Dark Magic - The Wizard's Unenlightened Year

Simon Whitlock is ranked number five in the PDC Order of Merit and is a two time world finalist, but he has not lived up to his fearsome reputation this year and despite eventually getting through to the Championship League winners group on Thursday, has far too regularly been on the end of shock results that have seen him crash out of tournaments in the early rounds.

After his blistering run to the final of the World Championships in 2010, much was expected of him this year in the major tournaments, but he has failed to reach the semi-final stages in each of the five biggest events, if we throw the Premier League in with the four traditional majors.

His run to the quarter-finals of the MatchPlay was his best performance of the year, but that alongside third round exits at the World Championships and the UK Open and a second round defeat at the Grand Prix is hardly the form of someone commanding a position in the top six in the world.

In fact, his performances have been significantly bettered by the two men now directly below him in the rankings (Wes Newton and Mark Webster) and matched by the likes of Andy Smith (world number 18) and Mark Hylton (38).

The worrying thing for the Wizard is that, being a seeded player, he only ever faces lower ranked players in the opening rounds of tournaments and he is still failing to make the most of his privileged position.  His four conquerors in the majors this year have been Vincent van der Voort, Co Stompe, Andy Hamilton and Hylton, all quality players no doubt, but opponents that Whitlock would be odds on favourite to beat.

The picture becomes an even uglier one when the Players Championships are painted in.  The big Aussie has competed in 20 of the 22 Players Championships so far this year and is yet to reach a final.

Twice he has been beaten by Gary Anderson in semi-finals, but on the 18 other occasions he has gone out to lower ranked players, including defeats to Mareno Michels, Michael Barnard, Davyd Venken and amazingly three separate losses to Nigel “The Undertaker” Heydon.

The Wizard’s year has been disappointing, but not an unprofitable one, as from majors alone he has picked up £38,000 and pocketed another £30,000 for his mediocre performance in the Premier League.

In a quirk of the tournament he has also earned almost £20,000 from his performances in the Championship League after failing to qualify for five days of action, but getting to at least the semi-finals each time meant he was earning over £2,000 a day, a very nice little earner indeed for a non-televised tournament.

What is undoubted is that Whitlock is a sensational player on his day; if proof was needed he has hit two nine-darters in Players Championships this year and hit another just this week against Jamie Caven in Essex.  Since his rise to the upper-echelons of the rankings he is more than capable of earning an excellent living from the game, but many would like to see him push on from this and really push for the major titles.

As far as results go the Wizard may want to write 2011 off, but what he should see it as is a learning curve and a building block for better performances next year.  A good run in the Players Championships Finals in Doncaster in December, and some serious work over Christmas and I expect the Wizard to produce some magic again at the World Championships.

Taylor takes his tenth title - Dolan re-orders the Order of Merit

Finally we had a night where there were no surprises and order was restored as Phil Taylor saw off Brendan Dolan 6-3 to win his tenth World Grand Prix final and get his hands back on two major trophies.

It was not so long ago that the demise of the Power was being widely forecast, but by winning in Dublin last night and the World Matchplay back in July he has put to rest any fears about his form and reminded all his closest rivals that they have an awful long way to go to usurp him as world number one.

The final ended in a highly predictable outcome but it was still an entertaining affair as Dolan continued to play some excellent stuff and kept the game alive as he won sets to make it 2-1 and 3-2.

The result was never really in doubt though and Taylor didn’t even need to be quite at his ruthless best on the doubles (just 34% on finishing) to win the contest and pick up the £100,000 prize money.

Brenan Dolan will be thrilled with his performance throughout the tournament and will be pleased he gave a good account of himself in the final, he has won a lot of admirers, a lot of money and a significantly improved world ranking this week.  Undoubtedly the best seven days of his career.

As the dust settles in Dublin, here are the winners and losers in the Order of Merit…

Win

Predictably the surprise finalist Brendan Dolan has significantly improved on his ranking and crucially as the World Championships approaches, has stormed into the top 32.  With the elite 32 in the rankings gaining automatic qualification to the biggest event of the year, his move up from 36^th to 25^th is huge, and with an over £20,000 buffer, he is very unlikely to lose the prized place.

Lose

The pressure continues to mount on Raymond van Barneveld as his exit in the second round has cost him dearly as he drops from sixth to eighth in the rankings, the lowest he has been for years.  Newton and Webster are the two who have overtaken him and they are players on the rise, Barney must stop the rot or find himself dropping further down the standings.

