Ladbrokes WDC Day 11

ADRIAN LEWIS continued his quest to complete a Ladbrokes World Darts Championship hat-trick with a battling 4-2 win over Kevin Painter at Alexandra Palace on Thursday, as Michael van Gerwen, Simon Whitlock, James Wade, Wes Newton and Raymond van Barneveld joined him in the quarter-finals.

Reigning champion Lewis will now take on van Gerwen in the last eight on Saturday, but had to produce a gutsy performance to see off the 2004 finalist 4-2.

Lewis took the game's first two sets before Painter hit back to level, but the fifth set crucially fell to the Stoke ace as he raised his game before sweeping through the sixth to remain on course for a third successive Ally Pally triumph.

Lewis now plays number seven seed Michael van Gerwen on Saturday, with the World Grand Prix champion defying injuries to both feet to see off Colin Lloyd 4-1.

Van Gerwen has suffered a small fracture to a toe on his right foot, but by over-compensating on his left leg has developed an inflamed Achilles tendon - although he showed that there was nothing wrong with his throwing hand as he averaged almost 99 in Thursday's win.

Five-time World Champion van Barneveld, meanwhile, set up a quarter-final with Simon Whitlock on Friday by sweeping aside 2011 runner-up Gary Anderson in straight sets in just over half an hour.

The afternoon session had seen Whitlock edge out Dave Chisnall 4-3 in a thriller, produing a key 152 finish to save the game after the St Helens ace took a 3-2 lead in the deciding set and left himself a chance to take victory.

World number three Wade overcame Vincent van der Voort in straight sets, punishing the Dutchman for missed doubles, while Wes Newton booked his quarter-final spot with a 4-1 defeat of Mark Walsh.

Van Barneveld's clash with 2010 runner-up Whitlock will open Friday's quarter-finals, with 15-time World Champion Phil Taylor then meeting Andy Hamilton, last year's beaten finalist at Alexandra Palace.

Saturday will see world number three James Wade bidding to reach his third World Championship semi-final against number six seed Wes Newton, before Lewis faces van Gerwen.

The semi-finals will then be held on Sunday December 30, with the final taking place on Tuesday January 1.

Taylor, who won his most recent World Championship title in 2010, remains the 2/1 favourite with sponsors Ladbrokes to take

Van Gerwen is the 11/4 second favourite, with van Barneveld's odds now cut to 5/1, Lewis at 8/1 alongside Whitlock, Wade rated at 10/1, Newton 12/1 and Hamilton 20/1 to take home the prestigious title.

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
Thursday December 27
Afternoon Session
3x Third Round
Wes Newton 4-1 Mark Walsh
Simon Whitlock 4-3 Dave Chisnall
James Wade 4-0 Vincent van der Voort

Evening Session (7pm)
3x Third Round
Michael van Gerwen 4-1 Colin Lloyd
Gary Anderson 0-4 Raymond van Barneveld
Adrian Lewis 4-2 Kevin Painter

Match Reports
Wes Newton 4-1 Mark Walsh
(3-2, 3-1, 3-0, 2-3, 3-2)
WES NEWTON reached the quarter-finals of the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship for the second time in the three years with a 4-1 victory over Mark Walsh at Alexandra Palace.

Newton, who had impressed in his second round win over Scott Rand before the Christmas break, edged the opening set before taking six legs in a row in the process of moving 3-0 up.

Walsh staged a mini-revival as he won the fourth set and had three chances to extend the contest in the fifth, but Newton came from 2-0 down to win the set and confirm his last eight place.

"I'm delighted to be through," said Wade. "I know I've got much more to give in this tournament and I'll need to do that if I'm going to progress.

"I never really performed during this game, but Mark didn’t turn up either, and we probably dragged each other down. I'd played really well in the second round but I think I lost some momentum over the Christmas break."

Walsh, who secured an impressive victory over Justin Pipe in the second round, hit a 180 in the first leg before converting 61 in two darts to take an immediate break of throw.

