Issue 41 (October 14, 2016)

Friday 14 October 2016

Too much tinkering? Time to settle for Wright

Darts Weekly

XXX of the world’s top two XXX MVG wins battle to win the Xxx Xxx Unibet World P2-37 xx Grand Page 7 Prix for a third time xx Page

LAWRENCE LUSTIG/PDC

Dublin hat-trick for van Gerwen!

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Friday 14 October 2016 Darts Weekly

Mighty Mike completes hattrick of Unibet World Grand Prix titles on the Emerald Isle Alex Moss CHIEF DARTS WRITER On this day four years ago Michael van Gerwen’s career in the PDC took off as he won his first major title, beating Mervyn King in the final of the World Grand Prix.

Fast forward four years and the Dutchman is head and shoulders above everyone else as the world number one, and Saturday’s 5-2 triumph over Gary Anderson secured the 27-year-old a third title in the double-start tournament in Dublin.

Van Gerwen followed up his 2012 and 2014 victories by erasing the memories of last year’s loss in the final to Robert Thornton, with one of the greatest performances in the event’s history.

Averaging 108 as he stormed into a 3-0 set lead by winning nine of the opening 11 legs, Mighty Mike held off Anderson’s brief rally to scoop the £100,000 first prize and his 21st tournament win of 2016.

“It’s an amazing win and I’m so happy I’ve won this tournament again,” van Gerwen said.

“After three or four sets I was averaging about 108 and I think if you play like that you deserve to win this trophy.

“I put him under pressure from the beginning and that worked.

“He pushed me until the end and I had to fight really hard. Gary

“It’s an amazing win and I’m so happy I’ve won this tournament again” never gives up but I played fantastic tonight.

“A lot of people have played well against me this week but my confidence is sky high.

“I had a tournament average of 100 and not many people do that in this format.”

Van Gerwen used just 43 darts as he won the first set in straight legs, before coming from a leg down to

stores.ebay.co.uk/Mojo-DARTS

win the next two sets and take his match average to 110 in-running.

Anderson hit back in set four as he won three successive legs to finally get off the mark, before checking out 108 as he shared the opening four legs of the fifth set.

But van Gerwen hit a crucial double 10 to win the deciding leg and move into a 4-1 set lead and deny the reigning world champion the chance to win back-to-back sets.

Anderson claimed his second set by winning the sixth set without reply and also led in the next set, but van Gerwen landed six perfect darts as he levelled, before hitting double 16 to move 2-1 up.

And a marvellous 160 checkout, his second 100 plus finish of the game, sealed the title and moved his average to 100.29, the highest in a World Grand Prix final.

Anderson, who took home £45,000 as runner-up from his first appearance in a World Grand Prix final, hit eight 180s in reply to van Gerwen’s seven, but was

Darts Weekly Friday 14 October 2016

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unable to recover from his rival’s flying start.

“I’ve done well here this week and I’m happy to have reached the final, but Michael’s something else,” he said.

“It’s four years since he first won here and it’s absolutely astonishing what he’s done since.

“My starting wasn’t good enough and I couldn’t get off and if you give Michael a head start you’ve got no chance - he’s hard enough to play in a straight start, never mind in double start.

“I’ve started to come good and I’m going to look forward to the next few months.” ◊ Mick McGowan became the first player to retain the Tom Kirby Memorial Irish Matchplay title with a narrow 6-5 win over Radek Szaganski in Dublin on Saturday, securing his place in the William Hill World Darts Championship in the process.

“This trophy means so much to me and to defend it is absolutely fantastic,” McGowan said.

Taylor to miss out on Players Championship Finals this year Phil Taylor will not be in the Players Championship Finals in Minehead next month after opting to not enter the last two Players Championship events next week.

The 16-time world champion, who has won the tournament three times since its inception in 2009, has won £3,500 from the three Players Championship events he has played in this season.

And with the field for the televised finals based on the top 64 players on the Players Championship Order of Merit, Taylor is currently in 108th position and can no longer add to his prize money to climb into the qualifying places.

The 19th and 20th Players Missing out: Phil Taylor will not be appearing in Minehead Championship events of 2016 take place on Friday and Saturday next week in Barnsley, with the cut off for the finals taking place after.

Taylor, ranked fourth on the PDC Order of Merit, is currently the only big name set to miss out, with world number one Michael van Gerwen guaranteed to be the top seed at Minehead.

Van Gerwen’s fellow Premier League stars Gary Anderson, Adrian Lewis, Peter Wright and Dave Chisnall are also set to qualify, but Raymond van Barneveld still has work to do.

The five-time world champion is currently joint 63rd on the Players Championship Order of Merit heading into next week’s double header, and still needs to pick up more prize money to ensure he is at Minehead next month.

Van Gerwen is also sitting out next week’s Players Championship events, while Anderson has only entered the tournament being held on Saturday.

