Nuland the final battleground for World Matchplay qualification

The PDC Players Championships move onto foreign soil this weekend as Nuland, Holland provides the stage for two crucial tournaments that will decide the last few participants in the World Matchplay next month.

As the last few tournaments have demonstrated, anyone can pick up victories at the minute and these two competitions will be no different, especially when you see who won’t be competing.  The travelling may have put some players off  as some may have decided that it’s not worth the risk of not picking up the prize money needed to qualify for Blackpool, and those already qualified preferring to stay and practice at home.  The latter would include Phil Taylor, who misses his second weekend event in a row, and World Champ Adrian Lewis who also isn’t making the trip.  Terry Jenkins, Mervyn King and Paul Nicholson have also declined the opportunity, and this will leave many players really fancying their chances.

It is a shame to see that the likes of Dennis Priestley and Wayne Mardle aren’t making the trip to The Netherlands and as such are admitting defeat in their attempts to qualify for the Matchplay.  Neither man is within the top 16 in the world or the top 16 players in the Players Championship Order of Merit that aren’t in the overall top 16, and so won’t be able to qualify without the potential winnings from Nuland.

There are plenty of players though, who will be giving it their all to get inside the magic top 16 in the Players Champs Order of Merit.  The magic figure currently is winnings of £4,200 which Colin Osbourne, Magnus Caris and Antonio Alcinas have all picked up and they lie in 15^th, 16^th and 17^th place in the standings.  If anyone can better these players and move ahead of them then they are in with a chance, and with the winner of each tournament again picking up £6000, there’s plenty of room for manoeuvre in the table.

Here are my players to watch out for in Nuland who I think have got a chance of crashing the party in Blackpool.

Steve Beaton £3600 – The Adonis has been in decent form over the last couple of months and is just £600 behind the magic number, I’d certainly back him over Alcinas or Caris if he were to face them.

Co Stompe £3600 – Again not far behind, and with home advantage he could well reach a quarter or semi-final which would make all the difference.

Robert Thornton £3400 – I find The Thorn hard to predict, he’s obviously a very good player and capable of winning events like this, but is prone to very bad days, I won’t right him off though.

Richie Burnett £3200 – The Prince of Wales is getting back to some very good form and has made a late push for qualification.  He’ll need a run to a quarter-final I reckon, but he’s very capable.

Jelle Klaasen £3000 – The former World Champ will have to produce some good performances, but again, with home advantage he might just find a rhythm and when he does he’s unstoppable.

Of course this isn’t an exhaustive list and the likes of William O’Connor, Roland Scholten and Brendan Dolan also have a chance.  The draw is crucial though as there is some real quality still around with Wade, Anderson and a returning van Barneveld on show.  With the loser in the first round in Blackpool picking up £5000, everyone will be going all out in Nuland to make sure they are at the seaside next month.

How much can you make for playing darts in Barnsley at the weekend?

The UK Open may have got us all thinking that maybe the field has been blown wide open in the world of darts, and the two tournaments that have just been held in Barnsley have just confirmed those thoughts.  Yes there was no Taylor and no Barney, but even so, it is a sport that is becoming more and more difficult to predict with big performances coming from all angles.  I've totted up the weekends prize money for each player, and it shows what a mix we have on our hands at the moment, and also how a couple of days good form can be a nice little earner.

Paul Nicholson Andy Smith Dave Chisnall Simon Whitlock Steve Brown Justin Pipe Mark Hylton James Wade John Part Gary Anderson Wayne Jones Steve Beaton Mervyn King Robert Thornton Mark Webster Brian Woods Peter Wright  Denis Ovens Alan Tabern

£6400 £6000 £5000 £3600* £3200 £2400 £2400 £2400 £2000 £1600 £1400 £1400 £1200 £1200 £1200 £1000 £1000 £1000 £1000

   

The top two in the first batch had really contrasting days. Clearly The Asset will be pleased to be top of the pile, but after picking up the full £6k on Saturday will have been disappointed only to add £400 today, The Pieman on the other hand will be delighted to grab £6k today after pocketing nothing yesterday.  I fancied The Flying Scotsman to win at least one, but he's struggling at the minute and was some way off the pace. Brian Woods is the stand out name there and he had a very good weekend.
*Whitlock only picked up £800 for what rounds he reached, but pocketed a cool £2,800 for a 9-darter along the way.

