Darts, Beers, & Cheers!

Posts Tagged ‘mervyn king’

Champion League Darts – Group Two details

Day two today of the Champion League of Darts (which is streamed live on the internet – see HERE for who is showing it).  After a great day yesterday for Mervyn King, it’s not such good news today;

UPDATE:  Whitlock wins group 2

MERVYN KING has withdrawn from Group Two of Championship League Darts through injury, and is replaced by Colin Osborne. King competed in Group One of the tournament on Tuesday despite a heel problem, finishing top of the league table but losing to Colin Lloyd in the semi-finals.

However, the injury worsened overnight and King has pulled out of the tournament, and will be replaced in Wednesday’s Group Two by Co Stompe. Stompe was one of the three players due to enter the tournament in Group Three, but with Andy Hamilton and Colin Osborne unable to travel to Essex in time for the 10.30am start the Dutchman has stepped in for King

Alan Tabern will now enter in Group Three, with Kevin Painter and Dennis Priestley – who had sat above the St Helens man in the rankings when the tournament’s invitations were issued after the StanJames.com World Matchplay – unable to compete on Thursday.

Latest League Table

	Pl	W	L	Won	Lost	Leg +/-	£Won	Pts
Gary Anderson	7	5	2	36	19	+17	£1800	10
Simon Whitlock	7	5	2	38	26	+12	£1900	10
Adrian Lewis	7	5	2	37	31	+6	£1850	10
Ronnie Baxter	7	4	3	30	27	+3	£1200	8
James Wade	7	4	3	31	37	-6	£1550	8
Co Stompe	7	3	4	26	30	-4	£1300	6
Paul Nicholson	7	2	5	32	36	-4	£1600	4
Colin Lloyd	7	0	7	18	42	-24	£900	0

..

Time		Board One	Board Two
10.30am	Match One	James Wade 6-5 Co Stompe	Gary Anderson 2-6 Paul Nicholson
	Match Two	Simon Whitlock 6-1 Colin Lloyd	Adrian Lewis 6-2 Ronnie Baxter
	Match One	Paul Nicholson 4-6 James Wade	Colin Lloyd 5-6 Adrian Lewis
	Match Two	Ronnie Baxter 3-6 Simon Whitlock	Co Stompe 0-6 Gary Anderson
	Match One	Paul Nicholson 5-6 Adrian Lewis	James Wade 6-5 Colin Lloyd
	Match Two	Ronnie Baxter 1-6 Gary Anderson	Co Stompe 3-6 Simon Whitlock
Not before 2.00pm	Match One	Adrian Lewis 5-6 James Wade	Paul Nicholson 6-4 Colin Lloyd
	Match Two	Co Stompe 0-6 Ronnie Baxter	Gary Anderson 6-5 Simon Whitlock
	Match One	Gary Anderson 4-6 Adrian Lewis	Simon Whitlock 6-3 James Wade
	Match Two	Colin Lloyd 1-6 Co Stompe	Ronnie Baxter 6-4 Paul Nicholson
Not before 4.15pm	Match One	Simon Whitlock 6-4 Paul Nicholson	Co Stompe 6-2 Adrian Lewis
	Match Two	Colin Lloyd 1-6 Gary Anderson	James Wade 4-6 Ronnie Baxter
	Match One	Gary Anderson 6-0 James Wade	Adrian Lewis 6-3 Simon Whitlock
	Match Two	Ronnie Baxter 6-1 Colin Lloyd	Paul Nicholson 3-6 Co Stompe
Not before 6.45pm	Semi-Finals	Gary Anderson 6-2 Ronnie Baxter	Simon Whitlock 6-2 Adrian Lewis
Not before 7.30pm	Final	Gary Anderson 2-6 Simon Whitlock

Group Two Prize Money

	£Won
Simon Whitlock	£3100
Gary Anderson	£2600
Adrian Lewis	£2050
Ronnie Baxter	£1700
Paul Nicholson	£1600
James Wade	£1550
Co Stompe	£1300
Colin Lloyd	£900

The King Saves Danger! Danger’s pub darts diary pt 6

It’s been a frustrating season for Danger as captain of a local pub team (Stilton, Yes the cheese rolling place)!  He has also suffered personal darting demons that are still gripping to him like Paul Nicholson gripping to popularity in Bolton!