Darts Weekly Friday 14 October 2016

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CHRISTOPHER KEMPF MATCH OF THE WEEK - MICHAEL VAN GERWEN 4-2 DAVE CHISNALL (WORLD GRAND PRIX)

Chizzy pushes MVG to the limit in Dublin thriller Dave Chisnall has not beaten Michael van Gerwen on television since 2013.

But it was on an October night three short years ago that he achieved perhaps the greatest win of his career in the quarter-finals of that year’s World Grand Prix.

By dominating the first two sets and fending off a ferocious comeback from his Dutch opponent, Chisnall finished the match with a 96 average and a 3-2 victory in sets.

Since that encounter, Chizzy has suffered 25 defeats to van Gerwen and only claimed four more wins.

After failing to recover from a huge deficit early in the final of the Masters earlier this year, eventually losing 11-6, Chisnall remarked, “Every time I play Michael, I always start really slow… I’ve been doing it all the time for the last two years.”

Thereafter followed defeats in the Premier League (7-2), the World Matchplay (16-9), and losses on four separate occasions in World Series events.

On average, Chisnall has needed 2.55 darts more than van Gerwen to win a leg in their matches so far this year.

But in their rematch at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin last Friday, this time in a semi-final, both players performed in a manner befitting the importance of the match.

Their first set was played to an astronomically high standard for the Grand Prix.

Although Chisnall buried 21 of his darts in the treble 20 bed out of 35 darts aimed thereto, and

finished the third leg in 10 darts, van Gerwen still outpaced him.

Without a single dart at a starting or closing double going astray, van Gerwen averaged 114.18, winning the opening set in imperious style.

Any player, having averaged 112 and lost the set, would have wondered what more they could possibly do to defeat a man of such awesome talent.

Yet Chisnall’s statistics reflect the inspired effort he put forward in that unenviable position.

Chisnall only needed two darts, on average, doubling in and 2.46 doubling out.

Along the way he fired in nine maximums and averaged 95.05.

Upon taking a 2-1 set lead, Chisnall seemed visibly astonished that he was giving Mighty Mike more than he could handle.

But the competitive distance between the world number eight and the best player on the planet was soon revealed in the must-win legs that mostly decided the outcome of the match.

Consider, for instance, the deciding leg of the fourth set. If Chisnall had broken van Gerwen’s throw, he would have led the match 3-1 and thrown first in the fifth set.

After nine darts thrown, Chisnall left a score of 103, a very manageable three dart

103, a very manageable three dart outshot.

But a ruthless van Gerwen dominated the leg, scoring 465 in nine darts to leave 36, which he scored with his 10th dart. Only a nine darter would have prevented MVG from levelling the match.

And after having turned the tide of the match to take a 3-2 lead in sets, van Gerwen nonetheless found himself 2-1 down in the fifth set with Chisnall throwing first in the fourth leg.

But Chisnall folded under pressure, throwing one of his worst legs of the match in reaching only 108 after five throws.

Van Gerwen broke Chisnall’s throw with his 15th dart, won the subsequent leg and with it the semi-final.

It’s hard to say what effect this years-long losing streak has on Chisnall.

A reserved man in his interviews and off-the-oche demeanour, Chisnall prefers to let his darts do the talking.

Although he may have lost, he gave van Gerwen fair warning that he will remain a most dangerous opponent as his fight for a first major tournament victory goes on.

LAWRENCE LUSTIG/PDC

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Friday 14 October 2016 Darts Weekly

DAVE SOUTH DARTS WRITER

Double in format could be used on the Euro Tour Every year when the World Matchplay concludes Sky plug the next major, the World Grand Prix, which is a little over two months between the two events.

This tournament is a double in double out event, which I am personally a fan of.

In my opinion the format levels some of the playing field out. From the power scorers to the power finishers, unlike most years, 2016 in particular saw a surprising five of the eight seeds crash out at the first hurdle.

Phil Taylor, James Wade, Michael Smith, Peter Wright and Robert Thornton were the five casualties to fall on the banana skin format of first to two sets.

Some darts fans on social media have put the point across that the first round is rushed. @A_Farrelly tweeted “If the World Grand Prix is a major, stop rushing it and make it first to three sets over four sessions in round one, two full weekends.”

A response from this quarter is I think there is scope to accommodate a longer format in the first round.

However, over the last few years in memory, there has been an array of empty seats especially in the early stages.

On one hand, the PDC could leave the event as it is, but compensate for example by considering widening the format of double in, double out to other events.

Current professional Paul Nicholson recently raised the subject on the Let’s Talk Darts podcast and suggested that he

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LAWRENCE LUSTIG/PDC

Talking point: Gary Anderson reached his first ever final in the double in, double out World Grand Prix tournament last week would like to see the Pro Tour events prior to the Grand Prix adapt the same format as a warm up for the players involved in the major tournament.

My view is it could only benefit the players in having to sharpen their own game up in general.

