Fifth Time Lucky For Whitlock!

SIMON WHITLOCK won through to the Championship League Darts Winners Group at the fifth time of asking with victory over Paul Nicholson in the Group Five final on Wednesday.

The Australian star has been involved in each day of the internet-streamed tournament so far this year, but finally tasted victory by seeing off his World Cup of Darts team-mate Nicholson 6-3 in the final.

Whitlock had been the only player to defeat Nicholson during the round-robin league phase of the event on Wednesday at Crondon Park GC in Essex, edging a 6-5 win with an 11-darter in the final leg of that contest.

Whitlock also enjoyed four other wins in the league phase, while Nicholson's win over Dave Chisnall in the final round of matches saw him jump above the St Helens man to finish top of the league table on Legs Won after the pair took six victories apiece.

Whitlock then powered past Chisnall 6-4 in the semi-finals, averaging 107.02 and missing double 15 for a nine-dart finish during a high-quality contest.

He found himself 2-0 down in the final as Nicholson made a strong start, but an 11-dart finish in the third leg kick-started Whitlock's fight.

He then punished four missed doubles from Nicholson to level and produced a 14-darter to lead 3-2 before finishing 121 for a 12-darter.

Whitlock then took out 104 to move 5-2 up, before missing four match darts in leg eight as Nicholson kept his hopes alive by finishing 82 on tops.

Nicholson, though, could not take his chance to stay in the game in the next, as Whitlock posted double ten to claim the win and progress, picking up £2,850 prize money on the day and a place in the big-money Winners Group on November 1.

"I played really well today and I'm very happy with the result," said Whitlock, last month's European Championship winner.

"It was great to finally make a final because I scraped through in a couple of the days, but I've been pretty consistent and all the players seem to produce their best darts here for some reason.

"I was pretty exhausted in the first week because it came just after the European Championship and I scrambled my way through, but I've hit some good form.

"After I lost in the World Grand Prix to Justin Pipe last week, I went home and have been practising really hard and that's paying off for me. I can't wait for the Winners Group in a couple of weeks!"

He added: "It's always hard playing Paul because we're good friends, and it's good to see him playing his best darts again. It's been quite a while since he's played like this and I'm happy he's playing well at the moment."

Nicholson impressed throughout the day to top the league table, and saw off Terry Jenkins 6-3 in the semi-finals to win through to the decider, taking home £2,950 prize money in addition to £1,950 as a semi-finalist in Group Four 24 hours earlier.

He will, though, now have to return for Group Six on Thursday alongside Chisnall and Jenkins, who is the tournament's only ever-present since Group One following Whitlock's success.

Jenkins had sneaked into fourth place with a win over Wayne Jones in the final round of matches as he edged out Robert Thornton for a semi-final place.

Thornton and Mark Walsh join that trio in progressing to play in Group Six on Thursday, with Colin Lloyd and Wayne Jones eliminated after winning just one of their seven games on the day.

Three-time World Champion John Part, 2009 Championship League Darts winner Colin Osborne and Jamie Caven come in on Thursday to complete the Group Six line-up.

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All LIVEPDC.TV Subscribers will be able to watch live coverage from Championship League Darts, featuring play in the league stage simultaneously on two boards.

2012 Championship League Darts
Group Five Results

Final League Table

Match InformationFirst Set of Matches
Simon Whitlock made an excellent start to Group Five with a 6-3 defeat of Terry Jenkins. Whitlock made a brilliant start by hitting two 180s to kick off the game, although his hopes of a nine-darter were finished with his seven darts and he eventually took the leg on double one. Whitlock added a further maximum and a 76 finish to win the second before Jenkins fired in two 180s in taking the third. The Australian took out 121 and double four to move 4-1 up, and although Jenkins won two of the next three, Whitlock sealed the win by finishing 85.
Robert Thornton made a winning start with a 6-4 win over Wayne Jones in the battle of two of the three newcomers. Jones won the opener with a 106 finish before Thornton took out 80 and 161 to lead. Jones won two of the next three on tops to level at three-all before the pair traded 100 finishes, but Thornton took out 60 to take leg nine and tops for the win.
Group Four semi-finalist Paul Nicholson defeated Colin Lloyd 6-3 in their opener. Lloyd took out 104 to win the opener, before Nicholson won the next three to take command. Double eight pulled Lloyd back to 3-2 before Nicholson finished double two and tops to move 5-2 and to the brink of victory. Tops kept Lloyd in the contest, but Nicholson finished 62 to take both points.
Dave Chisnall reeled off six straight legs to come from two down and defeat Mark Walsh 6-2 in their first game of Group Five. Walsh finished tops and double four to win the opening two legs, but Chisnall replied by winning the third to get off the mark, finished 81 to level and hit a 180 as he moved ahead 3-2. He then landed a 170 score and double four to lead by two, before adding 180s in the next two as he swept to the win.

