after the interval and then won the last two sets in imperious style.

It was a great win –probably the sweetest of his career - and made even more so by the fact that the sponsors, Opel Nederland, presented him with the keys to a brand new Tigra convertible (valued at 25,000 Euros) to mark his 46th birthday 9-darter on Wednesday night.

Having already presented Phil Taylor with the same car on Tuesday night when he hit the first 9-darter in this year’s IDL, the sponsors made it a unique ‘double’ to not only celebrate Tony’s
9 darter, but also his memorable win over Raymond Barneveld.

It was left to the sole PDC player left in the 2007 IDL, Adrian Lewis, to try to salvage some pride, and that’s just what he did with a 6-2 victory over Darryl Fitton, who just couldn’t find any rhythm on the night.

Completing a great night of darts in some considerable style, Mark Webster, the 23 year-old Welsh left-hander, maintained his marvellous unbeaten IDL debut with a conclusive 6-2 victory over England’s Gary Robson,

The Semi-Final line-up is:

GARY ANDERSON (SCOT) v TONY O’SHEA (ENG)
ADRIAN LEWIS (ENG) v MARK WEBSTER (WAL)

TOPIC IDL QUARTER-FINALS:
Results: FRIDAY, MAY 11TH

GARY ANDERSON (SCOT) 6-3 JAMES WADE (ENG)
TONY O’SHEA (ENG) 6-4 RAYMOND BARNEVELD (NED)
DARRYL FITTON (ENG) 2-6 ADRIAN LEWIS (ENG)
MARK WEBSTER (WAL) 6-2 GARY ROBSON (ENG)

JUNIOR IDL SEMI-FINAL:
RICHIE GEORGE (ENG) 5-3 PIETER COLIJIN (NED)

Source - Robert Holmes BDO PR Officer

INCREASED PRIZE FUND FOR GRAND SLAM OF DARTS

THE Professional Darts Corporation are delighted to announce that PartyPoker.net will sponsor the 2007 Grand Slam of Darts, with prize money for the tournament increasing to a huge £300,000.
The tournament will see champions from both PDC and BDO/WDF major events invited to compete at the Wolverhampton Civic from 17-25 November.
As a result of a new title sponsorship deal with PartyPoker.net, the initial prize fund announced has now been increased by £50,000 to £300,000 - the second highest on offer for any tournament in the sport behind the PDC's Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship.
The winner of the PartyPoker.net Grand Slam of Darts will receive £80,000, with first round guaranteed £4,000.
The prize fund has now overtaken the £265,000 Holsten Premier League Darts, as well as the £224,000 on offer at the BDO Championship.
"It is a pleasure to welcome PartyPoker.net as the exclusive title sponsor for the Grand Slam of Darts," said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn.
"PartyPoker.net are strong supporters of top class darts following their previous sponsorship of The Showdown and last year's Las Vegas Desert Classic, and they are again backing the best in the business.
"This event is eagerly anticipated from players, fans and officials in the darting world and we have seen huge interest already since announcing that we would be staging this event earlier this year.
"It will also be a pleasure to welcome the champions from the BDO/WDF circuit into this event to play for prize money bigger than any they have ever competed for before and to test themselves against the stars of the PDC."
A total of 21 players have already qualified for the tournament, with the winner and runner-up from the Topic International Darts League this weekend receiving invitations.
Further places will go to the finalists in next weekend's PDC US Open, as well as the remaining major tournaments on the darting calendar before November.

PartyPoker.net Grand Slam of Darts – New Prize Fund

Winner £80,000
Runner-Up £35,000
3-4th £15,000
5-8th £10,000
9-16th £6,000
17-32nd £4,000
High Checkout £3,000

Total Prize Fund£300,000

Players will be selected from the tournaments listed, with those players named already fulfilling the entry criteria to earn an invitation to compete.