Win

John Henderson is continuing to make an impact in the PDC, after only re-joining the company in January of this year.  His run to the quarter-finals and the prize money of £12,500 has seen him jump from 58^th to 45^th and although the top 32 will be out of his reach this year, if his form continues in the Players Championships he is nailed on for a World Championship slot.

Lose

The luck of the draw really cost Andy Hamilton in Dublin as he was handed the tough task of a first round clash with Mark Webster, which he couldn’t come through.  His run to the semis at the Matchplay saw him climb to 12^th, but he has dropped back down to 17^th thanks to his opening round exit in Ireland.

Win

The £20,000 Richie Burnett pocketed for his sensational run to the semi-finals was the biggest pay day the Welshman has had in a long while and has seen him jump five places in the rankings to 36^th, past the likes of Tony Eccles and Michael van Gerwen.

Lose

Burnett only qualified for the Grand Prix with a surprise win in the Players Championship in Nuland which rocketed him up the Players Championship Order of Merit at the last minute.  The man unlucky to lose his place in Dublin as a result was Colin “Ozzy” Osbourne.  Things got worse for the former Wizard during the tournament as Dennis Ovens’ first round win saw him pick up enough cash to rise two places and knock Ozzy out of the world’s top 20.

Special Mention

Mark Hylton has had a great year and he continued it with a quarter-final appearance in Dublin to match reaching the same stage at the UK Open but due to the success of those around him in the rankings, his £12,500 could not help him improve on his 38^th spot.  It is only a matter of time before he enters the top 32 you would think though. 

The undoubteded highlight of the 2011 World  Grand Prix:

Dolan's Dublin Dreams Don't Die!!! (But it could be a nightmare tonight)

As bad as I feel for dismissing the chances of Brendan Dolan in his semi-final last night, I am confident I was in the overwhelming majority by doing so, and I hope the Northern Irishman takes added pleasure by proving everybody wrong.

By beating James Wade 5-2 yesterday evening, the 38-year-old produced one of the shocks of the year and did so in stylish and record breaking fashion by becoming the first man to hit a nine-darter in the history of the World Grand Prix.

The assured nature of his performance was unbelievable seen as it was his first ever major semi-final, he lost the first set and he wasn’t flustered by a strong sixth set from Wade which he won 3-0.

The £40,000 that he is guaranteed for reaching the final will rocket him from 36^th in the world up to 25^th, but he won’t be settling for that just yet and will have his sights on the winner’s prize of £100,000 which would take him all the way into the top 16.

In his way, though is a ferociously in form Phil Taylor who saw off Richie Burnett in spectacular fashion, breaking records himself with an average of 103.02, his highest ever in the competition.

The Power lay down a marker in the first set not missing a double to start or finish and although the Welshman won the second and did his best to stay with the world number one, he was always fighting a losing battle.

Burnett will be far from disappointed after the defeat though and will take not just his £20,000 prize money away, but also a renewed confidence in his game and the belief that he can really make an impact at the World Championships.

The Prince of Wales can count himself a bit unlucky that his run to the semis will only advance him four places in the Order of Merit, but it is still progress and he will sit nicely in 37^th place when the tournament comes to an end.

The unluckiest man in terms of rankings from the tournament would have to be Mark Hylton who did brilliantly to make the quarter-finals, due to the success of Burnett and Dolan, will not improve on his current ranking of 38.  Very unfortunate.

As far as the final goes, there is no money to be won really.  Taylor is 1/25 with Skybet and you can’t really argue with them.  Whoever had reached the final, with the Power in this form he would have been a huge favourite and I don’t think Dolan will be able to live with him.

Taylor to win 6-2 is available at 10/3 and if I was going for anything, that would be my choice.

These two actually met in the first round of last year’s tournament which Taylor won in very comfortable fashion.  Here he is claiming the second set:

Midnight draws close for our Cinderella's, watch out for tungsten slippers on the stairs.

Never let it be said that perseverance doesn’t pay off as finally, on quarter-finals night, I picked all four winners at the Grand Prix and feel a bit better about myself after backing a hat full of losers so far in the week.  Admittedly two of the four were all but nailed on, but the other half were second favourites with the bookies and have done incredibly well to reach this stage of the competition.

First up Brendan Dolan showed nerves of steel to come back from a whitewash in the opening set of the night against John Henderson to win 4-1, and as that was in his first major quarter-final, he will now make his debut in a semi-final.  The Northern Irishman has actually come through the tournament relatively unscathed so far, winning every one of his matches by more than one set, and with prize money of at least £20,000 guaranteed he is going to be sitting pretty in the world’s top 32 when the dust has settled after the tournament.  Unfortunately for former world champ Jelle Klaasen, that means he will be dropping out of the select band of players.

