 Pacific Masters has new Champions Australia’s premier dart players found the standard of competition
extremely high at the Pacific Masters Darts Championships in
the Hellenic Club Canberra today. All of last year’s winner
and finalists were knocked out before the semi finals showing
how tough this event is to win. Simon Whitlock from Sydney won hit first Pacific Masters title
in an enthralling match against 1999 Pacific Masters Champion
Graham Hunt that the large crowd really enjoyed. The match
was extremely close early with players going leg for leg. The
lead off player was winning the leg until the fifth when Whitlock
managed to win against the darts. Hunt was able to break back
immediately to level the final at three legs each. Another
break went Whitlock’s way with a 13-darter, but this time Hunt
could not break back. Whitlock held the next leg in 18-darts
to put him one leg from the victory. Hunt was in trouble and
could not find the darts to stop Whitlock winning the sixth
leg he required to take his first Pacific Masters title. Finals
Averages: Simon Whitlock 29.91 – Graham Hunt 28.02  The
first semi final saw two international champions clash.
Graham Hunt from Perth (1997 World Masters Champion) played
an exciting match with Dutchman Co Stompe (pictured right).
Stompe had travelled out to Australia in search of World Ranking
Points and found some today but not as many he would have been
hoping for. He had a great chance at winning this semi final
when he won three legs in a row to take a 4 – 2 lead. Hunt
was able to turn the match around to win the next three legs
in 16,18 and 15 darts to advance to the final. No overseas
international has won this event since Sean Palfrey from Wales
won the title back in 1997.
The second semi final had Simon Whitlock up against local
Canberra player Anthony Fleet. This match like the first semi
final was an outstanding match that went the full distance.
Whitlock won three of the first four legs, only to see Fleet
return the favour and he won three of the next four legs which
included two consecutive finishes of 101. It was down to the
final leg and both players had their chance of winning it.
Fleet was away and after 15 darts was sitting on double top.
Whitlock had 32 left. Fleet missed hitting double top to leave
20. Whitlock had his chance after missing a chance at winning
when he could not finish from 68. His second chance was all
he needed and pegged 32 with two darts. Averages:
Graham Hunt 28.06 – Co Stompe 29.28
Simon Whitlock 29.31 – Anthony Fleet 28.93 Over 100 of Australia’s top ranked men’s players contested
this event.  Western Australian Louise Ball won her second Pacific Masters
title. She won the title previously in 2001 in Brisbane and
her experience of many years at playing at this level and having
represented Australia on a number of occasions shone through
in the final. There is no age barrier in this sport and it
was obvious in this final. Her opponent was Brie Peters (pictured
right), representing Queensland for the first time at senior
level. She lives in Toowoomba and what an exciting talent she
is. She became the 2004 Australian Junior Girl’s Singles Darts
Champion back in January this year in Melbourne and this 13-year-old
today just missed at winning her first international title
in open company. Unfortunately the score line was one sided
in the final 4 – 0 but this final kept the crowd in to see
this great feat and Ball was not going to let an international
title slip threw her fingers.
Final
averages: Louise Ball 21.78 – Brie Peters 19.49 Our finalists with both winning with a 3-1 score line dominated
the semi finals. Comfortable wins to both players with young
Brie Peters throwing steady darts to account for Chris Woolley
a Tasmanian Representative. Woolley is a very experience player
but Peters was right on target when she had to hit the winning
doubles. Louise Ball threw some great darts in this match against
Judy Speight. Another Tasmanian, Speight was all so playing
well with the third leg in this match being exceptional throwing
81, 180,41,83,116 out. It was the only leg she won with Ball
winning legs in 24,18 and 20 darts. Averages:
Louise Ball 22.63 – Judy Speight 24.42
Brie Peters 20.67 – Chris Woolley 17.88 Today’s competition highlighted how strong and even the darts
competition is at this level. Some of the big names that you
would expect to come through to the finals were early casualties
in gaining some of the prize money and international ranking
points. Both the Ladies and Men’s events hold World Ranking
Points, and both winners have gained an invitation into the
Winmau World Masters being played in the U.K. late in October
by winning this event.
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