JAMES WADE won Group Four of the 2010 Championship League Darts, dramatically edging out Dennis Priestley 6-5 in the final, as reigning champion Colin Osborne crashed out of the event.
The world number three, who had suffered disappointment in the previous three groups of this year's internet-streamed event, finished fourth in the league table following the eight player round-robin phase.
He then overcame Adrian Lewis 6-4 in the semis, capitalising on a slow start from the Stoke ace to lead 4-3 before holding on for victory, and battled from behind to win the decider and book a place in October's big-money Winners Group.
Veteran star Priestley showed the quality of a two-time World Champion by battling into the final, and levelled at two-all with a 100 finish before taking three of the next four to lead 5-3.
However, he would never get a dart for the match as Wade fired in an 11-darter in the ninth leg - his second of the game - and took out 93 to force a decider.
The left-hander opened the 11th with scores of 174 and 140 to pull away, before taking out double ten for victory, as Priestley waited on 109.
"I'm delighted to win through," said Wade. "It was a really tough day but I was determined to win this group and I've managed to do that.
"Dennis pushed me all the way and that shows how well he is still playing, but I was very pleased with how I finished in the final three legs."
Priestley won five of his seven league matches during the day, and sealed a place in the final by taking out 155 to win his semi-final against Holland's Co Stompe, who had left 16 but could only watch as the 60-year-old powered home a brilliant finish.
Both Priestley and Stompe, along with Lewis, Gary Anderson and Kevin Painter, will all return to Crondon Park GC in Essex on Wednesday for Group Five.
Lewis' semi-final defeat to Wade means that he will play in a fifth successive day of this year's event on Wednesday, and a 20th of a possible 23 since the event began in 2008
Reigning champion Osborne, who defeated Taylor in last year's final, won only two of his seven league games to suffer elimination, although he did suffer three 6-5 defeats.
World number five Terry Jenkins, who failed to win any of his games, was also knocked out, with Vincent van der Voort, Wayne Jones and Wes Newton entering the event for Wednesday's Group Five.
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Championship League Darts - Group Four
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Board One |
Board Two |
|
Dennis Priestley 2-6 James Wade |
Kevin Painter 3-6 Co Stompe |
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Colin Osborne 3-6 Gary Anderson |
Terry Jenkins 5-6 Adrian Lewis |
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Co Stompe 4-6 Dennis Priestley |
Gary Anderson 6-3 Terry Jenkins |
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Adrian Lewis 5-6 Colin Osborne |
James Wade 2-6 Kevin Painter |
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Co Stompe 6-4 Terry Jenkins |
Dennis Priestley 6-2 Gary Anderson |
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Adrian Lewis 6-5 Kevin Painter |
James Wade 6-1 Colin Osborne |
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Terry Jenkins 3-6 Dennis Priestley |
Co Stompe 6-3 Gary Anderson |
|
James Wade 3-6 Adrian Lewis |
Kevin Painter 6-5 Colin Osborne |
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Kevin Painter 6-5 Terry Jenkins |
Colin Osborne 5-6 Dennis Priestley |
|
Gary Anderson 5-6 James Wade |
Adrian Lewis 6-2 Co Stompe |
|
Colin Osborne 5-6 Co Stompe |
James Wade 6-3 Terry Jenkins |
|
Gary Anderson 6-2 Kevin Painter |
Dennis Priestley 2-6 Adrian Lewis |
|
Kevin Painter 3-6 Dennis Priestley |
Terry Jenkins 5-6 Colin Osborne |
|
Adrian Lewis 6-3 Gary Anderson |
Co Stompe 6-3 James Wade |
|
Semi-Finals |
|
|
Adrian Lewis 4-6 James Wade |
Co Stompe 5-6 Dennis Priestley |
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Final |
|
|
James Wade v Dennis Priestley |
Final League Table
|
Pl |
W |
L |
Won |
Lost |
Leg +/- |
£Won |
Pts | |
|
Adrian Lewis |
7 |
6 |
1 |
41 |
26 |
+15 |
£2050 |
12 |
|
Co Stompe |
7 |
5 |
2 |
36 |
30 |
+6 |
£1800 |
10 |
|
Dennis Priestley |
7 |
5 |
2 |
34 |
29 |
+5 |
£1700 |
10 |
|
James Wade |
7 |
4 |
3 |
32 |
29 |
+3 |
£1600 |
8 |
|
Gary Anderson |
7 |
3 |
4 |
31 |
32 |
-1 |
£1550 |
6 |
|
Kevin Painter |
7 |
3 |
4 |
31 |
36 |
-5 |
£1550 |
6 |
|
Colin Osborne |
7 |
2 |
5 |
31 |
40 |
-9 |
£1550 |
4 |
|
Terry Jenkins |
7 |
0 |
7 |
28 |
42 |
-14 |
£1400 |
0 |
First Round of Matches
James Wade made a superb start with a 6-2 win over Dennis Priestley. Wade broke on double 16 in the opening leg, and doubled his lead before a 96 finish helped him into a 3-1 advantage. Double top gave Priestley a second leg, but Wade won the sixth and pounced on two missed doubles in the next as Wade broke on double ten and then sealed the win on double 16.