At the beginning of the summer season I took the captaincy and immediately in true Rafael Benitez Style guaranteed us fourth spot! Whoops… Liverpool failed and got rid of Benitez… I’m screwed then! We are a couple of matches into the second half of the season and we sit in fourth spot in the league but the chasing pack is only 2 points behind!…Squeaky bum time! A new team filled with county players are leading the pack far too good for our level, personally I would feel embarrassed if I was them as it’s like taking candy from babies… but I hope they enjoy their trophies…(green faced as I type this)

I also have the added problem of needing 9 players for the team and have 18 signed on our books all wanting to play regular darts… keeping everyone happy is impossible, and the season has already witnessed training ground/oche busts ups with captain and players… well one player… @*$% is all I have to say, what happened on Stilton Oche remains on it…….

On a personal note I have had a troubled season, only won 1 out of 6 matches and that was done by (excuse the pun) throwing my natural style out the window and hitting the winning double with an unnatural Geoff Capes style shot put throw!! The only difference was he threw further and is a lot bigger than me! (not fatter, I would not call him fat, mainly because he lives near me and his son works with me and his son blocks out the light every time I see him in the college corridors.. he was great Geoff Capes was   I would never insult a former world strongest man, especially when his son cud probably throw me hard enough to score a bull finish!)

So how did The King save Danger I hear you cry (If anybody is still reading this rubbish)…

I obtained some King darts to trial around about the same time James ‘Playboy’ Curtis told me, having watched me throw 30 odd darts to finish on double 1… and yes that’s 30 darts at double 1 not the complete leg;  said the immortal words “Just throw the F@*king thing Danger” Since then i have bonded with The Kings darts and thrown it better and straighter.. Recently hitting 3 180’s in 2 weeks..I know how good is that…(now you can get the sort of level we are at!)

So thanks to Mervyn and Playboy I now just throw the F@*king thing!

Danger is back! (but not yet to his best, and his best is still as good as a blind one armed man with dartitus!)

PS Glad to see the support for Dave Ladley a lovely bloke! Good luck to you Dave! (the ‘Dave Ladley £1 appeal on facebook here – currently auctioning some great darts memorabilia).

by Lee ‘Danger’ Griffin.

UK Open Day 2 – Scores and Results

The young Irish lad William O’Connor continues his impressive run, with another win tonight.  I actually picked him for my UK Open ‘fantasy’ team – as I’d heard great things about him .. and it’s paying off big time!

I’m stoked tonight – as my mate Steve Maish won a very tight game against former world champion Dennis Priestly 9-8… phew!  Steve is a cracking bloke, and not bad on the oche either!  See you next week mate!  Oh and to top that off, Jamie Caven also won (by a big margin) – another of my tips and darting friends.

Gary Anderson – who is an amazingly talented player who is sometimes accused of bottling it on TV,  played a blinder tonight – showing just what he can do – Eight 180′s hit by him in his win.

Also a quick mention to Alex Roy who won a very tight game 9-8 vs Terry Jenkins.  I sat on a table with him in Wigan – as he read out many good and terrible jokes on his phone to Simon Whitlock – and I must say he’s a top geezer.  I reckon if you want a good night out – be Roy’s mate!  Hopefully I’ll be in the same pub as him to watch the England game next week!

The Rileys Darts Zones UK Open

Rileys Darts Zones UK Open

Third Round Draw

Main Stage
Mervyn King 9-5 Joe Cullen
Michael van Gerwen 4-9 Gary Anderson
Wayne Mardle 2-9 Phil Taylor
Reece Robinson 5-9 Simon Whitlock
Steve Hine 7-9 James Wade

Board Two
John Part 6-9 Mark Walsh
Kirk Shepherd 6-9 Paul Nicholson
Wes Newton 9-1 Terry Jenkins
Ronnie Baxter 9-4 Chris Thompson

Board Three
Steve Maish 9-8 Dennis Priestley
Andy Smith 9-5 Colin Lloyd
Vincent van der Voort 7-9 Wayne Atwood
Barrie Bates 8-9 Alex Roy

