Should Darts be Introduced into the Classroom?

Darts is a game of skill, concentration, practice, rhythm and mathematics. Some say it is the easiest game in the world to play, but the hardest to play well. When people begin to play this magnificent sport, the majority will just aim for the bullseye to to earn the bragging right of "I told you I could hit it" to their mates, but the more they play, the more they will understand how it works and after a year and many lost matches, the newcomer will have the foundations of what it takes to be a good player, including maths skills.

Darts players, even the ones in the pub, will say that throwing arrows has improved their counting, myself included. If you had asked me 2 years ago what 17 multiplied by 6 was, it would have taken pen and paper to provide you with an answer, but after a lot of games in the pub I know that treble 17=51 and double that is 102. A lot easier than any other method, so why not introduce this method to kids in schools? 

Having worked in schools for a number of years, I know that Mathematics needs to be more than just sitting at a desk learning 'Times Tables' and completing question after question, it might work to get kids results, but I also know that 75% of the students HATE it. Darts could enable teachers to bring fun and competitiveness into the classroom in short activities which will motivate the students to learn. The option to open a Darts Club within the school could benefit students social skills, it brings them all together in a game where you can't hide in the corner. 

To the general public however, there is still a stereotype against darts. It is seen as a 'pub game' and people would argue that it still encourages alcohol consumption. Competitive darts is mostly only available in a pub situation, so in order for a player who throws only in their house to take their game to the next level they would most likely have to attend a pub on a weekly basis to play for their team, this doesn't help the image of darts but it's not as damaging as what people see on television. If a child watches darts on TV these days  they are sure to see alcohol abuse in the crowd and their parents will not like this. But not all darts fans are anti-social; in fact its sad that the public perception of darts is rowdy, drunk men when this is the minority. Most fans love the sport and want to enjoy the spectacle without any mishaps. 

Women's darts is on the rise with players such as Fallon Sherrock, Lisa Ashton and Anastasia Dobromyslova showing that they are capable of giving the men a run for their money in a match. Ladies darts has a bright future and introducing the game to girls at a young age will only up the standard, attract more commercial attention and bring through more young talent which would secure it's future. The more exposure the women get, the more the prejudice of darts being a man's sport will disintegrate.

Myself, along with Phil Taylor, Eric Bristow and Bobby George feel very strongly about bringing the game of darts into the classroom, it's low cost, fun and will improve children's maths by a considerable amount. There are still some issues with darts that may hinder its progress into schools, but it is definitely a possibility in the future and who's to say it won't produce some future World Champions in the process.

Lewis' Late Challenge For Premier League Title

After 11 weeks of marvelous darts and terrific entertainment, we are now at the 'business end' of the Betway Premier League. There are just 4 weeks left for players to cement their places in the top four and realistically, there is only one place up for grabs with Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson and Dave Chisnall all occupying the first three places and they don't look like they'll be moved.
So five players will fight it out for the last available place which Phil Taylor is currently occupying, but he won't be sitting to comfortably.

Adrian Lewis, arguably the best natural talent in the game, couldn't have started his Premier League campaign any better as he demolished reigning champion Raymond van Barneveld 7-1 with an incredible 113 average and he looked to be back to his best, but the next week was the start of a run which saw the two time World Champion be sucked into a relegation battle.
In Lewis' next seven matches, he only won three points with draws against Huybrechts, van Gerwen and Wade and between those draws, he was defeated by Taylor, Bunting, Chisnall and current World Champion Anderson.
On week 9 we saw a different Adrian Lewis from the one we had been watching for the past two months. With relegation staring him in the face, he pulled off a hugely important 7-4 win against Peter Wright and from that point on the man from Stoke didn't look back. He turned what looked like an early exit from the competition into a very realistic chance to get a top four spot and get a shot at winning the Premier League trophy, a piece of silverware that he has never had the honour of lifting.

Away from the League, Lewis' form has been excellent recently getting to five Pro Tour event finals and winning three of them, he also had an impressive run in the German Darts Masters making it to the Semi-Final stage but lost to eventual runner up John Henderson.

