WHITLOCK ENDS TWO-YEAR WAIT FOR TITLE
SIMON WHITLOCK won his first ranking title for almost two years by defeating Andy Hamilton 6-4 in the final of Sunday’s Players Championship at the Barnsley Metrodome.
The Australian ace, who has lost in the McCoy’s Premier League Darts and Cash Converters World Cup finals this year, picked up his first Players Championship victory since October 2010 as he edged out Hamilton for the £6,000 first prize.
Whitlock had been a quarter-finalist in Saturday’s Players Championship, and continued his form to go all the way 24 hours later.
He defeated Tony Littleton, Scott Rand and Kim Huybrechts to ensure another last eight spot, and was pushed all the way to the 11th leg by Steve Maish before progressing to the semis, where he battled past Dennis Priestley 6-2.
Whitlock then found himself 2-0 down in the final before hitting back to level at two-all, with the next four also shared as the Australian posted a second 11-darter to square the match at four-all.
He then broke for the first time on double eight before hitting his fourth 180 of the final and double 16 to seal the win.
Hamilton had been a semi-finalist on Saturday, but avenged his defeat to Michael van Gerwen with a win over the young Dutchman on his way to the decider, taking a 6-2 win his their last four clash.
The World Championship finalist also overcame Johnny Haines, Ian Moss, Liam Kelly, Wayne Jones and Nigel Heydon on the day, but was denied his first ranking win since 2007 by the defeat to Whitlock.
Saturday’s winner Van Gerwen claimed a further £2,000 prize money in his run to the semis, missing double 12 for a nine-darter against Hamilton and averaging almost 107 in a win over Jamie Caven.
Two-time World Champion Dennis Priestley won through to the last four on home soil in Barnsley, with the 62-year-old showing his class with wins over Michael Smith, Steve Hine and Justin Pipe on the day.
Pipe and Heydon were amongst the quarter-final losers on the day, where they were joined by Steve Maish – who reached the last eight for the first time in two years – and Prakash Jiwa, who impressed with his wins over Gary Anderson and Dean Winstanley.
Terry Jenkins, a semi-finalist on Saturday, continued his form by averaging close to 107 in his third round win over Brendan Dolan, only to be denied in the last 16 by van Gerwen.
The weekend’s two events were the last Players Championships to count towards qualification for next month’s PartyPoker.com World Grand Prix in Dublin, with the field to be confirmed next Sunday following the PartyPoker.net European Championship in Germany.
Players Championship 12 Barnsley Metrodome
Sunday September 16 First Round Justin Pipe (1) Bye Terry Temple 6-3 Jim Walker John Part (32) 6-4 Andrew Gilding Ross Smith 6-5 Barrie Bates Vincent van der Voort (16) 6-2 John Henderson Magnus Caris 6-4 Gareth Pass Arron Monk 6-3 Mark Webster (17) John Walton 6-4 Steven Pearson Ian White (8) Bye Steve Hine 6-3 Denis Ovens Peter Wright (25) 6-4 Andy Jenkins Mark Frost 6-1 Andy Relf Ronnie Baxter (9) Bye Brian Woods 6-1 Stephen Hardy Dennis Priestley 6-5 Michael Smith (24) Martin Perring 6-0 Andy Firth Simon Whitlock (5) Bye Tony Littleton 6-4 Alex Roy Scott Rand (28) 6-3 Stuart Kellett Michael Barnard 6-5 Mark Dudbridge Kim Huybrechts (12) 6-0 Jamie Lewis Alan Tabern 6-4 Keegan Brown Paul Nicholson (21) 6-3 Chris Thompson Darren Webster 6-0 Daniel Day James Wade (4) Bye Shaun Griffiths 6-3 Joe Murnan William O’Connor 6-5 James Richardson (29) Mark Jones 6-1 Matt Clark Richie Burnett (13) 6-4 Dennis Smith Peter Hudson 6-3 Bernd Roith Steve Maish 6-2 Mark Walsh (20) Sam Hill 6-4 Chris Aubrey Dave Chisnall (2) Bye Les Wallace 6-3 Reece Robinson Wayne Jones (31) 6-0 John Scott Roland Scholten 6-1 Adam Smith-Neale Paul Barham 6-5 Colin Osborne (15) Liam Kelly 6-3 Steve Farmer Andy Hamilton (18) 6-4 Johnny Haines Ian Moss 6-5 Mark Forman Mervyn King (7) Bye Nick Fullwell 6-1 John