2010 Lakeside World Professional Darts Championships
Lakeside Country Club,
Frimley Green, Surrey:
Jan 2 to 10, 2009

 

Ted Hankey will begin the defence of his BDO World Professional Darts title against Gary Robson on Saturday - Day 1 on the 2010 Lakeside World Professional Darts Championships. Tony O'Shea, the top seed is also in action on the opening day where he takes on Robbie Green.

Ian Whiting, seeded 16, is first on the oche when he faces Stephen Bunting. Third seed Martin Adams, competing in a record 17th successive Lakeside World Championships, plays Australian debutant Anthony Fleet on 4 January. Adams won the title in 2007, was runner-up in 2005, and has reached five other Lakeside semi-finals in 1995, 2002, 2006, 2008 and 2009. Second seed Scott Waites opens his campaign against Scotland's Paul Hanvidge on 3 January, while Darryl Fitton, who hit a perfect nine-dart finish on the way to winning the Zuiderduin Masters at the beginning of December, opens up against Dave Chisnall on the same day.

The 2010 Lakeside men's champion will receive a cheque for £100,000 from a total prize fund of £325,000 - the highest in the history of the event. The men's runner-up will take home £30,000, with the women's champion receiving £6,000.

Reigning women's champion Francis Hoenselaar of the Netherlands faces seven-time champion Trina Gulliver in a quarterfinal on 3 January.

The highest checkout of the week is worth £3,000, while any player hitting a nine-dart 501 will scoop £52,000.

Day One

HANKEY OFF TO WINNING START
Defending champion Ted Hankey got the defence of his BDO World Darts Championship off to a flying start on Saturday.

'The Count' crushed Gary Robson 3-0 at the Lakeside Country Club at Frimley Green to ease into round two.
Top seed Tony O'Shea had more of a fight but also managed to progress on day one. Playing in the opening match of the tournament, O'Shea had to battle hard to see off Robbie Green 3-2.

'Silverback' took the first two sets but the nerves were jangling when Green hit back to force a decider.
However, he steeled himself to ensure a second-round berth.

Former champion John Walton could not produce similar heroics though, going down 3-2 to Willy van der Wiel. Seeded 12 this year, the 2001 winner was edged out in the deciding set by the Dutchman, who will now face Hankey.

In the day's other games, seeds Alan Norris (8), Joey Ten Berge (9) and Ian White (16) all lost.
They went down to Robert Wagner, Brian Woods and Stephen Bunting respectively.

Top seed Tony Wins
Top seed Tony O'Shea (right) survived a spirited display from debutant Robbie Green to win through 3-2 in the opening game of the 2010 championship. The two Cheshire county team mates served up some tasty darts but it was the experienced O'Shea - runner-up 12 months ago - who held his nerve to edge into the second round with a 28.86 average.

It took the man nicknamed Silverback 49 minutes to scramble through against "Kong" Green, in a match in which both players nervously missed doubles. Forty eight-year-old O'Shea held his throw to take the opening set 3-1, despite battling Green firing out two maximums.

In the second set World Masters runner-up Green took the opening leg and then capitalised on O'Shea missing double tops for an 80 finish. But O'Shea levelled and then produced a brilliant 160 check-out (60,60,double tops) to snatch the second set. Battling Green replied, taking the third set - against the throwing advantage - unchallenged.

The opening four legs of the next set went with the throw and Green throwing first, levelled the match with double 20 in the deciding fifth leg, plunging the match into a deciding fifth set. The Stockport sharpshooter annexed the opening leg on double 16 and then fired out his third 180 and a 118 finishing checkout to move ominously within a leg of victory. With the throwing advantage, O'Shea raced down to a double and after missing double 16 planted the winning dart in double eight to start his title assault.
Wiping away sweat from his brow, O'Shea confessed: "I am dead chuffed. I would have been happy to have hit a 19 average and got through. It was a terrific game, Robbie is a mate and we play county darts together and it is always difficult to play against friends on stage.

"After winning the opening set, I then picked up the second with 160 but it is not like me to take out a big finish. Then Robbie kicked in and started to come back but I think experience counted. You cannot buy that experience, I just did not panic.

"I think my wife Gill, who is a darts player, feels the pressure more than me, so I am more than happy to let her do the worrying and hopefully she will have another four matches to worry about this week," declared the confident top seed.