Lewis is currently one point behind Phil Taylor with a game in hand, but more importantly, the pair meet this Thursday night in a match that could be pivotal in deciding who gets fourth place. Taylor's form has been up-and-down lately, but last week he proved his doubters by gaining 3 points out of a possible 4 and looked more like the 16-time World Champion that we all know.

Jackpot's remaining fixtures are against Taylor, Chisnall, van Barneveld, van Gerwen and Anderson, with 10 points on offer you feel that Lewis will need 6 or 7 points, but he is more than capable on his day. Obviously it won't be easy and if he does claim fourth he will have the tough task of playing the World Number 1 Michael van Gerwen, but when people predict who they think will win the Premier League, you don't hear many saying Lewis, his scoring power and high checkouts cannot be overlooked and don't be surprised if he walks away at the end of the campaign with the trophy because I fully expect him to.

Premier League Belfast: A Step In The Right Direction

The Premier League coming to Belfast is the most important and significant event of the darting year in Northern Ireland. We are in desperate need for more tournaments and exhibitions in this side of the UK and it seems the lack of darts throughout the year means everyone (including non-darts fan) flock to the Odyssey Arena in February to see the top players do what they do best. More events would improve the reputation of darts in this country and take away the stereotype of a night at the darts just being a 'drinking session'.
Last February, there was national outrage at the behaviour of the crowd inside the Odyssey during the Premier League. Newspapers and radio debates centred on it for the week that followed. Something needed to be done to prevent the fights and beer throwing in 2015 and some measures were clearly taken. The bar staff stopped selling alcohol after the third match which assured pints were drank instead of thrown and there was a significant increase in policing. I must say, these changes made a difference and made the night more enjoyable even though there were still some drunks that needed escorted from the building, but all in all, an improvement.
The PDC and the Odyssey Arena have clearly taken a step forward but they aren't quite there yet and more events are needed to solve this problem. It's not all gloom and doom though, the crowd during the first match of the night between Kim Huybrechts and Dave Chisnall were electric! There were plenty of "Stand up if you love the darts" chants and random MVG singing, and of course the 8 perfect darts from 'The Hurricane' nearly blew the roof off.
Personally, I look forward to the Premier League every year and I'm glad that Belfast still has a part to play in this great event, I hope it can continue to take steps in the right direction and hopefully expand for many years to come.

Judgement Night Preview

Who Will Have the Last Laugh on Judgement Night?

We have seen some incredible darts in the first eight weeks of this years Premier League and up until this point it has all been for one reason, to avoid being dumped out at the first hurdle as two players will eliminated on Thursday. Judgement night is upon us and there are five of the world's best players involved in a relegation scrap, it will take self-confidence, immense bottle and a bit of luck for results to go in their favour to survive, but all I know is that its going to be great entertainment for the Manchester crowd and the viewers at home. Below I have put together a match-by-match preview and outlined what the players in danger need to achieve in order for them to remain in the League.

 Michael van Gerwen vs. James Wade

The opening match of the night may not have any impact on who gets relegated, but it is a mouth watering prospect with two of the most consistent players this year going head-to-head in what is sure to be a game full of big checkouts. I believe that Wade is the best player in the word at finishing with anything between 100 and 130, but on the other hand MVG is the best at anything 131+, it could take one of Might Mike's magical finishes to continue his remarkable run.

Van Gerwen's 7-2 victory against fellow Dutchman Raymond van Barneveld with 109 average was impressive and he still remains unbeaten in this years edition of the Premier League. The short format suits him perfectly with the World Number 1 liable to switch off and lose concentration during longer games, but you can always guarantee he will come flying out of the blocks.

Wade has had a good campaign himself with 3 wins, 3 draws and only 2 losses. He is fresh off the back of a 7-3 win against Peter Wright last week despite just a 92 average and 25% checkout rate, but he has showed better form than that by winning a Pro Tour event recently after finishing runner-up in an event the day before, pocketing a cool £15,000 in just two days.

For 'The Machine' to get a result he will need to slow van Gerwen down and not allow him to get into a rhythm, because once he does, we all know what he can do. I think that van Gerwen's scoring power will prove too much for Wade but I'm sure he will give it a good shot.