Board Four
Mark Webster 6-9 Tony Eccles
Kevin Painter 9-5 Mark Harris
Dylan Duo 3-9 Colin Osborne
Roland Scholten 9-3 Simon Cunningham

Board Five
Denis Ovens 9-5 Arron Monk
Matt Clark 3-9 Michael Smith
Stephen Hardy 8-9 Alan Tabern
Andy Hamilton 9-1 Brendan Dolan

Board Six
Robert Thornton 9-8 Mark Cox
Steve Beaton 3-9 Jamie Caven
Mark Dudbridge 7-9 Nigel Heydon
Tony Broughton 0-9 Kevin McDine

Board Seven
Peter Wright 7-9 William O’Connor
Adrian Lewis 9-3 Michael Barnard
Paul Warwick 9-3 Co Stompe

Board Eight
Tony Ayres 9-3 Pete Fisher
Steve Evans 6-9 Jelle Klaasen
Dennis Smith 9-5 Colin Monk
Wayne Jones 9-2 Matt Padgett

(click the read more below for the 4th round draw of the UK Open)

Read the rest of this entry »

Mervyn King interview for Darts, Beers & Cheers!

I’ve been after an interview with Merv for some time, as I’m a big fan, and he’s obviously a top ranked player and often in the public eye.   Thanks to Simon @ Red Dragon Darts (he throws their darts!) I have finally been able to bring you some exclusive thoughts from the big man himself.  I have met Merv very quickly before the Nottingham premier league when he was meeting and greeting the public, and I can confirm he’s a very approachable guy!  I’ll make sure I have a proper chat when I’m next meet him – hopefully in Barnsley at the next floor tournament.

Anyway – I bring you… Mervyn King!

Q.  When did you first take up darts, and when did you realise you wanted to be a professional darts player?

I first took up darts when I was 12 playing with my Dad, who used to run a kids Christmas party. I was given an old rolled cardboard dartboard that had plastic dividers instead of wires and stuck that up on my wall.

My Dad told me that it had to be at right distance and the right height and nothing less.

I wanted to be a pro by the age of 13 as I was playing in the local Superleague often beating local Superleague players and County A players and then got selected for the county B at 13.

My first county A game came at age 14 and I also won the local men’s singles league at 14, which was played at the Corn Exchange with over 1500 people watching, I was petrified but managed to win the final 2 – Nil.

Q. What’s it like at the weekend tournaments with 100+ players packed into an event?  Do you socialise with the other players or keep it totally professional?

The Pro-Tour events are so tough and packed with class players that you’ve got to come out of the blocks running, it’s so competitive you haven’t got time to socialise, as at the end of the day it is our job and the main platform to build your rankings on.

Q. Who would you count as your best mates in the game?

Peter Wright or my little Pony as we like to call him with his multi-coloured hair!! We live close so we practice regularly.

Q. A month or so ago you were the talk of the darts forums as “the clear number 2 in the world”, but results seem to have been tougher to come by recently.  How do you think things are going for you so far in 2010, and what targets have you set yourself for this year (and onwards?)

The games are all really really tough and form is changing all the time, as you can’t legislate for how someone throws against you. My ultimate goal would be to be the World Number 1 and I do strive for this, but I know it’s an amazingly hard thing to achieve.

Q. What’s your view on the current state of the sport of darts and where the PDC has brought it?

Darts has never been better and is riding high, as it has been for the past 4 or 5 years. The profile is improving all the time and you can associate this with the involvement of Barry Hearn and some of the amazing talents on the tour like Phil Taylor, James Wade, Barney and Simon Whitlock etc etc.

Q. (and) Where do you see it in 10 years time? (Can it keep growing?)

I’d like to think that it will keep growing in ten years as there must be a great International flavour, where countries develop super dart players like we get in the UK and Europe. It would be great to see more John Parts crashing on to the scene to keep moving the ceiling up.

Q.  “The Whyte & Mackay Premier League” – how has playing it in affected you and your career?  It’s obvious that some ‘fans’ are spoiling the experience for you, and if so, would you consider refusing being part of it again next year if you qualify/are invited?

