Saturday January 7st – Sunday 15th, 2012

14 January 2012
New Dutch star Christian buries The Count
New kid on the block Christian Kist staked his claim for the world championship, burying former double champ Ted “The Count” Hankey in a thrilling two hour encounter 6-5.

The 43-year-old 15th seed missed bull to book his place in the final and maintain his record of never having lost in a semi final.

But the battling 25-year-old Dutch road worker steamrollered his way back from 5-3 down to win through to the world final at first attempt.

Kist, the 15/8 second favourite annexed the opening set 3-0 against the throw on double eight to strike an early psychological blow.

Firing out a couple of maximums The Count slowed the game to snail’s pace in a bid to curtail the vibrant fast-throwing Dutchman and it seemed to work as he leveled the match with a 3-1 success.

Two maximums from the 66/1 outsider at the beginning of the week with first time double 16 efforts set up Lipstick for the third set, Hankey missing tops for 120 and then surprisingly, three attempts for double 10 as the road worker steamrollered the set 3-0 with double one.

Kist’s fourth 180 gave him the opening leg of the fourth set with double 18, Hankey missing bull for 130 in reply but after the Dutchman missed double tops for 66, The Count buried 43 with single three and his favourite double tops. And then the Shropshire sharpshooter grabbed 75 on double tops against the throw after his tense opponent buckled, failing to convert doubles opportunities. Two 140s steered Hankey to the fourth leg and the set with an 80 finish, completed again on double tops.

Sensing a chink in the young Dutchman’s armour, an angry looking prince of dartness defended his darts, exiting on double 10 with his fourth double attempt Kist having to pull off a pressure 129 finish in the next on bull to defend his throw. Hankey picked off a 100 finish in the third a single 20 and two double tops.

Kist missed double 16 for 104 and then Hankey double 12 for a set-winning 141, the Dutchman swooping to level the set on double eight with his second attempt. Hankey edged into the match lead for the first time with double 10 after the man from Vroomshop missed 67 for a double 16 to grab the lead again.

Following a short interval Kist took a 2-0 lead but wired double 18 for set-winning 156, The Count swooping to bury double 20 for a blood curdling 106 finish. The 15th seed notched a maximum but missed double 10 for a 67 finish as the Dutchman leapt in for a 117 finished on double tops to level the match at 3-3.

Kist missed the opportunity to steal the darts in the next set after missing double 16 for a 110 finish, Hankey clinching double 10. There was another 180 from the former double world champ in the next but he missed chances, Kist wiring double 20 for an 82, as Super Ted exited on double 10 against the throwing advantage.

With daylight failing outside it seemed to inspire The Count who continued to heap pressure on the young inexperienced Dutchman, recovering from a missed double tops for 120 to clinch the set for a 4-3 match lead on double 10.

His seventh 180 steered Hankey to his fourth successive leg but three missed doubles in the next with the throw let in the battling Dutchman with a 14 darter. But Hankey bullied his way to the third leg against the throw on double 20 after Kist missed double 16 for 92. The Count missed double tops for 79 and the set but his opponent failed to exit on 144, the seed sweeping in his third dart for double 10 to extend his lead to two sets – 5-3.

Power-scoring from Hankey gave him four double opportunities but Kist stepped in to clinch 80 on double eight to take the opening leg against the throw and took the following two legs – both on double 20 – to pull back a set.

But Kist then missed bull for 92 with the throw, Hankey stepping in to clinch double six and then banging in 180 and 140 as he clinched the leg with a 12 dart leg completed with a 116 checkout.

Hankey blazed in a 138 to leave 40 the Dutchman producing a pressure 74 checkout finished on double tops to defend his throw, missing bull for 89, and Hankey bull for a match-winning 92, the Dutchman recovering to save his title hopes with double 12. And then he held his nerve to hit a 39 finish, forcing the match into a deciding 11th set.

