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

 

Day 3

ADAMS SINKS FLEETY

Number three seed Martin Adams (right) cruised into the second round of the BDO World Professional Darts Championship at Frimley Green.

Australia's Anthony Fleet struggled badly with his nerves on the Lakeside stage in his first-round match throwing one of the least impressive opening legs of darts ever seen at the World Championships.
Fleet dropped his darts as the occasion bewildered the Canberra man. Adams defeated Fleety 3-0 to move into the next stage with ease.

He will meet Daryl Gurney in the next stage after he defeated 14th seed Scott Mitchell in a nervy 3-2 win.

Earlier in the evening Garry Thompson claimed the scalp of another seed, number six Ross Montgomery of Scotland, by the same score.

Thompson's reward is a second-round meeting with fellow underdog Martin McCloskey, who beat 11th seed Steve West.

Gritty Garry topples sixth seed Montgomery
Gritty Yorkshireman Garry Thompson (right) inflicted a surprise 3-2 defeat on Scot Ross Montgomery, the tournament's sixth seed. The Glaswegian - the ninth seed to fall in a week of shocks at the championship - was punished for constantly missing doubles and failing to match the Silsden man's superior scoring in the 56-minute gripper. The Scot struggled to settle in the opening set and missed doubles allowing the Silsden engineer - nicknamed the Cougar - to pounce for a 3-0 success.

He then moved up a gear edging into a 2-0 lead but faltered in the third leg after he missed a further three doubles as Thompson added the next with the throw. The West Yorkshire player gave Ross a further fright as he hit two single 20s and wired a set-winning bull finish, the Scot replying by hitting double 16 with his first dart to level the game but his shaking hand suggested that he was ill at ease on the Lakeside stage.

He remained vulnerable as he failed to hit the big scores, Thompson, a 100-1 outsider at the start of the week, sweeping to the third set 3-0.

The fourth set went to a deciding fifth leg, Ross scrambling to double 16 and then blazing into the next set with a show-stopping 125 checkout completed on double tops, against the throw. But passive Thompson bounced back to level, Ross pinching the third after both missed doubles. Racing into a commanding lead in the next, Ross missed a further six doubles letting in the laid back Thompson to push the match into a tiebreaker. Thompson chose the moment to fire in his first maximum of the game and despite missing six match-winning doubles he scrambled through on double eight to wreck the Scotsman's title-hopes.

Wolfie crushes Fleet
Former champ Martin Adams cruised into the second round dismantling Aussie steelworker Tony Fleet in a speedy 28 minutes without dropping a leg. Adams, the 2007 title winner booked his second round spot without dropping a leg as the Canberra man suffered an embarrassing debut on the Lakeside stage, producing a disappointing 21.78 average. Although he has dominated the darts scene in the southern hemisphere during the past 12 months - including victories in the Pacific Masters and the Australian Grand Masters - he failed to reproduce that form in his debut appearance.

It was a humiliating opening leg for Fleety (right) as he dropped darts on the floor and despite throwing 27 darts still required 155. Adams was also affected and failed to hammer home the advantage, requiring more than 25 darts to claim the first leg. The England skipper then settled into the scoring groove completing a first round rout.

Despite missing some doubles in the second he sailed through 3-0 including a 13 darter and then blasted in a 177 and a maximum to take the next set 3-0, which he completed on double 10.

Afterwards triumphant Adams admitted: "That first leg was a totally new experience for me, I just wondered what was going on. I have never seen nerves affect anyone like this before.

"I think the emotion that you go through when you walk up on stage here hit him like a brick wall. You have to learn quickly how to deal with this pressure. He is such a nice fella but I just had to ignore what was going on and play darts.

Bitterly disappointed Fleet declared: "I have waited 20 years to get here and I have embarrassed myself."

Daryl Gurney topples Scott Mitchell
Northern Ireland's Daryl Gurney who dispatched 14th seed Scott Mitchell in a thrilling five set tiebreaker thwarted hopes of a double tops success for the small village of Bransgore in Hampshire. Mitchell (left), sporting a natty pink and black shirt emblazoned with Scotty dog motifs endeared himself to the capacity Lakeside crowd but always faced an uphill task against the Northern Ireland international.

Last night (Sunday) Paul Carter, who remarkably lives in the same village (population 5000) as Mitchell pulled off a surprise victory to gun down 10th seed Martin "The Assassin" Atkins. Mitchell had hoped to emulate his neighbour's success but he quickly found himself 2-0 down in sets.

But then the Hampshire landscape garden started sewing the seeds of a comeback, twice battling back to level in the third set after hitting a maximum, clinching the deciding fifth leg with double tops.

Three maximums and an 81 checkout steered him to the fourth set to level the match.

He fired in another 180 to blaze into the deciding set, following up with a 101 finished on double tops, Gurney (right) annexing the third leg and then adding the next to take the match into a tense tie-break. The plumber from Northern Ireland missed four doubles before grabbing the fifth leg on double 10, hitting a 180 in the next and holding his nerve to fire in double seven to edge into the last 16.

McCloskey outfoxes West
Republic of Ireland's Martin McCloskey marched into the last 16, dumping out 11th seed Steve West 3-2 in 46 minutes. The emerald isle player's never-say-die attitude saw him twice battle back to take the match into a deciding fifth set.