Another suggestion to the PDC could be to introduce the double in

‘Perhaps two Euro Tour events a year could use the format to widen its appeal’ format to the European Tour events. Perhaps two events a year could use this format to widen its appeal.

A draw could be done in advance, so players would be aware of which events would host this adaptation.

Benefits of choosing the European Tour events to broaden

the formats sole appearance a year is that they are a race to six legs.

The format is short enough, but drawbacks are time and I think this is an influence in whether the PDC can broaden the double in format.

I know the Grand Prix threw up some names we may not generally see in the latter stages of majors that often, which was refreshing for a lot of fans.

The final however was contested by the top two seeds and top two in the Order of Merit, Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson.

The way both played really suggested they are both playing in the form of their lives.

There is no easy solution for the PDC. Leave the Grand Prix as the sole double in event, or consider adapting it in to other events to spice up competition.

The last word is, PDC, please consider broadening this format to more than once a year in the future!

Darts Weekly Friday 14 October 2016

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DARTS DEBATES in association with

LAWRENCE LUSTIG/PDC

“Should the PDC introduce more double start tournaments to the calendar?”

PRIZE WINNER

No I don’t think so. I think it’s best kept as it is as that is what makes the World Grand Prix special, same as the Grand Slam with how it introduces the BDO players, a one of a kind event.

I think what the PDC need more than anything is for the other players to start stepping up to Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson and Phil Taylor.

Introducing more tournaments with a double start format to try and level up the playing field is a bad road to go down.

It needs the other players to start working harder to start challenging and making all the other tournaments as exciting as they can be.

It can be done, Michael van Gerwen is the proof in the pudding!

Joe Salter, via email

WIN A BRAND NEW SET OF UNICORN DARTS FOR BEING OUR PRIZE WINNER!

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Yes, I do believe the PDC should introduce more double start tournaments.

As seen at this year’s World Grand Prix, many of the top seeds exited the tournament early.

This proves players from outside the top 16 have a greater chance in big TV tournaments against the world’s best.

Therefore, any player drawn against Taylor, MVG, Anderson etc won’t seem as hard done by with the pressure of the double start.

Danny McNamara, Republic of Ireland I think the Grand Prix is a perfectly unique and special event with the double-in format.

But to be honest, I’m not sure I could watch it multiple times a year.

It just makes the scoring period longer compared to the finishing period of the leg.

Also it sets up some awkward scenes, and makes the matches last longer with the same number of legs played.

It’s great to watch as it creates a

different atmosphere and a little bit of variety. However, I think there’s a very good reason why darts is straight on at most of the events. So I’d say the Grand Prix is enough for the double-start tournaments right now.

Benedek Hári, via email Make the European Grand Prix double in plus the two Players Championship events in Dublin.

Add too many and it’ll lose its uniqueness. @Joeceppi on Twitter No. WGP is enough. Interesting in a different way. I prefer scoring from the off, drama at the end of legs.

New format I’d like to see is Snooker Shootout/NoTW short format i.e. best of 3 legs. 1 Double start is enough. @TheSportsDean on Twitter Yes - I think it makes it more interesting to watch and requires more skill, so more challenging for the players. @Arwhitcombe on Twitter

Darts Weekly Friday 14 October 2016

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West brothers to face off in final event on the Euro Tour Alex Moss CHIEF DARTS WRITER As the race to qualify for the Unibet European Championship reaches its conclusion this weekend, there is an intriguing subplot which will grab the headlines in Hildesheim tonight.

Brothers Steve and Tony West have been drawn against each other in the first round of the HappyBet German Darts Championship, which gets underway this afternoon.

The 10th and final event on this season’s European Tour takes place over the next three days, and is the last chance for players to edge themselves into the top 32 of the European Championship Order of Merit.

The cut off for the European Championship comes after the final dart is thrown on Sunday night, with the new qualifying criteria which has been brought in for this year seeing qualification based solely on how players have performed on the European Tour.

And while the likes of former world champions Adrian Lewis and Raymond van Barneveld are both unable to finish in the top 32, the field for the European Championship looks set to spring up a surprise or too.

James Richardson, in joint 27th place, is set to make his first appearance on TV since winning back his tour card in January, while emerging talent Chris Dobey also has his eyes on a place in the £400,000 event which is being held in Belgium later this month.

And while Richardson will have to nervously wait to see if he can hold onto his place in the top 32, having not qualified for this weekend’s final European Tour event, Dobey can guarantee his spot with a couple of wins in Hildesheim.

Steve West currently occupies the

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32nd and final spot in the Order of Merit, and will need a win against his brother Tony to be likely of staying in the qualifying positions.

Former European Tour winner Vincent van der Voort needs a strong run this weekend to sneak into the top 32, while Robbie Green, Brendan Dolan, Kevin Painter and Christian Kist also begin their campaigns today knowing they need wins to stand

any chance of qualifying for the European Championship.

