VAN GERWEN RETURNS TO REACH LAST 16 IN GERMAN DARTS CHAMPIONSHIP
MICHAEL VAN GERWEN made a winning start to life as the World Darts Champion with a 6-2 win over Leon De Geus in the German Darts Championship on Saturday, as rivals Adrian Lewis, Gary Anderson and Raymond van Barneveld joined him in the third round in Hildesheim.
Dutch star van Gerwen made his first competitive outing since claiming World Championship glory a month ago at Alexandra Palace as he entered the £100,000 European Tour event in the last 32.
Van Gerwen raced into a 4-0 lead against his fellow countryman, before De Geus forced a few nervous moments by taking the next two legs, only for the world number one to take out 100 with two double tops to restore his cushion before finishing 132 to claim a 6-2 win and end the game with a 101.63 average.
"It wasn't easy because this was my first game since the World Championship," said van Gerwen. "My game was okay and I hit some good finishes at the end.
"I'm here to win this tournament, and I can build on this performance now on Sunday."
Van Gerwen will open up Sunday's decisive final day against Terry Jenkins, who began his 6-3 win over Kevin Painter with finishes of 158 and 104 before coming from 3-2 down to claim victory with four successive legs.
Number two seed Dave Chisnall was dumped out of the tournament by five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld, who continued his run in Hildesheim with a 6-2 victory.
Van Barneveld had won through Thursday's European Qualifier before overcoming Ron Meulenkamp in the first round, and now meets world number four Adrian Lewis, who was a 6-3 second round winner against Joey Palfreyman.
Lewis had raced into a 5-0 lead with some brilliant darts, averaging 106 in the process, but was punished for some sloppy finishing as the qualifier hit back to win three successive legs, before the Stoke ace finally closed out the win.
"I was 5-0 up and I took my foot off the pedal a bit, and Joey stuck in there really well," said Lewis. "I got through it so it's happy days and I can move on to Sunday now.
"I want to win as much as I can this year, hopefully starting with this event!"
Gary Anderson produced a thrilling performance as he averaged 108.65 in a whitewash of Irish newcomer Glenn Spearing, taking less than 11 minutes to romp to victory with a relentless display.
Anderson now plays Wayne Jones in the third round, with the Wolverhampton ace claiming a 6-4 victory over World Championship runner-up Peter Wright, who failed to reproduce the form which took him to the Alexandra Palace final last month.
Mervyn King matched Anderson in claiming a 6-0 win, over Lee Palfreyman - the younger brother of Joey - as he set up a clash with Ronnie Baxter, who came from 3-0 down to defeat Jamie Caven 6-4.
Wes Newton hit back from the brink of defeat to edge out youngster Dirk van Duijvenbode, and he now faces another Dutchman in Jelle Klaasen, who was a 6-4 winner against Steve Beaton.
Two of last year's European Tour winners, Kim Huybrechts and John Part, will meet in the last 16 after they overcame Michael Smith and Dick van Dijk respectively on Saturday.
Robert Thornton's 6-3 win (pictured) over Andy Hamilton means that he now plays Ian White, who was a dramatic 6-5 winner against Dean Winstanley, who missed a match dart at double ten for a 137 finish in the deciding leg of their game, before the Stoke ace followed a 180 with a 154 finish to snatch victory.
Justin Pipe's high-quality 6-2 win over Brendan Dolan means that he now plays Paul Nicholson, who held off Stuart Kellett's fightback from 4-0 down before claiming a 6-5 victory in their second round contest, as the 2013 UK Masters runner-up missed his chance to claim the win in a dramatic deciding leg.
"The pressure in the last leg was huge because we both knew what one game can do for your season, to get you into the next day and to give you the opportunity to win the tournament," said Nicholson.
"I feel for Stuart there, because he was probably better in the last four or five legs and I managed to grind out the result."
The tournament concludes on Sunday across two sessions, with the third round being held in the afternoon at Halle 39 in Hildesheim before the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final take place in the evening session.
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German Darts Championship
European Tour Event One, Halle 39, Hildesheim
Saturday February 1
Second Round
Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm)
Ian White 6-5 Dean Winstanley
Gary Anderson 6-0 Glenn Spearing
Robert Thornton 6-3 Andy Hamilton
Mervyn King 6-0 Lee Palfreyman
Jamie Caven 4-6 Ronnie Baxter
Dave Chisnall 2-6 Raymond van Barneveld
Steve Beaton 4-6 Jelle Klaasen
John Part 6-2 Dick van Dijk
Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
Brendan Dolan 2-6 Justin Pipe
Wes Newton 6-5 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Kim Huybrechts 6-3 Michael Smith
Adrian Lewis 6-3 Joey Palfreyman
Peter Wright 4-6 Wayne Jones
Michael van Gerwen 6-2 Leon De Geus
Kevin Painter 3-6 Terry Jenkins
Paul Nicholson 6-5 Stuart Kellett
For all event information, visit the German Darts Championship NetZone
Match Information
Afternoon Session
Ian White snatched a dramatic 6-5 win from the hands of Dean Winstanley in the second round's opening game. Winstanley kicked off the game with a 180 and led 2-1 before White levelled with a 14-darter and then broke for a 3-2 lead. Winstanley broke back before regaining the lead, only for back-to-back 14-darters to see the Stoke ace move 5-4 up. Winstanley levelled on tops and was first to a finish in the decider as he left 137, with White landing his first 180 of the game in reply to leave 154 before stepping in - after the Yorkshireman missed double ten for the 137 combination to take the win - to land treble 20, treble 18 and tops to snatch an amazing win.