Definitely not. I’m there to entertain to put on a show for the true fans and the people at home. It’s a great experience the PL, even though a minority tends to belittle the event, by not showing respect for the players. Its still an amazing event and one that we cannot do without as sponsors like Whyte and Mackay are vital for our Sport and their continued sponsorship should be helped at every stage from fans to players alike.

Q.  We often hear from TV commentators and fellow professionals that you are one of the most dedicated and professional players on the tour, and that approach is obvious when you walk-on at TV tournaments.  What would you say your attitude to darts is, and do you feel it’s one of the things that gives you an advantage over other players?

I’ve got to be I the right frame of mind and be 100% focused on my game to play my best, sadly I can’t laugh and joke about and then switch back to my game face. It’s a really pressured environment and you need to be yourself to perform. Some guys naturally relieve pressure through humor, dancing etc but I need to be calm and clear with a strong clarity of what I need to do. This in no way reflects any deference to dart fans, it’s out of utmost respect that I do this so that they can see the very best possible darts from me.

Q. Would you consider sacrificing that dedicated approach (and appearance) to try and make you appear more approachable by the fans? (I am assuming that your ‘game face attitude’ has caused some of the bad behaviour towards you – which I must say I find appalling and unwarranted myself!) Or maybe you have more plans on how you are going to deal with the ‘boy boys’?

As pro sportsman I cannot change my approach, but behind the scenes I’ve always been approachable and will continue to do so, so if you see me grab an autograph.

Q. We hear about players practicing 18 hours a day, 365 days a year (OK maybe that’s just what Sid says about Taylor);  How much practice do you feel helps your game?  Do you follow rigid routines or is your practice based on how you feel at the time?

With the amount of darts that we play it’s nearly impossible to follow a strict routine and I adapt my practice depending on how I’m playing at the time before that event. I’ll do 4-5 hours before the PL and 3-4 hours before the Pro-Tour events so that will average out at 2 hours a day per week.

Q. What’s the best advice you could give someone who is considering becoming a pro darts player?

Learn to be a good loser, and understand why you lost and work on these areas. No one likes losing but you’ll lose more than you win in darts and if you can take the positives from this it will inevitably help you win.

Q. You have torn through the PDC rankings table since joining from the BDO – are there many differences day in day out between playing in the two organisations?  Have you changed your approach at all since playing in the PDC?

Yes I have, the BDO didn’t have enough highly competitive darts week in week out and this degree of professionalism over the family BDO feel is what I’ve adopted into my game. The BDO has many talented players, and if you can’t win in the BDO system you’ll struggle on the PDC Tour.

Q.  You’ve got a very specific ‘public’ image – but I believe that’s a professional side you project (I could be wrong of course!) – could you share one thing about yourself that might surprise the darts fans out there?

Everyone knows I’m a golf nut, but I’m also really passionate about fast cars and I’m a petrol head, I like nothing more than driving and being around cars.

Q.  How do spend time relaxing when not playing or practising?  (I see golf seems to be a hobby – I love the game myself, after thinking it was just for businessmen and aging comics for years – if you’re ever near Peterborough and fancy a game, give me a shout!)

Playing golf, walking the dog and driving cars.

A massive thanks to Mervyn for answering these questions (and Simon and Red Dragon darts for making it possible).  Merv will be playing at the UK Open – he will be joining on the Friday (3rd round) as a top 32 qualifier.  You can find Mervyn’s official website HERE, and his darts to buy at Red Dragon HERE.

If you’ve not read our other exclusive interviews, you can find the list here.

Premier League 2010 Final – Best match of all time?

Well well well.. I’ve been discussing the possibility of TWO 9 Darters in one match for a while now… and Phil Taylor only went and did it!!!    What a game – Phil hitting two 9 darters.. and JUST missed another – for a 10 darter… and only beat James Wade 10-8 in the final .. imagine that!  You’ve got to say hats off to Wade for keeping up with that – show’s what form he is in at the moment.

That’s the very first time EVER that any player has hit two 9 darters (the perfect leg) in one match – and it’s even more impressive as it was done over a short format game (18 legs).  It might be some time until we see its like again – or maybe we’ll only have to wait until the UK Open?

