ADRIAN LEWIS ended two years of disappointment in Championship League Darts by winning Group Eight of the tournament on Wednesday.
Lewis competed in five groups last year without winning one, and had missed out on a place in the final in each of the seven previous groups this time around.
However, he backed up his first placed finish in the Group Eight table by coming through the play-offs to take the last remaining spot in Thursday's Winners Group.
Lewis lost to Terry Jenkins and Kirk Shepherd in the league phase, winning his other five matches, before hitting a 170 checkout in overcoming Shepherd 6-1 in the semi-finals.
He then capitalised on missed doubles from van Gerwen to assume a 4-2 lead in the decider.
Double 16 gave van Gerwen a third leg, but a brilliant ten-darter from Lewis put him one leg away from the win at 5-3.
He was waiting on 32 when van Gerwen took the ninth on double ten, but punished two misses from his opponent to finally seal the 6-4 win on double top.
"I'm so relieved it's untrue," said Lewis, who has now won £16,700 in this year's event and £31,950 including last year's prize money.
"After losing in three finals last year I thought it was going to happen again today and Michael kept coming back at me.
"But I managed to get it back together in the end and hopefully I can do the same in the Winners Group now tomorrow."
Van Gerwen picked up £2,900 in a successful debut in the tournament, shown only on the internet via a series of ten bookmakers' websites worldwide.
The 20-year-old Dutchman finished second in the league table and then defeated Barrie Bates 6-4 in the semis.
Bates enjoyed a fruitful day in the tournament, picking up £2,050 in his run to the play-offs, while Shepherd made a brilliant recovery to sneak into the last four.
The 2008 World Championship finalist lost his opening three matches, but won his final four games to edge out Tony Eccles on leg difference.
That meant Eccles narrowly missed out on the semi-finals for a second successive day, although he picked up £3,400 overall.
A 6-2 defeat for Wayne Jones in his final league game meant he also missed out on the play-offs on leg difference, but he ends the event on £6,100 from three days of competition.
Terry Jenkins suffered a collapse in his fifth day in the tournament, losing his last three matches - including a brace of whitewashes in 16 successive losing legs - to end the day second bottom, above Holland's Roland Scholten.
Thursday sees the eight group winners return to Crondon Park GC in Essex, headed by reigning champion Phil Taylor and world number two James Wade.
Mervyn King, Mark Walsh, Wayne Mardle, Colin Osborne, Jelle Klaasen and Lewis will join them for the big-money Winners Group, with prize money of £100 per leg on offer in the league phase and £200 per leg in the play-offs.
The overall winner will pick up an additional £10,000, with the runner-up taking home £5,000 and the semi-finalists £2,500 each.
The day will be doubly crucial for Walsh and Klaasen, who could win a place in next month's PartyPoker.com Grand Slam of Darts by reaching the final.
Championship League Darts - Group Eight
|
Board One |
Board Two | |
|
Match One |
Terry Jenkins 6-5 Adrian Lewis |
Michael van Gerwen 6-4 Barrie Bates |
|
Match Two |
Tony Eccles 6-4 Roland Scholten |
Wayne Jones 6-3 Kirk Shepherd |
|
Match One |
Barrie Bates 6-5 Terry Jenkins |
Roland Scholten 1-6 Wayne Jones |
|
Match Two |
Kirk Shepherd 3-6 Tony Eccles |
Adrian Lewis 6-4 Michael van Gerwen |
|
Match One |
Barrie Bates 6-2 Wayne Jones |
Terry Jenkins 6-1 Roland Scholten |
|
Match Two |
Kirk Shepherd 3-6 Michael van Gerwen |
Adrian Lewis 6-5 Tony Eccles |
|
Not before 2.30pm |
||
|
Match One |
Wayne Jones 6-2 Terry Jenkins |
Barrie Bates 6-3 Roland Scholten |
|
Match Two |
Adrian Lewis 4-6 Kirk Shepherd |
Michael van Gerwen 6-5 Tony Eccles |
|
Match One |
Michael van Gerwen 5-6 Wayne Jones |
Tony Eccles 6-5 Terry Jenkins |
|
Match Two |
