William Hill Grand Slam - Friday

ANDY HAMILTON edged into the quarter-finals of the William Hill Grand Slam of Darts with a thrilling 10-9 win over Gary Anderson on Friday night, as Christian Kist and Raymond van Barneveld set up an all-Dutch encounter at the Wolves Civic.

Hamilton, the 2007 Grand Slam runner-up, remains on course to reach another Wolverhampton decider following a gritty display in a heavy-scoring contest.

Anderson hit eight 180s and ended the game with an average of almost 102, but could only watch on as Hamilton - who had earlier taken out four ton-plus checkouts - hit double 16 for a 15-dart finish in the deciding leg of a classic.

Hamilton now plays three-time World Champion John Part in Saturday's quarter-finals, and said: "It was a beautiful game to be involved in.

"Gary's a superb player and a great scorer, but my finishing was exceptional tonight and it had to be.

"I think the finish that hurt him the most was when he missed three darts at tops and I took out the 121 finish on the bullseye, and that gave me so much confidence and put me 8-6 up.

"I was never behind and Gary was always chasing me, and having the throw in the final leg proved crucial.

"Hopefully I can carry on doing what I'm doing now in the quarter-finals. John Part's a legend so I'm looking forward to a great game and I'll be pushing him all the way."

Part had earlier held off a fightback from Northern Ireland's Brendan Dolan to reach the last eight in Wolverhampton for the first time since 2007 with a 10-6 triumph.

The Canadian led 6-0 as he punished Dolan for a string of missed doubles before the 2011 World Grand Prix finalist hit back to 8-6 at one stage, only for Part to pull away and seal victory.

"I felt pretty good and got into the lead but sometimes you can get too far ahead," said Part. "I was within grabbing distance of the match but it was in my mind that Brendan was coming back and I knew I had to assert myself.

"I'm not used to being so far ahead but he's a fighter and you can't take anything for granted until the game's over.

"I've had a lot of success in the Grand Slam and hopefully this year I can take it a little bit further. I'd like to be back for the next few years and I can guarantee that if I win my next game to reach the semi-finals."

Lakeside Champion Christian Kist edged out Wes Newton 10-9 in another thrilling contest as he reached the last eight on his Grand Slam debut.

Kist took out finishes of 128 and 102 amongst five successive legs as he took a 6-2 advantage before Newton fought back, eventually forcing a deciding leg with a brilliant 164 checkout.

Newton also left himself 28 in the final leg, only to see the Dutchman take out 62 for a 14-darter and set up a clash with Holland's most-decorated player, van Barneveld, in the last eight.

"It was an unbelievable game and it's a dream for me to be in the quarter-finals," said Kist. "I was a bit nervous at the end and hitting the winning double was a problem for me but I had a good last leg.

"It will be a good game against Raymond on Saturday."

Van Barneveld enjoyed a 10-4 win in his all-Dutch clash with Lakeside Championship semi-finalist Wesley Harms, hitting a 104.56 average and a 156 checkout before revealing that he had switched to using a lighter set of darts ahead of the contest.

He led 7-2 following a dominant opening to the game, and although the younster took out finishes of 170 and 120, van Barneveld had enough cushion to go on and seal the win - setting up a repeat of the Group H game which Kist won 5-4 earlier in the week.

"My game had been a little bit up and down in the last few days and it was in my mind to change to using 23 gram darts instead of 25 gram darts because I was pulling my darts all the time," said van Barneveld.

"As soon as I started practising they went in perfectly and I felt comfortable, and the 104 average is awesome.

"Wesley's 170 checkout was brilliant but I'm really happy with tonight's performance and I hope the quarter-final's going to be a cracking game.

"Losing to Christian in the group stage was a bad night for me - there was a lot of respect between us - and hopefully on Saturday it will be my game and I can turn that around. It's the first to 16, so it should be my game."

The quarter-finals will be played across two sessions on Saturday, with Dean Winstanley playing Kevin Painter in the afternoon session's opening game before Part meets Hamilton.

Kist and van Barneveld will then kick off the evening session before 2010 champion Scott Waites plays Michael van Gerwen, who knocked out Phil Taylor with a brilliant showing on Thursday.