Prediction: Michael van Gerwen 7-4 James Wade

Phil Taylor vs. Dave Chisnall

On a night where most eyes will be fixed elsewhere, this match could be key in determining the players who qualify for Finals Night in a few weeks time. Taylor is in 5th place level on points with Wade and just two points behind Chisnall in 3rd.
'Chizzy' is the surprise package of this years Premier League winning five matches, drawing one and losing just two and has hit 27 180s in the process. Before the start of the Premier LEague, bookmakers made the St Helen's man favourite to be eliminated at this stage, but he has silenced those doubters with some brave performances where he has had to dig deep in order to get a result, most notably in week 2 where he grinded out a 7-5 win against van Barneveld despite a 91 average on a night where nothing was happening for him. This attitude alongside his high scoring could give him a chance in this match, although he will need to be at his best to keep up with the 16-time World Champion Phil Taylor.
'The Power' has played better than his position suggests and has found himself unlucky not to win some weeks, especially against 'Barney' two weeks ago when he averaged 115 and somehow lost the match. He has averaged over 100 in 15 out of his last 17 televised matches and I wouldn't back against him doing it again. A 104 average in a 7-4 victory against Kim Huybrechts last week showed that Taylor shows no signs of slowing down and I expect him to continue that form on for the foreseeable future.
This should be a entertaining fixture that will produce high scoring, but they key will be who can hit those doubles with only one dart in hand. That is where I think this match will be won or lost and experience should prevail.

Prediction: Phil Taylor 7-4 Dave Chisnall

Stephen Bunting vs. Kim Huybrechts

Now onto the first match of the relegation battle. A lot of people predicted Huybrechts to be eliminated at this stage but I doubt many of them thought he would have played so well and still be struggling. He has been very unlucky throughout and should have more points to show for his efforts including a 7-5 deat to Dave Chisnall despite an average of 107. On another day he would have taken the points rather comfortably, but that is what the Premier League is all about, one mistake, one missed double and it could cost you the match and turn a likely win into a heartbreaking defeat.
Bunting has had an up-and-down debut, he started poorly and found himself bottom of the table with just 1 point after four weeks, but a victory against Adrian Lewis the following week gave him the boost he needed as he went on to win against Chisnall and managed a draw against Peter Wright. These results have put him in a good position and he should be safe come the end of Judgement night.
Huybrechts needs a darting miracle to extend his stay in the Premier League as Bunting only needs to win two legs to guarantee his place and even if 'The Hurricane' does, he still needs van Barnevled and Lewis to lose and win by enough legs to better them on leg difference. Even though his days are numbered, the Hurricane has justified his wildcard selection and has been a joy to watch for the past eight weeks.

Prediction: Stephen Bunting 6-6 Kim Huybrechts

Adrian Lewis vs. Peter Wright

All Wright needs is a win or a draw against Lewis, sounds simple but I don't think it will be as straight forward as that. He is up against, who I think is the most naturally gifted player in the world right now, when he is focused he can beat anyone and with him knowing that anything short of a win means elimination, you can assure every ounce of concentration and effort will be put into this match.
Peter Wright has been the draw specialist of this years Premier League sharing the spoils on four occasions but last week saw him producing his worst performance so far, losing 7-3 to Wade and averaging just 87. He will need a big improvement on that to challenge the two time World Champion.
Lewis has been disappointing after such a promising start winning 7-2 against Barney with an average of 113 in the first week, experts were tipping him to return to his best and go all the way this year but it hasn't went to plan for the former World Champion, three draws and four defeats later he finds himself in a position that his undoubted talent shouldn't allow him to be in, but the reality is that he needs to win and a draw will only save him if van Barneveld loses to Gary Anderson, but Jackpot will not want his place being in the hands of anyone else other than himself.