Peter Hudson Andy Hamilton Matt Clark Steve Hine Shaun Griffiths Kevin Painter Co Stompe Roland Scholten Terry Jenkins Mark Walsh

£800 £800 £800 £800 £800 £800 £800 £800 £800 £800

A real mix picked up £800, whereas someone like Terry Jenkins will be pretty disappointed to only have picked up less than a grand, youngster Shaun Griffiths will be very pleased with his work.  Peter Hudson will be happy his encouraging performance in Bolton has carried on as well.

Chris Aubrey   Scott Rand Vincent van der Voort Colin Osborne Dave Smith William O'Connor Jamie Caven Colin Lloyd Tony Eccles Chris Thompson Richie Burnett Ronnie Baxter Michael Barnard

£600 £600 £600 £600 £600 £600 £600 £600 £600 £600 £600 £600 £600

The strength in depth of the PDC is shown down this end of the scale as truly class players such as Ronnie Baxter and Jamie Caven can only pick up £600 for their efforts.

Brendan Dolan Nick Fullwell James Richardson Paul Rowley Devon Petersen Dennis Smith Michael van Gerwen Mark Jones Simon Burt Magnus Caris Matthew Edgar Adrian Lewis Louis Blundell Adrian Gray Jelle Klaasen Michael Mansell Shane O'Connor Darren Johnson Prakash Jiwa Tony Ayres

£400 £400 £400 £400 £400 £400 £400 £400 £400 £400 £400 £400 £400 £400 £400 £400 £400 £400 £400 £400

Clearly the shock name in amongst this lot is World Champion Adrian Lewis who had a nightmare weekend in Barnsley to add to his woes from the UK Open.  He needs to hammer the practice board before Blackpool or he could be embarassed again.

Ian White John Henderson Antonio Alcinas Shaun Griffiths Dennis Priestley Nigel Birch Barrie Bates Wayne Mardle Adam Hunt Mareno Michels Nigel Heydon Mark Lawrence Joe Cullen Adam Smith-Neale Gary Welding

£200 £200 £200 £200 £200 £200 £200 £200 £200 £200 £200 £200 £200 £200 £200

Back to Business in Barnsley - Welcome to the Metrodome

After the drama of the UK Open, the PDC boys get back down to the nuts and bolts of the business as they head to Barnsley for two Pro Tour events this weekend, although with a couple of major players notable by their absence.  

There will be no Phil Taylor or Raymond van Barneveld appearing at the Barnsley Metrodome, and that will only add to the feeling that anyone can win these competitions at the minute, and there will be a lot of people thinking they can.

The focus of the Pro Tour events is now to qualify for the World Matchplay in Blackpool and the European Championships in Dusseldorf.  It’s all about how much money you can accumulate before these events as the World top 16 qualify automatically, and more importantly for most, the top 32 from the Players Championship Order of Merit qualify and are seeded.

The Players Championship Order of Merit is a pretty tight affair as the top players don’t’ always compete, and with £6,000 on offer for the winner in both events in South Yorkshire there can be huge movements in the standings.  Just £2,000 separates 23^rd to 49^th so there is everything to play for around the number 32 mark.

The bizarre nature of the standings is epitomised by the three players in joint 46^th position which are, UK Open Champion James Wade, quarter-finalist Robert Thornton and Steve Beaton, all players very capable of winning the tournaments.

As far as big movers go I’m backing youth to perform as three exciting talents in Joe Cullen, Reece Robinson and Arron Monk all sit way back in joint 103^rd place, having picked up just £400.  A run to the quarter-finals alone will bank you a cool £1000 and will shoot you up the rankings, and I wouldn’t be surprised if one of these whippersnappers could pull that off. 

It’s hard to say sometimes who will continue their good form after a big tournament, especially going into a much smaller one.  Wade should do well, but to pick out two that impressed in Bolton that I expect to perform in Barnsley I would say Dave Chisnall and Mark Webster.  They will both have been pleased with their performance at the UK Open, and if one of them wins an event this weekend I won’t be surprised.

Picking one player to shine above all though, I fancy Gary Anderson to put his Bolton disappointment behind him and pick up another victory this weekend.  He has been incredible in the floor tournaments this year and will have been hurting after such an early exit last week.  If he’s not in at least one final I will be very surprised.

   

Tungsten Polytechnic - What we learned from the UK Open

So an enthralling Speedy Hire UK Open comes to an end, and few would have predicted the goings on that happened in the Premier Suite at the Reebok Stadium.  It could well prove to be a massive tournament in the careers of many players involved, so I thought I’d have a look at what we’ve learnt from it in a sensational nine-dart finish.

