Euro Champs – Tonight’s order of play on Bravo TV

Well the feedback I’ve seen and had from last night’s Bravo TV coverage of the PDC European Darts Championships has been very positive.  Yeah there were some technical glitches – but Dave Gorman was the first to admit the scoreboard needs SORTING for tonight.

Otherwise the fans were on the whole well behaved (apart from one or two), commentators on the ball, and the lack of adverts during games, combined with interviews after the matches made it a great night of darts.

If you’re not out on the beers, don’t forget the action continues again tonight!  And/or follow on twitter for updates during the games; http://twitter.com/BRAVO_darts

Euro Champs Friday July 30

First Round
Play commences 7pm UK time – on BRAVO!

Game times are APPROXIMATE!

7.00pm Bernd Roith v Denis Ovens
7.30pm Mark Dudbridge v Robert Thornton
8.00pm Adrian Lewis v Wayne Jones
8.30pm Tomas Seyler v Michael van Gerwen
9.00pm James Wade v Colin Lloyd
9.30pm Raymond van Barneveld v Andy Hamilton
10.00pm Colin Osborne v Wes Newton
10.30pm Ronnie Baxter v Alan Tabern

European Championships – Night 1 results and review

Phew what a night – as Bravo TV televised their very first ever darts tournament.  While there was some technical hitches (new hamsters needed on the computer scoreboard me thinks!!), the coverage overall was very good I thought.  Some experienced pundits and commentators, with a style that I thought was very good (a little less excitable than Sky’s coverage perhaps?).

Loved seeing Chris Mason back on the screens, and Alan WL always does a good job too.

The biggest surprise for me was when I received a text message from Bravo TV asking if I’d run their twitter account for the night, as they weren’t able to do it this evening (normal service should be back tomorrow).  So apologies if my constant score updates and player comments were not to your cup of tea    It was good fun anyway.

Also I was jumping up and down as the first question put to a player was mine, and my name was read out by Dave Gorman – haha, fame at last!

Anyway – onto the evenings results, and remember it all carries on tomorrow night from 7pm on Bravo TV.  Follow their twitter if you can’t watch some/all of the games to keep track of the evenings games.

Thursday July 29
First Round
Paul Nicholson 3-6 Andy Smith
Mark Walsh 6-3 Antonio Alcinas
Terry Jenkins 6-4 Andree Welge
Simon Whitlock 6-3 Dennis Priestley
Gary Anderson 2-6 Jamie Caven
Phil Taylor 6-2 Co Stompe
Jelle Klaasen 6-4 Vincent van der Voort
Mervyn King 3-6 Barrie Bates

Personal highlights for me is my mate Jamie Caven winning through to round 2 – although it was a shame to see Gary Anderson still suffering with a dodgy shoulder.

Euro Stars Head To Germany – Watch on Bravo Tonight

PHIL TAYLOR opens his challenge for a third successive PartyPoker.net European Championship title on Thursday, when he takes on Co Stompe as the £200,000 tournament begins in Dinslaken, Germany.

UPDATE: I’m actually sitting in for Bravo on their twitter tonight – as a z list celebrity darts ‘guru’ – follow me and Bravo here; https://twitter.com/BRAVO_Darts for game by game comments and analysis.

Taylor has lifted the European Championship trophy in each of the past two years since the tournament was launched in 2008.

The world number one travels to the Stadthalle in Dinslaken on a high after winning his 11th World Matchplay last Sunday, as he seeks to win a fourth major title inside three months.

“Winning the World Matchplay was great and I’d love to go on and win the European Championship this weekend,” said Taylor. “I’m feeling great and playing well, and winning this would round off a perfect summer.”

Taylor takes on Co Stompe in the first round, with the Dutchman having defeated him in the 2008 German Darts Championship final.

“Co has done brilliantly in the last couple of years and he played superbly when he won the German Darts Championship, but that was a different day,” added Taylor.

“I put it behind me and so has Co, and we’ve played a few times since. He did well in the World Matchplay last week and I know he’ll want that to continue in Germany.”

Stompe followed that German Darts Championship victory with two World Championship quarter-final appearances, as well as winning a Players Championship a month ago and reaching the last eight in Blackpool.

“The win over Phil is in the past and you can’t dwell on that because it’s history,” said Stompe. “It’s a new game on Thursday and I’ve got a hard game against Phil.