Prediction: Adrian Lewis 7-3 Peter Wright

Gary Anderson vs. Raymond van Barneveld

If we make it to this match not knowing who the relegated pair are then we are in for a treat. Current World Champion Anderson will not lie down and give his struggling opponent an easy route to safety, he will be battling to get more points on the board to cement his place in the top 4. His match last week against Bunting was fairly straight forward as he won 7-4 with a 96 average and 33% checkout rate and looked every bit like a World Champion.
Van Barneveld is safe if Kim Huybrechts fails to beat Stephen Bunting and he betters Adrian Lewis' result against Peter Wright. I have predicted a Lewis win, if that's the case then the Dutchman will need to come out on top here, not so straight forward considering his patchy form lately. He has averaged 104 for two weeks running now but the previous week he averaged just 88 in a defeat to Wade.
This is a hard one due to the circumstances and we could be in for one of the best matches of the year, but on current form I think the World Champion Gary Anderson has too much in hand over an inconsistent van Barneveld.

Prediction: Gary Anderson 7-5 Raymond van Barneveld


Bottom Two Prediction: Kim Huybrechts and Raymond van Barneveld

Rare Glimpse of the Lower Ranked in Gibraltar

The second European Tour event this year, The Gibraltar Darts Trophy, was available to stream online and we were treated to a weekend of some interesting darts to say the least. Predictably, the usual suspects prevailed with Michael van Gerwen beating Terry Jenkins in the final of this first to 6 legs tournament but the up-and-coming stars of our game gave the old-guard a run for their money with a few stunning performances against the odds.

Jamie Lewis was the stand out performer of the weekend as he reached the Semi-Final, defeating some useful players along the way including one of the pre-tournament favourites Michael Smith in the Second Round with a 96 average and a remarkable 67% checkout rate. This set up a last 16 match with ' Andy Smith who pushed the young Welshman in a match that could have went either way, but a 95 average and 3 180s from Lewis was enough to knock the stuffing out of 'The Pieman'.
In the Quarter-Finals Lewis faced another future star in the shape of Gerwyn Price who was having the best weekend of his darting career by coming out on top against Robert Thornton and Simon Whitlock. Sadly, one of these top prospects would be eliminated and it was 'The Iceman' Price who was edged out in a last leg decider, hopefully a sign of more to come.
A 6-1 loss in the Semi-Final to eventual champion Michael van Gerwen was as far as the young Welshman would go, but its another step in the right direction and I'm sure we will be hearing more from him soon.

After the trophy was won and the cameras had been turned off, I reflected on what was a really good weekend of darts and thought "Why is there not more tournaments with lower ranked players on TV?" People love an underdog and neutrals will always cheer them on so why can we not see them more often?

The World Championships allows us to see the top 64 in the world and that's great, but when it concludes we don't see players outside the top 16 until the UK Open over 2 months later (with the exception of number 22 Stephen Bunting who was invited to participate in the Premier League). Thanks to PDC TV we can stream to European Tour events once a month that players qualify to play in and that's a good chance to see the lesser known talents of the game, but what about the travelling? Should they not get a chance in the UK to show what they can do in front of cameras and a packed arena with an electric atmosphere?

Television and stage experience is vital in a players career, many of big names can play their best darts on the floor but when they get on the stage they fall apart. After the UK Open they only have 1 more chance to appear on our screens (not including streamed events) until October.
Don't get me wrong, I love watching van Gerwen, Taylor, Anderson and Lewis, they amaze me every time I see them, but its nice to see a new face coming through and getting the better of the established players and I think it is very important for the sport.

I understand that Sky and ITV want the big names for their tournaments, but a suitable solution would be to bring cameras along to Pro Tour events and televise some of the matches, some great darts are thrown at these events with some ridiculous averages being achieved. Showing these matches would do darts and TV companies no harm and it would bring in more fans, more money and more players.

Mervyn King 26 Gram Darts Review

My main problem as a dart player is the passing of the dart from holding hand to my throwing hand. I have a fast throwing style which means I do not have the time to adjust the dart during my throw so the transition between hands is vital. I'm sure there are other players with a similar problem and it can be very frustrating, especially when your first 2 throws are perfectly in the treble 20 and the third dart strays into a 5 or a 1. I set out to find a set of darts that would combat this weakness of mine and after some research I found that a 'Scalloped' barrel would be perfect.

I browsed Reddragondarts.com for this style and stumbled across Mervyn King's 26 gram darts, they seemed like they would fit the criteria of what I was looking for, so I decided to give them a go.
Two days later they were in my hand and I was straight onto the practice board. The first thing I noticed when throwing was how easy they were to throw despite weighing 26 grams, the scalloped barrel enables some extra push from the fingers on release creating a smooth throw but did the darts give me the consistency that I desperately needed? Yes. The darts were grouping better than they ever have, the speed of my throw is exactly where I want it and most importantly, I need to change the treble 20 segment on my board after just 1 week.