Treble Twenty.  The Power has well and truly lost his aura.  If the World Championships and the Premier League weren’t evidence enough then Taylor’s failure to reach the quarter-finals here has got to be the final piece of the jigsaw.  He’s still an incredible player and deserved world number one, but the air of invincibility that surrounded him for so long has disappeared and players will face him with a lot more confidence from now on.

Treble Twenty.  Wes Newton is ready to compete with the best. The Warrior has been threatening to show what he can do on the big stage for some time now and has quietly got himself all the way up to number eight in the world.  The job he did on Barney in Bolton was sensational and proved that he is up there with the best now, and expect him to be appearing in more finals this year.

Treble Twenty.  The field is wide open.  One tournament defeat for top players doesn’t mean they’ve lost it, but with nearly all the favourites out before the quarter-final stage it shows just how much talent there is around and there will be no resting on laurels from now on.  There really isn’t much difference all the way down the top 32 and even some beyond, and easy games do not exist anymore.

Treble Twenty.  There’s youth to be feared.  The performance of Reece Robinson shows that there are youngsters who are capable of coming up against long-time pros and dispatching them with relative ease.  He’s not the only one either, as Joe Cullen performed well as well, and Arron Monk was unlucky to fall foul of a tough draw.

Treble Twenty.  Barney is in serious trouble.  Things started to look good for the Dutchman in the Premier League, and it seemed both his quality and fight had come back.  However his defeat to Anderson in the semis seemed to crush him and he looked a shell of his previous self in his defeat to Newton.  The Warrior played very well, but as Rod Harrington said on commentary as soon as Barney is three or four legs down now he looks incapable of a return.  It seems dramatic, but I seriously doubt his ability to win any championships in the future.

Treble Twenty.  Wade is back to his best.  After his well-documented health problems and obvious dip in form on the oche, James Wade is back where he belongs, on the winner’s podium.  He might have avoided the very biggest names on route to the trophy, but his wins over Nicholson, Webster and Newton were all tough games.  Also taking into account he came in at round one shows he’s got his Machine-like determination back, it’s good to see.

Treble Seventeen.  Webster is not a beaten man.  I, for one, feared for Webby after the punishment he took in the Premier League, and this competition was crucial for him, and he came through with flying colours.  He showed brilliant fight to come from six down to beat Co Stompe, and then was impressive against Thornton, with his finishing impeccable.  He was excellent again against Wade and was unlucky to lose, but will take great heart from his performances.  Impressive.

Bullseye.  You can’t beat the original majors.  As much as the Premier League is a brilliant tournament and great entertainment, I really don’t think it is a patch on tournaments like the UK Open.  Seeing all the rest of the quality that is on offer in the PDC is a real treat and the chance to see genuine upsets is very exciting.  Also, the final day when we are blessed with the quarter-finals, the semis and the final is one of the best sporting days of the year, splendid stuff.

Double Top.  No one knows what’s going to happen in Blackpool.  Undoubtedly there will be the same favourites for the World Match Play as there were in Bolton, but there will be plenty of money spread around the field.  Phil Taylor has won the last three and could well do it again, but there will probably be the longest odds on a win for The Power as there have been in recent memory.  You can’t right anyone off anymore, I have no idea who’s going to win it, but I do know I’ll be watching.

Nicholson proves to be an Asset for the bookies as he sends the favourites crashing out

The crowd at the Reebok were treated to a sensational day of darts yesterday which included countless highlights, but none more spectacular than Paul Nicholson's two 9-8 wins over the two favourites for the tournament Gary Anderson and Phil Taylor.  

The World Number 14 proved beyond any doubt that he isn't just about the posturing and showmanship of his walk-on and that he is indeed one of the very best players around, although he will have to do it all again as he faces off against James Wade this afternoon.


Here's the highlights of Saturday's action:

Fourth Round

Paul Nicholson 9 – 8 Gary Anderson

An incredible performance from the Geordie Aussie as he looked to be the latest to be drowning under the tidal wave of Anderson’s scoring, finding himself 5-1 down in no time.  He’s made of pretty stern stuff though and launched a sensational come back to pip The Flying Scotsman to the post.

Dave Chisnall 9 – 7 Ronnie Baxter

This was always going to be a very even match, and it proved to be so, but it was rising star Chizzy who proved he is going to be up there with the best of them in the PDC.  The former Lakeside runner-up has impressed since switching sides and is now really taking advantage of his first major TV outing on Sky, proving that he had the quality to see off a seasoned campaigner like The Rocket.

