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US OPEN DARTS CHAMPIONSHIP (PDC) review by Andy Fairclough
For the first time in PDC Darts history digital TV station Challenge was the host for a weekend of top darts action from the Mohegan Sun Casino Resort in Connecticut and it was also the first ever PDC U.S. Open. The event featured over 200 players from the USA and PDPA members who had made the journey attempting to lift the £12,500 first prize. TV coverage began with a first round encounter between American's Brad Wetherington and one of the best known faces of American Darts Ray Carver. The match was a high quality affair with 5 180s hit by Carver and 3 by Wetherington. The first two sets were shared with both players averaging over 100. Carver took the deciding leg in set 3 which gave him the impetus in this short course match. (all sets were best of 3 legs first to 3 sets being the winner). The fourth set also went Carver's way as probably his big stage experience came to the fore and he finished with an impressive 99 average. Phil Taylor was next up and he made light work of New York's Neil McLoughlin winning by 3 sets to 0 and taking the first set with a 10 dart leg. Colin Lloyd seemed to be cruising against another New Yorker, Jim Widmayer. Lloyd went 2 sets to 0 up but he then had serious double trouble hitting only 6 out of 31 attempts during the contest. Widmayer's confidence grew as he clawed his way back into the contest and he ultimately took the match with a cool 116 checkout leaving the former world number 1 to rue on what might have been. Surprise first round casualties included Steve Maish, Andy Jenkins and Colin Osborne.
SECOND ROUND First second round match to be shown on TV featured Matt Clark against another American Tom Curtin. The match was evenly poised at one set each before Clark took the match with 4 consecutive legs. The only lady player in the competition was the seasoned American Stacey Bromberg. She went 1 set up against Kevin Painter before 'The Artist' pulled it back to win 3-1.
THIRD ROUND – LAST 64 Straight into the third round and the mouth watering clash of Chris Mason against Michael van Gerwen didn't disappoint. Van Gerwen took the first set and then went 1 leg up in set two. Mason checked out a cool 130 to break throw before van Gerwen pipped the deciding leg. Mason was 2-0 down and averaging 101! Set 3 also went to a decider with the first two legs both going against the throw. This time it was Mason who persevered to save the match by winning the set. Another 130 finish followed from Mason in the next leg (averaging 100) but Van Gerwen (averaging 98) then pulled out the necessary 2 legs to secure a 3-1 win. A high quality affair played in a good spirit. Peter Manley started with a 180 in his match against former World Champion Jelle Klaasen and went on to take the first set. Klaasen then levelled the game and another maximum from 'One Dart' helped take him to 2 sets to 1. Klaasen fought back hitting 2 x 180s on his way to the fourth set but Manley wrapped things up in style in the final set by finishing the match with a 105 checkout. Raymond van Barneveld also kicked off with a 180 against Canadian Gary Mawson. He also hit 2 x 180s in the second leg wrapping up the first set courtesy of two 11 dart games. Mawson took the first leg in set two, before Barneveld levelled (Barney avg 114, Mawson 99) and another 2 x 180s in the next leg effectively made it 2-0 to Barneveld. Mawson came back to take the third set but Barneveld then wrapped up the match by taking the 2 legs needed in set 4.
LAST 16 That was the end of coverage for the Saturday with the last 32 stage being played off air. Only one match from the last 16 was shown on TV as well – but what a match – as Wayne Mardle took on Mervyn King. Mardle took the first leg with a 116 checkout and the first set followed. Mardle went 1 up in the second set before King levelled with a 105 finish. A maximum in the next leg didn't help as Mardle took the set to lead 2-0. King checked out 100 to lead in the third set before Mardle levelled. In the deciding leg Mardle missed 2 darts for the match with King taking advantage and winning the set. A break of throw for King spearheaded him onto the fourth set and a decider to be played with the match now at 2-2. King hit another maximum and took the first leg, Mardle then levelled the set with King taking the decider and the match by 3 sets to 2. In a rare interview since he has moved to the PDC, King was quizzed why he decided to make the move from the BDO. "As far as I am concerned they (the PDC) are taking the game forward". Other last 16 results played on the floor included Barneveld beating Barrie Bates 3-0, John Part beating Mick McGowan 3-0, Ronnie Baxter beating Peter Manley 3-0 and Phil Taylor beating Kevin Painter 3-2. Reportedly Kevin Painter missed 11 darts to take the match. Andy Hamilton beat Dennis Priestley 3-1 and Mark Dudbridge ended the hopes of the last American by beating Jim Widmayer 3-1.
