Masters Preview

The Top 16 will battle it out on Saturday and Sunday in the Unibet Masters. I will preview all of the first round matches and give my predictions. The first round is best of 19 legs.

Peter Wright vs Justin Pipe

These two have met 6 times in the past and Wright has came out on top in 4 of those encounters, 3 of the wins have been in 2014. 

Wright was Quarter Finalist in the European Championship last week losing  to the eventual winner Michael van Gerwen and showed that he is in good form. 

Both players were eliminated in the first round in last years and will both be lookin to improve on that, but Wright has shown he is one of the best in televised tournaments and I think he will come out as the eventual winner.

Prediction - Peter Wright

Dave Chisnall vs Robert Thornton

Nothing can split this pair in the Head To Heads as both have won 8 against eachother, although Thornton has won the only 2 televised meetings.

The Scotsman is playing well having got to the last 16 in both the Grand Prix and European Championship this month and hit a 9-dart finish along the way.

Chisnall made the Quarter Final of the European Championship last week and played some decent darts but he has been unable to progress far in any tournament recently, failing to reach a semi-final in 12 attempts.

It's a close match to call and could go either way in the short format but if I had to choose I would go the way of 'The Thorn'.

Prediction - Robert Thornton

Simon Whitlock vs Mervin King 

These 2 have faced off 25 times in the past, Whitlock winning 13 times and King winning 12, not much between them.

Whitlock has made 3 finals this year but hasn't got past the Quarter Final stage in his last 9 tournaments.

King was a Semi-Finalist in last weeks European Championship and made the Quarter Finals of the Grand Prix at the start of October. He won a tournament in November and could go far this week again.

The bookmakers have made King the outsider at 6/4, but I think he will come out on top against 'The Wizard'

Prediction - Merven King

Adrian Lewis vs Kim Huybrechts

The two have never met in a major tournament but have met 11 times before  with Lewis winning 6. 

'Jackpot' has had a poor October failing to get past the 2nd round in 3 tournaments. He'll be looking to turn around this form against Huybrechts who has reached a final and a Semi final this month. 

Huybrechts can blow hot and cold, he will either average 100+ or under 90, but if he's playing at his best he will be able to defeat last years finalist Lewis.

Prediction - Kim Huybrechts

James Wade vs Brendan Dolan

Wade has been sensational in recent months reaching 2 finals and winning a tournament. His last 5 tv tournaments have resulted in him reaching at least the Quarter Final. Wade is a big points scorer and loves the short format, everything seems to be pointing towards him to go far this weekend.

Dolan isn't a big 180 hitter, he hasn't hit more than 2 in a match chance March. 

His average has been consistently around 95 in TV tournaments but I think he will be out scored by Wade and that would be the cause of him going home early. 

Prediction - Wade

Phil Taylor vs Wes Newton

In the last 32 meetings, Taylor has won an amazing 30! 

Newton has not been throwing well and hasn't got past the last 16 in any tournament in his last 9 attempts. 

I can't see past 'The Power' winning comfortably, but a few missed doubles and you never know.

Prediction - Phil Taylor

Michael van Gerwen vs Raymond van Barneveld

MVG has defeated Barney twice this month and is in the form of his life. It will take something special to put him out in the first round of a competition. If he continues this form he will lift another trophy on Sunday.

Prediction - Michael van Gerwen

Gary Anderson vs Andy Hamilton

Anderson has been in 6 Semi Finals since July and enjoys playing in TV events. His fans in Scotland will roar him on in this weekend and he is one of my picks to win the tournament.

He is up against Hamilton who has played in 6 tournaments this month and failed to get past the last 16 in all of them. I can't see him turning over the Scotsman on Saturday.

Prediction - Gary Anderson 

Tournament Winner Predictions- James Wade and Gary Anderson.

European Championship Darts Report

Michael van Gerwen makes it two major television tournaments on the bounce as he wins the European Championship in Mulheim Germany to follow up his World Grand Prix win earlier this month.