Today sees the first round take place over two sessions, before the 16 seeded players, headed up by world number one Michael van Gerwen, enter in the second round tomorrow.

Van Gerwen has won six of the nine European Tour events held this year and is assured of the top spot in the Order of Merit.

Unibet European Championship Order of Merit with minimal earnings from ET10 added on (Players in BOLD in ET10) 1 M van Gerwen 2 M Suljovic 3 P Wright 4 J Wade 5 K Huybrechts 6 D Chisnall 7 M Smith 8 B van de Pas 9 P Taylor 10 J Klaasen 11 T Jenkins = I White 13 S Bunting 14 S Whitlock = D Gurney 16 G Price

£160,000 £57,000 £51,000 £41,000 £38,000 £34,500 £31,500 £26,500 £25,000 £23,000 £22,500 £22,500 £21,000 £18,500 £18,500 £16,500

17 J Cullen 18 A Norris = G Anderson 20 K Anderson = R Thornton 22 M King = Jam Wilson = J Wattimena = D Petersen = M Hopp 27 C Dobey = J Richardson 29 C Reyes = J Caven = J Pipe = S West

£14,500 £14,000 £14,000 £12,000 £12,000 £11,500 £10,000 £10,000 £10,000 £10,000 £9,000 £9,000 £8,500 £8,500 £8,500 £8,500

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Friday 14 October 2016 Darts Weekly

ShowTime Darts looking to break into the Asian market and sponsor a top player Richard Edwards ASIAN DARTS CORRESPONDENT Last month I spoke to Sam Kim from Shotgear Darts. They are a Korean company who are growing from strength to strength in Korea and looking to crack the Asian market and beyond.

It got me thinking, what about a similar company from ‘back home’ that are looking to do the opposite.

How easy is it? And what are the ways a company from the outside can break into the rapidly developing Asian market?

I was delighted to be able to speak to Scott Cole and Chris Dodd, co-owners/directors at ShowTime Darts.

Although not as well-known as some of the giant darts manufacturers, those in the know can testify that they make some beautiful darts.

I had no hesitation in buttering up Scott by telling him how much I enjoy throwing the ShowTime Fuzion Darts!

Scott and Chris were kind enough to answer a few of my questions earlier this week…

Could you give us a little background on ShowTime Darts for those readers who may not be aware of what you do?

Scott Dale: Well we basically design and manufacture darts and darts products, which are then wholesaled to retailers across the world.

All design work is put together here in the UK and every design is overseen by both Chris and I from the start to the very finish.

We have an amazing team who adhere to every aspect of the design work from the very first idea, through to the end marketing designs before release.

Chris Dodd: We had been avid darts fans for quite some time.

Sometimes you have to be brave in business and that’s exactly what we did.

From initially designing the Fuzion dart, things have really snowballed. The feedback we have received gave us the faith to really have a go at this and see if there was a place in the market for a new, adventurous company.

How are soft tip sales compared to steel tip sales?

SD: Soft tip is a relatively new aspect of our company. We took many steel tip designs to market to build a customer base here in the UK first.

But we are seeing our soft tip designs proving to be immensely popular all over the world.

Asia has a huge soft tip following, and we plan to push many more soft tip designs into Asia and

“Asia has a huge soft tip following and we plan to push more designs into Asia” beyond.

We have already had amazing feedback from customers across Asia who have used both our soft tip and steel tip darts.

I really do believe we stand aside from other companies - in both the quality we produce and the pricing we offer.

CD: Although not so much in Britain, we realise there is a massive global market for soft tip darts, so we are basically coming up with a few designs and looking at what is transferable from our steel tip catalogue.

The prospect of establishing ourselves in the soft tip market is very exciting.

So how does the whole process work of making a dart at ShowTime Darts?

SD: Every single design idea we

have is meticulously put together.

It will start out as a simple idea, which could be made up of many different components, from the grip style, shape of dart, colour.

Once different factors have been finalised, the idea then gets put into a working design onto our bespoke system.

We then work closely with our manufacturers to make sure the design is workable and the spec is perfectly adhered to.

The design then has a sample set produced. From the sample set we can thoroughly test and quality check the product.

We then confirm a bulk order to be manufactured. From there we need to design a specific flight (if it is not taking our generic flight) and confirm the accessories to add.

The name of the dart is also required, something which is not always easy to muster up!

Could you tell us more about how sponsoring players like Andy Boulton and Mark

Darts Weekly Friday 14 October 2016

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Lawrence comes about, and what the process involves to acquire a player and how it all works?

SD: This is a difficult one, as not every player out there suits what ShowTime Darts looks for in a player.

Again, we are very meticulous in the procedure for finding talented players, and then signing them to

“We plan to develop a style and range that could one day be exclusive to Asia” our company.

In terms of Andy Boulton, he represents ShowTime Darts perfectly. He has had a meteoric rise through the PDC rankings.

