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.

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.

World Championship Predictions

Tomorrow is the start of the PDC World Championship and this blog post is highlighting who I think will go far or possibly win the tournament based on form and the draw. 

Consistency is the most important aspect in this magnificent tournament, winning a first to six legs match when playing badly is possible but sets format will expose players' inconsistency and it will prevent any flukes, this is what makes it the best tournament on the darting calendar.

If you have read this blog before then you will have noticed that I am a big fan of Robert Thornton. His big scoring is a joy to watch and when he is on form with his doubles he could beat anyone. The draw hasn't been too bad either, he meets World Championship debutant Andrew Gilding in the first round and should get through that without any hassle. The second round could be tricky with Ronnie Baxter or a qualifier waiting, especially if the qualifier is Daryl Gurney. The up and coming Northern Ireland man is a quality player who could ruffle some feathers this year if on his game although I think Thornton should progress into the last 16 where he could be up against either Justin Pipe or Terry Jenkins. This round isn't a certainty but the long format in the later rounds should help him and he usually steps up his game on the biggest stage of them all. Dave Chisnall or Michael van Gerwen may be next and it will be difficult for the Scotsman, but stranger things have happened. He is 80/1 at Bet365 which I think is very over priced...so over priced I think it will have my £1 each way bet.

If I was to choose which half of the draw is the most difficult, I would say the bottom half without a doubt. Current BDO World Champion Stephen Bunting must be cursing his luck after seeing that he is likely to come up against James Wade in the 2nd round, 'The Bullet' is one of my favourite players on the circuit but it's a tall order for the man from St Helens to go all the way on his debut as he also has Adrian Lewis, Jamie Caven, Brendan Dolan, Raymond van Barneveld, Michael Smith and Keegan Bradley in his quarter of the draw and if he made it past all of those he would likely face Phil Taylor in the Semi Finals. I think he will win this prestigious event in the coming years and I hope he can prove me wrong and win it this year. A big price of 33/1 sounds fair to me.

Vincent van der Voort is in the easiest quarter of the draw in my opinion with players including an out of form Simon Whitlock, Ian White, Dean Winstanly and Mervyn King. Phil Taylor is also in that quarter but van der Voort won't meet him until the Quarter Finals if all goes to plan. If he plays as well as he did in the Players Championship Finals when he made it to the semi final losing to eventual winner Gary Anderson, then I think he will have a chance of progressing far. The long format should suit the Dutchman as he always seems to get better as the match goes on. He's a player I will be keeping my eye on throughout and 250/1 is a huge price, although if he plays anything below his best he won't get past the second round.

The usual suspects all have obvious claims. Gary Anderson is fresh off the back of a great weekend which saw him win the Players Championship Finals beating World Number 2 Phil Taylor in a thrilling final and he will want to emulate that although Christian Kist or Jelle Klaasen will be his opponents in the second round and they won't be a walk in the park. Bookmakers have Fan Favourite Anderson at 13/2, just too short for me but he is very capable and I'm sure a few will have their quids on him.

Phil Taylor will be the one to beat this year but I'm sticking my neck out and saying that I think there will be a new champion this year. I can't wait to watch and with the amount of players on form, it should be one of the best World Championships ever.

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.

Players Championship Finals Preview

This weekend will be our final chance to see the World Championship contenders fighting it out on the big stage. The winner of this tournament has went on to win the 'Big One'on three of the last 5 years , so its should not be taken lightly as a big performance here could see them being taken very seriously next month.

The first round of The Players Championship Finals is best of 11 legs.

Robert Thornton hasn't had much going for him recently. He had an dismal Grand Slam tournament which resulted in three defeats in the group stages, but the bare result doesn't tell the whole story as he averaged 90+ in all of the matches and even managed a 97 average against Vincent van der Voort. 'The Thorn' will face Darren Webster in the first round, a match that he will be favourite to win considering he has won all five of their previous meetings. The draw has been kind as he will avoid Phil Talylor, Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson and James Wade until the Semi Finals if all win accordingly. The Scotsman will feel he is due a good run in a tournament and I feel that this could be his chance.

Benito van de Pas faces Peter Wright in the first round this weekend. 'Snakebite' Wright has not been anywhere near the form that he showed this time last year when he went all the way to the final in the World Championship although he came 2nd in a tournament last weekend. Van de Pas is capable of an upset here and will fancy his chances against either Andy Hamilton or Vincent van der Voort in the 2nd round if he is successful on Friday. He could meet Wade in the Quarter Finals but his price of 250/1 is very big considering his talent which has saw him claim the scalps of Newton, Pipe, Thornton, van Gerwen and van der Voort in recent months.

Simon Whitlock is another player who is capable of more than he has been producing lately but the draw has been kind to him this weekend. He may meet Wade in the 2nd round but if he can get over that obstacle then he will have a relatively easy Quarter Final match. His record against World Number 5 James Wade is impressive as he has won 19/33 meetings (57%) . He has drawn Dean Winstanley in the 1st round and the Aussie has the better of him in the head-to-heads winning 4/6.

Stephen Bunting is a regular on the blog. He is the current BDO World Champion and since his switch to the PDC in January, he has flew up the World Rankings to number 27 defeating many of the top players along the way including a 10-9 win over Phil Taylor in the European Championships last month. The man from St Helens is up against World Number 21 Steve Beaton and in the only previous meeting between the pair, Bunting won 6-2 in February. A stiffer task lies ahead in the latter stages as he will likely face Gary Anderson in the last 16 and Phil Taylor in the Quarter Finals but his high scoring and great checkouts will help him overcome any challenges he will face.

Predictions:

Robert Thornton - 35/1

Benito van de Pas - 250/1

Simon Whitlock - 33/1

Stephen Bunting - 22/1

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. 

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.