Van Gerwen swept Justin Pipe and Brendan Dolan aside in the early rounds, while the on form Gary Anderson couldn't make it past the first round as he came out second best in a deciding leg and lost 6-5 to Terry Jenkins. The Scotsman wasn't the only big name to crash out in the opening round, James Wade, Simon Whitlock and last years winner Adrian Lewis failed to get over the first hurdle.
The quarter finals awaited with some terrific contests, the highlight being Peter Wright vs Van Barneveld. The German crowd were behind Wright all weekend and chanted his name everytime he stepped onto the stage, but this didn't stop a new look Barney (sporting glasses for the first time in this tournament) from getting the better of 'Snakebite' winning 10-7. 


Terry Jenkins played the game of his life when he eliminated Stephen Bunting 10-7, 'The Bullet' played respectably but Jenkins brought his A game and proved too much for his opponent meanwhile, bookmakers favourite MVG made light work of Dave Chisnall with an 111 average in a 10-5 win, he was looking mighty impressive at this point.

The second round produced undoubtedly the best match of the weekend. Four time winner Phil Taylor took on the PDC new boy Stephen Bunting. Both men played world class darts averaging over 100 and they took the match to a deciding leg, Bunting threw first and it proved to be the deciding factor as he took the match 10-9. 16 time World Champion Taylor said  "Stephen was brilliant there and he didn't miss anything. I can't fault him and I hold my hands up, he was the best player on the night, he played superbly and I've got no complaints."

Bunting hit 10 180s and missed double 12 for a nine-dart finish in the epic encounter, the current BDO World Champion said "It would have been lovely to hit the nine-darter and the double 12 wasn't a million miles away, but I had to shut it out afterwards because Phil could have walked all over me."

Jenkins set up a clash with Mervin King in the semi finals and MVG would meet fellow Dutchman Van Barneveld. This was the second time in one day that these players would compete and it took its toll on King, he looked very warm and was sweating heavily, his arm started dropping and he was throwing sloppy, low darts, I think this cost him the match as an average Terry Jenkins took the match 11-8.

'Mighty Mike' took on 'Barney' in the penultimate game of the tournament. Van Gerwen showed his class throughout, he hit the fourth televised 9-dart finish of his career as he came from 2-0 down to win the match 10-6

We had our finalists. World Number 1 Michael van Gerwen and now 9-time Major Television Finalist Terry Jenkins. Could 'The Bull' Jenkins break his final curse?
The answer was no. Van Gerwen stormed into an early 5-0 lead that left Jenkins with a mountain to climb. There was a mini-revival from 'The bull' but it wasn't enough. Van Gerwen won 11-4 with a 102 average and checked out 167 along the way.

The winner said "I've never won this tournament before, so it means a lot to me. A couple of years ago I could only have dreamed about this, but now it's a reality and a lot of it has to do with confidence and I know I can do a lot of good things at the moment."

European Championship Darts Preview

Another huge darts tournament is on the horizon, this time it is the European Championship.. It has been unsurprisingly dominated by Phil Taylor, winning in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 and only two other players have lifted the trophy in its 7 year history, Simon Whitlock in 2012 and Adrian Lewis in 2013. This year there is a possibility of a 4th name being added to the list with a number of players having an impressive 2014 campaign and other big names having a dip in form. 'The Power' Taylor has been out of sorts lately having not got past the quarter final stage in his last two tournaments. Adrian Lewis has also had a quiet year having not won a competition since March.

The draw has been announced and it has thrown up some eye-catching matches. Justin Pipe has not had the luck of the draw as he is up against World Number 1 Michael Van Gerwen. MVG is fresh off the back of winning the World Grand Prix and will surely be wanting to win this for the first time and add it to his ever growing trophy room. The pair have met twice this year winning one apiece, it promises to be an exciting encounter where bookmakers will have The Dutchman as big favourite but Pipe is more than capable of causing an upset when on his game.

The current BDO World Champion Stephen Bunting has also been drawn a tough opponent in Andy Hamilton. This will be the first ever meeting between the pair and will be one of the highlights of the first round. 'The Hammer' Hamilton is known for his 'Never say die' attitude and his knack for grinding out results when he looks down and out, however Bunting is throwing some mesmorising darts and the man from St Helens will feel he can progress into the last 16 where he will by no means have an easy match.

'The Bullet' will face the winner of the 2009 final rematch between Phil Taylor and Steve Beaton. This pair also met last month in the Grand Prix, ''The Power' made it look easy that day winning 2-0 and a repeat performance could set up a mouth watering clash in the last 16.