Woods takes out Ten Berg
Cumbrian hot shot Brian Woods (right) brushed aside Dutch decorator and ninth seed Joey ten Berge 3-2 to move into the second round. It was a gutsy display from the man from Egremont who is looking to better his last four placing achieved in 2008 this week. But he was made to work hard for his 41-minute victory, having to battle back from 2-1 down.

"When I was 2-1 down I thought to myself that I had done nothing wrong and had to put my match head on. I put a little aggression into my game," said Woods.

"There are no mugs here at Lakeside this week. Although Joey (left) is only 24, he is captain of Holland and a great player. You cannot afford to have a bad game here. The adrenaline just kicked in during the match," said the Cumbrian.

The man from The Hague battled back from 1-0 down, annexing six of the next seven legs to open a confidence-boosting 2-1 match lead. Woods, an engineer, then began turning the screw, firing in a maximum to level the match with a fourth set 3-1 success.

In the decider, Woods, sporting his trademark striking Mohegan hairstyle, surged into a 2-0 lead and then held his nerve to clinch victory on double 12 and despatch the first seed of this year's tournament.

Willy bids "good night" to John Boy
Flying Dutchman Willy van de Wiel toppled 12th seed John Walton with 53-minute 3-2 demolition of 2001 champ John Walton. The Sheffield player never looked comfortable in the game as he lost the opening set against the throwing advantage.

The 27-year-old Dutchman who lost in the opening round in his debut in the competition last year displayed confidence and a maturity beyond his years as he coasted into the second round. Carpenter Van de Wiel nailed his title intentions on the match, turning the throwing advantage in the opening set to score a surprise 3-1 success.

The man from Rijen then levelled in the second set to force a deciding fifth leg but three missed attempts for double tops proved costly as the 2001 world champ levelled the match with an 80 finish (treble 20, double 10).

And it was a similar tale in the next set as the Dutchman who had taken a 2-0 lead missed double tops twice for a 3-1 set success, the gritty Sheffield sharpshooter displaying steely determination to level the set on double 10. He then held his throw in the fifth leg to open up a 2-1 match lead.

But the 48-year-old Walton looked tense and uncomfortable as Van de Wiel defended his throw in the opening leg of the next set and then moved 2-0 in front after John Boy nervously missed 10 doubles to level the set, the Dutchman taking the set 3-0.

Blasting in double tops to open the fifth set against the throw put the Dutch player in the driving seat, stepping up the pressure with a double one, double 17 finish. Walton annexed the third leg but a superb maximum left the Dutchman with 36, Walton missing double 16 to save the match as Van de Wiel returned to clinch victory on double nine and dash the hopes of a second seed.

Bunting shoots down White
St Helens sharpshooter Stephen "The Bullet" Bunting (right) shot down Ian White's title hopes with an emphatic 3-0 whitewash. Bunting, once tipped as a future world champion, produced his best performance on the Lakeside stage to dismiss the 16th seed White - the third seed to dip out on the opening days play.

"The Bullet" fired in a 30.54 average as he produced a mature performance for his youthful 24 years. He set the scene in the opening set as he blasted in three 15-dart checkouts, finished on 77, 75 and 76 respectively.

The Cheshire ace took the opening leg of the second set, Bunting replying with a 13-darter, the following two legs exchanged before Bunting clinched the deciding fifth leg for a 2-0 match lead.

Despite White blasting in a 180 in the opening leg of the next set, the St Helens sharpshooter exited in 17 darts and then his second maximum of the match saw him take a 14-darter and move within one leg of victory. The two players traded tons in the third leg but it was cool Bunting who clinched victory after White missed bull for a match-saving 170 checkout, which ironically would also have been the tournament's highest finish and put him in line for a £3000 prize.

Ted "The Count" Hankey buries Big Gary
Ted "The Count" Hankey (left) swept into the second round burying Gary Robson 3-0 in a clinical 30-minute performance. The Telford-based fifth seed showed no mercy as he fired out four 180s and two 13 dart finished to topple the title aspirations of "Big Robbo."

Afterwards "The Count" admitted: "That was a tough game for me but I felt good up on stage. The first few legs were a bit shaky but I was there to do a job tonight and knew what I had to do."

