Sky Poker World Grand Prix - Night Four

REPORTS from Thursday's final second round games at the Sky Poker World Grand Prix.

The last 16 came to a conclusion at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin with four matches, including wins for seven-time World Grand Prix winner Phil Taylor and World Champion John Part.

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Sky Poker World Grand Prix
Second Round (Best of Five Sets)
Terry Jenkins 3-0 Mark Walsh
Andy Hamilton 3-2 Robert Thornton
Phil Taylor 3-0 Colin Osborne
John Part 3-0 Jacko Barry

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TERRY JENKINS 3-0 MARK WALSH
(3-1, 3-0, 3-0)

TERRY JENKINS romped into the quarter-finals of the Sky Poker World Grand Prix with a fine straight sets win over Mark Walsh.

Jenkins remains on course to reach the final of the double-start event for a third successive year after an impressive display.

He dropped just one leg - the game's first - before taking nine in a row to book his last eight place.

Walsh, a first round winner against Steve Beaton, never got into his stride, despite landing double top for the first leg.

Jenkins levelled and then defied a 180 from Walsh to break throw in leg three on double ten.

He then punished a missed double top from Walsh to wrap up the set 3-1 by hitting the same bed, and won the second without reply.

Jenkins kicked off set three with a perfect final six darts, hitting a 180 followed by a 121 checkout, finishing on the bull, to lead.

Walsh missed nine darts to open the second leg, allowing Jenkins to take out double top at ease before he sealed the win with a 76 finish to end with an impressive average of 92.72 in the double-start format.

"I've been playing really good darts recently but not getting the results, so it's nice to be winning again," said Jenkins.

"I was pretty focused and got on with the game instead of playing to the crowd, which I sometimes do, and that paid off."

Match Stats

Terry Jenkins	3-0	Mark Walsh
17	100+	18
7	140+	3
1	180	1
30.91	Ave1	26.57
92.72	Ave3	79.71
121	High Finish	115

ANDY HAMILTON 3-2 ROBERT THORNTON
(2-3, 1-3, 3-1, 3-0, 3-1)

ANDY HAMILTON produced one of his greatest fightbacks to come from two sets down to defeat Robert Thornton 3-2 in the second round of the Sky Poker World Grand Prix.

The world number eight looked set to exit the double-start when Thornton recovered from a poor opening to win the first two sets.

But Hamilton, aided by six maximums, battled back to win six of the next seven legs, and then took the deciding set 3-1 to book his quarter-final place.

Hamilton punished some poor doubling from Thornton at the opening of the game to win the first two legs, but five missed darts for the set allowed Thornton to pull level.

The Stoke man then missed the bullseye in the deciding set, with Thornton taking out a 120 "Shanghai" finish to complete a remarkable comeback - having missed 15 opening doubles in the first leg.

Thornton took out double top to break throw in the second set, and landed double 16 to double the advantage before a 13-darter from Hamilton - beginning with a 152 score and featuring a 180 - saw him cut the deficit.

However, Thornton was too strong in the next to land double three and take a two-set lead.

Hamilton kicked off set three with a 15-darter, but missed two darts to move 2-0 up as Thornton levelled.

But a second 180 in as many legs helped him to break throw in leg three, and a double 16 finish saw him win the set.

Hamilton then punished four missed doubles from Thornton in the fourth set's opener to land double ten and lead, and hit scores of 177 and 180 in winning the next two legs to square the match.

Double five saw Thornton lead in the decider, but misses at double top and double ten gave Hamilton the chance to level, which he took on double 16.

A bullseye finish from Hamilton, with Thornton on 82, saw the Stoke man break throw in the next, and he took out a 13-darter to seal a remarkable comeback and earn his first quarter-final in the double-start event.

Match Stats

Andy Hamilton	3-2	Robert Thornton
19	100+	26
14	140+	13
6	180	2
28.37	Ave1	26.40
85.10	Ave3	79.21
84	High Finish	120,100

PHIL TAYLOR 3-0 COLIN OSBORNE
(3-0, 3-0, 3-0)

PHIL TAYLOR whitewashed Colin Osborne to power into the quarter-finals of the Sky Poker World Grand Prix.

Taylor followed up his first round win over Ronnie Baxter with a sensational destruction of Osborne, averaging 100.2 in the double-start format to set up an all-Stoke last eight game with Andy Hamilton on Friday.

"Colin's a better player than that and I felt for him, but you have to be professional and get the job done," said Taylor.

"You want to get the job done as quickly as possible and though it's not nice to beat a fellow pro 3-0, 3-0, 3-0 but I'm pleased to win."

Taylor missed six starting doubles in the opening leg, with Osborne hitting a maximum but missing two darts at a double before the seven-time World Grand Prix champion landed double top.

He repeated the feat in the next, and then took the third leg in 15 darts to seal the first set.

Taylor followed up a 13-darter in the second set's opening leg - hitting six perfect darts with opening scores of 160 and 180 - with a 174 score in the next to leave a double, and another 15-darter saw him move two sets up.

Taylor won the opener to the third set in 13 darts, with Osborne needing ten just to get off the mark - with a 160 score - before seeing his opponent land double 16.

Osborne hit a 180 in the next leg, but Taylor was again first to a double to land tops and move a leg away from victory.

The Derby man hit scores of 140 and 145 in the third, but one missed dart at double top gave Taylor the chance to seal his win on double three.

Match Stats

Phil Taylor	3-0	Colin Osborne
12	100+	7
9	140+	5
2	180	2
33.40	Ave1	25.99
100.20	Ave3	77.98
56	High Finish	-

JOHN PART 3-0 JACKO BARRY
(3-1, 3-2, 3-0)

WORLD CHAMPION John Part broke Irish hearts with a 3-0 win over Dublin hero Jacko Barry at the Sky Poker World Grand Prix.

Local star Barry defeated Northern Ireland's Brendan Dolan in a first round thriller at the Citywest Hotel, but was unable to repeat the heroics against the in-form Canadian.

Part swept to the victory with some clinical finishing, punishing missed doubles from Barry to set up a quarter-final with Terry Jenkins on Friday.

The Canadian won the opening set 3-1, but the turning point of the game came in the second.

Barry landed double ten and double six to lead 2-0, but missed three darts for the set as Part clawed his way back level and won the decider on double top.

Three further misses in the third set's opener allowed Part to move 1-0 up, and two missed darts at double eight were followed by a double 16 finish from the Canadian.

Part then landed a second maximum of the game in the next, before a double 16 finish sealed the win.

"I struggled a bit with my opening doubles but Jacko had problems with his doubles out," said Part, who averaged 47 percent with his finishing.

"I was very pleased with my finishing and that proved the difference."

Barry admitted: "I lived with John in most of the legs but missed my doubles.

"It felt like a closer game than the 3-0 scoreline, but he showed why he is World Champion.

"If I'd hit my doubles it would have been a different story, but it's great experience for me considering I've only been professional for a year."

Match Stats