Andy Smith 9 – 8 Reece Robinson

The end of the tournament’s Cinderella story came at the hands of The Pie Man, but Reece Robinson will go home with his head held high after his performances in Bolton.  After knocking out three veterans of the circuit and nearly doing the same to a fourth, despite being heavily under the weather shows the huge potential that the teenager has.  Smith admitted he was lucky to prevail in this one, and I’m sure we’ll be lucky enough to see Robinson perform in the majors again.

Mark Webster 9 -8 Co Stompe

One of the best comebacks in recent darting history was staged by the Welshman on board two at the Reebok.  In no time at all Webby found himself 6-0 down to an in-form Stompe, but he showed that the Premier League hadn’t drained his confidence as some thought it might have and stormed back to eventually win a deciding leg and send The Matchstick crashing out.  A really landmark victory for Webster who proved that he is one of the very best in talent and mental strength.

Colin Osbourne 9 – 7 Kirk Shepherd

This really was a see-saw battle between two fairly evenly matched players and it seemed impossible to separate them for the vast majority of the contest.  It was the man formerly known as The Wizard who eventually showed the endurance to burst down the back straight and make the finishing line.  An important victory for Osbourne who has gone off the boil a bit in the last twelve months, but showed he is still one of the better performers on the circuit.

And then there were 16 who went into the evening session still dreaming of lifting the trophy, but of course eight had to leave.  Here’s the scores and a couple of the best games in more detail.

James Wade 9-7 Richie Burnett
Robert Thornton 9-7 Colin Osborne
Paul Nicholson 9-8 Phil Taylor
Wes Newton 9-1 Raymond van Barneveld
Mark Hylton 9-7 Peter Wright
Mark Webster 9-4 Andy Boulton
Denis Ovens 9-6 Andy Smith
Dave Chisnall 9-4 John Bowles

Paul Nicholson 9 – 8 Phil Taylor

After The Asset’s epic with Anderson earlier in the day, many would have doubted his ability to put in another grinding performance, especially against the great man Phil Taylor.  As it happened though, he didn’t have to produce another comeback, but instead opened up a substantial lead of his own.  The Power fought back though and had the throw in the deciding leg, which has so often seen him take the match, but he seemed to crumble under the pressure whereas Nicholson banged in a maximum on route to winning it and progressing.  Arguably the two best performances of Nicholson’s career had come within a few hours of each other, can he repeat it today?

Wes Newton 9 – 1 Raymond van Barneveld

Not the close match that we all expected from this one, but a landmark day in the career of The Warrior as he proved to the world that he is capable of not just competing with the very best, but absolutely hammering them when he’s on form.  There’s no doubt that Newton is in the form of his life, and won’t necessarily always be handing out thrashings, but he showed what he can do, and it was incredible stuff.  His scoring was very solid, but it was his finishing that was even more impressive as he never looked like missing throughout.  I still don’t quite understand his action with his head moving all over the place, but it certainly works, and long may it continue.

So it’s quarter-final time and here’s the line-up;

Denis Ovens v Mark Hylton

Two players that have had a quiet but impressive run to the last eight, whoever gets through to the semi-finals will be absolutely delighted with their performance this week.  Dennis Ovens is perhaps the least spectacular performer around, but is nonetheless very effective and will be favourite for the contest.  Mile High Mark Hylton is an impressive performer though and has made a real impact over the last year or so, and I fancy him to just pinch this one.

Robert Thornton v Mark Webster

Robert Thornton seemed to have dropped off from the upper echelons of the game over the last few months, but has stormed back in style and is looking very good again, and will provide a stern test for the Welshman.  Webster has been impressive this week though and has banished the doubts over his mental state.  Both men clearly in decent form, so I will have to go with the higher quality player, and I believe that to be Webster.

Dave Chisnall v Wes Newton

Two future champions I reckon here, but can one of them make their destiny arrive very quickly by winning tonight.  Well whoever gets through this will fancy their chances and it should be a very tight one.  Chisnall’s scoring was very impressive against Baxter, but after Newton’s performance against Barney it’s impossible not to back him for this one.

James Wade v Paul Nicholson

Clearly the pick of the draw and Nicholson will be cursing Waddell and Bristow for constantly drawing him against the top four players in the world.  The Asset will fear absolutely no one though after his performances so far and will believe he can repeat his heroics again.  Wade is an extremely dangerous opponent though, especially when he looks comfortable and confident as he has done since Thursday.  It really is too tight to call, but I think Nicholson might have just burned himself out a bit yesterday and I fancy Wade to just pinch it.