Co Stompe overcame Kevin Painter 6-3 in their opening Group Four contest. Painter held his own in the early stages, sharing the opening four legs and breaking in the fifth to lead 3-2, only for Stompe to find another gear. He levelled by breaking back, took the seventh and then landed a 180 and double ten in the eighth for a 5-3 cushion, before sealing the win on double ten.
Gary Anderson defeated Colin Osborne 6-3 in their opener. The Group Three runner-up hit back from 1-0 down, after Osborne finished 100 in two darts for the opening leg, to take three in a row for a 3-1 lead. However, misses in the next two allowed the Derby man to finish double four on two occasions to level. A double top finish restored Anderson's lead, a 120 checkout saw him go 5-3 up and double 16 sealed the win, after Osborne missed the bull for a 164 finish.
Adrian Lewis came from 4-1 down to defeat Terry Jenkins in a deciding leg. Lewis hit a 180 to leave double eight in the opening leg, but Jenkins hit back in style to win the next four without reply, taking out 117 in the third leg and another break in the fifth. A brace of double top finishes got Lewis back into the game, and he also took the eighth leg to level before a two-dart 64 finish edged him back in front. Double eight from Jenkins forced a decider, but he could only watch on as Lewis finished 104 for the game.
Second Round of Matches
Dennis Priestley held off Co Stompe to pick up his first points of Group Four with a 6-4 victory. Stompe punished two misses from the veteran to win the opener, but Priestley replied with an 80 finish, hit a 180 to leave 61 in breaking throw in the next and also won the fourth for a 3-1 lead. Stompe won three of the next five as Priestley edged 5-4 up, but a 76 finish for the double World Champion sealed the win.
Gary Anderson maintained his winning start to Group Four with a 6-3 win over Terry Jenkins. While Jenkins shared the opening four legs, a break for Anderson in the fifth edged him in front and double top denied Jenkins a break back as he moved 4-2 up. Double top for Jenkins cut the gap to one, after three misses from the Scot, but double ten edged Anderson to the brink of victory, which was sealed with a 180 and double top.
Colin Osborne edged out Adrian Lewis in a decider to pick up his first win of Group Four. Lewis led before Osborne, with the aid of a break in the third, took a 3-1 lead. Lewis took the fifth, but two more from Osborne edged him to the brink of victory at 5-2. Lewis took the next two and then punished a missed double 16 for the match from Osborne to land double eight and force a decider, where he hit a 180 only to see double 16 give his opponent the two points.
Kevin Painter bounced back from his opening defeat with a 6-2 win over world number three James Wade. Painter made a fine start by winning the opening three legs before double ten got Wade off the mark. The next two were shared, but Painter posted a 180 and double four for a 5-2 advantage before sealing the win on double 15.
Third Round of Matches
Co Stompe inflicted a third successive defeat on Terry Jenkins as he took a 6-4 win from their clash. Stompe hit back from 1-0 down to lead 3-1, but Jenkins took two of the next three to cut the gap to one leg. Double top gave Stompe a 5-3 lead, and though Jenkins took the next with a 120 finis the Dutchman punished a missed bullseye from his opponent to seal the win on double two.
Dennis Priestley won a second straight game with a 6-2 defeat of Gary Anderson, whose winning start came to a crashing halt. Anderson made an ideal start by breaking throw to win the first leg, and double top in the third moved him 2-1 up after a 90 finish gave Priestley the second. Double 16 saw Priestley level, and he took the fifth to lead for a first time, and hit 180s in the next two as he moved 5-2 up, before a 64 finish sealed victory.
Adrian Lewis hit back from 5-2 down to defeat Kevin Painter in a deciding leg. Painter made a fine start to lead 3-0 before Lewis posted a 180 - his third of the game - in taking the fourth to get off the mark. Painter won two of the next three to lead 5-2, before Lewis won the next two to cut the gap to just one leg. Painter missed three darts at double top for the match in the tenth, with a 76 finish from Lewis forcing a decider, which he took on double 18 to claim the points.