The performer of the year in many fans eyes, Gary Anderson, faces a respected opponent in Terry Jenkins. In the last 7 bouts between the pair Anderson has failed to be victorious on every occassion and this could be in the back of The Scotsmans head making it an edgy affair,

The final fixture in the fixture list is 2012 winner Simon Whitlock up against the current Premier League Champion Raymond Van Barneveld, two players are used to the feeling of winning major honours. There will be 100+ checkouts and 180s galore in a match up that has seen Whitlock coming out on top on the last 3 encounters, he loves it here in Muelheim Germany and always seems to bring his A-game to this competition.

The European Championship will gives darts fans an idea of what players have to offer in The World Championship in December although the short format could prove problematic to some players as they will have to come out of the gates fast to avoid defeat. The usual faces will be there in the later stages but up-and-coming stars such as Bunting may cause a few upsets, the World Number 31 has flown up then rankings since joining the PDC in February and has the potential to win a major tournament sooner rather than later, but can anyone stop the 'Mighty' Michael Van Gerwen?

World Grand Prix Darts Review

Michael Van Gerwen captured his second World Grand Prix of Darts title on Sunday with a convincing 5-3 victory against the impressive James Wade.

'The Machine' Wade had a great week which started with the Englishman sweeping Andy Smith aside in a tournament which proved difficult for some top players to adapt to. The unique double-in, double-out format showcased which players are most consistent at hitting the doubles and brings to life the saying "Scoring for show, doubles for dough". The match finished 2-0 and Wade went marching onto the 2nd round. Big names eliminated in the first round included Wes Newton, Simon Whitlock and Dave Chisnall.

He came up against Robert 'The Thorn' Thornton in what was arguably, the match of the tournament which included two 9 dart finishes (one a-piece), 90+ averages and some sublime finishing. The match went to the wire and a calm Wade showed no nerves and progressed into the final 8, some big names such as Peter Wright, Van Barneveld and Adrian Lewis crashed out.

The quarter-finals contained some exciting fixtures including Kevin Painter v Gary Anderson and Michael Van Gerwen v Mervin King, but the match that got the crowd going was World Number 2 Phil 'The Power' Taylor up against the man on form, James Wade. Not many people could see the 16 time World Champion Taylor being eliminated so early in the competition but 'The Machine' beat the odds and took the match 3-1 in a cool and efficient performance, efficient is the word that best describes Wades performances throughout the week.
The title of 'Match of the Round' went to Van Gerwen and King in a match which went all the way to a deciding leg. The underdog King (the man who eliminated fan favourite Van Barneveld) was a double away from victory when MVG ended the dream of a semi-final tie with Stephen Bunting.

Into the semi finals now and we had two matches with great potential; Anderson v Wade and Bunting v Van Gerwen. Two matches that I, like many others, would have expected to be tight contests.
Anderson looked on his way to the final when he was 3-1 up and firing on all cylinders, when an under-performing Wade stepped up his game and pulled off a remarkable comeback to win 4-3. Anderson was fantastic all week, never looked like missing double 20 getting into each leg but was defeated by a resilient Wade who never gave up.
The second semi-final was polar opposite to the first. Van Gerwen made light work of Stephen Bunting with lots of 180s and a high checkout percentage. Stephen Bunting played respectably, but any player would have found it hard to beat MVG on that form. the matched finished 4-0 and we now had our two finalists.

The final began with both players exchanging blows. First blood went to Wade, MVG got the next. They shared the next 4 sets and it was 3-3. Bookmakers had Wade as big favourite to get the better of the under par Dutchman after he got the highest checkout of the night, a 141 which left Van Gerwen reeling. The 7th set went to a deciding leg which saw Van Gerwen checking out 86 to go within one set of victory. After the break it was all one way traffic, 3 legs in a row to the Dutchman clinched a 2nd World Grand Prix title and cemented ranking of World Number 1 until at least the end of the year.

It was a great week of darts with some upsets, surprises and roller coaster matches that were impossible to predict. What I have taken from this week is that it will take something VERY special from a player to deny Michael Van Gerwen his 2nd world title in January.