Ladbrokes World Championship Day Ten

PHIL TAYLOR and Andy Hamilton set up a mouth-watering quarter-final clash at the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship with victories at Alexandra Palace on Sunday night, as Michael van Gerwen secured his place in the last 16 of the event - but Dean Winstanley was knocked out despite hitting a thrilling nine-dart finish!

Stoke pair Taylor and Hamilton claimed victories over Robert Thornton and Terry Jenkins respectively to become the first players into the last eight of the £1 million tournament.

The remaining third round games will be played on December 27 following the three-day Christmas break, but both Taylor and Hamilton produced their best performances so far this year to set up their quarter-final tie.

Taylor dropped only three legs as he swept past UK Open champion Robert Thornton in straight sets to follow up his previous wins over Michael Mansell and Jerry Hendriks with a comprehensive triumph.

"I'm really happy with that and my performances are getting better," said Taylor, the 2/1 favourite with sponsors Ladbrokes to win the Sid Waddell Trophy on New Year's Day.

"I know Robert's a dangerous opponent, but he missed a couple of crucial doubles tonight. Winning the last leg of the third set was important for me, making sure he didn't win a set back, and I finished him off well after that.

"I've put so much work into this and it will mean a huge amount if I can win this now and I'll concentrate on getting prepared for the quarter-finals because Andy's been playing some fantastic darts."

Hamilton, meanwhile, defied a superb 13 180s from Terry Jenkins to take a 4-1 win over the seven-time major finalist, who took the game's opening set but missed doubles to win three others as last year's runner-up continued his challenge to reach another final.

"I'm delighted to be through," said Hamilton. "I started slowly but once I got into the game I thought I recovered really well.

"I only had to two 180s and Terry had 13, but it shows that the phrase 'trebles for show, doubles for dough' is right because my finishing was brilliant, and it had to be because my scoring wasn't great.

"There was a lot of pressure on me tonight because I wanted to win this game so I can have a great Christmas - and I'll relax now and prepare myself for the quarter-finals."

Second favourite Michael van Gerwen, meanwhile, produced an impressive comeback from two sets down to power past Peter Wright 4-2 in their second round clash, as the Dutchman completed the last 16 line-up.

Van Gerwen won 12 of the game's final 14 legs, hitting a ten-darter and 12 maximums as well as recording a superb average of 102.13 to set up a third round clash with Colin Lloyd on Thursday.

"Peter hit some great finishes early on and I was in a bit of trouble," admitted van Gerwen. "After the second break I felt more comfortable and started to hit the big scores consistently, which got me back into the match.

"I'll have a good Christmas before I play Colin Lloyd. He's a former world number one, so I'm well aware that it will be a tough game."

Earlier on Sunday, Dean Winstanley recorded a sensational nine-dart finish during his 4-2 defeat to Dutchman Vincent van der Voort, who edged the final two sets of the game in a deciding leg as he progressed.

Winstanley, though, is in line for a £15,000 bonus after becoming only the third player - after Raymond van Barneveld, who has landed two nine-darters at Alexandra Palace, and Adrian Lewis - to achieve the feat in the PDC World Championship.

"I'm distraught to have lost, but I've made a great impact and I'm proud of what I've done," said Winstanley.

"I'm over the moon to have hit a nine-darter on TV, especially in the World Championship, and I've proved to everyone that I can mix it with the best."

Van der Voort, meanwhile, will play number three seed James Wade in the third round, with the two-time semi-finalist defeating Steve Beaton 4-2 in their clash.

Mark Walsh was also a 4-2 winner as he booked a last 16 date with Wes Newton following the Christmas break by defeating Justin Pipe, the number 11 seed.

Taylor enters the Christmas break as the 2/1 favourite with Ladbrokes, with van Gerwen now 11/4 to take the £200,000 title, Raymond van Barneveld the third favourite at 8/1 and Adrian Lewis, Gary Anderson and Simon Whitlock all 10/1 shots to triumph on New Year's Day.