“I’ve turned my game around, because I’ve been practising on my doubles and they went alright in Blackpool but my scoring let me down.

“I know I can play better than I did in Blackpool, and I’ll go up there on Thursday and hopefully give Phil a big fight.”

The tournament’s opening night will also feature a clash between two of the sport’s fastest throwers, Jelle Klaasen and Vincent van der Voort.

The Dutch pair have both enjoyed strong form in 2010, while Klaasen – a European Championship semi-finalist last year – reached the quarter-finals of last week’s World Matchplay with a slightly slower throwing style.

“I tried to slow down and it felt good,” he said. “I’m always trying to improve my game and I’ve tried something new on stage now, and I played well.

“I think I’ll try to play slower now in every tournament. It will be a hard match to play against Vincent because we travel all the time and are good friends, but when we get on stage we’re enemies and want to beat each other 6-0.”

The players ranked fourth and fifth in the world, Mervyn King and Terry Jenkins, have an opportunity to bounce back from first round exits in the World Matchplay when they face Barrie Bates and Germany’s Andree Welge respectively.

Simon Whitlock, the Australian who has jumped to eighth in the PDC Order of Merit following his run to the semi-finals of the World Matchplay, takes on two-time World Champion Dennis Priestley on his European Championship debut.

The tournament will open when Paul Nicholson, January’s totesport.com Players Championship Finals winner, faces Andy Smith – who had minor surgery on a leg injury a week ago but has previously won a Players Championship on the Dinslaken stage.

Gary Anderson, the UK Open finalist who has been troubled by a shoulder injury in recent weeks and lost to Klaasen in Blackpool, meets Jamie Caven, and number eight seed Mark Walsh faces Spanish debutant Antonio Alcinas.

World number two Raymond van Barneveld – who hit a nine-darter in the World Matchplay before losing to Taylor in the final – takes on Andy Hamilton on the second night of play, while number three seed James Wade faces Colin Lloyd.

German pair Tomas Seyler and Bernd Roith are in action on home soil, with Roith taking on Denis Ovens on his televised debut while Seyler meets Michael van Gerwen – the Dutch youngster who has been sidelined for the past month with a broken collarbone.

The PartyPoker.net European Championship is being shown live on Sport1 in Germany and on Bravo in the UK – Bravo can be found at channel 123 on Sky and 136 on Virgin Media.

Dave Gorman and James Richardson are presenting, and @bravo_darts and the Official European Championship Facebook page, will be hubs for interviews, scores, photos and behind-the-scenes information.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/European-Professional-Darts-Championships-2010-BRAVO/136193336412159?ref=ts

Rileys Croydon qualifier Tricia beaten in world title final

Darts ace Tricia Wright was pipped 6-5 by Stacy Bromberg in the first-ever final of the PDC Unicorn Women’s World Championship.

Tricia, 51, from Mitcham, Surrey, who battled to the final after qualifying at Rileys Croydon, was 4-2 and 5-3 ahead before Bromberg came with a late burst to claim the title.

Tricia, who collects £5,000 as runner-up, said: “The final was very exciting, and although I didn’t win, I really enjoyed myself!

“Both Stacy and I didn’t play as best we can, as the nerves set in, and the game was a close one.

“The atmosphere was amazing.  I am going to bounce back, and hopefully you will be seeing a lot more of me.”

Following her great show in the final at the Blackpool Winter Gardens, Tricia, who has career 50 titles, will get a PDC ProTour Card for 2011 and a place in the Grand Slam of Darts at Wolverhampton in November.

Rileys held qualifying heats in their Darts Zones across the UK, with 20 lady players going through to the second stage of the competition.

Rileys Chief Executive Maurice Kelly said: “It is so near and yet so far for Tricia. What a great match for the players and the fans. I’m sure Tricia will be back next year.

“Rileys have been delighted to host the regional rounds for a world-class competition like this.

“Over 500 lady players entered through our Darts Zones. We very much hope to be involved again.”

Rileys, the UK’s largest pool and snooker operator, are opening Darts Zones across their clubs 120 nationwide offering quality facilities for darts players of all levels.

The Darts Zones feature six to eight throwing lanes, championship-quality boards, hi-tech electronic scoring and specially-focused lighting.