James Wade hit top gear to see off Colin Osborne 6-1. Osborne took out 94 for the opening leg, but Wade levelled and then took out 140 to break throw and lead 2-1. Osborne missed his chance to level in the next as Wade moved clear, and he took the next three without reply for a comfortable win.
Fourth Round of Matches
Dennis Priestley won his third Group Four game with Terry Jenkins 6-4 to leave the world number five without a win. Priestley won the opening three legs without reply before finishes of double five and double top saw Jenkins pull back to 4-2. Priestley took the next, but missed three match darts as double five gave Jenkins the eighth to pull back to 5-3, only to then miss double top himself as double ten gave Priestley the points.
Co Stompe punished Gary Anderson's missed doubles to take a 6-3 win from their Group Four meeting. Anderson hit a 180 to lead, but missed 11 darts for the second leg as Stompe broke on double five and then hit double top for a 2-1 lead. Anderson replied with an 11-darter, featuring a fourth 180 in as many legs, and the next two were shared before Stompe pulled away. After taking the seventh, he punished five misses from Anderson by checking out 145, and sealed the win in the next on double top, having set up a finish with a 174 score.
Adrian Lewis picked up win number three of the day, defeating James Wade 6-3. Lewis took the opener despite a 180 from Wade, and took out 122 to break in the second before following up back-to-back maximums with double 16 for a 14-darter in storming into a 3-0 cushion. Wade took three of the next four to hit back to 4-3, including a neat 96 finish of 20, double 18 and double top in the seventh. However, he allowed Lewis on on double eight for the next, and double two gave the Stoke ace victory.
Kevin Painter held off Colin Osborne to win through an 11-leg battle. Painter included finishes of 96 and 76 in sharing the first five legs with throw before powering in a 167 to take the first break for a 4-2 lead. He missed four darts for a fifth leg as Osborne scrambled in double six to pull back to 4-3. An 84 finish from Painter gave him his fifth leg, but Osborne hit 180s in the next two to force a decider and give his opponent a flashback to his previous game, where he saw a 5-2 lead slip away. This time, though, Painter held himself together to seal victory on 48 in the decider.
Fifth Round of Matches
Kevin Painter won a second successive 11-leg thriller as he edged out winless Terry Jenkins 6-5. The first four legs were shared before Painter took the next two to forge a 4-2 advantage - only for Jenkins to battle back in style, hitting double five, double ten and then a 100 finish to edge 5-4 up. Painter hit a 180 and double eight to force a decider, and after Jenkins missed one dart for the match at tops the Daventry ace returned to the oche and landed double 16 for the win.
Dennis Priestley edged past Colin Osborne 6-5 to condemn the Debry man to a second successive final-leg loss. The first six legs were shared before Osborne secured the first break, hitting a 180 and double ten for a 4-3 lead. Finishes of double one and double two saw Priestley regain the lead, only for Osborne to land a maximum in forcing a decider. The Derby man gave himself a chance to snatch the win, but a missed double top allowed the two-time World Champion back and he finished double two for the win.
James Wade edged past Gary Anderson in a deciding leg. Wade held the early advantage with lead of 2-0 and 3-1, hitting a 180 and a 107 finish in the latter. Anderson hit back to level, thanks to double 16 and double top, but Wade kicked off the next with a 180 and followed up a double ten finish with an 81 checkout on the bull for a 5-3 lead. He hit a 180 in the ninth, but missed match darts allowed the Scot to post a 63 finish on double 12, before double 18 forced a deciding leg, but the left-hander - with the throw - was too strong and landed a tricky third-dart double 15 for the win.
Adrian Lewis won his fourth game of Group Four, seeing off Co Stompe 6-2. Lewis moved into a 2-0 lead before Stompe landed a 108 finish in levelling - but a missed bullseye for a 167 checkout in the fifth proved costly. Lewis hit double 13 to lead and repeated the double to move 4-2 up, and finishes of double top and 81 on double six sealed a strong win.
Sixth Round of Matches
Co Stompe kept alive his semi-final hopes and eliminated reigning champion Colin Osborne with a deciding leg win over the Derby man. The pair shared the first four legs before Osborne hit a 180 and a 100 finish in edging 4-2 up. Stompe hit back to lead 5-4, but a 92 finish saw Osborne level and force a decider - only to suffer a third successive 6-5 loss as Stompe took out 76 on double top.
