Premier League - Week 4

It was all 'Wright' on the night as 'The Power' was turned back on

It was a great night in Glasgow as the new SSE Hydro arena and the Glaswegian crowd provided an unforgettable night at the darts. This new arena fitted straight in to the Premier League as easily as Peter Wright has fitted into this years competition as he ended the night as the new leader. For the first time in the tournament's history, 3 Scotsman are in the Premier League and the Scottish crowd were in full voice to cheer them on to an unbeaten night. 

The tone of the night was set from the very beginning as Peter Wright hit a 180 with the first 3 darts. Wright built on his opening 180 as he won the 1st leg on the bullseye and he carried on his unbeaten record in this year's competition as he thrashed Adrian Lewis 7:1. In the second leg of the match, Lewis won his only leg in 11 darts but Wright soon put to bed Lewis' challenge. He went on to win the next 6 legs and even though he missed 6 darts at the double in the final leg, after his trademark turn to the crowd, he still wrapped up the win 7:1. This win meant that Wright ended the night on top of the Premier League and in my opinion, he is the best ever debutant in the competition. In contrast, Lewis has now lost 2 in a row and with a game against World Champion Michael Van Gerwen next week, he will need to up his game. 

The second game of the night saw Wright's fellow Scot Robert Thornton take to the stage as he played out a scrappy draw with Wes Newton. Thornton was unable to recreate his fantastic form from last week as he averaged over 20 less than his 105 average. Newton was not much better however as he also averaged in the 80's and these averages were mainly as a result of the poor finishing from both players which even saw Thornton bust 19 with 1 dart in the 3rd leg. At the end of the 11th leg, Thornton was 6:5 up and it looked like the Scottish crowd were going to see another Scottish winner but it wasn't to be as Newton hit double 12 to tie the match. This draw put Newton into the top 4 and it showed that he is a much improved player since last year. 

Thirdly, the bottom 2 in the Premier League went head to head as both Phil Taylor and Simon Whitlock went into battle to try and win their first points this year. At the beginning of the match, Taylor looked unconfident again as he failed to hit a big treble in his first 7 darts and Whitlock took advantage to win the first leg. However, Taylor then upped his game to look more like his old self and by the end of leg 4, he was averaging over 113 and leading for the first time in this year's competition. Taylor ended up winning the match 7:3 with a 104 average, despite a little bit of magic from The Wizard in leg 8 when he hit the bull to win the leg. It is easy to forget that Simon Whitlock is the World Number 3 as he has hugely under performed this year and just to avoid relegation he is probably going to need to win 4 of his next 5 matches. On the other hand, could Taylor now build on these 2 points and mount a challenge to be Premier League Champion once again?

The headline match of the night was undoubtedly the all Dutch clash between Raymond van Barneveld and Michael Van Gerwen. In this quick fire match, Van Barneveld produced an exceptional 107 average as he ended Van Gerwen's unbeaten run which meant that he lost his place at the top of the league. To my surprise, the crowd were on Van Barneveld's side throughout the match as the Barney Army was in full force. It was an impressive start for Van Barneveld as he went 2:0 up by punishing Van Gerwen for missing doubles. Even in defeat, Van Gerwen still performed well and hit 6 perfect darts in leg 5 and he even had a shot at 94 in the final leg for a chance to draw the match. But Van Barneveld dismissed a Van Gerwen comeback as he hit D16 to win 7:5 and complete an impressive performance. Both players are now comfortably sitting in the top 4 and they will probably be vying for title come finals night on the 22nd May. 

The Glaswegian crowd did see another Scottish winner in the final match of the night as Gary Anderson overcame Dave Chisnall 7:5. This match probably turned out to be the highest quality match of the night as Chisnall and Anderson averaged 103 and 106 respectively. Anderson copied fellow Scotsman Peter Wright at the beginning of the match by kicking off with a 180 and for the first 5 legs, the match went with throw. However, the decisive moment in the match was in leg 6 as Anderson did what no other player has done in this year's Premier League by hitting the highest possible checkout of 170. This motivated Anderson to break Chisnall's throw in the next leg with a 90 checkout and he then held throw until the end of the match to win 7:5. Anderson looks to have truly overcome the double trouble that has hindered his progress in the last couple of years as he hit 70% of his doubles in this match. Chisnall will count himself unlucky not to have won the match and he is now dangerously lurking just one place above the elimination zone. On the other hand, Anderson is now looking up and only 1 point of the top 4. 