TV Records For World Matchplay – darts a big draw

I’ve just seen on pdc.tv that they have the viewing figures in from Sky for the World Match Play final – and it shows the sport is in a very healthy position.  Some people might not know that darts is now the no.1 watched indoor sport, and no.2 watched sport (average numbers per broadcast) on Sky Sports!!  Yep that’s right, more people watch a darts match than a rugby/golf tournament.  Get in there!

The WMP tournament, won by Phil Taylor at the Winter Gardens for an 11th time on Sunday night, saw Sky Sports’ live coverage accompanied by the first broadcasts of darts in 3D in over 1,000 pubs across the UK and Ireland.

Away from the 3D coverage, audiences watching on Sky Sports throughout the event were a record for the World Matchplay, which began in 1994.

Sunday’s final saw an average of 468,000 viewers, which peaked at 606,000 viewers during the clash between Phil Taylor and Raymond van Barneveld.

Coverage of the World Matchplay was also shown live in Holland, Germany and Australia, with German broadcasters Sport1 enjoying huge audiences ahead of their screening of the PartyPoker.net European Championship.

Sport1 averaged over 250,000 viewers throughout the tournament, with the final matching the success of Sky Sports’ coverage in averaging 400,000 and peaking at 670,000 fans.

Sport1 will be screening the European Championship in Germany, while Bravo will show the event live in the UK from Thursday July 29 to Sunday August 1.

Bravo can be found at channel 123 on Sky and 136 on Virgin Media.

Competition: Win a set of Alex Roy darts!

You hopefully read my exclusive interview with Alex Roy earlier this month (it’s here if you didn’t).  Alex set a question for a competition when he sent me his answers, and finally I’ve got a moment in-between darts tournaments to put up the competition to let you win a set of brand new Alex Roy 22g Red Dragon darts (check the pictures!).

I’ve had a very quick quality test, and I must say they feel pretty fantastic in the hand – especially if you like thiner high density darts.  Some nice details on them too.  As with all Red Dragon darts, the build quality is pretty special.

HOW TO ENTER:

E-mail me your full name & Answer to the following question (I will need a postal address once the winner is drawn);

Who did Alex Roy beat in his 1st TV appearance?

Competition Rules:

• All entries must be via e-mail, and reach me by Midnight of Friday 8th August.
• Random draw of correct entries to the question above will be made during the weekend 9/10th August, and a winner notified via e-mail.
• Postal address will need to be supplied by return of e-mail to receive the prize
• No cash alternatives!
• My decision is final (Alex supplied the answer himself, so he KNOWS BEST!)
• The prize consists of a set of Alex Roy signature darts, with two sets of Red Dragon flights, two sets of aluminum barrels, and a soft black case (as per picture above).

Thanks to Alex for setting the question, and to Red Dragon darts for supplying the prize.

Bravo Euro Darts Trailer – Coverage starts TONIGHT!

Bravo TV’s very first televised darts starts TONIGHT (Thursday) – and they’ve released a promo trailer to get you in the mood.   It features Dave Gorman, who will be appearing throughout the coverage – as a ‘minister without portfolio’ – which I think means he’s going to sum up the action in ways that non hard-core darts fans can understand.  Possibly while being funny

Thursday July 29
First Round
Play commences 8pm German time (7pm UK time)
8.00pm Paul Nicholson v Andy Smith
8.30pm Mark Walsh v Antonio Alcinas
9.00pm Terry Jenkins v Andree Welge
9.30pm Simon Whitlock v Dennis Priestley
10.00pm Gary Anderson v Jamie Caven
10.30pm Phil Taylor v Co Stompe
11.00pm Jelle Klaasen v Vincent van der Voort
11.30pm Mervyn King v Barrie Bates

The rest of the schedule of play is below the video, and remember to follow the official facebook page here, and on twitter here.  I’ll be twittering throughout the tournament I’m sure – and some of the time it might make some sense!  Follow me here.

NOTE: If the trailer doesn’t play below – try clicking on the ‘HD is on’  link on the screen – it seemed to kick it into action.

Schedule of Play

Friday July 30
First Round
Play commences 8pm German time (7pm UK time)
8.00pm Bernd Roith v Denis Ovens
8.30pm Mark Dudbridge v Robert Thornton
9.00pm Adrian Lewis v Wayne Jones
9.30pm Tomas Seyler v Michael van Gerwen
10.00pm James Wade v Colin Lloyd
10.30pm Raymond van Barneveld v Andy Hamilton
11.00pm Colin Osborne v Wes Newton
11.30pm Ronnie Baxter v Alan Tabern

Read the rest of this entry »

Buy World Championship Tickets! On sale now.