After poor scoring from the former world champ, Kist seized the opening leg against the throw with double 20 and added the second with double 12 after The Count missed doubles. As Hankey appeared to throw in the towel, Kist nailed a match-winning double four.

Afterwards through interpreter Neils de Ruiter, who is a director with the Netherlands Darts Bond, Kist declared: “I really can’t find the words to say how I feel. It is a surprise, I cannot believe it.

“I never give up, I just keep going on and on but I can only imagine what winning the world title would be like,” said shell-shocked Kist.

Silverback topples Harms in 11-set gripper to reach final
Tony O’Shea justified his 13/8 favourite’s tag, scrambling through a tense 11-set clash to win through to the final, shocking Dutch electrician Wesley Harms into a 6-5 submission.

But Sparky, the battling Dutch sharpshooter made a whole legion of new fans with his never-say-die effort to try to make it an all-Dutch final, the 13th seeding proving unlucky on this occasion against veteran chucker O’Shea.

Remarkably the Stockport player suffered more than 10 bounce outs, which prompted a board change during the 92-minute game.

Both players missed doubles in the tense opening set of the clash as Harms fluffed double tops for 64 to move into a match lead, O’Shea blazing back with a maximum and double tops outshot to steal the advantage.

Harms wasted no time taking all three legs in the second set, hitting a 180 and clinching the match-leveling 81 checkout on bull to level.

The opening three legs of the next set went with the throwing advantage, Silverback swinging in to clinch a 2-1 match lead, capturing the fourth leg against the throw.

Sparky led 2-0 in the fourth set, O’Shea unleashing a 12-darter but missed double 18 and then double nine for a set-saving 66 checkout. Harms who had missed doubles scrambled to double one to level the match at 2-2.

Legs went with the throw in the fifth set, O’Shea taking the third against the throw with double 10. He then missed bull for a 164 set-winning finish, Harms coolly leveling with 62, finished on double 16 and holding his nerve to finish off 72 on double 16 again in the deciding fifth leg, easing into a 3-2 match lead.

In the see-saw encounter the Stockport sharpshooter took the opening two legs of the sixth set with double 16 but then miscounted for a 120 finish, recovering to exit on double two after Harms missed double 10, leveling the match for the third time.

The opening legs of the seventh set went against the advantage, Sparky taking the third with the throw, finishing 52 on double 16 after O’Shea struggled with his scoring, He defended his throw in the next, as Harms sneaked home in the deciding leg clinching double eight after Silverback failed to finish off 102.

Silverback swept through the eighth unchallenged, hitting a maximum in the third and clinching a 100 finish to level the match at 4-4.

The opening four legs of the ninth set went with the throw, Harms finishing on 90 while O’Shea replied with 103 and 121 checkouts, Silverback coolly clinching the set with a two dart 71 completed on double 16.

But the Cheshire player who seemed to blow hot and cold trailed in the next 2-0 as lacklustre scoring allowed Harms to steal the initiative and take the set 3-1 to level the match at 5-5.

Play was suspended following the set after O’Shea complained about a draught blowing across the stage – caused by air conditioning in the club. It was also agreed with both players to change the board after O’Shea had suffered 13 bounce outs.

On the return for a sudden death deciding set, both players missed doubles, the grandfather from Stockport easing to double eight. He missed a nerve-wracking six doubles in the next before scrambling to the same double after Harms missed double 12 for 98 to level.

Harms nipped in for the third with double two, O’Shea taking victory on double 10 in the fourth leg after the young Dutchman missed double tops for a match-saving 76 finish, tears welling up in his eyes as he celebrated.

Afterwards O’Shea said: “It is unbelievable, I am so overwhelmed. That young lad (Wesley) has got a great future. It was he who suggested that we change the board because I had suffered so many bounce-outs. He is a real gentleman.

“The draught affected us both. I threw two darts and one went right and the other went left,” said O’Shea.

Defeated Harms admitted: “It was a great game, I gave away the last set. Losing hurts a little bit because the first leg I missed darts to get that leg but I am proud I reached the semi finals.”