Week 5 Predictions

Peter Wright 7 : 4 Robert Thornton
Raymond Van Barneveld 7 : 5 Dave Chisnall
Adrian Lewis 3 : 7 Michael van Gerwen
Phil Taylor 6 : 6 Gary Anderson
Wes Newton 5 : 7 Simon Whitlock

Premier League - Week 3

Brilliance in Belfast

5 Ton plus averages, 2 major shocks and the loudest crowd so far meant that Belfast provided the best night so far in the Betway Premier League. 3 weeks into the Premier League, the table is starting to take shape but who could have predicted it would look like this?

The first game of the night was an all Scottish clash between Robert Thornton and Gary Anderson and Thornton provided one of his best ever performances on the Premier League stage. The match took little over 15 minutes to complete as Thornton wrapped up a 7:2 win with an incredible 105 average, the highest average of the night. Last week, I questioned whether Thornton would be fighting relegation but if he carries on hitting 105 averages, he will no doubt be a contender for the crown. Anderson will not worry too much about this loss as he ran into a player in top form and he still achieved a 95 average. I believe that both players will comfortably avoid relegation at the end of Week 9. 

The next game of the night was another speedy game where both players hit ton plus averages. In a very close game, Michael Van Gerwen kept his 100% record in the year's Premier League by defeating Dave Chisnall 7:4. Van Gerwen really looks unstoppable this year and despite suffering a little bit of double trouble, he still won against an in form opponent. Despite the defeat, Chisnall has shown in these first 3 weeks that he is a great addition to the League and he is not just there to make up the numbers. 

The third game of the night again provided the biggest shock of the night. It was something I never thought I would see. Phil Taylor, 16 time World Champion, lost a darts match to a man dressed as a cow! Although on a serious note, it is a very worrying time for all Taylor fans. Taylor again had a good ton plus average but he looked like a beaten man as soon as he stepped out on stage and the doubles are still troubling him. In order to just avoid relegation, Taylor is going to have to win at least 4 of the next 6 games in my opinion. He literally and metaphorically looks a shadow of his former self and I fear that the legend of our game, could be on the verge of bowing out. Peter Wright on the other hand put in another impressive performance as he averaged over 100 in a 7:4 win. Similarly to Chisnall, Wright has adapted to the League well and he is lying second in the League. Could he follow Van Gerwen and become champion on his debut year? 

Wes Newton continued to prove his critics wrong in the fourth game of the night as he beat an under par Adrian Lewis by 7 legs to 2. The game was not a classic but Newton looked in control throughout and he has already shown that he has really learnt from his Premier League experience of last year. It was a very poor performance from Lewis, who was suffering from a bad cold, and it meant he lost his 100% record in this years Premier League. However, both players will be happy with their starts to the Premier League as Lewis sits in the top 4 spots and Newton is just one place behind him on leg difference. 

In the final game of the night, Raymond Van Barneveld recovered from last week's loss to get back on track by beating Simon Whitlock 7:4. Barneveld again looked ice cool on the big stage and recovered from a mid match meltdown to claim the 2 points. If he can start performing consistently in this years Premier League, can Barneveld break his Premier League duck? It is not looking as pretty for Whitlock however as he is propping up the Premier League table without a point to his name. He did improve his performance from the first 2 weeks but it still wasn't enough and I really can't see the World Number 3 avoiding relegation. 

Week 4 Predictions

Peter Wright 7 : 4 Adrian Lewis
Robert Thornton 7 : 4 Wes Newton
Simon Whitlock 2 : 7 Phil Taylor
Michael Van Gerwen 7 : 3 Raymond Van Barneveld
Dave Chisnall 6 : 6 Gary Anderson

Premier League - Week 2

Taylor toppled again on a disappointing night at the darts

As Bournemouth hosted week 2 of the Premier League, despite the disappointing darts, it was still a very entertaining night as there were many shocks and comebacks which showed that darts is one of the most unpredictable sports in the world. 