Second Set of Matches
Simon Whitlock came from 2-0 down to defeat Wayne Jones 6-2. Jones finished 101 in the opening leg and then took out 80 on the bull to break throw, but Whitlock replied strongly, taking out 126 on double six to get off the mark and double eight to level. He then broke throw against to lead, hit a 180 to move 4-2 up, won the seventh leg on double one and finished 40 for the match.
Terry Jenkins averaged over 103 in a fine display to defeat Robert Thornton. After Thornton took out 80 for the first leg, Jenkins finished 71 to level, double nine to lead and then landed seven perfect darts in the fourth. He also won the next two to move 5-1 up before the Scot landed his second 161 checkout of the day and 20 to pull back to 5-3, but Jenkins finished 152 to seal the win.
Paul Nicholson's strong start continued as he saw off Mark Walsh 6-4. Nicholson won three of the first four legs to take command, with Walsh replying in the fifth before the Australian World Cup star took out 110 for a 4-2 lead. The pair traded 180s as they shared the next two, and Walsh finished 68 to pull back to 5-4 after Nicholson missed double 16 for a 132 checkout to take the win - but he made no mistake by finishing 63 in two darts in the next leg.
Dave Chisnall maintained his winning start, defeating Colin Lloyd 6-2.  Lloyd held throw with finishes of 76 and double 14 to lead 2-1 before Chisnall levelled, punished a missed bull from the Essex ace to move 3-2 up and take out 62 for a 4-2 cushion. Chisnall then landed a 180 and an 80 finish before punishing three missed doubles from Lloyd to seal the win in the next.

Third Set of Matches
Dave Chisnall remains unbeaten at the lunch break for the second successive day, seeing off Wayne Jones 6-1 with an impressive 104.63 average. Chisnall finished 80 to win the first leg, broke in the second by landing a maximum and a 60 checkout and landed two maximums on his way to the third. Double 16 got Jones off the mark, but Chisnall finished double 12 to move 4-1 up, took out 121 on the bull in the next after the pair traded maximums, and landed two 140s in leg seven as he completed the win.
Simon Whitlock edged a nervy 11-leg thriller against Colin Lloyd. After the first four legs were shared, Whitlock won three in a row to move to the third of his third win of the day. Lloyd hit back with finishes of 83 and 71 before punishing two missed match darts from the Australian to pin double top and force a decider. Whitlock missed another two darts at double 18 to give Lloyd a chance to snatch the win, but the Englishman missed double top, ten and five to allow him back in to finally seal the win on double 18.
Mark Walsh came from 4-2 down to claim his first win of Group Five, defeating Robert Thornton 6-5 in a decider. Walsh made a strong start with a 180 in the first leg, and the opening four were shared before Thornton broke in the fifth, hitting a 180 in the process, before finishing 108 to move 4-2 up. Thornton also hit a 180 in the seventh, but Walsh finished 62 to hit back and then levelled, before finishing 48 to move 5-4 up. Walsh missed the bull for a 121 finish as Thornton landed double five to force a decider, but Walsh finished tops to take the points.
Paul Nicholson joined Chisnall and Whitlock on three wins after seeing off Terry Jenkins 6-1, averaging 104.82 in the process of a fine performance. Nicholson finished 101 and double 12 to win the first two legs, despite 180s from Jenkins, who hit double five to win the third. Another double 12 finish saw Nicholson move 3-1 up, and he took the next two to edge towards the win before finishing 52 for the match.