James Wade in comparison to Dolan has not had a comfortable run in the competition at all, and Friday night was no exception as Andy Smith gave him a real fight but Wade eventually prevailed 4-2.  It was fine margins that saw the Machine claim the victory, and his 50% on the starting doubles compared to Smith’s 41% certainly made a difference, and despite being 16 years Smith’s junior, Wade’s superior big match experience saw him through.  The Pie Man will still be delighted with his performance this week and if he can keep up this form then he will be a real test for anyone in the World Championships.

Although a heavy favourite going into the contest, the manner of Phil Taylor’s 4-0 win over Mark Webster was still absolutely stunning.  After his troubles over the last 12 months, the Power is coming back to near his best and was absolutely unstoppable against the Welshman.  An average of 101 would win you 99% of matches in a normal match, but in a double-in contest it is unbeatable and it’s a testament to the man that he is still raising the bar as far as performances go.  60% on starting doubles and 52% on finishing, these are stats that no one can live with, as was proved as Webster put in a very decent display, but only picked up three legs.  The Power is fully charged!!

Finally the incredible story of Richie Burnett continued with another nerveless display to beat Mark Hylton 4-1.  Yes he has been at this level before, but not for a very long time and to come out in a major quarter-final after all the troubles he has had and hit 14 out of 23 finishing doubles is quite amazing.  That is where the difference lay in what was a really tight game, but Burnett’s 61% on finishing absolutely dwarfed Hylton’s of 18%, and that is what cost Mile High a place in the semi-finals.

Semi Final Time

Unfortunately I’ve got no well kept secrets or pearls of wisdom that might suggest the two semi-finals are going to end in any other way than the one we all expect.  The bookies have the pair of Taylor and Wade to win at 2/9 and that reflects how heavily they are expected to win.  If you add Taylor and Wade’s world rankings together you get four, if you combine Dolan’s and Burnett’s you come to 77 and that demonstrates the gulf in success over recent times.  

Without seeming too dismissive, I’m just looking forward to what should be another cracking Wade v Taylor final on Sunday night.

The strangest quarter-final line-up in recent history?

It’s quarter-final night and there are a few men who have been hastily extending their hotel stays and changing their flights home as they prepare for games that in all honesty they wouldn’t have been expecting to be a part of.

As much as Phil Taylor, James Wade and possibly Mark Webster would have made plans for a stay to at least this stage, the rest of the final eight will have had to disappoint their wives and kids with the news that the business trip has gone on longer than expected.

The first contest of the evening sees Brendan Dolan taking on John Henderson in an extremely tight contest that the bookies have the big Scot as the slight favourite for.  One thing that nearly cost the Highlander against Wes Newton in the last round were his starting doubles, and that could cost him tonight potentially.  I think it is going to be an extremely close one and could well go to a full seven sets.  With both being so inexperienced at this stage of tournaments, but with possible advantage from the crowd, I’m going to go for a narrow win for Dolan.

Although James Wade has quite rightly been made favourite for his clash with Andy Smith it is going to be no walkover for the Machine, and he is going to have to dig as deep as he did against Vincent van der Voort to progress to the semis.  The Pie Man is playing as well as he has at any point in his career and will be a real threat to Wade, but despite this, the left-hander is getting back to his very best and that should be too much for his opponent tonight.

The man most cursing his luck in the quarter-final draw will be Mark Webster who would be hot favourite in a couple of the other ties, but will be anything but against Phil Taylor.  Even though the Welshman famously saw off Taylor in the last World Championships at the quarter-final stage, he hasn’t repeated this success since and the way the Power has been playing there are few who could really challenge him.  Webster continues to impress, and quite rightly keeps his place in the top eight in the world, but I can’t see him winning this one.

Finally, another really tight one that could easily go either way between surprise packages Mark Hylton and Richie Burnett.  Mile High is the favourite for the contest, but the momentum of Burnett seems to be unstoppable at the moment making it incredibly close to call.  A month ago there would have been no question that I would have backed Hylton, but the Prince of Wales has really turned things around and I am backing him to continue the incredible run all the way to the semi-finals.

Hylton on a high as the Wizard shall not pass

There’s no doubt that the field has been becoming more and more open over recent times in the PDC, but this year’s Grand Prix really has taken the biscuit, as we see yet another big name fall to a lesser light on Thursday evening.

Performance of the Night

No one, including me, gave world number 38 Mark Hylton much chance against world number five Simon Whitlock going into their second round tie, but the plucky left-hander proved everyone wrong with a stunning 3-1 win.