OK it was a day late (got to pity the fans who could not make todays date), but I doubt you’d ever see a better game of darts .. until the Power does it all again!  Two nine darters in only 18 legs.. ULTIMATE DARTS!  In the leg after the 2nd 9 darter, Phil threw 7 more perfect darts… make it 16 perfect darts in a row – has that every been done before?

He had to hit two nine darters to beat me 10-8  – James Wade

Other highlights;  Stephen Fry commentating alongside Sid Waddell – he’s a true darts fan.  His line “he’s like a pig in chardonnay” ranks up there with the best of Sid’s lines.

I was also pleased that the crowd were pretty well behaved, and only booed ‘a bit’ – and let Merv throw .. but it wasn’t a good night for the King, as he was totally overpowered.. by the Power.

The final game of this year’s premier league has to rank as one of the greatest finals (if not games) of all time – right up there with the greats.  Hats off to James Wade too – he played his part in that – and it took something pretty special to beat him.

For your special viewing pleasure – here are the two 9 darters from Phil Taylor…

Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts Play-Offs
May 24 – Wembley Arena, London
Semi-Finals
Simon Whitlock 6-8 James Wade
Phil Taylor 8-1 Mervyn King

THIRD PLACE PLAY-OFF
MERVYN KING 8-7 SIMON WHITLOCK

FINAL

Phil Taylor 10-8 James Wade
Averages: 111.67 vs 100.08
Doubles: 48% vs 47%

Premier League final night – a Krispy Preview

UPDATE:  Power cut hits the premier league final!

A power cut has hit some of London (9,000 odd homes around the Wembley area), and that has effected the finals of the Premier League!  Some 7,000 fans left outside, as they are not allowing any fans into the venue, Sky generators mean they can still talk about it on TV, but not looking good now!

Sky say that if power not back on by 8pm, games to be re-scheduled for tomorrow (same evening as the England vs. Mexico football friendly?).  It is looking like the darts is not going to happen tonight (Sunday) – so things aren’t looking good for those fans outside the venue now.  Looks like it will be a Monday night for finals night.

So it’s finally here, the premier league final night at Wembley Arena – making Sunday evening much more bearable!  My fridge is full of refreshing cans of cider – so I’m all set!  One question I know will be on all your lips.. who will be the walk on girls tonight?  hehe, I can’t answer that, but maybe I can predict the results..

It’s nity grity time now – no soft games.. Reigning champ James Wade plays Simon Whitlock first up… and I think it’s going to be bad news for Wade tonight.   We’ve seen a big improvement in Wade’s form as the premier league has gone on, but Whitlock has just been in sparkling form the entire 2010, and his recent floor tournament results (3 out of 4 wins!) backs up the fact he’s currently the world number 2 on form.  I think Wade will feel the nerves as the defending champ, while Whitlock will be his usual laid back self.. and there will be big checkouts galore.

Next up is the ‘grudge match’ revisited, Phil Taylor vs. Mervyn King – and I just hope the battle is just between the players and the crowd leave them too it.  Unfortunately I doubt that will happen, and can see the boo boys back to have another pop at Merv.  Unless Merv can focus and turn that booing into aggresive darts, I can’t see him beating the Power – even though I don’t think Taylor has been quite at 100% for a few months now.  Watch Phil’s first dart – last premier league it was a touch higher than he’d like.

So I predict Taylor vs. Whitlock in the final – a repeat of  the final in Salzburg last week (which Taylor won 6-4).   It also would be a repeat of the world finals earlier in the year of course – which again went to the Power.   I think it’s a sign of things to come over this year – PDC darts becoming a fight between these two players, with Wade and King also picking up wins from time to time.

So who is going to win the final?   WHITLOCK! Yes I predict a win for the Aussie – purely based on the last few months form – the Power isn’t yet fully charged, while Whitlock is playing some of the best darts (and finishing) you’ll ever see.  Whatever happens it should be damn entertaining, so enjoy!

Tonights play-offs will be screened live on Sky Sports HD1 from 7pm, as well as live in Australia and Holland, which fans outside of the UK and Ireland can watch live coverage via www.pdc.tv.

Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts Play-Offs
May 23 – Wembley Arena, London
Semi-Finals
James Wade v Simon Whitlock
Phil Taylor v Mervyn King
First to eight legs – should the score be tied at seven-all after 14 legs, a ‘Golden Leg’ will decide the winner.
Followed by
Third Place Play-Off (first to eight legs)
Final (best of 19 legs)
Tickets: 0844 815 0 815 or www.wembleyarena.co.uk

Competition at Darts, Beers & Cheers; Win Merv King darts

COMPETITION CLOSED – WINNER DRAWN – CONGRATULATIONS TO OLLY HAWKINS

That’s right, I have a set of the brand new 22 gram Mervyn King darts – thanks to Red Dragon darts who very kindly have agreed to donate prizes for our competitions.  Red Dragon darts are the mail order arm of the Winmau and Nodor darts brands – two of the biggest names in darts and darts boards.  They sponsor a whole ‘team’ of professional darts players, including Mark Webster, Dennis Priestly, and Mervyn King.

The Prize

I’ve got a set of the new Winmau Mervyn King darts, and they are pretty decent I can tell you… even I can throw them!  The design is a more stream-lined version of the original Merv designed ‘bamboo’ shaped barrels, much thinner with the grip less pronounced.  That actually makes them more more user friendly (I think the thicker barrels would be harder to get used to), and the build quality is very good.

The barrels sport a smart ‘crown’ mark on them – and they feel heavier than the 22 grams they are.  The pack comes with red adonised aluminium shafts, and a set of Mervyn King flights.   You can see the darts on the Red Dragon website here – so if you fancy a set and aren’t lucky enough to win, treat yourself!

The Question

OK how can you win this fantastic set of darts?  You’ve just got to answer the following question, and e-mail me the answer along with your real name;

Q. WHAT SPECIAL COATING DO THE ‘GOLD’ MERVYN KING DARTS HAVE ON THEM?

Tip: you might find some help on the Red Dragon website somewhere…

The Rules

• The competition closes in just under a week – entries via e-mail in by Midnight (UK Time) Friday 21st May.
• One entry per e-mail address/real name please.  E-mail to me (Krispy) using; COMPETITION CLOSED
• My decision is final.
• The winner should be notified via e-mail on Saturday 22nd May – I will require a name and address to post the prizes too, failure to reply within 7 days will forfeit the prize, and I will re-draw a new winner.

GOOD LUCK! Krispy, Darts, Beers & Cheers! & Red Dragon Darts.

My night at the Nottingham Premier League – a Krispy write-up

I’d kinda agreed with my mate Lee (Danger to you!) that we’d not go along to another Premier League night, mostly due to the fact the venues are SO HUGE, and it didn’t feel like we were able to ‘watch darts’… plus the organisation in Coventry was so poor they couldn’t get the drinks out quickly enough (they used the people walking around dispensing, with no proper bar).

BUT: I won tickets from the sponsors Whyte & Mackay – for entering a competition in their facebook page.  And I’m not one to turn down something free, especially if it’s to do with the darts!  I kinda was hoping to be sitting with the Taylor family and walk-on girls.. maybe that was pushing a bit though.

So we finished work early (thank god for flex time!), and allowed ourselves to trust the sat nav (what fools), and bombed (well trundled behind tractors) across to Nottingham, our closest Prem League venue.

By a bizzare co-incidence we met Dave ‘Ladders’ Ladley and his brother and mate in the car park – Dave had already told me earlier in the day that he would be at the darts, to support Mervyn King with a spot of good publicity.  After a quick chat, we set off, cause my ankle is STILL giving me jip – bloody thing, and I needed a good start to get to the venue in the same night

At the Nottingham Ice Centre / Trent FM arena venue, I had the usually panicy moment when I wondered where the hell I should get my tickets from (the trouble with winning em the day before the event, I was told they would be waiting for me).  I thought I’d be cheeky and try the ‘Guest list’ ticket office desk.. and stood next to Wes Newton who was getting his tickets for the night.  As luck would have it, my tickets were there – although I was gutted to see mine came in a ‘normal’ white envelope, when I’d seen some of the guest tickets were in some right fancy envelopes (me thinks those were for the high-ups sitting in the roped off floor tables – like family and important people).  One day I’ll be there sitting next too the royalty of darts at a TV event.. I hope.. (Mr Hearn?).