Forgetting all of the throwing elements of the darts, they really are beautiful. The tungsten alloyed barrel is finished off with a PVD black effect coating which gives them a nice attractive shine. Red Dragon have rated the grip 2/5 (1= Smooth, 5= Aggressive) due to there being some extra grooves towards the rear of the dart, these grooves may be a small addition but make the difference in a dart weighted towards the rear.

If you are struggling with inconsistency then I would advise you try these magnificent pieces of tungsten. They could improve your game and make throwing darts even more enjoyable than it already is.

Paul Nicholson 26 Gram Onyx Grip Darts Review

For some time now I have been tempted to get these darts. The sheer look of them is enough to make me want to throw them for hours. I had my doubts about the Onyx Grip, to be honest, I didn't even know what it was so I decided to do some reasearch and found out that it offers more grip with a black coating over the dart. That was me sold!

I visited RedDragonDarts.com and the next day when I arrived home from work I was surprised to see them in my postbox in the usual packaging with a case and signature Paul Nicholson flights, great service as usual. The first thing I noticed about these beautiful pieces of Tungsten was that they were HUGE! Well the thin barrel and large stems gave them that impression. Straight to my practice room and the first 3 darts didn't go so smoothly, 26 scored (possibly the score I hate most). Another 3 brought the same result, I noticed the flights were touching my eye on each throw so I changed the stems to small ones and had a go. Bearing in mind I have only scored 180 twice in my short career, hitting one with new equipment was a big ask, but after 2 hours of playing it happened. 

I couldn't beleieve it, they are now actually challenging my Thorntons for number 1 spot on my list of favourite darts.
The Nicholson Darts are weighted and gripped towards the rear which makes for perfect flight. To get  maximum grip from them, holding further back on the dart would be preferable but if this isn't your style, don't worry, the Onyx Grip makes it 'grippy' all over the barrel and it eliminates any slips. The white and green grooves that you can see in the picture offer grip in 3 separate parts of the dart and allow many different styles to use them. Red Dragon rates the grip 4/5 (1= smooth, 5= aggressive).

These darts need to be tried by every darts enthusiast, they are nothing like any dart I have ever thrown and I would highly recommend them. 

Premier League Week 3 Preview

Michael van Gerwen will be looking to continue his phenomenal run of form this Thursday in Liverpool when he faces World Champion Gary Anderson for the second time in a week in the Premier League.

The two met in the final of the German Darts Championship on Sunday and 'Mighty Mike' showed exactly why he is World Number 1 with a 6-2 win and an average of 117.94. He produced some of the most incredible darts seen in recent years and was so dominant that Scotsman Anderson didn't get a dart at a double after the fourth leg despite averaging 103.78.

It will take something extraordinary stop the Dutchman who has won 30/31 matches since his elimination in the World Championships in the Ally Pally, but if anybody can, it will be the current World Champion.

Phil Taylor will take on Stephen Bunting this week in a match that promises big scoring and high checkout percentages. Bookmakers don't give Bunting much of a chance, but I think they might have this one wrong. 'The Bullet' will have the crowd firmly behind him cheering his every dart and after only getting 1 point in his first 2 matches, he will need to get a win this week to climb up the table and away from danger at the bottom. The St Helens man will need to improve on his latest performance in the German Darts Championship where he was demolished 6-0 by eventual winner van Gerwen averaging just 84.27, which I think he will do when he gets up on the big stage in front of his home fans who know exactly what the Big Man is capable of.

'The Power' will be looking to follow up on a 7-2 victory last week against Adrian Lewis where he averaged 108.33. He has averaged 100+ in 18 of his last 19 matches, which dates all the way back to October (93.74 against Terry Jenkins in the Masters being his only sub 100) and he will no doubt keep that record going, the outcome of this match depends on which Bunting shows up.