Fourth Set of Matches
Dave Chisnall ended Simon Whitlock's unbeaten start with a 6-2 victory to continue his own 100% run. Whitlock handed the first leg to Chisnall with seven missed doubles, as the St Helens man took out 64 to break before finishing 66, double 16 and double six to race into a 4-0 lead. Whitlock finished 92 to get off the mark, but Chisnall landed two 180s and double 16 to move 5-1 up. Whitlock took out 136 to win his second leg, but missed double nine to continue the revival and double ten gave Chisnall the win.
Wayne Jones picked up his first win of the day, defeating basement rival Colin Lloyd 6-4. Lloyd held throw in the first three legs before Jones hit two 180s in a 12-darter to level, and the pair shared tops finishes to be locked at three-all. Jones, though, found another gear to finish 95 on the bull and 160 to move 5-3 up, and although Lloyd took out double 16 to win his fourth leg, the Wolverhampton man won the next to claim the points.
Terry Jenkins wons his second game of the day, defeating Mark Walsh in style with an 11-dart leg in the deciding leg of their tight contest. The pair were locked throughout, with neither able to break during the first ten legs as the contest headed to a decider - with Walsh missing the bull for a 121 finish in leg ten to take the win as Jenkins finished 71 to force a final leg. Walsh had the throw, but Jenkins superbly landed a 180 to leave 81 and took out the finish for an 11-darter to snatch the win.
Paul Nicholson remains unbeaten following his 6-4 comeback win over Robert Thornton. Thornton led 2-0 early on before Nicholson finished 80 and 67 to level, with Thornton then winning two of the next three for a 4-3 cushion. Nicholson levelled, and took advantage of six misses from the Scot to move ahead for the first time at 5-4 before finishing 81 for a 12-darter as he claimed another win.

Fifth Set of Matches
Dave Chisnall came from 5-1 down to remain unbeaten with a narrow 6-5 win over Robert Thornton. Thornton made a fine start, finishing 70 and double top to lead 2-0 before landing back-to-back 11-dart legs. Chisnall get off the mark on double ten, but Thornton took out 80 to move a leg away from the win at 5-1. Chisnall posted double 18 to stay in the game, and then took out 127 on the bull to ignite his challenge before finishing 64 and double eight to level, before taking the deciding leg with a 92 bullseye finish.
Simon Whitlock produced a superb 11-darter in the deciding leg of his clash with Paul Nicholson to condemn his Australian World Cup team-mate to his first defeat of the day. The pair shared the first four legs, with Whitlock finishing 142 and 120 in the process before finishing double 13 and double ten to lead 4-2. The next two were shared as Whitlock edged to the brink of victory with a 64 checkout, before Nicholson punished a missed match dart from his opponent to hit double 16 in pulling back to 5-4 and a 13-darter to level and force a decider. Both players hit 180s in the final leg, but Whitlock took out 81 for an 11-darter to claim the victory.
Terry Jenkins defeated Colin Lloyd 6-4 to claim his third win of the day. Lloyd led 2-1 early on following a brace of double top finishes, but Jenkins took the next three to move 4-2 up. Lloyd finished 107 to pull back to 4-3 and a 180 left him 103 to level in the next - only for Jenkins to take out 144 to move one leg away from the win. Double eight kept Lloyd in the game, but he missed the bull to force a decider and Jenkins took out 97 on double ten for the win.
Mark Walsh picked up his second win of the day with a potentially key 6-4 defeat of Wayne Jones. Jones took the opening leg with a 63 finish, only for Walsh to post double six, a 120 checkout and 32 to lead 3-1. Jones halted the run with a 78 checkout and traded the next two before Walsh finished 81 to move 5-3 up and a leg away from the win. Walsh hit a 180 in the next but missed the bull for the match as Jones hit tops to stay in the contest, but a miss at double eight in the next allowed Walsh to wrap up the points.

Sixth Set of Matches
Paul Nicholson secured his Play-Off place for a second successive day, defeating Wayne Jones 6-4. Nicholson took three of the first four legs before Jones, aided by finishes of 68, tops and 80 on double ten moved him 4-3 up. Double eight, though, saw Nicholson level, and he then took out 130 and 99 in successive legs to seal the win.
Dave Chisnall's brilliant day continued as he picked up a sixth successive win, defeating Terry Jenkins 6-3 in a high-quality clash. Jenkins finished double two and double 13 to win the first two legs before Chisnall hit back strongly, kick-starting his game with a 180 in leg three and a 103 finish in the fifth to move 3-2 up. Finishes of 76 and 50 moved him 5-2 up before Jenkins posted double ten to hit back. and the pair traded 180s in the next before Chisnall sealed the win on tops.
Robert Thornton eliminated Colin Lloyd with a 6-3 win over the Essex ace. Thornton raced into an early 3-0 lead as he hit three 180s in the process before Lloyd took out 140 for a 12-darter to hit back. Thornton won a fourth leg before Lloyd fired in two of his own to pull back to 4-3 - but the Scot crucially took out 82 to stem the tide and sealed the with with a 13-darter on tops.
Simon Whitlock edged out Mark Walsh 6-5, coming from 5-3 down to claim his fifth win of the day. The first six legs all went with the throw, with Whitlock finishing 100 and 115 as the pair were tied at three-all, only for Walsh to hit three 180s in the next two to move 5-3 up. Whitlock, though, finished a party-piece 134 finish of treble 18 and two double tops to hit back, finished 87 on the bull to force a decider before trading 180s with Walsh in the final leg, which he took out on double 16.