Watch Live!
The Ladbrokes World Darts Championship will be live in its entirety on Sky Sports HD, with the semi-finals and final also on Sky 3D.

Fans can also watch live coverage through the following international broadcasters:
RTL7 Netherlands
Sport1 Germany
Fox Sports Australia
Sky New Zealand
OSN across Middle East
Sport1 Czech Republic, Slovakia & Hungary
LIVEPDC.TV - fans outside of the UK, Ireland and Holland can watch the entire tournament live through LIVEPDC.TV with an International Pass subscription - and there's currently a special two-for-one offer for fans to sign up to LIVEPDC.TV !

Highlights from every game are also available in LIVEPDC.TV on a 24-hour delay basis.

Get Involved!
Join the conversation on Twitter throughout the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship by using #Ladbrokesdarts.

Don't forget to follow the PDC's @OfficialPDC Twitter page and our OfficialPDC Facebook page , as well as see video interviews throughout the event on our YouTube channel .

Live Stats
Follow the action at http://live.dartsdata.com/Default.aspx and follow @PDCResults  and  @SportStat_Live on Twitter.

Ladbrokes World Darts Championship
Sunday December 23
Afternoon Session (12.30pm)
3x Second Round
Justin Pipe 2-4 Mark Walsh
Dean Winstanley 2-4 Vincent van der Voort - Dean Winstanley hits nine-dart finish
James Wade 4-2 Steve Beaton

Evening Session (7pm)
Second Round
Michael van Gerwen 4-2 Peter Wright
Third Round
Andy Hamilton 4-1 Terry Jenkins
Phil Taylor 4-0 Robert Thornton
All games the best of seven sets

Mark Walsh 4-2 Justin Pipe
(3-1, 3-0, 0-3, 3-1, 2-3, 3-2)
MARK WALSH secured a fine 4-2 victory over Justin Pipe in the second round of the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship as he continues his bid to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in the event.

The former UK Open finalist started much the better of the two players as won six of the first seven legs of the contest to establish a two-set lead.

Pipe managed to claim two of the next three sets, before Walsh won a dramatic deciding leg in the sixth set to confirm the win and set-up a last 16 tie against Wes Newton.

The game had been halted for five minutes during the fifth set when the stem on one of Pipe's darts snapped and the Taunton ace was unable to free the base from his barrel, with Walsh briefly lending one of his spare darts to his opponent whilst the problem was fixed backstage.

"It was going through my head that I can't let him beat me with one of my own darts!" admitted Walsh. "As soon as that set was out of the way I got my focus back and did the business in the end, and I'm delighted to be through.

"It makes your Christmas dinner so much better when you're still in the World Championship. It's the biggest tournament in the world and it's fantastic to be in the last 16 - but I want to get to the last eight now.

"I've got to up my game against Wes Newton because he's playing some fantastic darts. He's a heavy scorer and his finishing is second to none and I know what I've got to do against him."

Walsh started the game in fine style as he won the first leg with a 13-dart finish, to break Pipe's throw, and repeated the feat to win the second leg and double his lead.

The third leg saw Pipe miss double 12 for a 144 checkout, but Walsh was unable to land three darts at the same double for the set, and Pipe posted double six to hit back - only to miss three doubles of his own in the fourth as double eight gave the number 22 seed the set.

Walsh continued his good form at the start of the second set as he won the first leg in 13 darts, before taking the second with an excellent 101 finish, making Pipe pay for two missed darts at doubles.

Walsh, who put together a good performance to beat Darren Webster in the first round, the won the third leg on double five to take the set without reply and double his lead.

Pipe won the first leg of set three by landing double eight, before breaking his opponent's throw for the first time in the match as converted a 97 finish, thanks to an accurate dart at tops.

The Taunton ace then hit double eight to win the third leg - and with it the set - to reduce Walsh's advantage to 2-1.

