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.

UK Open Eye Catchers

The UK Open is a unique tournament that gives the lesser known players a chance to show what they can do on the big stage and on television. Apart from the obvious, there have been some players that really caught the eye and showed that they have potential to climb up the rankings into the top 32 and make a real name for themselves.

Eddie Dootson is highly thought of in St Helens where he hits 95+ averages for the county team regularly. He had an impressive qualifying campaign where he surprisingly made it to the Semi-Final stage in the 5th Qualifier claiming a few scalps along the way including Ronnie Baxter, Stuart Kellet, Christian Kist, Terry Jenkins and he certainly wasn't disgraced against Lewis losing just 6-4 to the World Number 4. Dootson placed 22 on the UK Open Order of Merit meaning his debut TV event would begin in the last 64 stage where he faced a good player in Joe Cullen, but it proved to be easier than expected winning 9-3. It was in the last 16 where he made his mark on the tournament by winning 9-8 against Robert Thornton in one of the shocks of the round. The Scot Thornton won the first leg but that was the only time he led in the match as Dootson raced into a 5-2 lead with a 14-darter and a 144 checkout in the process. The St Helens man led 8-4 and Thornton had to dig deep and hit an 11-darter to bring the match to a deciding leg where Dootson got to the double first and finished the match with double 10 and a 90 average to book his place in the last 16 and bag £5,000. This is would be the end of his run however, a 9-3 defeat to Devon Peterson dumped him out of the tournament but I am sure we will see more of this exciting player on our TV screens in the future.

Jamie Bain made his TV debut on the big stage at the weekend against Kevin Painter in a first round match that really caught the eye. The young lad from Scotland has a beautiful throwing action that can be very effective when on form. His statue like stance along with smooth and quick arm movements were key factors in making a his match with 'The Artist' a competitive one. Bain averaged and impressive 95 and the tie would have been closer than the 5-2 score-line suggests if he hadn't missed his chances at doubles. The confident Scot has had a floor victory over the mighty Phil Taylor in the past and showed on the big stage that it was no fluke and he can potentially go on to be as big as his followers in Aberdeen think he will. One to watch out for this year.

Dave Pallett faced the impossible task of overcoming Phil Taylor in a TV major event, but he sure had a good go at it. He found himself 4-1 down very quickly despite averaging 95 at that point and 'The Power' didn't let up winning the 4th round match 9-3. You might think that there isn't much to take from a thrashing like that, but commentator Chris Mason said he has played with Pallett on his super league team in the past and ensured the viewers at home that this young lad can play a lot better than he did despite averaging 96 and hitting 4 180s against the best there has ever been.
After his loss, Taylor said "David's a good up-and-coming player and he's one to keep an eye on,". Not something 'The Power' would say about everyone.
Pallett has beaten some top players in floor events before, including Christian Kist, Dean Winstanley, Peter Wright and Paul Nicholson, transferring that form onto the stage doesn't seem like it would be a problem as he seemed right at home in front of a big crowd in Butlins, Minehead. A big year lies ahead for the youngster and I hope he can build on a good weekend to start climbing further up the Order of Merit.

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.