Two Monks, a Muffin Man & a World Champion Eliminated. It's all action at the Uk Open

A cracking opening night to the UK Open as it provided us some shocks, some exciting young guns, a couple of scintillating comebacks and a couple of fine displays from some seasoned pros, everything you could hope for really.

Here’s my pick of the first round games:

Colin Lloyd 4-3 Jelle Klaasen

This was always going to be one of the top games of the first night in Bolton and both men will have been cursing their luck that they drew each other, but only one will be bothered now.  It was Klaasen that flew out of the blocks and could have made it 3-0 but for missed doubles.  Jaws showed his class though coming back and pipping the young Dutchman to the post.

Reece Robinson 4-0 Barrie Bates

I can say with confidence that this was a coupon buster as it busted my own.  I’ll admit I knew little about Robinson before kick-off yesterday but the whole darting world is taking notice of him now.  A fabulous whitewash win over a man who was in the World Cup final not too long ago, great performance.

Mick McGowan 0-4 Andy Smith

As much as I like to see an underdog come and surprise someone, I equally like to see a favourite really perform and put his adversary in his place, and that’s what the Pie Man did in his first round encounter.  He looked good from the off and showed no mercy in despatching McGowan without dropping a set, ruthless.

Arron Monk 4-3 Steve Hine

This was another I picked as a really tasty first round match and it proved to be so as experience faced off against youth, and as I predicted the youngster prevailed.  In a see-saw battle like this one you might think it would be the hardened veteran that would see it out, but Monkey’s talent shone through and he pinched it by a leg.

Tony Ayres 4-1 Jyhan Artut

This was an impressive victory as it was all set up to be a really tight one between these two, and the bookies had them at exactly the same price beforehand.  Ayres played well though, and proved again how much he loves the UK Open by swatting Artut aside comfortably.

Dennis Priestley 4-3 Dave Ladley

The Menace showed once again why he is an example to all young players out there as he battled through a really tough first round encounter.  At sixty years old there are many who would throw in the towel when they have to fight hard to win the first round but Dennis is always supremely confident in his own ability, and so he should be as he powered through to a win yet again.

Brandon Walsh 4 – 0 Mensur Suljovic (timed out)

I’ve picked this one just because I’ve never seen it before.  Timed out? How very odd.

The beauty of the opening day, of course, is that we’re treated to two rounds of action and we weren’t disappointed by the second set of matches which produced some real gems too, here’s my highlights:

Tony Eccles 4-0 Shaun Griffiths

This was another where the seasoned pro showed what he’s made of and dealt out a thrashing to his less fancied opponent.  Obviously it’s not great to see a 19-year-old getting heavily beaten but the Viper was very impressive throughout and thoroughly deserved a big win.  I still find his action very odd though.

Co Stompe 4-3 Chris Jones

Chris Jones will hopefully look back on this and be happy that he gave such a top player such a good game, but I should think he will just be feeling disappointment right now after missing darts to win the contest.  The Dutchman just couldn’t stamp his authority on the game and Jones was throwing well but the pressure just got to him and he couldn’t cross the finishing line allowing Stompe back in for the win.

Reece Robinson 4-0 Wayne Mardle

Reece Robinson’s night just got better and better after knocking out one big name, he hammered an even bigger one and still hadn’t dropped a leg.  Mardle didn’t have to play brilliantly in his first round match to win it and he couldn’t step his game up to compete with the clearly bang in form Robinson who will go into the third round full of confidence.

Colin Lloyd 4-2 Arron Monk

Arron Monk may be out of the tournament but he has shown that he compete at a top level and shouldn’t be too disappointed at all.  He really did face as stiff a task as any to get through to the third round and he only just failed to do so.  I fancied Lloyd’s experience to see him through this one and it did in the end and he will be flying going into the last 64.

John Bowles 4-3 Devon Petersen

John Bowles may not have expected a whole lot from Thursday night given his draw but he did exceptionally well to pick up two wins and progress to round three.  He upset the crowd by knocking out Manley at the first hurdle and then overcame a strong challenge from a very promising player in Petersen to squeeze into the draw.  He’ll be happy to just get this far and the pressure will be off him which could just improve his game even more.

Peter Hudson 4-3 Magnus Caris

Quite possibly the game of the night came right at the end of it as Peter “The Rock” Hudson made a stunning comeback to eliminate the more established man Magnus Caris.  Everything was going to plan for the Swede as he opened up a 3-0 lead but then missed doubles and poor choices cost his as Hudson came thundering back and recorded a 10-darter in the seventh leg to win the match in style.  It was brilliant stuff from The Rock and he will be delighted with what could have been the biggest win of his career.