Roland Scholten 5-6 Adrian Lewis |
Kirk Shepherd 6-3 Barrie Bates |
|
Not before 4.45pm |
||
|
Match One |
Tony Eccles 1-6 Barrie Bates |
Adrian Lewis 6-2 Wayne Jones |
|
Match Two |
Roland Scholten 6-5 Michael van Gerwen |
Terry Jenkins 0-6 Kirk Shepherd |
|
Match One |
Michael van Gerwen 6-0 Terry Jenkins |
Wayne Jones 2-6 Tony Eccles |
|
Match Two |
Kirk Shepherd 6-4 Roland Scholten |
Barrie Bates 2-6 Adrian Lewis |
|
7.15pm |
Semi-Final 1 |
Semi-Final 2 |
|
8pm |
Final |
Latest Table
|
Pl |
W |
L |
Won |
Lost |
LWAT |
£Won |
Pts | |
|
Adrian Lewis |
7 |
5 |
2 |
39 |
30 |
14 |
£1950 |
10 |
|
Michael van Gerwen |
7 |
4 |
3 |
38 |
30 |
14 |
£1900 |
8 |
|
Barrie Bates |
7 |
4 |
3 |
33 |
29 |
14 |
£1650 |
8 |
|
Kirk Shepherd |
7 |
4 |
3 |
33 |
29 |
13 |
£1650 |
8 |
|
Tony Eccles |
7 |
4 |
3 |
35 |
32 |
17 |
£1750 |
8 |
|
Wayne Jones |
7 |
4 |
3 |
30 |
29 |
14 |
£1500 |
8 |
|
Terry Jenkins |
7 |
2 |
5 |
24 |
36 |
7 |
£1200 |
4 |
|
Roland Scholten |
7 |
1 |
6 |
24 |
41 |
10 |
£1200 |
2 |
Championship League Darts will be screened solely on the internet through the following bookmakers' websites:
Available Globally
Bet365 - www.bet365.com
Available in UK/Ireland
Ladbrokes - www.ladbrokes.com
Paddy Power - www.paddypower.com
Skybet - www.skybet.com
Betfair - www.betfair.com
Available in Europe (excluding UK)
Unibet - www.unibet.com
Sportingbet - www.sportingbet.com
Expekt - www.expekt.com
Betclick - www.betclick.com
Bet-at-home - www.bet-at-home.com
To view the Championship League Darts, users must be registered with the specific website but there is no commitment to placing bets. The stream will be available internationally, except in the United States of America, where for legal reasons it cannot be shown.
Results and latest league tables will be available throughout each day at www.pdc.tv, along with latest news from Crondon Park.
Also follow the results on the PDC's official Twitter feed
First Round of Matches
Terry Jenkins made a winning start to Group Eight, edging past Adrian Lewis 6-5. The two top-ranked players in the final day produced a thrilling start as their match went to a deciding leg. Jenkins took the first two legs, including a 121 checkout against the throw in leg two, only for Lewis to hit back and level. Jenkins took out 100 to edge 3-2 up, and the next two legs were shared before Lewis capitalised on a miss from his opponent to take out 86 in two darts for a four-all scoreline. The next two legs were traded on double ten, but Jenkins produced the stronger scoring in the decider and landed double ten for the win.
Michael van Gerwen overcame Barrie Bates 6-4 to make a winning debut in Championship League Darts. The two made a superb start, trading 11-darters in the opening two legs before Bates broke on double top to lead. The next three legs also went against the throw before Bates took the seventh to lead 4-3 - only for a brace to edge van Gerwen ahead, and he then wrapped up victory on double 12.
Tony Eccles picked up a 6-4 victory over Roland Scholten in their Group Eight opener. Scholten - a Group One loser in the 2008 event - took the opening two legs to lead before Eccles, inspired by a 120 finish, hit back to level. Double 16 edged Scholten back in front, but Eccles took the next three to assume command at 5-3. Double nine saw Scholten stay in the game after missed match darts from Eccles, but the Dutchman wasted his chances to force a decider in the next before Eccles finally hit the winning double.
Wayne Jones came from 2-0 down to take a 6-3 victory over Kirk Shepherd in their opener. Shepherd, the Group Seven runner-up, took the game's opener against the throw and landed double five to move 2-0 up, before the pair traded 180s in the third, only for Jones to hit double top and get off the mark. He then broke throw to level, took out double top to lead and then a 120 finish against the throw before moving 5-2 up. Shepherd won the eighth leg, but a 66 finish ensured the points.