Wes Newton set the tone for the night as he kicked off the night with a surprise win over Raymond Van Barneveld. This turned around both of their results from last week and Barney's 109 average looked a distant memory. The match was summed up by the first leg which took 23 darts and Newton missed 4 darts at the double before hitting double 10. Despite the Barney Army being in full flow, the same couldn't be said for Barneveld's darts and Newton always looked capable of hitting a big finish as he missed the bull for a 167 checkout on two separate occasions. Therefore, even though he found himself 5:3 down after 8 legs, he fought his way to win the match against an out of sorts Barneveld as he won the next 4 legs to win 7:5.

Game 2 of the night featured the 2 newcomers to this year's Premier League and it certainly wasn't a classic. Peter Wright entered the arena in his usual colourful attire as he chose a light blue outfit but his attitude contrasted his colour as he looked far from calm on the big stage. There was double trouble for both players throughout the match and in the first leg, Dave Chisnall missed 7 double darts before Wright took out double 1. For the majority of the match, both players seemed to be doing their best to throw away the game but at 5:1 up, Wright looked like he would take the match. However, in fairness to Chisnall, he upped his game and hit 6 perfect darts in leg 9 before securing a point as the game ended 6:6. 

The next game of the night started off better as Gary Anderson hit a 180 with his first 3 darts. Anderson carried on playing well throughout the match and carried out a resounding 7:2 win over Simon Whitlock. As Anderson hit 70% of his doubles, his trouble on the doubles looks to be over and with this form, could he be a dark horse for this years Premier League? In contrast, the man from down under still seemed under the weather and looked nervous throughout. He is going to have to quickly improve his performance if he wants anyone else to finish under him by week 9. 

The biggest game of the night was a repeat of the recent UK Open Qualifier 3 Final but the score was reversed as Phil Taylor was toppled again as Adrian Lewis won the match 7:3. The Power was unable to replicate the form from the weekend, which saw him hit two 9 darters, as he quickly went 5:0 down in the match and the whole darting world was wondering if he could be whitewashed for the second week running. However, he managed to salvage 3 legs in the match including winning a leg with a 140 finish but it wasn't enough to earn any points as an impressive performance from Lewis saw him comfortable winner. It is all looking promising for Lewis as he goes top of the League but Taylor is left in the bottom 2 and without a point. Is it possible that the great Phil Taylor could be relegated?

Finally, it was a quality start between Robert Thornton and Michael Van Gerwen as both players were averaging over 100 after 2 legs. Thornton made Van Gerwen work hard for his 7:5 victory and he showed an improved performance from last week's loss. Despite this, Van Gerwen still took the 2 points as he rounded off the night with a double 16 finish and a well earned victory. Van Gerwen already looks a cert to make the top 4 but is Thornton going to be challenging for the top spots or fighting relegation?

Week 3 Predictions

Robert Thornton 5 : 7 Gary Anderson
Dave Chisnall 2 : 7 Michael van Gerwen
Peter Wright 3 : 7 Phil Taylor
Wes Newton 2 : 7 Adrian Lewis
Raymond Van Barneveld 7 : 5 Simon Whitlock

Darts Academy

Burton on Trent darts academy approaches its 2nd anniversary

Live in the Staffordshire area? Want to try something new? Are you interested in Darts?
If the answer to any of those questions is yes then this post is appealing directly to you. 

Based at The Dart Inn at Stapenhill in Burton on Trent is a fantastic, free darts academy run by Rocky Hurst. The darts academy is open to all ages from 7 year olds up to 60 year olds and offers the opportunity for players to learn basic skills and then build on these skills by entering competitions. 

Rocky Hurst and his wife will have been running the darts academy for 2 years this May and have now got 60 members signed up. It is free to join the academy and it costs nothing to learn but the only cost is to play in competitions as this is to cover the cost of engraving the trophies. The academy is open every Saturday and everyday during school holidays from 11AM to 3:30PM. 

