Blue Square UK Open Quarter-Finals

REPORTS from the quarter-finals of the Blue Square UK Open from the Reebok Stadium, including Raymond van Barneveld's final leg win over Phil Taylor.

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Blue Square UK Open
Quarter-Finals (best of 19 legs)
Wayne Jones 6-10 Gary Mawson
Vincent van der Voort 10-5 Chris Thompson
Raymond van Barneveld 10-9 Phil Taylor
James Wade 10-6 Alan Tabern

Semi Final Draw
James Wade v Vincent van der Voort
Raymond van Barneveld v Gary Mawson

GARY MAWSON 10-6 WAYNE JONES

GARY MAWSON reached his first major semi-final with a 10-6 victory over Wayne Jones in the opening quarter-final clash.

The American made the most of a poor start from Jones to take a 4-1 lead early on, and he never surrendered that position despite a fightback from the Wolverhampton man.

Mawson took the game's opening two legs, including a 121 finish, before Jones got off the mark on double eight.

Mawson also took the next two and, though Jones took leg six, he extended the advantage to 6-2 by following up a 13-darter with a 117 checkout.

Jones won leg nine after Mawson missed three darts at a double, but he failed to capitalise in the next two as the American moved 8-3 up.

Jones kicked into gear to win the next three legs, including two maximums and a 13-darter, but wasted his chance to pull back to 8-7 in leg 15, hitting a 177 to leave 24 but then missing three darts at double 12.

Mawson landed 103 to move a leg away from the match, and a brilliant 11-darter put him into the last four.

"I'm very pleased," said Mawson. "I had a hiccup in the middle of the game but I had enough of a lead to hold him off and get my game back.

"I felt good and had no nerves but when I was 8-3 up I just wanted to get the game over with. I had an edge and took advantage.

"The semi-final will be one of the biggest games of my career, but I'll be ready for it."

Jones admitted: "I'm gutted because that was probably my worst display of the weekend.

"I had a chance to get back into the game and two or three times I had shots to break his throw and didn't do it.

"If I had I would have beaten him, but if you can't hit your doubles you won't win and in the end I got what I deserved."

Match Stats

Wayne Jones	6-10	Gary Mawson
21	100+	23
13	140+	8
3	180	2
29.31	Ave1	29.05
87.93	Ave3	87.14
52	High Finish	121,117,103
3	Legs Against Throw	5

VINCENT VAN DER VOORT 10-5 CHRIS THOMPSON

HOLLAND'S Vincent van der Voort ended the challenge of Chris Thompson in the Blue Square UK Open with a 10-5 quarter-final victory.

Thompson, a solicitors clerk from York, battled through to the last eight to celebrate his best run yet in a major tournament but fell short of reaching the semis despite a brave effort as van der Voort showed his class.

The 2007 runner-up remains on course for his second successive Bolton final, with some key doubles late in the game pulling him clear.

The first six legs were tight as the pair held throw to be locked at three-all before Thompson broke the throw with a 12-darter to go 4-3 up.

He paid for misses in the next, including a bounce-out on double four, as van der Voort levelled and then took the next two to move 6-4 ahead.

Thompson stepped in to take leg 11 but missed three darts to square the contest as van der Voort stole the leg on double four.

The Dutchman stepped up a gear as the finishing line approached, taking the next two legs in 14 and 13 darts to progress to the semis.

"The last time we played Chris beat me so I knew I had to be at my best and I did enough to win today," said van der Voort.

"There were some breaks which were very important to me because he was getting close to me and then I'd get away again.

"My doubles were good when I needed them to be, and I'm very comfortable in Bolton."

Thompson said: "If someone had said to me on Thursday morning that I'd come to Bolton and reach the last eight, I'd have taken that!

"I really enjoyed it, Vincent's a class act and a great bloke and I wish him all the best now.

"I was consistent and I thought I played well in the first ten legs. I kept breaking his throw but there was one leg where I kicked off 140, 140, 140 and lost the leg and the double four which bounced out changed the game."

Match Stats

Vincent
van der Voort

10-5

Chris
Thompson

100+

140+

180

31.20

Ave1

30.74

93.59

Ave3

92.21

High Finish

Legs Against Throw

RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD 10-9 PHIL TAYLOR

RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD'S Blue Square UK Open dominance over Phil Taylor continued with an amazing 10-9 win over the 13-time World Champion.

The Dutchman defeated Taylor in the quarter-finals for a third successive year with the final leg triumph, ending Taylor's hopes of adding the UK Open title to the Whyte & Mackay Premier League and PartyPoker.net PDC US Open victories he has already enjoyed this year.

Taylor had landed a fourth Bolton nine-darter and produced a record televised average of 114.53 in progressing to the last eight on Saturday, but failed to recapture that form against van Barneveld.

The Dutchman took an early 3-0 lead, capitalising on a slow start from Taylor.

The Stoke legend hit back strongly with five straight legs, only for van Barneveld to respond with five of his own, including a 100 checkout with Taylor sat on a finish to take a 6-5 lead and then take advantage of missed doubles from his opponent to move 8-5 up.

Taylor won the next three to level once more, and the next two were shared to send the contest into a decider.

Both struggled at the start of leg 19, with a 136 score from Taylor the best either player produced.

But van Barneveld landed a 180 - his seventh of the game - to leave 109, with Taylor then setting up a 107 finish with a 140.

Taylor, though, would never get the chance at his checkout, with van Barneveld landing treble 20, single 17 and double 16 to take the victory.

"I can't describe how happy I am," admitted van Barneveld. "I've won so many tournaments but it always means so much to me to beat the greatest player ever.

"He has been unbeatable for three months - what he's done since February is amazing - but I said to myself when the draw came out that I had to believe in myself because it's always 0-0 in every game.

"I've shown the world now that I'm still one of the few players who can beat Phil - I need the pressure and maybe I focus best in knockout games.

"I kept telling myself I could win it no matter what happened and I'm relieved."

Taylor said: "I tried hard, and maybe I was trying too hard in that last leg.

"Raymond's 180 was great and it was a brilliant shot from him on the 109 to win it. He's got a lot of bottle and I hope he wins the tournament now."

Match Stats

Raymond
van Barneveld

10-9

Phil
Taylor

100+

140+

180

32.57

Ave1

33.79

97.72

Ave3

101.38

116,109,100

High Finish

Legs Against Throw

JAMES WADE 10-6 ALAN TABERN

JAMES WADE'S bid for a third major title remains on track at the Blue Square UK Open after he reached his first Bolton semi-final with a 10-6 win over Alan Tabern.

Tabern, a semi-finalist two years ago, failed to recapture the form which saw him sweep through Friday and Saturday's play, paying for missed doubles against the world number three.

The pair traded 14-darters in the first two legs before a 91 finish saw Wade break the throw in leg and move out to a 4-2 lead.

A 140 finish from Wade in leg nine saw him break throw again to lead 6-3, and he also took the next three to open up a five-leg gap.

Tabern broke Wade's throw for the first time in leg 12 but a tricky double six saw Wade go 9-4 up.

St Helens man Tabern landed legs of 13 and 12 darts to pull back to 9-6, including two 180s in the latter.

But even a seventh maximum of the match was not enough in the next, with Wade landing double eight for a 14-darter to seal the win.

Match Stats