Peter Wright vs Raymond van Barneveld is a tough match to call. Both have not picked up a point in the opening 2 weeks and have honestly played poor. Wright's constant changing of darts is frustrating. Why doesn't he stick to the same set if he has previously played well with them? Who knows...maybe he just enjoys changing his darts like he changes his look every week? Whatever the reason, for the sake of his performances of late, it needs to stop. I fear that 'Snakebite' could be in danger of an early relegation this year from what i have seen so far.

One thing that winds me up more than Wright's darts changing is Barney's glasses. If he can't see the board then he should wear them. From what I've seen he performs better with them on so I hope to see the specs again this Thursday. The Dutchman's averages reflect his results with just 85.68 in the first week and 91.73 last week, he will need to improve on them to get his first points this week and I expect him to do so and get the points.

James Wade vs Dave Chisnall (Finishing vs Scoring). These two are completely different players and I think they will cancel each other out throughout the match. Dave will leave a double after 12 darts with Wade stepping up to the oche with 121. who wins from this point? 50/50? This is why I'm calling a draw in this one. 'Chizzy' has been on the form of his life and he says that a change of practice routine (only throwing for 2 hours a day instead of 6) is to thank for this.

Adrian Lewis is also playing some incredible darts. His performance last week was a shock considering his form in 2015. He is the only player to get the better of MVG this year on his way to winning a UK Open Qualifier recently. In the first week of the Premier League he averaged 113.8 against Barney and if he plays like that then I can't see anybody beating him. After his win in week 1 when he was interviewed by Wayne Mardle, 'Jackpot' admitted that he is 'lazy' and that Kieth Deller gets the best out of him. He is getting back to the form he showed when winning back-to-back World Championships.
His opponent this week is Kim Huybrechts who's first Premier League campaign has not got off to the best of starts with 2 losses despite averaging 98 in week 1. He needs something to kick-start his campaign but I don't think it will come this week, maybe next Thursday when he faces Chinall.
I think Lewis should win but be sure that 'The Hurricane' won't lie down without a fight and might push the World Number 4 all the way

Thornton 26 Gram Review

Robert Thornton is getting yet another mention on this blog. I'm sure if you have read a few of my other posts, you will have realised that I am a big fan. This post, however, is not about 'The Thorn' himself, but about his darts.

My first 'decent' set of darts were the Unicorn Raymond van Barneveld Super Darts 23 gram from my local Argos store. I noticed myself beginning to throw better with these darts, I loved them, but one Saturday night I decided to bring them to the local pub to show them off, this was a pointless exercise because the bar was far too busy to play and 8-10 beers later the darts were gone. Gutted would be an understatement. 

The next morning, in my fragile state, I went on a hunt for the perfect replacement. A simple Google search threw up a website called RedDragonDarts.com. I had seen this advertised on a few players' clothing before so I gave them a go. I stumbled across Robert Thornton 26 gram and the first feature of this dart that caught my eye was the rough grip that received a 4/5 rating (1= smooth, 5= aggressive) so I decided to go with my instinct and purchased them for a reasonable £25.90.

Two days later they arrived and from that point onward I have never considered throwing another dart. The weight, thin barrel and amazing grip are what keeps me throwing at a good standard and in the past I have struggled maintaining a consistent throw due to an awkward throwing style that consists of using 3 fingers (one being on the stem and another slipping onto the point from time to time) but these feel like they were made just for me. Highly Recommended.

A mention to Red Dragon Darts for their speedy delivery and easy to use website, I have since used them to buy other darting equipment (Flights, stems etc.) and the products have arrived within 3 working days on every purchase, I would also highly recommend them.

Who to Keep an Eye on in 2015

There were a few players that caught my eye at the tail end of 2014 through losing after playing well or by exceeding all expectations of them by progressing through to the latter stages of a tournament when looking like they will stumble at an early obstacle.

World Number 18 Jamie Caven falls into the unlucky loser category. He had a slow start to 2014 failing to get past the last 32 stage in any tournament until May but that was turned round towards the end of the year. 'Jabba' had an impressive run in the Players Championship reaching the Quarter Finals where he was an unlucky loser against 2-time World Champion Adrian Lewis. Caven was drawn against Ian White in the first round and won convincingly 6-4 with an incredible 85% checkout rate which set up a 2nd round tie against Robert Thornton. This proved to be more testing as he won the match in a last leg decider via the bullseye, a win none the less and on he went to the Quarter Finals but this would be as far as he would go, losing 10-9 to Lewis with a 98 average and 50% checkout rate, although he did collect one of the highest pay cheques of his career pocketing£11,500.