Mr Hurst says that he “would love to get new members” and that anyone is welcome as long as they want to play and improve their game. He says that his aim is to “promote darts and to get more people interested in the sport”. He hopes this will help to “keep youngsters off the streets” and “put the spirit back into the community’.

Finally, as well as playing for fun, the darts academy is also a great stepping stone for all aspiring darts players. 6 of the current members now play in the derby youth and some of the members even go to Jamie Caven’s darts academy on Wednesdays. 

I understand this won’t be accessible to most of you but if you know of anyone who may be interested then please let them know 

To find out more, please email rhurst163@gmail.com or find him @rhurst164 on Twitter.

Webcam Darts Association (WDA)

Practice makes Perfect

If you are a beginner, pub player or professional player, the WDA can help you to improve your game. Playing in the WDA is an easy, fun and challenging format for all players to practice and it allows everyone to test their game against an opponent in a competitive game. The WDA is free to join and all you need is a webcam and a darts board!
In order to register in the WDA you need to have a google account and once you have registered you can get straight onto the site. It all becomes clear when you are on the website but you also need to set up a webcam so that the darts board is clearly viewable for the other player so that the darts board is the only thing in shot. Then you can play a match against anyone from anywhere in the world to test your skills! Your stats are recorded and your game is analysed. This means you can choose opponents who play at a similar level to you based on their averages.
I personally only played my first game in the WDA and I have loved it so much that I have played 9 games in 4 days but have only won 1! It's fair to say that I have a long, long way to go before I am winning competitions but the more I practice, the better I get. As well as playing individual matches in the WDA, you can take part in competitions including the Equalizer (Best of 9 legs) and Ladder (Best of 10 legs).
So, get yourself signed up to the WDA and see how you fare against other darts players from around the world. Good Luck! 

https://www.webcamdarts.com

It's Hammer Time

Hamilton makes a mockery of his Premier League omission by winning the UK Open Qualifier 1

The Hammer won his first title on the PDC Pro Tour since 2007 as he produced a fantastic 105.27 average to beat his Stoke compatriot Adrian Lewis in the final. Hamilton turned round his recent run of poor form and beat 3 Premier League players on his way to picking up the title. He began his title bid by getting a bye through round 1 but then beat Michael Burgoine in round 2 (6:3) before edging out Jeff Batham (6:5) in round 3. In round 4, Hamilton won 6:2 against, World Number 6, James Wade and then he astonishingly beat World Number 1 and current World Champion Michael Van Gerwen (6:4). As Hamilton reached the quarter finals he took his performance to another level as he knocked out Kevin Painter (6:4) before thrashing the Premier League's Dave Chisnall (6:1) in the semi final. 

In the final, The Hammer came up against his close friend Adrian Lewis who was full of confidence from his 7:1 Premier League win over Simon Whitlock the night before. However, Hamilton was full of confidence himself and produced another fantastic performance. The final finished with Hamilton winning 6:2 with an average of 105.27 and hitting a 'Hamilton-like' 144 checkout. 

Personally, I am delighted that Hamilton is back to his best and he thoroughly deserved to win this title. Also in this tournament, there were 3 9 darters hit by Dave Chisnall, Terry Jenkins and Dave Ladley which shows the incredible depth of quality in the professional game today. Finally, in my opinion, I think that the main message to come out of this tournament is that Andy Hamilton should have been chosen for the Premier League as he is made for the big stage and with averages of 105, he could easily have challenged towards the top of the league.

Premier League - Week 1

Taylor thrashed on an unbelievable opening night

As Liverpool kicked off this year's Betway Premier League, in the words of Wes Newton's walk on song, it was a "crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy night!". It was the night that all darts fans had been waiting for and it certainly did not disappoint with plenty of dazzling darts, drama and dancing! 

The night kicked off with Premier League debutant Dave Chisnall winning 7:5 against the below par Robert Thornton. The match swung both ways before ending up in the hands of Chisnall as he punished Thornton for his 'double trouble'. After that game, we were all left wondering if Thornton would have to walk 500 miles back home if he doesn't survive relegation at the end of week 9. Current BDO world champion Steven Bunting watched on with admiration as he looks to start his PDC career and who knows if this time next year he could be playing in the Premier League. 