PDC Tournaments
2007 World Championship
Winner: Raymond van Barneveld
Runner-Up: Phil Taylor
Semi-Finalists: Andy Jenkins
Andy Hamilton

2006 World Championship
Winner: (Phil Taylor)
Runner-Up: Peter Manley
Semi-Finalists: Wayne Mardle
Wayne Jones

2007 World Matchplay
Winner:
Runner-Up:

2006 World Matchplay
Winner: (Phil Taylor)
Runner-Up: James Wade

2007 World Grand Prix
Winner:
Runner-Up:

2006 World Grand Prix
Winner: (Phil Taylor)
Runner-Up: Terry Jenkins

2007 Las Vegas Desert Classic
Winner:
Runner-Up:

2006 Las Vegas Desert Classic
Winner: John Part
Runner-Up: (Raymond van Barneveld)

2007 UK Open
Winner:
Runner-Up:

2006 UK Open
Winner: (Raymond van Barneveld)
Runner-Up: Barrie Bates

2007 US Open
Winner:
Runner-Up:

2006 World Series of DartsWinner: (Phil Taylor)
Runner-Up: Adrian Lewis

2007 Premier League Darts
Winner:
Runner-Up:

2006 Premier League Darts
Winner: (Phil Taylor)
Runner-Up: Roland Scholten


BDO/WDF Tournaments
2007 World Championship
Winner: Martin Adams
Runner-Up: Phill Nixon
Semi-Finalists: Niels de Ruiter/Mervyn King


2006 World Championship
Winner: Jelle Klaasen
Runner-Up: (Raymond van Barneveld)
Semi-Finalists: Shaun Greatbatch
(Martin Adams)

2007 World Masters
Winner:
Runner-Up:

2006 World Masters
Winner: Michael van Gerwen
Runner-Up: (Martin Adams)

PDC-BDO/WDF Tournaments

2007 International Darts League
Winner:
Runner-Up:

2006 International Darts League
Winner: (Raymond van Barneveld)
Runner-Up: Colin Lloyd

2007 World Darts Trophy
Winner:
Runner-Up:

2006 World Darts Trophy
Winner: (Phil Taylor)
Runner-Up: (Martin Adams)

FIVE BDO PLAYERS THROUGH TO IDL QUARTER-FINALS

Five BDO players are through to the Last 8 of the Topic IDL on Friday:
GARY ANDERSON, MARK WEBSTER, GARY ROBSON, DARRYL FITTON and TONY O’SHEA.
England’s DARRYL FITTON became the first player to go through to the Quarter-Finals after victories over Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen. He was narrowly defeated by Raymond Barneveld in what was perceived as the hardest of the Second Round groups. He topped Group J , and as runner-up Barneveld also goes through to tomorrow’s knockout Quarter-Finals.
Phil Taylor was eliminated following defeats by Darryl Fitton and Michael van Gerwen (who is also out).
England’s TONY O’SHEA topped Group K after his marvellous birthday 9-dart 501 of yesterday, and is joined by Adrian Lewis, whose 7-4 victory over Australia’s Simon Whitlock meant that he had an overall Group lead of 3 legs on the Aussie.
The unbeaten run of Scotland’s GARY ANDERSON continued with his
7-3 victory over Mark Dudbridge to dominate Group I. England’s GARY ROBSON pulled off a dramatic last game 7-5 victory against Martin Adams to claim the runner-up spot in the group.
In Group L, MARK WEBSTER of Wales also kept his unbeaten IDL debut intact with a 7-4 win over England’s Tony Ecccles.

James Wade took the runner-up spot after beating Scott Waites 7-4.

Official Darts Results:
INTERNATIONAL DARTS LEAGUE
SECOND ROUND ROBIN ROUND: THURSDAY, MAY 10
(Best of 13 Legs)

RAYMOND BARNEVELD (NED) 7-6 DARRYL FITTON (ENG)
TONY O’SHEA (ENG) 7-5 WAYNE MARDLE (ENG)
SIMON WHITLOCK (AUS) 4-7 ADRIAN LEWIS (ENG)
SCOTT WAITES (ENG) 4-7 JAMES WADE (ENG)
MARK WEBSTER (WAL) 7-4 TONY ECCLES (ENG)
GARY ANDERSON (SCOT) 7-3 MARK DUDBRIDGE (ENG)
MARTIN ADAMS (ENG) 5-7 GARY ROBSON (ENG)
MICHAEL VAN GERWEN (NED) 7-6 PHIL TAYLOR (ENG)

QUARTER-FINALS: FRIDAY, MAY 11TH (Best of 11 Sets (3 Legs per Set)