QUARTER –FINALS After selective coverage to this point came the announcement that all four quarter finals would be shown live on TV. The first quarter-final was between the two Dutchmen Raymond van Barneveld and Roland Scholten who have had a number of tussles since Barney's move to the PDC. Barneveld was in storming form as he won the match with a 110 average including a 10 dart game en route. Scholten clung on with an average of near 100 himself but it was a comfortable 3-0 to the five time World Champion. Andy Hamilton had a fairly easy ride past Mark Dudbridge winning 3-0 and taking out a 145 finish en route. It was a story of double trouble again for Dudbridge who missed all 7 of his attempts at a double. John Part seemed to have regained his form of old and with a maximum en route he broke Ronnie Baxter's throw in the first leg and then took the set with a 144 checkout. Another maximum helped him on his way to the third leg before he took set two in style with a classy 170 outshot (Part 99, Baxter 90 – averages). Baxter fought back a little in the third set with both of the first two legs going against the throw, but Part took the decider and the match, so 3 sets to 0. Phil Taylor put in a storming performance against Mervyn King in a match where there seemed little love lost between the two players. A 105 finish from Taylor took the first set before a 110 took the second. King took only 1 leg and that was in the third set as Taylor cruised to a 3-0 win with a 107 average.
SEMI-FINALS Raymond van Barneveld against Andy Hamilton was the first semi final and certainly a history between the two with Barneveld coming out on top in recent times. One of Barneveld's earliest encounters with the PDC was being knocked out of the qualifiers for the 2006 World Matchplay by Hamilton. Barneveld took the first set and then the second. Hamilton had to dig deep and he did by breaking throw in the opening leg of set 3. Barney levelled the set before two mid leg 180s helped 'The Hammer' on his way to the set, so now 2-1 to Barneveld. However the Dutchman saved the best til last by checking out 161 in the first leg and then hitting a 180 and a 171 (3 x T19) in the next leg to take the match with a 100 average. John Part has a great record against Phil Taylor and with the way he played in his quarter-final match, many expected another turnover could be on the cards. Taylor took the first leg (including a maximum en route) before Part levelled with a 123 checkout. Taylor however took the set (including a 174 during the deciding leg). Set two also went to a decider this time with Part taking the spoils with a 107 checkout. Set 3 also went to a decider with Taylor taking it. 'The Power' then kicked of the fourth set with a 102 checkout of his own and wrapped the match up with a 121 finish.
THE FINAL So once again it was Taylor vs Barneveld and of course the crowd in the Mohegan Sun and those watching late night at home (the match didn't start until about 11:15pm) had high hopes of another classic. The format was extended to best of seven sets for the final and it was 'game on'. The final didn't quite live up to some of the close encounters of the recent past but early on things were quite tight. Taylor took the first set in the deciding leg and broke throw to win the first leg of set 2. Barneveld hit back with back to back 180s but Taylor put in an awesome 12 dart leg to make it 2-0. The third set first leg went to Taylor before Barneveld held his throw in a leg where both hit maximums. Barneveld took advantage this time and took the set to make it 2-1 to Taylor. 'The Power' then seemed to move into another gear as he broke throw (averaging 102 to Barney's 98). The set followed to make it 3-1. Despite a 180 in the opening leg of set five, Taylor again took the leg pushing his average to 104 to Barneveld's 100. taylor wrapped the match up in the next leg chalking up an impressive 4-1 victory over the World Champion. Next stop Brighton for the Premier League finals just over one week away….
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