Final Set of Matches
Colin Lloyd claimed a consolation victory, defeating Mark Walsh 6-4. Walsh took the game's first two legs before Lloyd fired in a 180 and 81 to get off the mark, but he was left sat on 40 in the next as the Hertfordshire ace took out 142. Lloyd hit back to win the next four and move 5-3 up, before missing double 18 for the game as Walsh took a fourth leg. Lloyd, though, finished 36 in the next to claim his only win of the day as he exits the event.
Paul Nicholson's 6-2 win over Dave Chisnall sees him jump above the St Helens man to finish at the head of the league table on Legs Won after the pair ended on 12 points and +17 Leg Difference. Nicholson took four of the game's first five legs before Chisnall took out 12 to win the sixth and pull back to 4-2. Double eight gave Nicholson a fifth leg, and he took the next to seal top spot.
Robert Thornton powered to a brilliant 6-1 win over Simon Whitlock - hitting a 111.34 average in a superb display only to miss out on a Play-Off place. Thornton made a superb start, finishing 78, 40, 70, double ten and double five to lead 5-0 with legs of 14, 13, 14, 13 and 15 darts. Whitlock took out 121 for a 12-darter in the sixth, but Thornton bettered that with an 11-dart finish to seal the win.
Terry Jenkins defeated Wayne Jones 6-4 to claim fourth place in the table and a semi-final spot.  Jenkins took out 100 and 130 to win the first two legs, and after Jones took out 88 he finished tops to lead 3-1. Jones took the next two to level but was punished for missed darts to move ahead as Jenkins finished double nine, and then posted tops to lead 5-3. Jones took out 121 to hit back, but Jenkins finished double four to take the win.

Semi-Finals
Paul Nicholson won through to the Group Five final with a 6-3 defeat of Terry Jenkins. The early stages were tight as the pair shared the opening two legs before Nicholson fired in an 11-darter to lead 2-1. Jenkins traded 180s with the table-topper before finishing 68 in two darts for the fourth, only to miss two darts at double 12 to win the fifth as Nicholson finished tops and then took out 110 to lead 4-2. Jenkins replied with a 104 finish but missed the bull to take out 90 in the next as Nicholson edged home double ten and then sealed the with with a fine 12-darter, hitting three 140s and taking out 81 on double 16.
Simon Whitlock powered into the Group Five final, defeating Dave Chisnall 6-4 with a 107.02 average and five 180s. Chisnall won the opener before Whitlock set up a nine-darter attempt in the second, hitting two 180s and then treble 20 and treble 17 on the 141 finish, before missing double 15 for the perfect leg. He took the leg on double four, and after Chisnall finished 87 for the third the Australian took three in a row to lead 4-2. Chisnall won two of the next three to cut the gao to one let, but Whitlock was too strong in the next and sealed a fine display on double four.

Final
Paul Nicholson 3-6 Simon Whitlock
1-0 - Nicholson finishes 61 for a 15-darter to take the lead.
2-0 - Whitlock misses five darts at double 16, eight and four, and Nicholson returns from missing three darts at tops to double his lead.
2-1 - Whitlock breaks with a brilliant 11-dart leg, hitting a 171 to leave 62 and taking out the finish on double 16.
2-2 - Whitlock levels in dramatic fashion, with Nicholson missing four darts to break back as Whitlock returns from a missed double 16 to hit double eight.
2-3 - Whitlock misses the bull for a 90 finish, but Nicholson is also off-target on the middle double to allow his opponent back on double eight to move ahead.
2-4 - Nicholson opens with 140 and 180, but Whitlock fires in two 140s and takes out 121 on double 14 to move two legs clear.
2-5 - Whitlock takes out 104 on tops to win a fifth successive leg.
3-5 - Whitlock misses four match darts, and Nicholson takes out 82 on tops to stay in the game.
3-6 - Nicholson is unable to land double 18, and Whitlock posts double ten to finally progress.

Final Match Stats

Final Group Five Stats

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