Pipe won his fourth leg in a row to make a winning start to set four, only for Walsh to secure an immediate break back, thanks to an accurate third dart at double ten.

The third leg saw Pipe miss a dart at double top for a 120 finish, and Walsh hit double 12 at the third time of asking to hold throw.

Pipe was off-target with another dart at tops in the next, and that proved costly as Walsh took out 62 to move 3-1 up.

Walsh hit double 12 to break throw at the start of the fifth set, but was unable to capitalise on a miss from Pipe in the next as he allowed his opponent to return and post double two.

After a delay in proceedings to repair one of Pipe's darts, the number 11 seed hit double ten to win the third leg before Walsh took the fourth by taking out 79, after his opponent had missed one dart at tops.

The deciding leg saw Pipe kick off with scores of 180 and 140 and he went to hit double eight, to complete a 13-dart finish in reducing the gap to one set.

Both players held throw at the start of the sixth set before Walsh hit a 180 in the third leg, followed by a clinical two-dart 76 finish to move a leg away from victory for a second time.

The fourth leg saw Pipe miss four darts at double top, before Walsh missed one dart at double six to win the match, and the Taunton ace held his nerve to hit double ten.

Pipe opened the fifth leg with a maximum, but missed two darts to force a deciding set as Walsh cleaned up double eight to secure the victory.

Match Stats

Vincent van der Voort 4-2 Dean Winstanley
(3-0, 3-0, 2-3, 0-3, 3-2, 3-2)
VINCENT VAN DER VOORT defied an amazing nine-dart finish from Dean Winstanley to take a 4-2 victory in their memorable Ladbrokes World Darts Championship second round clash.

Van der Voort won the opening six legs of the contest to establish a two-set lead, before Winstanley kick started his challenge with a brilliant perfect leg in the third leg of the third set.

Winstanley went on to take the set and then won the fourth without reply to level the game, but crucially missed doubles to win the next two sets in deciding legs as van der Voort secured his last 16 spot.

"In the first two sets I was totally in control and I felt great but the match changed after the nine-darter and I felt I had to do something special to win," he said.

"I think things turned back in my favour when I took the fifth set and I'm impressed with the way I closed out the match under that kind of pressure."

Van der Voort, who overcame debutant Stuart Kellett in the first round, broke throw in the first leg on double four before taking the second by hitting double top at the first attempt.

The Dutchman, who reached the last eight at Alexandra Palace two years ago, then wrapped up the first set in clinical fashion as he converted a 105 finish.

Winstanley recorded a 180 at the start of the second set, but three missed darts at doubles proved costly as van der Voort hit double four to edge ahead.

The former UK Open finalist won the second leg with a 13-darter and his sixth in a row on double ten, to move two-sets clear and leave Winstanley in big trouble.

Winstanley won his first leg of the match on double ten at the start of the third set before van der Voort landed double eight to take the second.

Winstanley kicked off the third leg with back-to-back 180s to ignite hopes of the first nine-dart finish at this year's World Championship, before coolly slotting home the seventh successive treble 20, treble 19 and double 12 to achieve the amazing feat.

Van der Voort won the fourth leg on double 16 before Winstanley went to hit a 180 the fifth and landed double five to win the set.

Both players hit 180s in the first leg of the fourth set, before Winstanley won the opener on double 12 to complete a 13-dart finish.

Winstanley hit double top to win the second leg, which included his seventh maximum of the game, and a 120 checkout secured the set – levelling the match at two-all – after van der Voort was off-target with two attempts at double 16.

Both players held throw in the opening two legs of set five before Winstanley won the third leg with an excellent 13-dart finish.

Van der Voort won the fourth by taking out 82 in two darts before claiming a tense fifth leg by hitting a vital double four with his third dart, after Winstanley let four chances to win the set go begging.

Van der Voort held throw at the start of set six on double 16, before Winstanley took the second to level thanks to an accurate attempt at double eight.

Winstanley hit the same double to secure a break of throw in the third leg, but van der Voort hit back by converting a superb 103 checkout, with his opponent waiting on 40, to move a leg away from victory.