DARRYL FITTON (ENG) v ADRIAN LEWIS (ENG)
TONY O’SHEA (ENG) v RAYMOND BARNEVELD (NED)
GARY ANDERSON (SCOT) v JAMES WADE (ENG)
MARK WEBSTER (WAL) v GARY ROBSON (ENG)

Issued by ROBERT HOLMES: 10/5/07

O’Shea/Fitton continue to fly Stockport flag

Copyright Hans Willink

Storey from Stockport Express:

STOCKPORT stars Tony O’Shea and Darryl Fitton are still going strong in the prestigious International Darts League tournament in Holland this week.
Both players have made it through the tough opening group stage, and should the second group stage go as well then the two local favourites could be on course to meet in the quarter-finals on Friday.
In a tournament which features stars from both the British Darts Organisation and the Professional Darts Corporation, O’Shea won Pool F after beating Mark Dudbridge and Co Stompe.
That sets up another group bid last night [Tues], tonight and tomorrow when O’Shea will face Simon Whitlock, Ady Lewis and Wayne Mardle.
The top two from each of the four remaining groups go through to the last eight.
Fitton topped Pool G after beating Jelle Klaasen and Dennis Priestley, and now faces a battle royal in the second group stage with matches against Michael van Gerwen, Phil Taylor and Raymond van Barneveld.
April proved to be quite a hectic month for O’Shea and Fitton.
The local pair both represented England in the successful British Internationals tournament at Bridlington.
Fitton won two out of two games and O’Shea one out of two as England emerged victorious in a three-country event which also featured Scotland and Wales.
On foreign shores, O’Shea suffered a last-leg semi-final defeat at the hands of old foe Martin Adams at the German Open, while Fitton lost in the Spanish Pro Challenge final to Gary Anderson in Lloret de Mar.
Both the local favourites enjoyed a great ‘Ladies Night’ at the North Cheshire Lodge on April 26, when a packed house lapped up a thrilling exhibition show which featured seven-time World ladies champion Trina Gulliver and World singles champion Clare Bywaters
Another ‘Darts 2U Challenge’ event will follow shortly.
Simon Smedley
First published by the Stockport Express

Taylor 9 Darter

Phil Taylor ripped a superb 9 Darter against Barney at the International IDL Trophy:

Take a look:

http://smogsblog70.blogspot.com/2007/05/i-was-playing-darts-this-afternoon-and.html

Holsten Premier League Darts - Night 14 Round-Up

PHIL TAYLOR kept alive his incredible unbeaten record in the Holsten Premier League Darts to complete a double over Raymond van Barneveld with an 8-5 triumph.
The 13-time World Champion has now completed three league seasons of the Premier League without a defeat, and remains on course for a treble of title wins going into the play-offs on 28 May.
He will meet Dennis Priestley in the semi-finals in Brighton, but gained a vital psychological edge over van Barneveld should they meet in the final.
"It's been another great night and it was a fantastic game," said Taylor. "I got into the lead but Raymond kept plugging away.
"Sometimes he's best when his back is against the wall and I'm sure he'll be back. It's always a pleasure playing him."
On his semi-final against Priestley, Taylor added: "It will be another tough game. He's a grinder and the format gets longer now so I'll prepare for that.
"I've got three weeks to think about it, but we've got the IDL in Holland and the US Open in Connecticut too so it's going to be busy."
Van Barneveld admitted: "The first leg was very important. I missed double 19 for a 155 and if I'd hit that I would have gone ahead.
"Against Phil you have to hit at least 15-darters and if you don't he punishes you."
The Dutchman will meet Terry Jenkins in the other semi-final, and he said: "The first time we played I had a 107 average and we drew, but the second time he missed a lot of doubles.
"He always seems to play well against me and we have great games, so hopefully that will continue in Brighton."
Jenkins ended his league phase by snatching a draw in an entertaining contest with Peter Manley, while Priestley suffered an 8-6 loss to Colin Lloyd.
Lloyd never looked back after taking an early 5-2 lead, and finishes just a point behind Priestley in the final league table - paying the price for a poor start to the campaign.

Holsten Premier League Darts
Night 14, Birmingham NIA
Adrian Lewis 8-4 Roland Scholten
Colin Lloyd 8-6 Dennis Priestley
Peter Manley 7-7 Terry Jenkins
Phil Taylor 8-5 Raymond van Barneveld