We sponsor two local players to us, Mark Lawrence and young Tom Sykes - locality is a big thing that we looked to.

We wanted to make sure we didn’t instantly look further afield

for talent, as we are conscious there are some amazing talents locally that don’t always get recognised in darts.

We have players from the USA, the Netherlands, and Austria, signed to us.

Hopefully in the near future we can look to secure a top player from Asia, as this is one of the major target regions for us to promote our brand.

CD: It’s not just about taking a gamble on a player. Believe me, we get lots of enquiries.

It’s more a case of recognising the overall potential of a player and from there, seeing if a sponsorship deal would be mutually beneficial.

We are happy with whom we have on board at present, but we are always on the look out for players interested in working with ShowTime Darts.

What’s the strategy for any future releases in terms of different products?

SD: We have lots of ideas in the pipeline for new releases but we are learning it’s about timing, rather than flooding the market.

We have a nice selection of darts available now for a company in it’s infancy, so we may well look to release darts in a more strategic way, ensuring it doesn’t clash with those established brands.

We can then concentrate on the advertising side of a launch and thoroughly plan with retailers to ensure our supply can meet demands.

CD: As Chris said, it’s about getting the right quality out there, not just quantity.

So a possible bulk launch at intervals for us may work really well. There are plenty of top quality designs already under production, so we have lots of exciting things coming up.

What are your future plans for the company in Europe and Asia?

SD: I guess our short term future plans are simply to continue to grow as a top name in the world of darts.

We have grown into a huge brand in such a short space of time, and we firmly believe we have only scratched the surface so far.

The long term goal is to be the number one name in darts.

Companies like Unicorn, Target and Winmau are what we aspire to become, and hopefully surpass!

We will continue to offer the greatest quality we can at affordable prices to our customers.

We feel that darts fans can sometimes get priced out of new products as companies try to manipulate a growing sport.

Europe continues to be a huge hub for our brand, with growing popularity in countries such as the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland, to even smaller places where darts continues to grow, Luxembourg for example.

In terms of Asia, we plan to develop a style and range that could one day be exclusive to the Asian market, and will continue to look for new distributors to stock our brand.

Darts Weekly Friday 14 October 2016

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DAVE McNALLY DARTS WRITER

Kong has learnt to adapt to the rigours of the circuit “I’ve been terrible of late,” muses Robbie Green. “It’s coming back slowly, hopefully, I’ll be at my best for the worlds.”

It’s all part of being a darts player I suppose, no team to hide behind, it’s you versus the world.

Talking of teams Robbie, Liverpool FC? “Yes, it’s a big part of my life. I’ve been going for 35 years, and I get to Anfield when I can but with darts most weekends, I have to go to the midweek games.”

Football obviously remains a huge part of Green’s life but, what does he think of the outcry on social media about fans not supporting him or wanting him to get beat because of the affiliation to Liverpool and their ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ anthem?

“We all get a few cranks, but to be honest I couldn’t give a monkeys.

“They’re just looking to have a pop, I get lots of support from all over the world, and they’re the ones that matter.”

So where did it all start for Robbie? “My dad was skipper of a local team and to get me off the streets and getting into bother he started taking me to darts. It worked and I’ve not looked back.”

So with his dad to thank, for what started as just a hobby, what are the pressures of the professional circuit?

“With me, it’s what will be will be. If I’m playing well it can happen, if not, it’s not the end of the world.

“It’s the same board whether it’s on the floor or the stage, I just try to keep it simple.”

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Surely your mind set has changed? “Not so much mind set, you grow a thicker skin.

“Getting hit with nine, 10, 11 darters all the time you get used to it and you have to be sharper.

“I practice a lot more than I used to, but have to watch I don’t overdo it. I need a new knee so struggle on a daily basis with it.”

Funding has always been an issue with up and coming darts players

“When you get hit with nine, 10, 11 darters you have to be sharper” before they break through, and even then it’s tough to keep hold of sponsors within the current financial climate.

“I worked as a fabricator and a courier, then what I’d win in the early days would go towards the next few events.”

So moving back to the PDC was not a problem then, with the

LAWRENCE LUSTIG/PDC

increase in tournaments, progression and prize money available?

“No, not at all, it was an easy decision. I know I can mix it with the best so I thought I might as well earn some dough doing what I love.”

Ok then Robbie, what’s with the Kong nickname? Who came up with that? “It was a lady in the Merseyside county team, so I just adopted it.”

And, what about any darting heroes? “I’d have to go for (Eric) Bristow, (John) Lowe and (Bob) Anderson.”

There’s been a bit of controversy about Benito van de Pas and the winning dart that never was. Any views? “We all make mistakes including markers, players and officials. It was lucky that Kev (Painter) won the game really, but that shouldn’t matter.”

Any advice to people wanting to get into the sport? “Don’t run before you can walk. Listen and learn.”