Second Round of Matches
Barrie Bates held off Terry Jenkins to claim his first win of Group Eight in a deciding leg. Bates held an early 3-1 cushion before Jenkins hit back to level, with the world number five missing double top to lead as Bates hit double 18 to lead 4-3. The next three were shared to send the game into a decider, with Jenkins missing double ten for a 140 finish before Bates took out 81 on double 18 for the match.
Wayne Jones picked up a second successive victory of Group Eight, winning 6-1 against Roland Scholten. Jones followed up his win over Kirk Shepherd with another strong display, taking the opening four legs without reply before Scholten got off the mark. The Dutchman missed two darts to pull back a second leg, with Jones landing a 180 and double top to lead 5-1 before sealing the win with a 13-darter.
Tony Eccles maintained his unbeaten start to Group Eight with a 6-3 win over Kirk Shepherd. Eccles produced a fine display to see off the former World Championship finalist, taking a 2-0 lead before Shepherd got off the mark, and also leading 4-2. A 119 checkout from Shepherd cut the gap to one leg, but Eccles won the eighth and then hit an eighth 180 of the contest and double eight to seal the win.
Adrian Lewis battled from behind to defeat Michael van Gerwen 6-4. Van Gerwen took an early 2-0 lead before Lewis hit back with three successive legs to lead 3-2. Van Gerwen took the sixth and shared the next two to remain tied at four all, with Lewis escaping from missed doubles to win the ninth and then produce a high-quality 12-dart winning leg, hitting scores of 120, 180 and 139 before taking out double top.
Third Round of Matches
Barrie Bates powered past Wayne Jones 6-2 to pick up his second win of Group Eight. Bates hit 180s in the opening two legs to take command of the match, and punished misses from Jones to win the next two and open a 4-0 lead. Jones took the next two, but missed his chance to pull back to 4-3 in leg seven as Bates took out 85 on the bullseye, before taking out 120 to wrap up the win.
Terry Jenkins produced a fine display to condemn Roland Scholten to a second successive 6-1 defeat. The pair shared the opening two legs before Jenkins pulled clear, taking a break of throw to lead 3-1 and punishing a missed bullseye for a 164 finish from the Dutchman to land double 18 in leg five. A 112 finish moved him 5-1 up, and he landed two 180s in the next to seal victory.
Michael van Gerwen bounced back to winning ways with a 6-3 defeat of Kirk Shepherd, who suffered a third successive defeat. Van Gerwen secured two early breaks of throw in taking a 4-0 lead and took out 105 for a fifth leg. Shepherd got off the mark in the sixth and also won the next two to threaten a comeback, but van Gerwen pulled clear in leg nine and took out double ten for victory.
Adrian Lewis maintained a log-jam of six players on two victories with a narrow 6-5 victory over previously unbeaten Tony Eccles. Eccles broke throw in the opening leg, only for Lewis to power in a 171 which left double top as he levelled, and then went in front on double 18. Eccles won the next two to lead 3-2, only for Lewis to hit back with three legs of his own to move 5-3 up. Eccles battled back level to force a decider, and landed a 180 only for Lewis to match that with a maximum and take out double 12 for the win.
Fourth Round of Matches
Wayne Jones continued his push for a Group Eight play-off spot with a 6-2 win over Terry Jenkins. Jones made a fine start to lead 3-0, taking two breaks of throw early on, before a 124 bullseye finish and double 12 from Jenkins cut the gap to one leg. Jones took the next and then landed double top to lead 5-2, before winning leg eight to seal the victory.
Barrie Bates' impressive introduction to the 2009 Championship League Darts continued with a 6-3 win over Roland Scholten. The Welshman led 2-0 before Scholten hit back to level, only for a 126 finish from Bates pushed him 3-2 up. He also won the next two to move a leg away from the victory, and although Scholten won the eighth the Welsh ace sealed victory in the next.