This good run of form came at the perfect time, because a month passed and its now time for the World Championships where he seemingly got an easy first round match against World Number 82 Jason Hogg, but Jabba made hard work of this only scraping through 3-2 in sets and averaging only 81 in a poor contest. He surely needed to improve massively on that if he was to eliminate the 5 time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld in the next round.

He did improve, A LOT, but not enough to get the better of the big Dutchman losing 4-3 in a very close contest which really could have went either way, but one of the players had to lose and unfortunately it was Jamie. This was as far as he would go, despite averaging 95, hitting 4 180s and having a 44% checkout rate.

Jamie Cave in my opinion is a fantastic player who is good to watch when playing well. His finishing is his strong point and when he is hitting the big scores not one player would like to face him in a match. I definitely think he is worth keeping an eye on this year and no one deserves to win a trophy more than Jabba himself.

I am a big fan of Benito van de Pas (as some of you may have noticed) and I think he has a bright future. He is creeping up the rankings a is now placed at number 41, mainly due to £18,000 he pocketed for reaching the last 16 of the World Championship. He is capable of big scores, high checkouts and has a lot of bottle when it comes to hitting important doubles despite his unorthodox style of throwing, but it seems to be very effective as he showed at the recent World Championship. The Dutchman faced an out of form Paul Nicholson in the first round in a tight contest but Benito edged the match 3-2 to set up a second round tie with St Helens star Dave Chisnall.
Benito stunned the World Number 9 with a 4-2 victory averaging 91.44 and he progressed into the last 16 to face Robert Thornton. This was to be as far as van de Pas would go losing 4-0 to the in-form Scotsman but he had a great tournament and surpassed everyone's expectations of him. He is improving with every tournament he plays in and I'm excited to see him in the coming months to see if he improves further and i expect to see him make at least 1 semi final in a televised tournament this year.

Keegan Brown has been tipped by many as a future World Champion and I can't find a reason to argue otherwise. His list of top players that he has got the better of is increasing with every tournament, Adrian Lewis, Raymond van Barneveld and Andy Hamilton to name a few. The World Youth Champion's run in the Grand Slam was incredible, he made it all the way to the Quarter Finals and averaged 96.91 over the tournament and was eliminated by Dave Chisnall losing 16-14 in a match he could have won. He is as short as 50/1 with some bookmakers to win next years World Championship so there is an expectation that he will improve into a top class player within the next 12 months.

Vincent van der Voort is, in my opinion, the most improved player in the PDC this year after fantastic runs in both the Players Championship and the World Championship. He made it to the Semi Final stage in the Players (losing to eventual winner Gary Anderson) and the Quarter Final stage of the Worlds (losing to eventual runner up Phil Taylor), not exactly easy matches, and to Vincent's credit, he put up a great fight against 16 time World Champion Taylor and was 3-2 ahead at one stage in the match. His throw looks reckless but he seems to find the treble 20 more than most would but his finishing is his downfall. During his last 16 match with Dean Winstanley in the World Championship, the commentator said "You will always get a chance against Vincent" in a reference to Vincent's reputation of missing doubles, but he turned that around during his good run of form where he only once had a checkout rate of under 38%. If he can keep his percentage around that mark for a few tournaments then I think he will go close on a couple of occasions and I'm sure the fans will not complain about that.

Thornton/Gilding, Klaasen/Kist Preview

Only five days to go now until the start of the PDC World Championship. From now until Thursday I will post stats on some of the standout first round matches.

The number 9 seed Robert Thornton will face World Championship debutante Andrew Gilding in the first round. These two have only met twice in the past with 'The Thorn' winning on both occasions in a short first to six legs format.

Gilding's form has not been spectacular lately, he defeated Jelle Klaasen 6-0 in a Grand Slam qualifying match in November but hasn't done much since then losing to the likes of Mervyn King, Vincent van der Voort, Steve Beaton and Matt Edgar.