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Friday 14 October 2016 Darts Weekly

EVERY MATCH. EVERY TABLE. EVERY STAT PROFESSIONAL DARTS CORPORATION UNIBET WORLD GRAND PRIX

Semi finals - M van Gerwen (99.37) 4-2 D Chisnall (95.05), G Anderson (98.89) 4-1 R van Barneveld (91.55). Final - M van Gerwen (100.29) 5-2 G Anderson (92.73).

PDC ORDER OF MERIT 1 M van Gerwen £1,337,000 2 G Anderson £874,750 3 A Lewis £447,500 4 P Taylor £428,500 5 P Wright £418,750 6 J Wade £315,000 7 R Thornton £302,750 8 D Chisnall £294,250 9 M Smith £284,500 10 J Klaasen £282,000 11 R van Barneveld £269,500 12 M Suljovic £263,500 13 K Huybrechts £263,000 14 I White £257,500 15 B van de Pas £225,500 16 T Jenkins £221,750 17 S BuntingSWEDISH £212,500 18 V van der Voort £198,750 19 S Whitlock OPEN £184,500 20 M King £171,750 21 G Price £159,000 22 B Dolan £144,500 23 M Webster £142,500 24 S Beaton £139,000 25 J Caven £134,750 26 D Gurney £133,250 27 J Pipe £132,500 28 A Norris £132,250 29 K Anderson £116,500 30 A Gilding £101,000 31 J Henderson £100,750 32 J Cullen £100,500 33 J Lewis £96,500 34 C Reyes £85,750 35 K Brown £80,750 36 A Hamilton £76,250 37 J Murnan £75,750 38 D Webster £74,000 39 R Huybrechts £73,000 = C Kist £73,000  Order of Merit as of October 10, 2016

WORLD DARTS FEDERATION

ET10 HOST NATION QUALIFIER

Qualifier 1 - S Stoyke Qualifier 2 - M Holz Qualifier 3 - M Puls Qualifier 4 - R Allenstein FIXTURES TODAY German Darts Championship first round - A Boulton v S Taylor, M Mansell v J Pipe, J Vegso v D Johnson, R Meulenkamp v M Puls, D Pallett v B Dolan, R Green v C Kist, M Holz v E Dootson, P Hudson v V van der Voort, S West v T West, M Webster v M King, C Dobey v T Evetts, C Reyes v M Walsh, A Smith v S Stoyke, R-J Rodriguez v K Anderson, K Painter v Y Meeuwisse, S Hine v R Allenstein.

SWEDISH TOMORROW German Darts Championship OPEN second round - G Price v Pallet/ Dolan, D Gurney v Meulenkamp/ Puls, A Norris v Boulton/Taylor, S Whitlock v Mansell/Pipe, S Bunting v S West/T West, T Jenkins v A Smith/Stoyke, B van de Pas v Reyes/Walsh, I White v Painter/Meeuwisse, D Chisnall v Hudson/van der Voort, M Smith v Webster/King, J Cullen v Hine/ Allenstein, M Suljovic v Vegso/ Johnson, J Klaasen v Rodriguez/ Anderson, P Wright v Holz/ Dootson, M van Gerwen v Green/ Kist, K Huybrechts v Dobey/ Evetts.

Unicorn Development Tour 17 and 18 (Wigan) SUNDAY German Darts Championship third round, quarter finals, semi finals and final Unicorn Development Tour 19 (Wigan) World Youth Championship last 64 up to the final

WINMAU LUXEMBOURG OPEN

Men’s last 32 - D Labanauskas 41 T Burquel, T Martinez 3-4 S Wens, A Fordham 1-4 G Clemens, C van Cleef 2-4 G Robson, R Radsma 4-1 R Balfoort, F Roosenbrand 0-4 W Mandigers, J Sparidaans 4-2 D van Baelen, L Frauenfelder 0-4 R Veenstra, D Fitton 4-3 J van Egdom, L Sebastien 0-4 T Hankey, D Debrael 2-4 D van der Zande, D Blow 3-4 W Vaes, F Schemeyer 4-1 T Greebe, A Baetens 2-4 B Kirk, M Verberk 4-0 T Junghans, B Raman 3-4 W Harms. Last 16 - D Labanauskas 3-4 S Wens, G Clemens 4-2 G Robson, R Radsma SWEDISH 4-2 W Mandigers, J Sparidaans 4OPEN 2 R Veenstra, D Fitton 4-0 T Hankey, D van der Zande 1-4 W Vaes, F Schemeyer 2-4 B Kirk, M Verberk 2-4 W Harms. Quarter finals -S Wens 2-4 G Clemens, R Radsma 4-2 J Sparidaans, D Fitton 4-2 W Vaes, B Kirk 4-2 W Harms.

Semi finals - G Clemens 5-0 R Radsma, D Fitton 5-3 B Kirk.

Final - G Clemens 2-6 D Fitton.