Nerves featured strongly in the opening set, won by Hankey but only after he missed an agonising 11 efforts for the doubles. Twice he led in the set, his first maximum of the match paving the way for double five after Big Robbo wired bull for a 122 set-saving checkout in the fourth leg.

The opening four legs of the next set went with the throw, Hankey - who hit 42 180s 12 months ago on his title run - hitting his third of the match in the deciding fifth leg to move into a comfortable 2-0 lead.

Maximum number four followed in the opening leg of the third set, Robson - who has twice reached the last eight in the tournament - levelling but Hankey sweeping back to take the third on his favourite double tops.

As Robson's scoring faltered in the fourth leg, Hankey powered in a brace of 140s and with Big Robbo stranded in the 200s, fired in a 66 match-winning checkout, finished on double 20.

Magical Robert Wagner topples Norris
Robert "The Magician" Wagner (right) conjured up a spellbinding performance to stun eighth seed Alan Norris into a 3-2 defeat. The popular charismatic magic-loving keep fit addict produced one of his best displays at Frimley Green to dump out the highly fancied Norris after an absorbing 44-minute encounter.

"The Magician" produced some spellbinding darts to take the opening set 3-1 despite a maximum and 12-dart third leg from fast-throwing Norris.

The English player made the most of his throwing advantage in the next levelling the match with the same winning margin, despite a maximum from the eighth seed who is based in Scotland.

The tempo of the match increased in the next set as both players hit maximums and Wagner wiring a bull effort for a blockbusting 170 finish before the Norwegian clinched victory in the deciding fifth leg to edge into a 2-1 match lead.

Wagner produced another magical leg to open the fourth set as he blasted out a 112 checkout against the throw to steal a psychological advantage but Norris responded, hitting double tops to level and then holding his throw in the next as he blasted in his fourth maximum of the game.

"Chuck" levelled the match with a brilliant 85 checkout finished on double five to plunge the match into a deciding fifth set.

After taking the opening leg of the next set with the throw, Wagner hit his third 180 and then narrowly missed an eye-catching 144 finish after wiring double 12. Norris pounced to level the set with 72, finished on double 18. The third leg went to Wagner with the throw, who then blasted in a 171 score en-route to clinching the match with a nail-biting third effort for double one, after Norris fired home another maximum but missed two darts at a match-saving double.

Ladies
Lawman wins all England clash
Karen Lawman (right) won an all North of England clash with Linda Ithurralde 2-0 following a hard fought 30-minute encounter. Both players had to wrestle with big night nerves but still produced averages of 24 plus per dart.

The opening legs of the first set went with the darts, Lawman stealing the third on double five and then clinching the set with double four.

"Ithy" blazed into the opening leg of the second set with a maximum but cool Lawman - who reached the last eight in the championship four years ago - held her throw.

The 47-year-old Cumbrian, cheered on by Phil Nixon the former men's championship runner-up, levelled and despite hitting her second maximum in the next saw the experienced Doncaster 44-year-old edge ominously 2-1 ahead.
Lawman hit her first 180 of the match in the next leg but missed double eight for a show-stopping match-winning 136 checkout. Defending World Master Ithurralde, needing 100 hit treble 20 but then wired attempts for double 20 and double 10, Lawman stepping up to hit the game-winning double four.

Rhian melts top seed Julie "Ice Cube" Gore
Nursey nurse Rhian Edwards showed no mercy as she despatched fellow Welsh international and top seed Julie Gore 2-0. It was cool clinical performance from 28-year-old Edwards who melted "The Ice Cube" in just 29 minutes. Almost half the age of her opponent, Edwards showed no fear of the more experienced 51-year-old Gore (pictured throwing left) as she grew in confidence during her debut appearance at Frimley Green.

Gore tried to stamp her authority on the match from the opening leg of the game when she hit a 90 checkout finished on double tops, Edwards replied on double one and then took the third leg against the throw completing the 68 finish on double tops. Edwards annexed the first set, hitting double 20 with her second attempt.

The opening legs of the second set were traded and then Edwards squandered doubles before sneaking into a 2-1 set lead, Gore levelling with double four. Both players struggling to find the big scores in the deciding fifth leg as Edwards, who had left herself 40, hit double five but recovered to clinch victory on double 15 with her next dart.

Thanks to BDO for assisting with the reports
Thanks to Ian Wort for the images