TV Coverage
The tournament is being screened live on Sky Sports HD.
In addition, the tournament is being shown live on Fox Sports in Australia, OSN across the Middle East and online in the Netherlands through www.rtl7darts.nl/live .
Live Coverage is also available in LIVEPDC.TV for International Pass Subscribers, with highlights available for all Subscribers on a 24-hour delay.

Tickets
Tickets for the William Hill Grand Slam of Darts are still available by calling 0870 320 7000, via www.wolvescivic.co.uk or by visiting the Wolves Civic Box Office.

Live Stats
Live Scores can be followed by clicking this link:
   

William Hill Grand Slam of Darts
Friday November 16
John Part 10-6 Brendan Dolan
Wes Newton 9-10 Christian Kist
Andy Hamilton 10-9 Gary Anderson
Raymond van Barneveld 10-4 Wesley Harms
Best of 19 legs

Match Information 
John Part v Brendan Dolan

1-0 - Two missed darts at double 16 from Dolan allows Part to take out 77 on double five to secure an early break of throw.

2-0 - The Canadian continues his good start to the match by landing tops with his third dart.

3-0 - Dolan lets seven chances for the leg go begging and Part hits double 16 at the first time of asking.

4-0 - Part lands first 180 of the game in the process of moving four legs clear.

5-0 - Dolan's problems on the doubles continue as he misses five chances to get a leg on the board, and Part accepts the opportunity by hitting tops.

6-0 - Part hits double top for the second leg running to complete a 14-dart finish.

6-1 - Dolan leaves 24 after 12 darts and hits double 12 at the first attempt to put a leg on the board.

7-1 - Part hits the bullseye to convert a 121 finish to move three legs away from a place in the last eight.

7-2 - Dolan lands double three to win the leg in 15 darts.

8-2 - Part hits double four with an accurate third dart to restore his six-leg advantage.

8-3 - Dolan holds throw with the aid of an accurate attempt at double 16.

8-4 - The Northern Irishman hits a 180 and wins the leg with a 14-darter to break Part's throw for the first time.

8-5 - Dolan wins his third leg in a row thanks to an 82 finish.

8-6 - Dolan continues the excellent run by hitting a 123 checkout after Part was off-target with an attempt at the bullseye.

9-6 - Part hits a crucial double eight to stop the rot and go a leg away from a place in the quarter-finals.

10-6 - The three-time World Champion hits double top to confirm his place in the next round.

John Part: "I built up a very good lead by taking the chances Brendan gave to me. I will admit that I was worried when Brendan was coming back at me but it was to break his throw for 9-6 that virtually sealed it for me. I played here on five occasions and I haven't really had great results but I'm enjoying my run and I hope to continue it."



Match Stats

Wes Newton v Christian Kist

0-1 - Kist starts the match well by converting a 65 finish on double ten.

1-1 - The Dutchman hits a 180 but a missed dart at tops proves expensive as Newton takes out 100 in two darts to level.

2-1 - Newton hits double 16 at the first attempt to lead the game.

2-2 - The Fleetwood man hits a 180 but three missed darts at tops allow Kist to take out an 82 finish on double 16.

2-3 - Newton hits a maximum for the second leg running, but Kist wins the leg with an excellent 13-dart finish.

2-4 - Kist hits a clinical 102 finish after Newton was off-target with an attempt at the bullseye for a 164 checkout.

2-5 - The Lakeside Champion wins his fourth leg on the spin by recording a 128 checkout.

2-6 - Newton lets three chances to win the leg slip away as Kist hits double 12 to move further ahead.

3-6 - Newton hits double five to stem the tide and reduce the deficit to three legs.

3-7 - Kist continues his superb form on the doubles by taking out a 74 finish on tops.

4-7 - Newton takes out a two-dart 100 finish for the second time in the contest.

5-7 - Kist suprisingly misses eight darts at doubles to restore a four-leg lead and Newton lands a vital double five.

6-7 - Newton kicks-off the leg with a 180 and wins it on double five to reduce the gap to one.

6-8 - Newton dominates the leg but four missed chances at double 11 allow Kist to hit an impressive 68 finish to pinch it.

7-8 - Kist is off-target with three darts at double two and Newton accepts the opportunity by hitting double two.

7-9 - The Dutchman hits double ten with Newton waiting on a two-darter to edge closer to victory.