Ladies last 16 - D Hedman 4-0 P Jacklin, J Wunderlich 1-4 D Ijpelaar, J Thompson 4-0 S Hoor, S Veenstra 0-4 A Zijlstra, S Prins 4-1 J Desmedt, C van der Nevler 14 C Rudin, A Kuijten 4-1 M Sutton, K Frauenfelder 0-4 A de Graaf.

Quarter finals - D Hedman 4-0 D Ijpelaar, J Thompson 2-4 A Zijlstra, S Prins 4-1 C Rudin, A Kuijten 2-4 A de Graaf. Semi finals - D Hedman 4-2 A Zijlstra, S Prins 4-0 A de Graaf. Final - D Hedman 5-4 S Prins.

Men’s pairs last 16 - Hamelink/ Welsen 4-3 Fitton/Thompson, Burquel/Miles 3-4 Labanauskas/ Sparidaans, Nelz/Nilles 4-3 Karp/ Gonner, Beepers/Huygen 3-4 Baetens/De Vuyst, Denies/Van den Hirtz 0-4 Kirk/Desreumaux, Noster/Clemens 4-0 Geertlof/ Roman, Greebe/Balfoort 0-4 Van

Darts Weekly Friday 14 October 2016

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EVERY STAT HERE. darts Baelen/Van den Bergh, Harmsen/ Nieuwenhuis 4-2 Schueyen/ Waegemans. Quarter finals Hamelink/Welsen 0-4 Burquel/ Miles, Nelz/Nilles 3-4 Baetens/De Vuyst, Kirk/Desreumaux 4-1 Noster/Clemens, Van Baelen/Van Den Bergh 4-2 Harmsen/ Nieuwenhuis. Semi finals Burquel/Miles 4-2 Baetens/De Kuyst, Kirk/Desreumaux 2-4 Van Baelen/Van den Bergh. Final Burquel/Miles w/o Van Baelen/ Van den Bergh d/q.

Ladies pairs last 16 - Grethen/ Hear 3-4 Tobias/Racke, Noijens/ Berenschot SWEDISH 4-1 Rogers/Clifford, Boonstoppel/Kamphorst 0-4 OPEN Frauenfelder/Desmedt, D’Haseleer/Denies 0-4 Ijpelaar/ Jacklin, McClain/Fegert 4-2 Galle/ Hosten, Vonnufs/Rudin 4-0 Bracke/Wastyn, Stoop/Tartari 0-4 Hedman/Sutton, Verpoorten/ Deboeck 4-0 Wilhelm/SmallKemp. Quarter finals - Tobias/ Racke 1-4 Noijens/Berenschot, Frauenfelder/Desmedt 1-4 Ijpelaar /Jacklin, McClain/Fegert 4-1 Vonfuls/Rudin, Hedman/Sutton 4-2 Verpoorten/Deboeck. Semi finals - Noijens/Berenschot 0-4 Ijpelaar/Jacklin, McClain/Fegert 0-4 Hedman/Sutton. Final Ijpelaar/Jacklin 2-5 Hedman/Sutton.

Mixed pairs last 16 - Rudin/ Miles 1-4 Nelz/Clemens, Verhagen/Frauenfelder 3-4 Hearing/Weishaar, Wunderlich/ Van den Bergh 4-1 Hamelink/ Hamelink, Jacklin/Thompson 4-2 D’Hondt/De Vuyst, Stoop/Gut 4-3 Kuipers/Fruneaux, Ijpelaar/ Labanauskas 4-0 Frauenfelder/ French, Kamphorst/Nieuwenhuis 3-4 Van der Meulen/Van Gassen, Neijens/Vermeulen 3-4 Wilhem/ Noster. Quarter finals - Nelz/ Clemens 4-0 Hearing/Weishaar, Wunderlich/Van den Bergh 0-4 Jacklin/Thompson, Stoop/Gut 0-4 Ijpelaar/Labanauskas, Van der

Meulen/Van Gassen 4-1 Wilhelm/ Noster. Semi finals - Nelz/ Clemens 4-1 Jacklin/Thompson, Ijpelaar/Labanauskas 4-2 Van der Meulen/Van Gassen. Final - Nelz/ Clemens 5-3 Ijpelaar/ Labanauskas.

Juniors semi finals - W HurrebrinkFIXTURES 3-2 D Verhagen, J Schlemmer 1-3 M van Velzen.

Final - W Hurrebrink 2-4 M van Velzen.