Our tickets were for a fairly decent spot in the tiered seating – with a great view for pictures.. shame I didn’t have a longer lens.. that’s always been my trouble!.  Before we settled in, Ladders found us again, and took us round to see Mervyn doing a signing session for the fans.  Dave explained that they’d gone ‘backstage’ to where the eight players were practicing to find Mervyn, and even Dave was surprised at how silent it was in there – he reckoned there was very little chat going on.  That must have seemed odd to a pro from the floor tournaments, as my visit showed the players are really relaxed and there’s plenty of good natured banter going on.  I guess those eight players must really feel the weight of the TV audiences and the imporantance of that last night (5 players playing for the 2-4th spots).

We got to see King, he was showing the fans that he’s just a normal bloke, and I watched him chat and joke with people as he signed photo’s and whatever they wanted signing.  Lee got an autograph, and I took a picture with shaking hands, what a muppet!   I’d not had a pint at this point and my body can’t take it!  We also made sure we had a picture of Dave too – he’s a really good bloke, and pretty clever too; he’s got some great thoughts and analysis on the sport.  Dave, his brother and mate had given up their time to go along and support Merv – well done lads!

After a quick chicken burger and pint.. then another pint (£3.50 for bitter, £3.80 for Becks Vier) and bottle of cider to take in, we took up our seats, and I took a few pictures of the arena filling up.  A big old venue, like a smaller O2 Arena.   At least the sound system was pretty good – so we could hear the interviews and announcements.

The games themselves are a bit of a blur – Baxter must have been gutted as it all slipped away – he couldn’t seem to finish, maybe nerves got the better of him.   The booing of King was pretty bad again – I’m not sure what he can do to stop it.  I’m really unsure why some people do it – just feel it’s part of the nights entertainment I guess.  I personally don’t mind some banter/booing pre game and after, but NOT on throw – I feel the PDC caller could have called for order more, it just spoiled it a bit for me.  Mervyn got the last laugh though – he’s through to the finals.

Highlight and player of the night for me was Whitlock – his finishing is a joy, and it must be so tough to play against him, you can’t leave him anything under 171!     It felt a bit bizzare watching him from 50 rows back up on that stage after sitting on his table in Wigan – maybe I’ll dare speak to him next time I see him, and not sit there like a grinning fool!

Wade completed his turn-around of the season – and played pretty well as far as I could tell.  He was obviously REALLY pleased, and we watched him give some lucky fan his darts AND darts case… only for them to hand it back to get him to sign it – cheeky gits!     Wadey actually stayed on stage signing loads of stuff – and jumping up and down celebrating with the crowd.. actually the most emotion I’ve seen from him.

We’d managed to work out that Adrian Lewis needed to win about 8-1 to have a chance of qualifying for the Wembley finals.. something we doubted very much against his old mentor, Phil Taylor.   Lewis hit a 180 in his first 3 darts.. but they were probably his best, as the Power once again showed the pupil how to win, and how to win big.  Taylor hardly missed a double (his scoring didn’t quite seem 100%, it seemed like his first darts was a touch high on most throws).

It all finished pretty early (9.45?), 15 minutes to get into the car after queueing to pay… then another 20 minutes wasted trying to escape the Nottingham one way system! (nighmare).   One stop for pastie and capri-sun later, we were driving back to Peterborough and bed.

Apart from the ****’s throwing bottles and plastic glasses of beer down from the cheap seats (luckily didn’t hit me, but it did hit one young girl with her family – hope you are ashamed whoever did that!), it was a pretty good night.  I think it’s a bit of a circus, but most people who go really enjoy their night – maybe I’m just a bit old these days.. prefer it a bit more sedate

Cheers, Krispy

Premier League week 14 Results from Nottingham

I will post a few pictures and a little write-up of my (free!) night at the Nottingham Whyte & Mackay premier league – but for now he’s a quick round up of the results…

REIGNING champion James Wade qualified for the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts play-offs and denied Ronnie Baxter a tilt at the title as the league phase of the tournament ended in Nottingham on Thursday.

Wade had lost his first three games, but his 8-5 victory over Terry Jenkins at the Trent FM Arena saw him jump into the top four.