Yep it’s that time of year already – the tickets to the PDC World Darts Championships are now available for purchase – get in now for darts at Alexandra Palace!

The 2011 World Championship will be held from Thursday December 16 to Monday January 3 at Alexandra Palace in London. Each of the pre-Christmas sessions, from December 16-23, will see four first round games accompanied by one preliminary round clash at Alexandra Palace.

The second round will be held from Monday December 27-Wednesday December 29, with the third round being played on December 29 and 30, with each day featuring afternoon and evening sessions.

The quarter-finals will be held across two sessions on New Year’s Day, with the semi-finals on January 2 and the final on Monday January 3.

Tickets are available through www.seetickets.com/darts or via 0871 220 0260 (calls cost 10p per minute from a BT landline)

Overseas Bookings
Fans booking tickets from outside the UK can call 0044 115 912 9000.

Ticket Limits
Tickets for table seats will be limited to six per person per session.

Group Bookings
Group Bookings will be able to be made for tiered seating for all sessions apart from the semi-finals and final. The Group Booking number is 0844 412 4650 (calls to this number cost 5p per minute from a BT landline).

Family Enclosure/Disabled Spectators
Tickets for a dedicated Family Enclosure will be available. Any customers bringing children under the age of 16 are strongly recommended to use this section and to specify this when ordering tickets.

An area is also reserved for disabled spectators – please also specify your requirements when booking.

Krispy visits a Rileys Darts Zone – a big thumbs up!

I thought I’d make the day of it yesterday evening, by playing some darts before watching Taylor win the WMP (in 3D).

Rather than play at home as normal, Danger and myself decided that we would visit the Peterborough Rileys (Q Club in the center of town), as I’ve not been there since they refitted it to be a fully fledged darts zone.  It did used to have a board or two, but it was nothing compared to what greeted us.

The entire area around the bar has been renovated, with 6 Winmau Blade III’s set-up for play, each fitted into a very smart ‘booth’.  4 had the old fashioned chalk boards (and plenty of chalk!), and two had fancy new electronic scorers.  Being lazy and on a night out we went for the electronic variety.   Each board also had it’s own table for drinks – and the whole bar area is now decked out in plush leather seats and stools, so if you’re there for a darts competition there’s plenty of space to sit around and relax.  They’d also fitted a HUGE projector screen to one side, with more chairs around it, for watching sports and the like (a ‘fan zone’ as its branded).

It was nice playing with a raised oche too, something I don’t have at home – it really seems to make a difference (there’s no looking down all the time to see if you’re stepping over the line).  It didn’t help me that much though, as Danger beat me 8-3, although it was 7-0 at one stage!  I was trying my new Tony Eccles darts, and they did seem to suit my throw – apart from the moment I threw one at bull without realising the flight had come out!  Doh.

I believe that Rileys are also trying to support darts by encouraging you to bring teams to play at the clubs as your home venue… they are offering support (such as paying league fees, discounts on food/drink to team members, and free food after league games).  I can see new teams springing up to take advantage of the facilities and offer of support.  More details on that HERE.

If you’ve not visited your Rileys club recently, I really recommend you give it a go now – as the new darts zone’s could be the future of darts as pubs with darts boards slowly seem to disappear.  (and no, I’ve not been paid to say any of this )

Taylor Retains Title – Wins WMP in Blackpool

Well I watched the final of the World Match Play in a local pub, enjoying the 3D Sky coverage.  The 3D is AMAZING and better than I thought it would be.  We did literary duck some of the early darts..

The good news was, Barney was up for a fight, and kept the game close until near the end.  Taylor was quite awesome though, he never lets up, keeps hitting the big numbers again and again.   The finishing was deadly too – both players knew they had to finish immediately, even when the opponent was back on a ton+ finish.

So all in all a great final, with proper competitive darts – something that Taylor hadn’t had all tournament.

Match Stats

Raymond van Barneveld	12-18	Phil Taylor
46	100+	35
24	140+	28
2	180	9
33.37	Ave1	35.05
100.11	Ave3	105.16
136	High Finish	135,105
1	Legs Against Throw	4