Bowles Robert Thornton (26) 6-1 Keith Stephen Steve Brown 6-2 Scott Coleman Colin Lloyd (10) Bye Richie Howson 6-0 Devon Petersen Nigel Heydon 6-2 Andy Smith (23) Kevin Dowling 6-4 Dave Ladley Michael van Gerwen (6) Bye Kevin McDine 6-5 Gino Vos Jamie Caven (27) 6-2 Ted Hankey Mareno Michels 6-2 Adrian Gray Terry Jenkins (11) Bye James Hubbard 6-5 Michael Mansell Brendan Dolan (22) 6-5 Steve Grubb Darren Johnson 6-1 Mark Lawrence Wes Newton (3) Bye Daniel Starkey 6-4 Paul Rowley Joe Cullen (30) 6-2 Matthew Edgar Tony West 6-1 Darren Whittingham Prakash Jiwa 6-4 Gary Anderson (14) Gaz Cousins 6-3 Mick Todd Dean Winstanley 6-4 Steve Beaton (19) Adrian Bolitho 6-3 Simon Burt Second Round J ustin Pipe 6-0 Terry Temple John Part 6-2 Ross Smith Magnus Caris 6-5 Vincent van der Voort Arron Monk 6-0 John Walton Steve Hine 6-4 Ian White Peter Wright 6-0 Mark Frost Brian Woods 6-5 Ronnie Baxter Dennis Priestley 6-1 Martin Perring Simon Whitlock 6-2 Tony Littleton Scott Rand 6-0 Michael Barnard Kim Huybrechts 6-4 Alan Tabern Darren Webster 6-5 Paul Nicholson James Wade 6-1 Shaun Griffiths Mark Jones 6-4 William O’Connor Richie Burnett 6-5 Peter Hudson Steve Maish 6-2 Sam Hill Dave Chisnall 6-3 Les Wallace Wayne Jones 6-1 Roland Scholten Liam Kelly 6-3 Paul Barham Andy Hamilton 6-1 Ian Moss Nick Fullwell 6-5 Mervyn King Robert Thornton 6-2 Steve Brown Colin Lloyd 6-2 Richie Howson Nigel Heydon 6-2 Kevin Dowling Michael van Gerwen 6-5 Kevin McDine Jamie Caven 6-1 Mareno Michels Terry Jenkins 6-4 James Hubbard Brendan Dolan 6-5 Darren Johnson Wes Newton 6-0 Daniel Starkey Joe Cullen 6-4 Tony West Prakash Jiwa 6-2 Gaz Cousins Dean Winstanley 6-2 Adrian Bolitho Losers £200Third Round Justin Pipe 6-2 John Part Arron Monk 6-5 Magnus Caris Steve Hine 6-3 Peter Wright Dennis Priestley 6-2 Brian Woods Simon Whitlock 6-4 Scott Rand Kim Huybrechts 6-5 Darren Webster Mark Jones 6-5 James Wade Steve Maish 6-2 Richie Burnett Wayne Jones 6-4 Dave Chisnall Andy Hamilton 6-1 Liam Kelly Robert Thornton 6-5 Nick Fullwell Nigel Heydon 6-5 Colin Lloyd Michael van Gerwen 6-4 Jamie Caven Terry Jenkins 6-1 Brendan Dolan Joe Cullen 6-5 Wes Newton Prakash Jiwa 6-4 Dean Winstanley Losers £400
Fourth Round Justin Pipe 6-3 Arron Monk Dennis Priestley 6-5 Steve Hine Simon Whitlock 6-4 Kim Huybrechts Steve Maish 6-5 Mark Jones Andy Hamilton 6-3 Wayne Jones Nigel Heydon 6-3 Robert Thornton Michael van Gerwen 6-5 Terry Jenkins Prakash Jiwa 6-2 Joe Cullen Losers £600
Quarter-Finals Dennis Priestley 6-5 Justin Pipe Simon Whitlock 6-5 Steve Maish Andy Hamilton 6-5 Nigel Heydon Michael van Gerwen 6-5 Prakash Jiwa Losers £1,000
Semi-Finals Simon Whitlock 6-2 Dennis Priestley Andy Hamilton 6-2 Michael van Gerwen Losers £2,000
Final Simon Whitlock v Andy Hamilton Winner £6,000 Runner-Up £3,000 Final – Leg-By-Leg Simon Whitlock v Andy Hamilton 0-1 – Hamilton takes out 99 to win the opening leg. 0-2 – Hamilton lands a 171 and steps in following Whitlock’s missed tops to break throw and double his lead on double eight. 1-2 – Whitlock scores 180, 140 and 145 before finishing 36 on double 18 for an 11-darter. 2-2 – Double four for Whitlock sees him level matters. 2-3 – Hamilton is first to a finish, courtesy of three ton-plus scores, as he regains the lead on double eight. 3-3 – Whitlock levels with a fine 14-dart finish, ending on double ten. 3-4 – Whitlock misses two darts to break on 63 and Hamilton returns to edge back ahead on double eight. 4-4 – Whitlock opens with a 180 and also scores 99 and 134 before taking out 88 for another 11-darter. 5-4 – Whitlock breaks by finishing double eight. 6-4 – Whitlock hits a 180 to leave 64 after 12 darts and takes out the finish on double 16 to claim his ranking title since October 2010.
Match Stats
|
Simon Whitlock |
6-4 |
Andy Hamilton |
|
13 |
100+ |
12 |
|
6 |
140+ |
6 |
|
0 |
170+ |
1 |
|
4 |
180 |
0 |
|
100.03 |
Average |
87.15 |
|
2 |
Breaks of Throw |
1 |
|
88 |
High Finish |
99 |