James Wade put a foot into the semi-finals with a 6-3 win over Terry Jenkins. Jenkins, without a win so far on the day, finished 115 in taking a 3-2 lead against the left-hander. Wade levelled and then broke to edge 4-3 up, before defying a 180 to win a fifth leg. He then landed a maximum of his own, and a missed bullseye from Jenkins allowed him back to hit double ten and seal the win.
Gary Anderson gave himself a chance of reaching the top four with a 6-2 defeat of Kevin Painter. The Scot started well to win the first three legs without reply before Painter took out 68 for the fourth leg. The next two were shared before Anderson landed 180s in taking the next two to seal the win.
Adrian Lewis sealed his play-off spot with a 6-2 win over Dennis Priestley, who has to win his final game to finish in the top four. Lewis tok the opening two legs before missing a host of darts in the third, as double eight gave Priestley the third. Lewis kicked off the next with a 180, and three successive legs moved him to the brink of victory at 5-1. Double ten gave Priestley a second leg, but he missed five darts to save the game in the next, as Lewis followed an earlier 180 with double eight for the win.
Final Round of Matches
Dennis Priestley sealed a semi-final spot with a 6-3 win over Kevin Painter, who misses out on the top four but will be back for Group Five. The 60-year-old showed no signs of fatigue in his seventh game by winning the opening four legs without reply against Painter, twice breaking throw. Painter replied with double top in the fifth, and a 120 finish halved the gap to 4-2 before Priestley fired in a 180 and double 16 for a 5-2 lead. Double eight kept Painter in the game, but double 12 in the next sealed the win for Priestley.
Reigning champion Colin Osborne bowed out of the 2010 Championship League Darts with a win after defeating Terry Jenkins 6-5, meaning the world number five ends Group Four without a victory. Osborne came from a leg down to lead 3-1, hitting a 100 finish in the fourth leg and twice punishing misses from Jenkins. The Ledbury man hit back to level. before double ten and double six moved Osborne 5-3 up, only for Jenkins to again level. But it was Osborne who was first to a finish in the decider, and he took out 86 on double seven for victory.
Gary Anderson's semi-final hopes were ended by a 6-3 loss to Adrian Lewis, who finishes top of the league table. Anderson actually led 3-2 after shading the opening exchanges, but missed doubles to take the sixth leg as Lewis levelled. The youngster landed a 180 in taking the next to lead 4-3, before emphatically sealing the win with checkouts of 125 and 109.
Co Stompe secured second place in the Group Four table with a 6-3 win over James Wade, who finishes fourth. Stompe led 2-0 before Wade hit back to level at three-all - only for the Dutchman to take the seventh with an 80 finish, double 18 for the eighth leg and a double top finish to seal the victory.
Semi-Finals
James Wade won through to the Group Four final - condemning Adrian Lewis to a fifth successive day in the 2010 Championship League Darts with a 6-4 victory. Wade made the stronger start, bursting into a 4-0 lead, with a double ten finish seeing him break in the first leg setting the scene for the early exchanges. Lewis found his rhythm to win the next three, but Wade held his nerve in the eighth to post double top and deny the Stoke man the chance to level. A missed bullseye for the game allowed Lewis to post double two to save the game, but Wade posted a 180 and double ten in the next to seal the win.
Dennis Priestley produced an incredible finish to defeat Co Stompe in a deciding leg and win through to the final - hitting a 155 checkout with the Dutchman waiting on 16! After Stompe led 2-1 early on, Priestley won three in a row to lead 4-2, hitting three 180s and a 92 finish in the process. Stompe won the seventh and broke throw with a 120 finish to level, and also won the ninth to lead 5-4. Double ten from the 60-year-old forced a deciding 11th leg, but Stompe pulled clear and left 16, only for Priestley to finish 155 on double 19 to sensationally win through to the final.
Final
James Wade edged out Dennis Priestley in dramatic fashion by winning the deciding leg of an epic final. Wade opened with a pair of 180s in taking the opening leg in 11 darts, and also led 2-1 before Priestley powered in a 100 finish. Wade took the next for a 3-2 lead, but Priestley took three in a row to move to the brink of victory, hitting two 180s in one leg and one in another as he took a 5-3 advantage. Wade, though, hit back with another 11-darter, and forced a decider with a 93 checkout. Wade, with the throw, opened the final leg with scores of 174 and 140, and was first to a double before landing double ten - with Priestley waiting on 109 - to take victory.