The Pendulum Swings in the Matchplay Hunt

The desperate scramble for Matchplay places took a surprise turn in Birmingham at the weekend as an unfancied contender entered the fray and has the final qualification spot in his grasp.

There are just two Pro Tour events to go now before the big one in Blackpool and Darren Webster looks like he could make an unlikely appearance at the Winter Gardens after his second quarter-final run of the year.

The man known as the Sniper has had a fairly bizarre career on the oche thus far as he made a decent impact in 2007 reaching the quarter-finals of the worlds and the last 16 of the UK Open, but never committing to full-time darts he has never really kicked on; now though he is showing his quality again.

Webster finished as high as 28^th on the UK Open Order of Merit and made it to the last 32 after an impressive win over Michael Smith in round three.  The £2,000 he picked up in Bolton was the most he had won in the sport for five years and he has got more cash in his sights if he can sneak into the draw for the Matchplay.

He is far from guaranteed his slot yet though as the chasing pack are of some serious quality and within striking distance of the Sniper on the Pro Tour Order of Merit.  Mervyn King and Peter Wright are just £400 behind him and the likes of Dennis Smith, Colin Osbourne and John Part are all just a run to a quarter-final away from catching Webster as well.

The final two events are in two weeks’ time in Crawley and it is likely that it is one of these men that will pinch the 32^nd place at the Winter Gardens.  That is unless one of the lower ranked players can produce a sensational run to a final down on the south coast.  This is a huge ask, but there is great talent down the rankings and someone like Dennis Priestley, Co Stompe or Dennis Ovens could just pull off a big surprise.

There were plenty who had good weekends in Birmingham along with Webster, and none more so than Ronnie Baxter who secured his place in his home tournament in some style, winning Saturday’s event.  The Rocket consistently picks up Pro Tour events having won one every year since 2008 and that consistency has guaranteed himself a place in Blackpool along with Colin Lloyd and Rob Thornton who also performed well over the weekend.