Gary Anderson made a brilliant start to his German Darts Championship campaign with a thrilling 6-0 whitewash of Irish newcomer Glenn Spearing, averaging 108.65 and taking ten-and-a-half minutes to move into the third round. The Scot opened the game with a 13-darter and added a 180 in a 14-dart finish to break in leg two, and after taking the third on double ten, legs of 13 and 12 darts - featuring another maximum - put him five legs clear. Spearing hit a 180 in reply in leg six, but Anderson finished 72 on tops to complete a great display.
Robert Thornton set up a third round tie with Ian White as he defeated Andy Hamilton 6-3. Thornton took the game's first three legs to take command, breaking by taking out 83 on the bull in leg two, before Hamilton edged the fourth to get off the mark. A 13-darter put Thornton 4-1 up, before Hamilton replied with a 12-dart leg, featuring a 177, and added a 14-darter to pull back to 4-3. Thornton, though, took out a key 120 to win the eighth - with Hamilton waiting on 32 to level the game - and sealed victory on double six in the next.
Ruthless Mervyn King marched past Lee Palfreyman in just under 12 minutes without dropping a leg, as he booked a third round place with a 6-0 whitewash. King finished 68 and 18 to win the first two legs, before taking out double eight to break throw for a second time in the third leg. His consistently heavy scoring continued as he produced legs of 14 and 13 darts to move 5-0 up, before sealing victory with a 121 finish, on double 14, for a 12-darter and a 100.20 average.
Ronnie Baxter came from 3-0 down to claim a superb 6-4 win over Jamie Caven in the German Darts Championship. Caven hit two 14-darters against the throw as he took a 3-0 lead, but missed his chance to win the fourth as Baxter got off the mark on double 16, and the Blackpool ace then hit a 180 and a 121 finish in a 12-darter before levelling with a 149 checkout. Another 14-darter put Caven 4-3 up, but Baxter won the next two on double four before hitting another 180 and finishing 81 for an 11-darter to complete the comeback.
Raymond van Barneveld's challenge in the German Darts Championship continued as he overcame 2013 Hildesheim winner Dave Chisnall 6-2 in their second round game. The Dutch ace had needed to qualify just to win his place in the event, and saw off Ron Meulenkamp in the first round, before repeating the success with a strong display against Chisnall. After hitting a 180 as he broke in the opening leg, he doubled his lead on tops before Chisnall got off the mark with a 13-dart leg. Legs of 14, 13 and 14 darts, featuring a further two 180s, moved van Barneveld 5-2 up, and though Chisnall took out 72 to reply, the Dutchman took out 100 on tops to seal victory.
Jelle Klaasen booked his spot in the last 16 with a 6-4 win over Steve Beaton, whose hopes of another European Tour win in Germany were dashed in the second round. Klaasen opened with a 180 as he broke in the opening leg, before adding a 174 score in moving 2-0 up before Beaton took out tops for a 14-darter to hit back in leg three. Beaton then broke to level before adding a 180 in a 14-darter to move 3-2 up, only for Klaasen to level and then land another 180 as he broke in a dramatic seventh, which saw both players initially miss their chance to lead. The Dutch ace took out 121 on the bull in the next to move 5-3 up, and though Beaton hit back to finish double seven and keep his hopes alive, Klaasen secured his last 16 spot in the next leg on tops.
John Part hit five 180s in a convincing 6-2 win over Dick van Dijk as the three-time World Champion moved into the last 16 of the German Darts Championship. The Canadian opened the game with back-to-back 13-dart finishes and added a pair of double two finishes as he moved 4-0 up before Dutch qualifier van Dijk capitalised on a miss from his opponent in the next as double three got him off the mark. Part finished 79 for a 5-1 lead, and though van Dijk hit back with a 120 checkout, the Canadian hit two 180s in an 11-darter as he completed the win.