The final league night saw five players contesting for the three remaining play-off berths alongside unbeaten Phil Taylor, with an 8-2 defeat for Ronnie Baxter against Raymond van Barneveld in the second game costing him a top-four finish.

Simon Whitlock’s brilliant 8-2 defeat of Mervyn King ensured he finishes second place, having hit eight from nine attempts at a double in the match, while King will take on Taylor at the Wembley Arena in the semi-finals next Sunday after finishing fourth in the table.

Taylor, who lost to King in last year’s semi-finals, ensured he ended the 14-game league season unbeaten with an 8-1 rout of Adrian Lewis in the night’s other game.

Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts
Night 14, Trent FM Arena, Nottingham
Terry Jenkins 5-8 James Wade
Ronnie Baxter 2-8 Raymond van Barneveld
Simon Whitlock 8-2 Mervyn King
Phil Taylor 8-1 Adrian Lewis

Final League Table

	P	W	D	L	+/-	Pts
Phil Taylor	14	12	2	0	+58	26
Simon Whitlock	14	7	2	5	+9	16
James Wade	14	5	4	5	-1	14
Mervyn King	14	5	3	6	-3	13
Ronnie Baxter	14	4	5	5	-7	13
R v Barneveld	14	5	1	8	-15	11
Adrian Lewis	14	4	3	7	-16	11
Terry Jenkins	14	3	2	9	-25	8

Top four progress to play-offs

Play-Offs Tickets: HERE
May 23 – Wembley Arena, London
Semi-Finals & Final
James Wade v Simon Whitlock
Phil Taylor v Mervyn King
Followed by
Third Place Play-Off
Final

Whyte & Mackay Premier League week 13 – Nottingham results

Mervyn King and the boos…

Oh dear – tonight Mervyn King really lost it with the crowd – his reaction to them (winding them up even more giving them the big “can’t hear you” stuff) kicked them off more and more… and I know it must be really hard to concentrate with the booing going on during your throw, but you can’t be concentrating at all turning around between every throw.   I can see why he’s upset, but it’s disrespectful to Barney – who is waiting to throw.

For those of you who don’t know – Mervyn King ‘threw a dart over Phil Taylors shoulder’ – during last years Premier League.  Now I think Sky blew it out of proportion, and ever sense Merv has been booed by the Prem League fans.  Merv also had a few rough patches during the BDO – when he did have the odd un-sporting moment.  But since being in the PDC, Mervyn has been a model professional – maybe it’s walk on music; “Bow down to the King”, or his snarl and darts face which puts some fans off.  He also famously said (while in the BDO); “he’d rather pack in darts than play for the PDC’ – obviously that was before he realised how much money there was in the PDC!

Oh and I know who one of the darts walk-on girls is this week – it’s Kathy Mugglestone (sometime Zoo girl), you can find her page on facebook here.

Anyway – results (as they happen if you’re reading this now!)…

Game 1 – Adrian Lewis 7-7 Ronnie Baxter

Match Stats

Adrian Lewis	7-7	Ronnie Baxter
19	100+	26
7	140+	8
2	180	1
28.90	Ave1	29.61
86.71	Ave3	88.84
86	High Finish	100
2	Legs Against Throw	2

Game 2 – Mervyn King 5-8 Raymond van Barneveld

Mervyn’s hopes to stay in the top 4 must have taken a dent in that fiery game!

Match Stats

Mervyn King	5-8	R v Barneveld
14	100+	14
5	140+	10
2	180	5
29.09	Ave1	32.48
81.27	Ave3	97.43
130	High Finish	82
2	Legs Against Throw	4

Game 3 – James Wade 4-8 Simon Whitlock

Great result for Whitlock – easy in the end! He’s now 2nd in the table.. great stuff!

Match Stats

James Wade	4-8	Simon Whitlock
16	100+	10
9	140+	12
3	180	3
32.69	Ave1	32.61
98.07	Ave3	97.84
127	High Finish	124,104,100
2	Legs Against Throw	4

Game 4 – Phil Taylor 8-5 Terry Jenkins

Match Stats

Terry Jenkins	5-8	Phil Taylor
19	100+	18
9	140+	13
3	180	3
29.64	Ave1	33.41
88.91	Ave3	100.23
58	High Finish	123,104
1	Legs Against Throw	2