8-9 - Newton keeps the match alive by hitting double 15 with his last dart for a 90 finish.

9-9 - Kist leaves 40 after 15 darts but Newton fires in a fantastic 164 checkout to set up a deciding leg.

9-10 - Newton holds the advantage of throw but Kist produces consistent scoring to leave 62 after 12 darts. Newton is unable to take out 126 and the Dutchman takes out 62 in two darts to secure a superb victory.

Christian Kist: "It was an unbelivable game and it's a dream to be through to the quarter-finals. I was nervous towards the end but I held my emotions together in the last leg."



Match Stats

Andy Hamilton v Gary Anderson

1-0 - Hamilton starts the match impressively with a 14-darter completed with a two-dart 90 finish.

1-1 - Anderson levels the game thanks to a 74 finish.

2-1 - The Scotsman leaves 81 after nine darts but Hamilton hits a superb 134 checkout to lead again.

2-2 - Anderson hits double ten to level the match for a second time.

3-2 - Hamilton holds throw for a third consecutive time by landing tops at the first attempt.

3-3 - Anderson kicks off the leg with a 180 but Hamilton hits the winning double to level for a third time.

4-3 - Hamilton converts a superb 152 finish.

4-4 - Both players are off-target with attempts at the bullseye before Anderson hits double four.

5-4 - Hamilton hits double eight to edge ahead for the fifth time.

5-5 - Anderson hits double 20 to leave the match finely balanced.

6-5 - Anderson is off-target with a dart at the bullseye to break throw and Hamilton hits tops.

7-5 - Hamilton records a fine 110 finish to secure the first break of throw of the match.

7-6 - Anderson breaks back immediately thanks to an accurate dart at double 20.

8-6 - Three missed darts at double top prove expensive for Anderson as Hamilton lands the bullseye to complete a 121 finish.

8-7 - Anderson hits back-to-back 180s to set up a possible nine darter, before the seventh attempt at a treble 20 falls short, but the leg is won in 12 darts.

8-8 - Anderson hits a third 180 in the space of two legs and wins the leg with a 14-dart finsh to set up a tense finish.

9-8 - Both players miss a dart at a double before Hamilton claims the leg on double 16.

9-9 - Anderson wins the leg with a 14-darter which includes his eighth 180 of the contest to set up a decider.

10-9 - Hamilton kicks off the decider with a brace of 140 scores and leaves 32 after 12 darts and hits double 16 with a pressure third dart to win a thrilling match.

Andy Hamilton: "I managed to compose myself well to hit the double 16 to win the match. It was great game to be involved in. My finishing was the key tonight and it had to with the high scoring that Gary was producing."



Match Stats

Raymond van Barneveld v Wesley Harms

0-1 - Harms holds throw to win the opening leg.

1-1 - van Barneveld levels on double 16.

2-1 - Both players begin with 180s before van Barneveld wins it with an 11-darter.

3-1 - van Barneveld hits double 16 for the third leg running to move legs clear of his opponent.

3-2 - The five-time World Champion hits a 177 but missed dart at tops sees Harms win the leg on double 18.

4-2 - Both players record maximums before van Barneveld hits double 16 to restore a two-leg advantage.

5-2 - van Barneveld hits his second 11-dart finish of the match to move three legs clear.

6-2 - van Barneveld continues the purple patch by hitting a fantastic 156 checkout.

7-2 - Harms hits a third 180 of the game but four missed darts at doubles prove costly as van Barneveld takes out 78.

7-3 - van Barneveld hits scores of 180 and 177 to leave 24, but Harms wins the leg with a fantastic 170 checkout.

8-3 - Harms lets three chances to win the leg go begging and van Barneveld steps in to hit double 19.

9-3 - van Barneveld hits tops to go a leg away from a place in the quarter-finals.

9-4 - Harms continues to fight and hits a 120 finish to keep his slim hopes alive.

10-4 - van Barneveld seals the game in style with a 14-dart finish to end the match with a 104.56 average.

Raymond van Barneveld: "I'm very happy with my performance tonight. I did a lot of thinking before the match about my previous performances. After speaking to friends I decided to go back to my 23 gram darts and it felt a lot better. I will need to produce this kind of performance against Christian who has been really impressive so far and I have a lot of respect for him."



Match Stats