Saturday January 7st – Sunday 15th, 2012

10 January 2012
Impressive Jenno dumps out Douglas to reach the last eight
Debutante Paul Jennings surged into the quarter finals toppling speedy Steve Douglas 4-2 in a gripping 74-minute clash.

The 35-year-old 12th seed from Hartlepool won the north versus south encounter, battling from 1-0 behind to despatch the Gillingham ace, hitting four maximums and overcoming bouts of double trouble to tame the terrier-like Douglas.

Both players hit a maximum in the opening set and despite a 13-darter from Jennings, both missed crucial doubles before Douglas snatched the deciding fifth leg against the throw with a show-stopping 121, finished on bull.

Jennings opened up a 2-0 lead in the next, left-hander Douglas blazing into the third leg with back-to-back 180s but then missing the all-important seventh 60 to set up a nine dart finish.
Jennings missed double eight for a set-winning 76 in the next, Douglas missing double 10 and then double five for a set-leveling finish. Jennings fired in double seven to level the match.

A 12-darter steered Jennings into a 2-0 lead but he missed three darts for the next set, Douglas taking the leg against the throw on double 12. Jenno won the race to the double with the throw in the deciding fifth but wobbled on his finishing once again, missing double tops and double 10 but the Kent man was unable to put pressure on and the Hartlepool hot shot exited on double 10 with his second dart to open up a 2-1 match lead.

The opening legs of the fourth set went with the darts, Jennings stealing the initiative against the throw with a maximum missing two attempts for double eight for a 70 checkout. eight, Douglas failed to pressurise, Jenno clinching the set his second attempt for double four.

A three dart 120 steered the Gillingham man into a 2-0 lead in the next set but both players missed a combination of more than 20 darts for doubles in all-important third leg, Jennings sneaking it on double 7. Douglas won the next with the throw to pull the match back to 3-2.

Jennings gained revenge taking the opening leg of the sixth set against the throw and then notched the 100th maximum of the week in the next leg but let in Douglas after wasting three darts for double tops. Jenno raced back to take the next with a 72 finish against the throw.

Douglas applied the pressure in the fifth leg but missed bull for a match-saving 82 checkout as Jenno, who had missed numerous double tops attempts, made it count this time with a perfect one dart finish.

Flying Dutchman Harms topples Kong in thriller
Fourth seed Robbie Green crashed sensationally 4-1 out of the tournament, short-circuited by the talented electrician Wesley Harms from the Netherlands.

Debutant Harms, a 28/1 outsider, followed up his dismissal of experienced Welsh international Martin Phillips, producing an electrifying performance to sweep aside the 14/1 sixth favourite in 46 minutes.

Sparky produced a 30.24 per dart average as he fired out an 11 and 12 darter and four 180s to topple Kong.

It was workmanlike performance from the fourth seed in the opening set as he snatched the second leg against the throw, despite a 180 from Harms, who narrowly missed double 16 for 94. In the next Green missed double tops for a 120 to take the set, returning to the board to snap up double tops with his second dart.

But the Dutch newcomer threw down his gauntlet in the next exiting on 60 with the darts and then taking the second against the throw with double eight, coolly hitting the same double in the next to level the match.

Harm stormed into the third set hitting 180, 140, 145 but missing double 18 for a 11 darter, eventually taking the opening leg against the throw with his fifth double, adding the next with 12 darts after narrowly missing double 16 for a 132 finish after hitting double bulls eyes. He romped to the third, including a 180 to take a 2-1 match lead.

An 11-darter, including his fourth 180, paved the way for a 3-2 success in the fourth set for the remarkable Dutchman after Kong missed double 16 for what would have been a crucial 112 finish in the third leg.

The opening legs of the fifth set went with the throw, Harms turning on the power in the next as he nicked double tops after Green failed to hit bull for an 84 finish.

In the tense fourth leg Harms missed double 12 for a 104 winning flourish, as Green fluffed double tops for 62. The fourth seed missed a further eight doubles to save his title hopes, the Dutchman eventually clinching victory on with his 11th double attempt, hitting double one – the same double that won him his first round match!

Wolfie gallops into last eight whitewashing Stone 4-0
Defending champ Martin Adams delivered a super class in darts, pile-driving Scots fence erector Gary Stone out of the championship 4-0.

It took Adams the joint favourite 44-minutes to dismiss the playoff qualifier and move into the last eight.

Adams is bidding to equal Eric Bristow’s three-in-a-row success achieved between 1984-86, the only player to record three successive title wins in the championship.

Wolfie was steady, consistent ,dependable but pressurised when it was needed. It was the kind of bullying that Adams had referred to after his opening round victory over Scott Mitchell.

And it was the same bullying tactics employed by the great Crafty Cockney in his heyday to flatten his opponents.

Experience has taught the 55-year-old Peterborough grandfather how to graft , not get flustered and let your opponents do the worrying.

He bullied his way through the opening set taking the third leg against the throw and then holding his throw in the next after the Scot missed two attempts for double 16 to lay out his intention, just as a wolf will mark out its territory...

Stone hit a 180 in the opening leg of the second set but Adams matched it and exited on 85, adding second maximum to take the third leg, the Scot taking the match into a deciding fifth leg after hitting double 20 with his second dart. Wolfie hit his third maximum of the set to motor ahead and finish on 13 for a 2-0 match lead.

Stone took the opening leg of the third with the throw and unleashed a 180 but was bullied into submission with a faultless 102 checkout from Adams who followed up exiting on 76 against the throw. Stoney missed bull for a 161 finish but recovered to exit on 25 to level.

Bespectacled Stone stepped up the pressure with a 180 in the deciding fifth leg, missed double tops for 78 and three further attempts for double 10 as Wolfie screamed in with 74 completed on double 16 to leave the man from Larkhall pondering on what might have been.

Adams hit his favourite double 16 with the throw to start the fourth set, Stone sweeping back to take out 120 on double tops and then in the next he missed tops for 110, a further dart for double tops and two thwarted attempts for double 10. Adams nipped in to finish on double 10.

The world champ held his nerve in the next to power in the killer double – his favourite double tops.

Delighted Adams said after his victory: “I am still on course to win three titles on the spin. Only one other player has done that – Eric Bristow.

“I want to equal his record and then perhaps I can try to get four on the trot,” declared Wolfie, who confirmed that he had the longest winning sequence in the tournament since the Crafty Cockney back in the 1980s.

The England skipper said that preparation for this year was no different from the past two years.

“Same thing but on a different day,” he smiled.