Kirk Shepherd claimed his first win of Group Eight with a 6-4 defeat of Adrian Lewis. Lewis took the opening leg before Shepherd posted a 110 finish to get off the mark, broke throw in the next after missed doubles from the Stoke ace and then landed double 16 for a 3-1 cushion. Lewis took two of the next three before Shepherd landed a timely 140 to leave tops in moving 5-3 up. Lewis won leg nine, but double 16 from Shepherd ensured two points.
Michael van Gerwen earned his third victory of the day, holding off Tony Eccles' fightback to win a deciding leg battle. The young Dutchman opened up an early 4-1 lead before Eccles picked up his second leg. Van Gerwen posted double top for a 5-2 lead, before Eccles took out 86 and 95 to pull back into the game and double ten to force a decider. However, the Dutchman held his nerve and took out 108 on double top to secure the win.
Fifth Round of Matches
Wayne Jones dramatically claimed victory in a deciding leg with Michael van Gerwen. Van Gerwen swept into an early 3-1 lead, before Jones took advantage of missed doubles to level. Double 16 put van Gerwen ahead, but Jones took the eighth and then a bullseye finish to lead 5-4. The Wolverhampton man missed three match darts in the next as van Gerwen posted tops to ensure a decider - but missed two darts to seal the win himself as Jones returned to hit double six for the win.
Tony Eccles won his third game of Group Eight with a dramatic comeback win over Terry Jenkins. Jenkins took the opening two legs before Eccles took out double one and double six to level. Jenkins, though, took the next three to open up a 5-2 cushion, only for Eccles to take leg eight on double 12 as well as the next two legs to force a decider. Jenkins gave himself a chance to seal victory on 91, but allowed Eccles back to the oche to land double 18.
Roland Scholten was denied his first victory of Group Eight in cruel fashion, with Adrian Lewis producing a 12-darter to win a deciding leg of their contest. Scholten, without a win in his first four games, landed a 180 in the opening leg and eventually overcame some nervy doubling to take the leg. Lewis took the second and finished 121 to lead 2-1, only for Scholten to reply with a 144 finish and then win the next two legs to lead 4-2. Lewis then won three of his own to edge 5-4 up, only to miss match darts as the Dutchman landed double top to force a decider. However, Lewis finished the stronger, hitting a 180 and then taking out 86 with single 18, double 18 and double 16 for the victory.
Kirk Shepherd picked up a second successive victory, seeing off Barrie Bates 6-3. Shepherd took the game's opening leg against the throw, setting the trend for the game. Bates hit a 180 in levelling, and the next four were also shared with breaks of throw before Shepherd landed a maximum in going 4-3 up, held throw to create a two-leg lead and landed double top to take the win.
Sixth Round of Matches
Barrie Bates stormed past Tony Eccles to put one foot into the semi-finals of Group Eight with a 6-1 victory. Bates opened the game with an 11-darter and doubled his lead before Eccles got off the mark. Bates landed a 177 to set up a 24 finish in a 14-darter to lead 3-1, and won the next with a 97 finish to pull clear, before winning the next two to wrap up a big victory.
Adrian Lewis remains on course for another play-off challenge following his 6-2 defeat of Wayne Jones. Lewis gave Jones little chance in taking a 4-0 cushion, and piled home an 11-darter, featuring a 180, to move five legs clear. A brace of double 16 finishes from Jones kept him in the game, but when he lost his range on the double in the eighth leg Lewis completed the victory.
Roland Scholten won his first game of Group Eight with a 6-5 defeat of Michael van Gerwen - denting the youngster's play-off hopes in the process. Van Gerwen edged the early stages to lead 2-1, only for Scholten to take the next three legs and lead 4-2. The next two were shared to leave Scholten a leg away from victory - only for missed match darts to allow van Gerwen in to take the next two legs and force a decider. However, Scholten pulled away and landed double ten to ensure maximum prize money for the game and two points.
Kirk Shepherd stunned Terry Jenkins to claim Group Eight's first whitewash with a scintillating display. Shepherd overcame Jenkins en route to the 2008 World Championship final and also in Group Seven on Wednesday, and maintained his record with a fine performance. Jenkins missed double five for a 130 finish in the opening leg, and double four put Shepherd ahead. The youngster didn't look back, hitting a 180 in the second, winning the third against the throw and then taking out double top following a missed double top from Jenkins to lead 4-0. He landed a 177 and double four in the fifth leg, and kicked off the next in the same manner before wrapping up victory.