The second game of the night saw Thornton's fellow scot Peter Wright have no such 'double trouble' as he beat Wes Newton 7:3. Throughout Wright's performance we saw his charisma and skill shine through and he is certainly a fantastic addition to the Premier League. Could he be a dark horse for this year's title? However, Wes Newton wasn't at his best, he is known as the warrior and he is certainly going to have to fight for his place to avoid relegation again this year. 

In the third game of the night, Gary Anderson was looking to build on his German Darts Championship title from last weekend and despite averaging 100.7, he was quickly beaten by a brilliant Raymond Van Barneveld. Barneveld was truly unstoppable and after the first 3 legs he was averaging an unbelievable 128. He then went on to hit 7 perfect darts in leg 6 before wrapping up the win 7:2. 

Game 4. Michael Van Gerwen 7 : 0 Phil Taylor. Yes, you read that correctly. 16 time world champion, Phil Taylor, suffered only the 4th ever Premier League whitewash at the hands of current Premier League champion Michael Van Gerwen. This huge defeat would be easy to blame on Taylor's new darts or his incredible weight loss but in all honesty, he was truly outclassed by Van Gerwen. Van Gerwen averaged 109.6 and hit all of his first 5 attempts at the double and he showed he is clearly the favourite to retain his Premier League crown this year. As we have seen over the years, you should never write Taylor off, but could this now be the end of Taylor's dominance?

The night concluded with Adrian Lewis winning 7:1 over Simon Whitlock. This game saw the number 3 and number 4 in the world rankings go head to head but in truth it was never a close contest. Lewis averaged just under 100 whereas an under the weather Whitlock could only manage an average of 86. Whitlock was nearly relegated from the Premier League last year and he will need to vastly improve his performance to avoid another fight this year. In contrast, Lewis will now be looking up and challenging to make the top 4. 

Week 2 Predictions 

Wes Newton 1 : 7 Raymond Van Barneveld
Dave Chisnall 3 : 7 Peter Wright
Gary Anderson 7 : 5 Simon Whitlock
Adrian Lewis 6 : 6 Phil Taylor
Robert Thornton 2 : 7 Michael Van Gerwen

Jamie Caven

The Way Eye See The Game

An inspirational, emotional and incredible book.
In the last 7 days, I started and finished reading "The Way Eye See The Game" - Jamie Caven's autobiography. This book is a must read for not just anybody who follows the game of darts but for anybody needing inspiration in order to overcome a setback in their life. After reading this book, I truly understand the hard work and determination that is needed in order to become a professional darts player but replicating it, like Caven has done throughout his career, is a different matter. "The Way Eye See The Game" follows Caven's life to date and shows how he has worked his way to becoming one of the World's best darts players despite his blindness in one eye. In addition to this, he also has type 1 diabetes due to having his pancreas removed in 1996 and he lost both his parents by the age of 36. However, not one to feel sorry for himself, Caven overcame the setbacks in his life and carried on working hard through it all and is still competing at the highest level today.
Now, that is just a brief overview of this fantastic autobiography as I want you to read this book for yourselves as not only is it an inspirational story but it is expertly written with the help of David Kirby from DK Darts. Moreover, it is a very easy read as it has short and clear paragraphs, images to break up the text and it is only 140 pages long.
Caven says on page 103 that he "decided to write this book, knowing that I can make a difference and inspire others to achieve" and he has certainly achieved that on my part and I am sure he has done the same for everyone else who has read this book.
In conclusion, I would like to highly recommend "The Way Eye See The Game" to any darts fans; I would like to congratulate David Kirby for producing such a fascinating autobiography and I would like to thank Jamie Caven for writing this autobiography and as a result, becoming an inspiration for many people throughout the world.
Since reading this book I would definitely now add Jamie Caven to my list of favourite players and it will be an amazing day when he wins his first major title. 

Good Luck Jamie Caven!