MALTA DARTS ASSOCIATION NATIONAL LEAGUE Division One - BBugia Cox Sports Club A 1-7 Kalkara St Joseph, Zejtun Beland Bullseye 3-5 Mosta Horseshoe Bar A, Zejtun Juventusis Domus 0-8 Floriana Ajax A, Gudja POs Bar A 6-2 Bormla Bocci Club. Division Two - Floriana Ajax B 4-4 Senglea M. Conquest, Cospicua Rangers 3-5 PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP Bugibba Munchies Pub, Mosta Bocci Club 6-2 BBugiaCox Sports 13 Club B, Hamrun Education Bar A 5-3 Gudja POs Bar B. Division Three - Mosta Horseshoe Bar B 71 St Paul’s Diamonds, Mqabba St Marry BC 4-4 Mgarr The Hatch Sports Bar, Bugibba Interc. Sun City 4-4 St. Venera Red Square.

FIXTURES October 14-16 UK Youth Darts FIXTURES Challenge (Skipsea Sands Holiday Park), Latvian Open, Northern Ireland Open, Malaysian Open October 15 Colorado Open October 15-16 Australian Masters October 19-22 WDF Asia Pacific Cup October 19-23 Turkish Open To find out more about advertising in our magazine please send an email to dartsweekly@gmail.com

firsts 2012 World Youth champion, James Hubbard, talks us through his darts memories First darts memory?

It would probably be watching my dad (Vic Hubbard) practice in the dining room at home. I remember then watching my dad playing county in the late 1990s.

First darts hero?

My darting hero has always been Wayne Mardle. I just loved his showmanship and some of the great games he had with Phil Taylor.

First set of darts?

A gold set of 26g Alan Glazier darts.

First darts team?

I played youth super league for my local team Wymondham in Norfolk when I was eight, maybe nine!

First game on TV? The 2011 Grand Slam of Darts I played Phil Taylor. He beat me 5-1, not the easiest introduction to TV darts!

First nine darter?

My first nine darter was in practice when I was 16. I was playing on my own against a dart program on my laptop, great feeling. I haven’t yet hit one in a match, but I’ve missed double 12 countless times.

First professional tournament win?

I’ve yet to win a senior event in the PDC, but I’m hoping the 2012 World Youth title would count. It’s one of my greatest memories so far, beating MVG 6-3 at the O2 Arena in the final.

Who would you like to see reveal their Darts Firsts next?

Tweet us at @darts_weekly with your suggested players!

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Friday 14 October 2016 Darts Weekly

ALEX MOSS CHIEF DARTS WRITER

Time is right for Wright to settle on a set of darts Benjamin Franklin once said that “there are only two certainties in life - death and taxes.”

Peter Wright changing his darts before a televised tournament could well be a third certainty.

The Unibet World Grand Prix took place in Dublin last week, and among the first round casualties was fifth seed Wright, who was beaten in straight sets by Brendan Dolan.

In a tournament which saw five of the eight seeds knocked out at the first hurdle, was last week another missed opportunity for Wright to end his wait for a first major televised title in the PDC? As it turned out he would have had to have got the better of tournament favourite Michael van Gerwen in the semi-finals, a feat which he has not achieved in his previous 14 meetings with the world number one.

Gary Anderson would have then been his opponent in the final, with the reigning world champion also holding a better record over Wright in their clashes during the last two years.

But to be the best you have to beat the best, and that is why Wright, despite some critics being against it, continues to chop and change with his equipment.

In an interview with the BBC during the Champions League of Darts last month, the world number five said: “I just want to improve. I want to score more, obviously with these thinner darts, the thinner points, longer stems and everything I think my scoring can match Michael’s, and hopefully I can score enough to

beat him. People call me silly and whatever, but the best place to find out if your darts work is under pressure.

“There’s no good doing it in the club or in your kitchen or whatever, you need to be playing the best players in the world on TV and you find out if they go in the double or not.”

As it turned out in Cardiff last month though, Wright could not get past van Gerwen, losing 10-5 in their winner-takes-all Group A clash, and as such it was back to the drawing board for the man nicknamed Snakebite.

It was a familiar story for the 46year-old, who since his big breakthrough almost three years ago at the Alexandra Palace, reaching the final of the 2014 PDC World Championship, has found van Gerwen to be a constant thorn in his side.

Had Wright come through the ranks perhaps three, or maybe even two years earlier than he did, would those performances have won him a world title?

He certainly wouldn’t have come up against an inspired van Gerwen back then, who has often saved his best darts for Wright.

In their Premier League meeting in Exeter back in March of this year, Wright averaged 108.98, but only managed to win two legs against a van Gerwen who finished with a 116.67 three dart average to win 7-2.

It is those occasions which maybe frustrate Wright the most. Averaging almost 109

“I want to improve and score enough to beat Michael van Gerwen” LAWRENCE LUSTIG/PDC

and only winning two legs is, quite frankly, absurd.

It is those defeats which drive Wright to look for ways to improve his game, often by tinkering with his equipment and trying new sets of darts to find an extra one or two per cent.

But how long can Wright continue this process? Some critics suggest he will find a set of darts which he finds perfect and stick with them.

If Wright is to win major titles he must find the ‘perfect’ dart now, or risk finishing his career without the success which his talent deserves.

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