He missed a dart at double 16 to take the win in the next leg, but Winstanley burst his score needing nine and van der Voort stepped in to post double eight for a dramatic win.

Winstanley will pocket a £15,000 bonus for his nine-darter should no other player achieve a perfect leg in the remainder of the event to claim a share of the prize.

However, he admitted: "I'm distraught to have lost, but I've made a great impact and I'm proud of what I've done.

"I'm over the moon to have hit a nine-darter on TV, especially in the World Championship, and I've proved to everyone that I can mix it with the best."

Match Stats

James Wade 4-2 Steve Beaton
(3-0, 1-3, 3-0, 0-3, 3-2, 3-2)
JAMES WADE overcome the challenge of Steve Beaton with a 4-2 victory in the second round of the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship to set up a clash with Vincent van der Voort at Alexandra Palace after Christmas.

Wade led the match twice only for Beaton to hit back on both occasions to leave matters finely balanced following four sets.

However, Wade managed to edge the fifth set with a 130 checkout before taking out a 120 finish to end Beaton’s hopes in a dramatic decider to the sixth.

"It was a really hard game but I produced the right finishes at the right time," said Wade, who hit eight of his nine attempts at double top during the game.

"The 130 finish was a massive shot but I felt the 100 finish on two double tops in the third leg of the sixth set was much better.

"No one's been talking about me and I've come into this tournament under the radar - but I've won seven major titles, which proves that I can win the world title."

Wade held throw with a 78 finish to win the opening leg before breaking Beaton's throw at the first opportunity by taking out a 121 checkout.

The number three seed continued the good finishing as he took out 72 to win the set in the next and establish an early lead.

Beaton won his first leg of the match at the start of the second set by converting a 64 finish before Wade held throw in the next to level.

The 1996 Lakeside Champion then hit double 16 to win the third leg and put together an excellent 14-darter, against the throw, to level the match.

Wade hit back at the start of the third set as he took out an 80 finish before breaking throw on double ten in the next, and he followed a 180 with tops in leg three to take the set and move 2-1 up in the match.

Beaton won the opening leg of the fourth set before breaking throw, as he landed double 16 to complete a 68 finish, to move two legs up.

Beaton, who defeated Australia’s Kyle Anderson in the first round, took out 84 to win the set without reply and square the game.

Wade held throw to win the opening leg of the fifth set before Beaton took out a 78 finish, on double 18, to level, and the next two were shared before the left-hander pinned a superb 130 checkout to edge the set and lead for a third time.

The beginning of the sixth set saw Beaton miss four darts at doubles, but Wade was unable to capitalise as he missed two attempts at double ten, allowing his opponent back in.

Wade hit tops at the first time of asking to win the second leg, and then won the third with a showpiece 100 checkout, completed with two accurate darts at double top.

That put Wade a leg away from a place in the last 16, but Beaton showed his class as he won the fourth leg against the throw with a fabulous 12-darter.

Beaton kicked off the deciding leg with back-to-back 140s and left 122 after nine darts - but burst his score with his next visit and then failed to take out the finish to allow Wade in to take out 120 for the triumph.

Match Stats

Evening Session
Michael van Gerwen 4-2 Peter Wright
(1-3, 2-3, 3-0, 3-1, 3-0, 3-1)
MICHAEL VAN GERWEN came from two sets down to seal a third round tie against Colin Lloyd on December 27 following a superb 4-2 defeat of Peter Wright in the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship on Sunday night.

World Grand Prix champion van Gerwen found himself in trouble when he lost the opening two sets against Wright, the number 26 seed who took the opener 3-1 and edged the second.

However, the 23-year-old kick-started his challenge by winning the third set with legs of 12, ten and 16 darts as he began a run of taking 12 legs out of 14 in powering to victory.

"Peter hit some great finishes early on and I was in a bit of trouble," said van Gerwen, who ended with an average of 102.13.