But now it’s time for the big boys to enter the fray, and although most of the biggest names have avoided each other there are some really tasty match-ups coming up this evening, these are my picks:

Mervyn King v Mark Walsh

Two real warriors who are perhaps not quite at their best at the minute but are still very high quality players.  Walshy finished top of the UK Open Order of Merit last year, and although he hasn’t quite replicated that he’s still right up there.  King has had some problems in the last year but looks like he’s getting over them now, it’ll be a tight one but I’m going with King.

Co Stompe v Simon Whitlock

The reward for The Matchstick just scraping through into the third round is one of the toughest draws around in The Wizard.  The Aussie had a hit-and-miss Premier League but his quality is undoubted and will fancy himself here.  Stompe is a rhythm player though and if he finds it will give anyone a very stern test, I can’t look past Whitlock though.

Wayne Jones v Reece Robinson

The sensation from Thursday night has been given a tricky tie and will need to continue his excellent form to have a chance of victory.  Wayne Jones might not be the most glamorous name on the tour card but he’s a very solid player and certainly won’t be beaten easily by anyone.  However if Robinson can continue his momentum and catch Jones cold he might have a chance, I fancy a third upset from the youngster tonight.

Alan Tabern v Dennis Priestley

Another really high quality pro match here as two of the most dependable players in the game square off.  Tabern a couple of years ago looked like he might really start challenging at the top, but it hasn’t quite materialised and although it will be tight I can’t bet against the Menace.

Mark Webster v Tony Eccles

This is a crucial game in the short-term career of Mark Webster.  He had an atrocious Premier League and his confidence will be at an all-time low.  Compare this to Eccles who rattled off two good wins last night and you have very contrasting mind-sets.  If Webster has found some form away from the cameras he should be fine, but Eccles could just make his year even worse, I’m going with The Viper.

Roland Scholten v John Part

Many people’s pick to do very well this week is the former World Champion John Part who has been looking very good in tour events of late and much more like the player we know he can be.  Scholten is a good solid player, and a former Champion of course, but if Part is really on his game, and I think he is, then he should win this one.

Terry Jenkins v Adrian Lewis

Easily the highest profile match of the third round sees these two Premier League contenders square-off and it should be a good one.  Adrian Lewis will clearly be favourite for the clash, but over a short format anything could happen and I certainly won’t be rushing to bet against The Bull.  Having said that I still think Jackpot will do it, just.

Steve Brown v Raymond van Barneveld

Another man tipped to do well before the tournament was Steve “Bomber” Brown, but his chances have been dashed thanks to about as tough a draw as he could get against Barney in round three.  Brown finished fourth in the Order of Merit for the competition and is a rising star in the game but he will have to play out of his skin to beat the Dutchman, I think it will be close but Barney should do it.

So there you have it, I’ll be back tomorrow for more of the same and a look forward to Saturday night’s action.  Enjoy it tonight, and here’s the full list of matches:

Main Stage
Co Stompe v Simon Whitlock
Steve Brown v Raymond van Barneveld
Phil Taylor v Mark Frost
Terry Jenkins v Adrian Lewis

Board Two
Mervyn King v Mark Walsh
Ian White v Gary Anderson
Roland Scholten v John Part
Richie Burnett v Colin Lloyd

Board Three
Darren Johnson v Kirk Shepherd
Richard North v Dave Chisnall
Justin Pipe v John Bowles
Robert Thornton v Wayne Atwood

Board Four
Andy Hamilton v Andrew Gilding
Andy Jenkins v Mark Hylton
Wes Newton v John Henderson
Colin Osborne v Mark Jones

Board Five
Sam Hill v Michael Smith
Denis Ovens v Kevin Painter
Vincent van der Voort v Andy Boulton
Mark Dudbridge v Joe Murnan

Board Six
Wayne Jones v Reece Robinson
Joe Cullen v Stuart Monaghan
Alan Tabern v Dennis Priestley
Martyn Turner v Matthew Edgar

Board Seven
Mark Webster v Tony Eccles
James Wade v Michael Mansell
Richie Howson v Michael van Gerwen
Jamie Caven v Steve Beaton

Board Eight
Steve Maish v Ronnie Baxter
Peter Wright v Peter Hudson
Graham Hollis v Paul Nicholson
Paul Harvey v Andy Smith