What made the win all the more impressive was the way that the big Aussie started the contest, looking somewhere near his brilliant best in the opening set, winning it 3-1, and then winning the first leg of the second against the throw.

Mile High didn’t panic though and showed appropriate calm needed during the heavy turbulence, picking up on his scoring and capitalising on wayward finishing from Whitlock to win the last three sets by nine legs to four.

Hylton reached the quarters of the UK Open earlier in the year and this win will edge him further up the rankings, at least into 37^th ahead of Tony Eccles, and he will hope even further as he faces a lower ranked opponent in the semis, although we’ve seen that counts for little in Dublin.

As far as the Wizard is concerned, his wait for a major title continues, and to be honest, it seems a long while since he was even close to winning one.  There are some exceptional players not far behind him in the Order of Merit, and his top six spot will not be safe forever.

A close second

The Cinderella story continues for Richie Burnett as he reached the quarter-finals with another big win over the in-form Dennis Ovens (3-1). 

The term, “finding your form” could not be more appropriate than now for the Prince of Wales who was completely off the radar as far as tournament success went until last month when he won the Players Championship in Nuland and now finds himself in a major quarter-final.

Although this win won’t grab the headlines that beating Gary Anderson in round one did, it is still an impressive feat against a man that has been consistently successful for the last six months or so and even after this defeat will rise to 20^th in the world.

With an average of over 88 and both starting and finishing checkout success rates of over 40%, Burnett is where he is entirely on merit, and will fancy his chances of going even further as he takes on Hylton in the quarters.

Bronze Medal

Although it is no surprise to see Phil Taylor winning a match, sometimes the manner in which he does it still makes you sit up and take notice of how good a player he still is, and that was the case as he blew Paul Nicholson away 3-0.

There was a lot of talk before the match, all from Nicholson, but few doubted that Taylor would emerge victorious and he did so in fine style, hitting three ton-plus finishes and needing only 15 darts to secure his nine finishing doubles, dropping just three legs along the way.

The Asset is without doubt a fine player, but if he thinks he can talk his way to victory over the great man then he is sadly mistaken, and to be honest his antics on stage just made him look a bit silly.  He will win a major tournament in the future, but there’s a long way to go yet.

Fourth Spot

Not wanting to take anything away from Mark Webster’s 3-1 win over Alan Tabern, but it was a reasonably routine one and has to be down in fourth place for the night’s performances.

The Welshman played brilliantly at times as his trio of three figure out shots demonstrate, but unfortunately for Tabern, he was as poor as Webster was good, and an average of 76 is unlikely to trouble anyone.

The Power to put the Asset in his place

With more shocks than a knife filled toaster so far, the Grand Prix is proving a real pig to predict and I had a shocker, as I’m sure many other did, last night.  But undeterred I’ll keep plugging away and see if I can boost my ever dwindling betting fund in the last of the second round matches.

First up is Mark Webster v Alan Tabern both of whom were pushed to the limit in their opening round matches, and will both be relieved to still be competing in Dublin.  The Saint reminded everyone of his scrapping abilities against Chisnall and he will no doubt put in a similar performance against the Welshman, however Spider has turned into a really serious contender in the last two years or so and of course is a former World Champ and I don’t see him losing this one.

Simon Whitlock wasn’t overly impressive in his first round win over Terry Jenkins and he will have to do more if he is to avoid a surprise defeat to Mark Hylton tonight.  Mile High has been impressing and making his way up the rankings over the last year or so and is certainly a dangerous opponent for anyone and Whitlock will not be taking him for granted though.  The problem I see for Hylton is that he is very much a rhythm player and in this format, where missing starting doubles is fatal, that could cost him.  Compare that to the surgical precision of the Wizard and I think there can only be one winner and he is from Australia.

The main event of the evening will, without doubt, be Phil Taylor v Paul Nicholson and it could well be a real show-stopper.  I don’t for a second believe that Nicholson “has Taylor’s number” just because he has beaten him in a couple of tournaments and quite rightly the Power will be clear favourite for the contest.  Having said that, it will be a close one, the Asset is lethal on the double 16 and won’t have too much problem getting started in legs, but I fancy Taylor to just edge it.

The final contest is easily the tightest as the odds suggest with Skybet placing both Richie Burnett and Dennis Ovens at 10/11.  Clearly Burnett had the better performance in the opening round, defeating Anderson, but Ovens has had one of the best years of his lengthy career so far and will not want to be another chapter in the Welshman’s fairy tale story.  There won’t be much in it but I fancy the Heat to be too much for Burnett and Ovens to reach the quarters.