Seventh Round of Matches
Michael van Gerwen secured his semi-final place and piled on the misery for Terry Jenkins with a whitewash victory over the world number five. Jenkins had allowed a 5-2 lead to slip in his fifth game and was whitewashed by Kirk Shepherd in the sixth, and ends Group Eight having lost 16 successive legs. Van Gerwen took out double ten for the opening leg and punished four misses from Jenkins to double the lead. He also took the third, then finished 71 for another break of throw, 111 to lead 5-0 and then double top for the victory.
Tony Eccles ended the league phase with a 6-2 win over Wayne Jones - provisionally booking his semi-final place, depending on the results of the final two matches. The duo shared the opening two legs before Eccles won four in a row to push 5-1 up. Jones landed a 180 and double 18 to take a second leg, but Eccles secured the win in the next on double 18.
Adrian Lewis ensured a play-off place with a 6-2 win over Barrie Bates - who will remain in the top four on leg difference despite the loss. Lewis led 2-0 before the Welshman landed double ten to get off the mark, but Lewis hit a 180 in taking the fourth and then double top to punish a miss from Bates to lead 4-1. Double 16 put Lewis a leg away from the win before Bates hit the same bed to stay in the contest, but the Stoke star took out double 18 for the match.
Kirk Shepherd completed an incredible revival to defeat Roland Scholten 6-4 and win a place in the semi-finals at the expense of Tony Eccles. The youngster lost his opening three matches, but wins in his final four games saw him sneak into the top four. Shepherd took a 4-0 lead courtesy of some fine darts, before a 102 finish got Scholten off the mark, and he also won the next two following missed doubles to pull back to 4-3. Double 16 put Shepherd 5-3 up, with Scholten replying on double nine but unable to prevent the youngster sealing the win on double eight.
The results mean Adrian Lewis finishes top on ten points, with four players tied on eight points. Michael van Gerwen (+8) finished second on leg difference, while Barrie Bates and Kirk Shepherd (both +4) were separated by Legs Won Against Throw - with Tony Eccles (+3) narrowly missing out on a top four finish for the second successive day.
Semi-Finals
Adrian Lewis won through to his first final of the 2009 Championship League Darts with a 6-1 defeat of Kirk Shepherd in the £100-a-leg semi-finals. Lewis has been a semi-final loser on four occasions in the previous seven groups this year, but finally broke that run. He opened his semi with a 105 finish before missing two darts to take the nexy as Shepherd levelled. Lewis then punished misses from the 2008 World Championship runner-up to take the next two for a 3-1 lead, and landed a 71 finish in leading 4-1. Shepherd then began the sixth leg with scores of 140 and 180, but was left watching on 52 as Lewis took out a superb 170 finish to lead 5-1, before he sealed the win on double ten.
Michael van Gerwen celebrated his debut challenge in Championship League Darts with progression to the final with a 6-4 defeat of Barrie Bates. The Dutch youngster finished second in the league phase, and will now meet Adrian Lewis in the decider. He hit a 180 in the opening leg of the game, and a bullseye finish on 90 put van Gerwen 2-0 up before Bates hit back, taking the third on double eight and then a 156 checkout to level. Van Gerwen, though, won the next three to move to the brink of victory, only for Bates to take the eighth on double top and the next on double eight, as van Gerwen missed five darts for the win. But the youngster regained his range on double 16 to seal victory and his final place.
Final
Adrian Lewis finally claimed a spot in the Winners Group, ending two years of disappointment in Championship League Darts. Lewis competed in five groups last year without winning one, and had missed out on a place in the final in each of the seven previous groups this time around. However, he backed up his first placed finish in the group eight table by coming through the play-offs. Van Gerwen took the final's opening leg before Lewis took advantage of missed doubles to lead 2-1. The Dutchman claimed a scrappy third to level, but Lewis posted 180s in the next two legs to pull clear. Double 16 gave van Gerwen a third leg, but a brilliant ten-darter from Lewis put him one leg away from the win at 5-3. He was waiting on 32 when van Gerwen took the ninth on double ten, but punished two misses from his opponent to finally seal the 6-4 win on double top.