"After the second break I felt more comfortable and started to hit the big scores consistently, which got me back into the match.

"I'll have a good Christmas before I play Colin Lloyd. He's a former world number one, so I am well aware that it will be a tough game."

Van Gerwen hit a 180 in the opening leg, but three missed doubles allowed Wright to edge ahead on double top before the Lowestoft ace took out double nine to take the second after the Dutch youngster missed the bullseye.

Wright, who defeated former World Youth Champion Arron Monk in the first round, took the third thanks to accurate dart at tops to leave van Gerwen a set down.

Van Gerwen made an improved start the second set by winning the first leg with a 71 finish, before hitting double 16 to take the second.

The World Grand Prix champion then missed one dart at double eight to win the set in the third leg, and Wright took out 64 on tops to hit back.

He then hit an excellent 121 finish to win the fourth leg, defying a 180 from his opponent, and although van Gerwen landed a brace of maximums in the decider, a 12-darter from the Scottish World Cup ace gave him the set.

Van Gerwen's heavy scoring continued at the start of the third set as he hit a trio of 140 scores in a 12-darter as he took the opening leg.

The number seven seed then hit a fabulous ten-darter to win the second leg, before taking the third on double 16 to win the set in five minutes in only 38 darts.

Wright hit a 180 in the process of taking the first leg of the fourth set, but a missed dart at tops allowed van Gerwen an opportunity to level, which he duly took by landing the same double.

Van Gerwen hit a 12-dart finish to win the third leg, and an accurate attempt at double 16 in the fourth levelled the match at two sets apiece, after Wright was off-target with a dart at tops.

Van Gerwen hit a 14-darter to kick off the fifth set before hitting double eight in the second to break throw, and he left a finish after nine darts in the third leg before posting double 16 to take a sixth successive leg and move 3-2 up in the game.

Van Gerwen won the first leg of the sixth set by taking out 74, but three missed darts at double 18 proved expensive in the next as Wright converted a fantastic 141 checkout to win his first leg in seven.

The 23-year-old hit a 12th maximum in the third leg, before a two-dart 80 finish secured moved him back ahead, and an accurate first dart at double 12 secured victory.

Afterwards, Wright said: "I really believe that you are looking at the next World Champion.

"Michael played really well after I went two sets up and I couldn't do much to stop him. I enjoyed the game, and to play in front such a great crowd as this was unbelievable."

Match Stats

Andy Hamilton 4-1 Terry Jenkins
(1-3, 3-2, 3-0, 3-2, 3-2)
ANDY HAMILTON booked his place in the quarter-finals of the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship with a fine 4-1 victory over number nine seed Terry Jenkins at Alexandra Palace.

Jenkins won the first set of the match but let four chances to double his lead go begging, allowing Hamilton to level.

Hamilton won the next two sets to move 3-1 up, punishing Jenkins for missing chances to level in the fourth, before edging the fifth with a superb 130 checkout to seal the win, despite his opponent hitting 13 180s.

"I started really slowly and couldn't get into the game at first, but I'm delighted with the way I recovered," said Hamilton, who has reached at the least the quarter-finals of every televised event other than the UK Open this year.

"Terry did miss a lot of doubles but I took all the chances that came my way, and it's a wonderful feeling to be through to the quarter-finals.

"I'm going to home now have a nice Christmas and come back and keep playing the way I have been."

Hamilton took out 64 to break Jenkins' throw in the opening leg, but the seven-time major finalist hit back by landing double two in the second, a 120 finish in leg three and tops to secure the opening set.

Jenkins hit a 180 at the start of set two, but Hamilton won the leg on tops before his opponent held throw on double 15 to level.

Jenkins broke in the third leg thanks to an accurate dart at double six, but three darts at tops to win the set were off-target and the Stoke ace hit double four with a pressure third dart.

Hamilton held the advantage of throw in the deciding leg, and he produced excellent 13-darter to take the set and square the contest.