Evening Session
Justin Pipe opened up the evening session with a high-quality 6-2 win over Brendan Dolan, averaging over 98 in a strong performance. Pipe took out a brilliant 141 finish in the opening leg and hit two 140s as he broke in the second, before adding a 174 to set up a 104 finish as he moved 3-0 up with a fine 12-darter. Dolan got off the mark in leg four, hitting double 16, but Pipe finished double four to move 4-1 up and then moved a leg away from the win with another 14-darter, featuring a 180. Dolan hit three 140s in a 13-darter as he kept his hopes alive, but another maximum from Pipe kicked off leg eight before he finished 136 to complete victory with a third ton-plus checkout.
Wes Newton hit back from 5-3 down to edge out Dutch youngster Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-5 in their German Darts Championship second round clash. The Dutchman opened the match with a 13-darter, featuring a 180, to break throw before doubling his lead in the second. Newton took out 100 to get off the mark in the third leg, and hit tops in the next two to move 3-2 up, only to see van Duijvenbode produce scores of 180, 140 and 170 in a 14-darter to level, double eight to break again in the seventh leg and double five to move 5-3 up. Newton took out 83 on the bull to send the game into a decider, in which van Duijvenbode landed a 180 only for the Fleetwood star to reply in kind before hitting tops to set up a third round clash with Jelle Klaasen.
Kim Huybrechts' bid to win a second successive European Tour event - following October's Dutch Darts Masters triumph - began with a 6-3 win over World Youth Champion Michael Smith on Saturday night. The pair traded 14-darters in the opening two legs before Huybrechts capitalised on missed doubles from Smith to break in the third. The St Helens ace hit a 13-darter, featuring a 180, to break back and level, only to see Huybrechts win the next three to put himself in command at 5-2. Smith defied a 180 from Huybrechts to keep his hopes alive on double 13 in the eighth leg, but he was unable to continue the fightback as Huybrechts finished a 14-darter on double 16 to progress to the last 16.
Adrian Lewis moved into the German Darts Championship's last 16 by holding off a fightback from Joey Palfreyman on Saturday night. The two-time World Champion was in brilliant form as he raced into a 5-0 lead, averaging 106 in the process as he took out 146 in the opener and dominated the scoring. Palfreyman avoided the same fate as younger brother Lee, who was whitewashed by Mervyn King earlier in the day, when he took the sixth leg with a 14-darter, before punishing a host of missed match darts from Lewis to win a second leg. The Liverpudlian then finished double top to win a third successive leg and pull back to 5-3, but Lewis hit the same bed in the next to complete his win.
Wayne Jones knocked World Championship finalist Peter Wright out of the German Darts Championship with a 6-4 second round victory on Saturday night. Jones capitalised on a slow start from Wright to win the opening two legs and also missed his chance to take the third as the Scot, using a new design of dart, landed double one to get off the mark. A 14-darter moved Jones 3-1 up, and the next two were shared before Wright landed a 180 in pulling back to 4-3, only to then miss his chance to level in the next as the Wolverhampton man moved to the brink of victory. A 14-darter from Wright kept him in the game, but he was unable to force a decider as Jones pinned double 16 to seal the win.
Michael van Gerwen made a winning start to life as the World Darts Champion with a 6-2 win over Leon De Geus in the German Darts Championship second round on Saturday. The new world number one broke twice with 14-darters as he took a 3-0 lead in the game, and hit a 180 and double nine to lead by four legs before De Geus hit back by finishing 76. The European Qualifier, who edged out Steve Maish in the first round, then hit double 18 for a 13-darter as he pulled back to 4-2, but van Gerwen took out 100 with two double tops to restore his cushion before finishing 132 with two bullseyes and double 16 for victory, ending the game with a 101.63 average.
Terry Jenkins followed up Friday's opening win over Max Hopp in the German Darts Championship with a 6-3 win over Kevin Painter as he reached the last 16 in Hildesheim. Jenkins produced a killer blow in the opening leg by taking out 158, with Painter waiting on 40, before doubling his lead with a 104 finish. Painter took the next two, including a 14-darter, as he levelled before double eight put the former World Championship finalist in front at 3-2. Jenkins, though, hit three 140s in a 12-darter as he levelled, before landing tops to break and move 4-3 up, and he then hit a 180 in a 14-darter to lead 5-3 before repeating the trick in the next as double four sealed his third round spot.
Paul Nicholson overcame a huge scare against Stuart Kellett, who came from 4-0 down to force a deciding leg in their second round clash before the 2010 Players Championship Finals winner eventually edged to victory. Nicholson dominated the early stages as he won the opening four legs before Kellett hit a 180 and a 100 finish to get off the mark in the fifth with a 14-darter and took the sixth in 15 darts to halve the deficit. Nicholson posted double 18 to move to the brink of victory, but Kellett's fightback continued with legs of 14, 14 and 13 darts as he forced a decider. Nicholson initially looked to have missed his chance when he failed to finish 100, but Kellett missed two match darts to allow him back on tops for the win.