Robert Thornton was unlucky to be eliminated in the Players Championship  at the last 16 stage by Jamie Caven last weekend after coming back from 9-5 down to make it  9-9 in a first to 10 legs match but Caven held his nerve and took the match on the bull. The Scotsman's recent form has been decent winning against the likes of Darren Webster, van der Voort and Rowby-John Rodriguez and it would be a surprise to see him being eliminated in the early stages of the tournament with either Ronnie Baxter, Daryl Gurney or Scott Mackenzie waiting in the second round.

Arguably the best match of the first round is between Jelle Klaasen and Christian Kist. Both are in a good run of form and the match promises to be outstanding. Kist recently made it to the last 16 at the Grand Slam of Darts and the last 16 in a 128 player Pro Tour event. His most recent to match was in the Players Championship Finals second round where he lost to eventual winner Gary Anderson and if truth be told, he was unlucky not to win.

Klassen made it to the last 16 of the Players Championship losing to Dead Winstanly, but he produced one of the best performances of the weekend against an in-form James Wade winning 6-4 in the first round where he averaged 108.7 and had a 75% checkout rate. If he can reproduce that form then he will be hard to beat. Klaasen also had an impressive European Championship where he made it to the Quarter Final stage eliminating Adrian Lewis and Jamie Caven in the first two rounds before losing out to eventual finalist Mervyn King.

The two Dutchmen have met once this year where Kist triumphed 6-5, but this match will be decided on who can hold their nerve on the biggest stage.

World Championship. Who's Involved?

It's approaching that time again, on December 18th the World Championship will commence and it will showcase the best the PDC has to offer and will surely be the hardest to predict in recent times.

Phil Taylor has dominated this event for the best part of a quarter of a century but this years edition will not be as easy as some years have previously been. 

Even though 'The Power' is fresh off the back of an impressive Grand Slam which saw him being crowned champion for the 6th time and averaged over 100 in every game, he still faces stiff competition with many players in scintillating form, no more so than World Number 1 Michael van Gerwen. The Dutchman has had an impressive 2014 winning the World Grand Prix, The European Championship and of course The World Championship in January. He will no doubt feature in the latter stages and fans will be drooling at the prospect of a Van Gerwen and Taylor final.

James Wade is for me one of the best players never to be crowned World Champion, but he does have strong claims this time round after a fine 2014, most notably his triumph in the Masters where he showed great character coming from 9-2 down to win the match with a 135 checkout 11-10 against a stunned Mervyn King. Bookmakers make him a fair 10/1 third favourite to go all the way, not many would argue against that possibility.

Current BDO World Champion Stephen Bunting is also in the frame on his debut after quickly adapting to life in the PDC rocketing to number 23 in the Order of Merit despite only joining in February. Phil Taylor speaks highly of the man from St Helens saying that he has a lot of time for Bunting and that he's 'One to watch'.
'The Bullet' has produced some great performances recently averaging 100+ multiple times and his devastating success rate on double 16 is an incredible trait to have, every time he steps up to hit the green bit, I have no doubt that he will close out the leg accordingly.

Mervyn King may be a dark horse for the World Title but he is the most consistent players in the PDC at this current time. He is in the form of his life recently making the Quarter Final in the World Grand Prix (losing to eventual winner van Gerwen), Semi Final in the Grand Slam (losing to eventual winner Phil Taylor) and came second in the European Championship. 50/1 shows that he may have slipped under the radar yet again and could be a bit of value.

Kim Huybrechts had a great Grand Slam, but it was something i didn't see coming, he had failed to get past the last 16 stage in any televised tournament since November 2013, but if he can reproduce the form we seen last week then he will make an impact. He deafeated Michael van Gerwen in the Quarter Final averaging 104 and even hit a 9-dart-finish. He was unlucky to lose in the Semi Final to Dave Chisnall in a sudden death leg and it will be interesting to see if this form continues.

Phil 'The Power' Taylor is 7/4 favourite and its justifiable, but the amount of players on form is nothing short of incredible. If he wins his 17th World Title, it will probably be his best one to date. 

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."

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.