The Stoke ace hit a 14-dart finish to begin the third set before taking out 85 in two darts to win the second leg and double his advantage.

Jenkins hit a 180 in the third, but a missed dart at double top was costly as Hamilton took out an 86 finish, on double 16, to win the set without reply and lead 2-1.

Hamilton won a sixth leg in a row to make a positive start to the fourth set, before Jenkins stopped the rot with a superb 11-dart finish.

Jenkins hit a ninth 180 in the third leg, and he stepped in after Hamilton missed a dart at tops to finish a 13-darter on the same bed.

The fourth leg saw Jenkins miss three chances to win the set, and Hamilton capitalised by taking out a 72 finish to force a decider in which three 180s were landed - including two from the Ledbury ace before he missed a further four set darts as the 2012 finalist landed double 16 to move two sets clear.

The number eight seed claimed a break of throw at the start of the fifth set by taking out an 88 finish, only for Jenkins to hit back by hitting double 19 at the first time of asking.

Jenkins then won the third leg, with an accurate attempt at double top to complete a 98 finish, but Hamilton took the fourth in 13 darts to move a leg away from triumph.

Jenkins missed one dart at tops in the deciding leg to keep his hopes alive, and Hamilton stepped in to finish a superb 130 checkout to cross the winning line in style.

Match Stats

Phil Taylor 4-0 Robert Thornton
(3-1, 3-0, 3-2, 3-0)
PHIL TAYLOR moved into the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship quarter-finals with a comfortable straight sets victory over Robert Thornton in their third round contest at Alexandra Palace.

Thornton entered the contest having picked up victories over the world number one in both the UK Open final and World Grand Prix this year, but never looked likely to claim a third triumph.

He took just three legs as Taylor cruised into the quarter-finals, hitting finishes of 131 and 105 in the process of setting up a clash with Andy Hamilton on December 28.

"I'm really happy with that and my performances are getting better," said Taylor, the 2/1 favourite with sponsors Ladbrokes to win the Sid Waddell Trophy on New Year's Day.

"I know Robert's a dangerous opponent, but he missed a couple of crucial doubles tonight. Winning the last leg of the third set was important for me, making sure he didn't win a set back, and I finished him off well after that.

"I've put so much work into this and it will mean a huge amount if I can win this now and I'll concentrate on getting prepared for the quarter-finals because Andy's been playing some fantastic darts.

"If I could come through and win the tournament, and be the first name engraved on the Sid Waddell Trophy, would be very special to me."

Thornton, who defeated Paul Nicholson in an epic second round encounter, held throw at the start of the match on double top before hitting a 180 in the second leg.

However, Taylor levelled with a superb 131 checkout before breaking Thornton's throw in leg three by hitting double 16 with his third dart, and landed double 18 in the next leg to wrap up the first set.

Taylor won the opening leg of the second set by hitting double 16 at the first attempt before taking second on tops, after Thornton was just off-target on the bullseye for a 167 checkout.

Taylor then punished three further misses from Thornton to land double eight and win the set without reply to double his advantage.

The 15-time World Champion kicked off the third set with a clinical 105 checkout, before the Scot hit back to take the second with a fabulous ten-darter which earned him only his second leg of the match.

Thornton continued the fine finishing in the third leg, as he took out 121 on double 18 before Taylor landed double eight to take the fourth and level.

Thornton held throw in the deciding leg, but Taylor put together a clinical 13-dart finish to move a set away from a place in the last eight.

Taylor took the first leg of the fourth set on double 15, after Thornton let two chances at double top go begging, and the second leg followed a similar pattern as the Stoke ace stepped in to punish further misses with a clinical 88 checkout.

He then wrapped up a comprehensive victory in style by taking out 81 to complete a 12-dart leg and set up a quarter-final against his Stoke rival Hamilton.

"I missed too many doubles and Phil punished me, because he never seemed to miss," admitted Thornton. "I never settled down on stage and you saw glimpses of the real Phil there."

Match Stats