The experienced West blasted in two maximums as he annexed the first set in a speedy seven minutes, leaving the Republic of Ireland skipper a little shell-shocked.

Trailing in the opening leg of the next set West coolly dispatched 138, finished on double nine and then followed up with two 60s and double tops to move into a menacing 2-0 lead.

But the red haired and bearded McCloskey (left), who is nicknamed "The Fox" and lives in County Donegal swept back to level with a 102 checkout finished on double 16, holding his nerve to clinch the set on double three.

The pencil-thin tall Irish player snatched the initiative in the next, taking the opening leg against the throw and taking the next but West roared back taking three successive legs, clinching the set on 65 finished on double tops.

With the throwing advantage, McCloskey raced through the fourth set unchallenged - despite West's third maximum - to take the game into a fifth set. Defying the odds the County Donegal player took the opening leg against the throw and then nipped in with double eight, West defending his throw in the next. Hitting a ton and 135 scores McCloskey was first to the double but missed three double 20s for the match, West then squandered efforts on double two and double one, before the grateful Republic of Ireland skipper slammed home the winning double tops.

Ladies
Hedman to tackle Gulliver
No ladies action tonight but Oxfordshire county player Deta Hedman (right) is to face seven-times winner Trina Gulliver in the women's semi-finals at the BDO Lakeside World Championship at Frimley Green on Thursday. The 50-year-old, who hails from Jamaica but throws for England, booked her place in the last four with a 2-0 win over Russia's Irina Armstrong on Sunday. She clinched victory with a superb 15-dart leg, completed with a 101 checkout.
Although unseeded for this tournament, Hedman has enjoyed a series of wins this season, including a 3-1 victory over Gulliver in the British Open final at Bridlington in September.
Former Oxon player Gulliver earned a shot at revenge with a 2-0 win over reigning champion Francis Hoenselaar, of the Netherlands.
Thursday's other semi-final is between England's Karen Lawman and Wales's Rhian Edwards.

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

 

Gurney aiming for Lakeside success By Richard Petrie

Northern Ireland darts player Daryl Gurney will hope to overcome the number 14 seed for the second year in a row when he begins his challenge at the BDO World Darts Championship at Frimley Green.

Last year Londonderry native Gurney saw off Englishman Garry Thompson at the first round stage - this year another English player, Scott Mitchell, stands between the 23-year-old and the second round at the Lakeside Country Club in Surrey.

"Hopefully it's a lucky omen that I'm playing the same seed as last year," quipped the Londonderry lad.

"It's good to have qualified for the event again through my ranking and I'm looking forward to experiencing the fantastic atmosphere again.

"I've played Scott once, when I beat him at the Welsh Masters, but he has played a lot of tournaments this year and has been doing well."

Gurney lost 4-2 to Martin Adams at the second round stage of last year's tournament, but had his chances to defeat the England captain and secure a place in the last eight.

"I was disappointed after that defeat but a wee bit of inexperience cost me and Martin showed the class which has seen him compete at the top level of the sport for 15 years.

"I don't mind playing in front of the big crowds or in front of the television cameras but the heat is the bit that I find difficult - it's like stepping off the plane at an airport in Spain."

Since his world debut last year, Gurney has performed well on the BDO tour, reaching the quarterfinals of the British Open and the semi-final stage of the Welsh Masters.

He also narrowly failed to reach the televised stage of the Winmau World Masters in Bridlington, losing to eventual finalist Robbie Green.

I love playing darts and have been playing in the same league, the North West League, since I was 14 years old.

"I'm proud to be number one in the Northern Ireland rankings and Northern Ireland champion but the fact that I have become better known since I played on television has not gone to my head at all," added the down-to-earth lad from the Maiden City.

A plumber by trade, Gurney must balance the obligations of his day job with his passion for his chosen sport.

"I was practicing for about two or three hours every night for three months and that really helped my game but in the last few weeks I've had to ease off a bit as my elbow has been hurting.

"I'm throwing well enough and don't want to force the arm too much as I ended up playing with a sore arm last year and don't want to do so again.

"I'm still putting in some practice here and there but have also been relaxing a fair bit in between times."

At 25-1, Gurney is rated as joint seventh favourite for this year's 'World Pro', in the company of experienced campaigners Martin Atkins and Gary Robson.

"A lot of people have been telling me that I'm well fancied and that's flattering and gives you a bit of extra confidence.

"My dad Tom and sisters Stacey and Trudy will all be there to support me and that helps too.

"Having said that, there are a lot of potentially dangerous players in the draw, including Dave Chisnall, whom I practice with when I'm over in England.

"He has won two tournaments this year but is only rated at 40-1 in the betting. He's definitely one to watch.

"Scott Waites is a good friend of mine and is always a good player, which he showed at the Grand Slam of Darts in November.

"Tony O'Shea should be the man to beat but Adams and Darryl Fitton will be up there too, and Ted Hankey could challenge again depending on which head he has on."

Gurney says he would like to turn professional but does not envisage joining the full-time ranks in the next five years.

"To be honest if you are going to turn professional or join the PDC, then playing darts has to be your job, and that is the case for at least 50 or 60 guys in that organisation.

"It's a lot of money to enter those competitions and you are just going to tournaments and playing all the time.

"I have to do my day job and just try to get away and play when I can. To take that next step I would need some extra sponsorship - so I'm open to offers," he concluded.