Newton took out 72, on double three, to win the second leg and then won the third thanks to an accurate attempt at double five.

Walsh hit double five to win the fourth leg, but missed his chance to land double top in the fifth as Newton stepped into hit double eight and edge a tight opening set.

Both players held throw in the opening two legs of the second set before Newton landed double eight, to complete a 14-darter, in the third as he broke his opponent's throw.

Newton, who reached the quarter-finals at Alexandra Palace two years ago, then claimed the fourth leg thanks to an accurate third dart at double one, to increase his lead to two sets.

Walsh's double trouble continued at the start of the third set, as four chances at double top went begging, and Newton hit double eight to take the opener.

Newton hit the same double to break throw in the second leg, and an accurate attempt at double top sealed the set without reply, leaving Walsh with a mountain to climb at 3-0 down.

Walsh made a winning start to the fourth set as he hit double five to win his first leg in seven, before Newton levelled thanks to a confident 13-dart finish.

Walsh won the third leg on double top before the Fleetwood ace landed double five to move a leg away from the last eight.

The deciding leg initially saw Walsh miss the bullseye to take the set, but Newton was unable to finish 130 and the Hertforshire thrower posted double eight to take the set and hit back.

Walsh won the first leg of the fifth set against the darts by landing double ten, and then took the second, after Newton was guilty of missing two darts at doubles.

The third leg,though, saw Walsh miss two darts at double top to win his second set, and Newton edged double 12 to respond.

Walsh then left 82 after 12 darts thrown in the fourth, but Newton converted a superb 121 finish to break throw with a 12-darter to level the set and, more importantly, put himself back on the brink of victory.

Walsh began the fifth leg with a maximum, but a missed dart at double top gave Newton a chance to win the match, and he landed double five to end the contest.

Match Stats

Simon Whitlock 4-3 Dave Chisnall
(3-2, 1-3, 3-0, 0-3, 3-0, 2-3, 5-3)
SIMON WHITLOCK edged out Dave Chisnall with a thrilling 4-3 triumph to reach the quarter-finals of the 2013 Ladbrokes World Darts Championship for the third time in four years at Alexandra Palace.

The Australian, the 2010 runner-up, led the match three times before Chisnall hit back to force himself ahead in the deciding set, putting himself 3-2 up and within touching distance of victory.

Whitlock, though, finished a crucial 152 checkout to level the final set before winning the next two legs to book his quarter-final spot against Gary Anderson or Raymond van Barneveld.

"When I fell 3-2 down in the final set I was well aware that I had to produce something special, and I did that with the 152 finish," said Whitlock, a semi-finalist 12 months ago.

"Dave's an excellent player and we've had a few tough battles in recent months, and today's match was no different. I led the match three times but could never shake Dave off and I had to dig very deep."

Whitlock won the opening leg on the match with a 15-darter, before Chisnall took the second with a fabulous 157 checkout.

Chisnall then hit a 180 in the next, but a 162 from Whitlock left 16, and the 2010 runner-up hit double four to lead for a second time.

The St Helens ace won the fourth leg with the aid of a 180, but Whitlock forged ahead in the fifth thanks to a 171 score, and an accurate dart at double ten wrapped up the opening set.

Whitlock, who failed to drop a set in his opening two matches, made a positive start to the second set as he broke throw on double ten to win the first leg.

Chisnall hit back by landing double eight to win the second leg, and took the third on tops, after Whitlock was guilty of wasting three chances at double 16.

Chisnall, who defeated Northern Ireland's Daryl Gurney in a high-scoring second round encounter, hit a 180 in the fourth leg, but let three darts at doubles to win the set go begging.

However, Whitlock was off-target with three attempts of his own, and Chisnall accepted the reprieve by hitting double five to level the match.

Whitlock, who won the European Championship in September, took out 74 to win the first leg of set three, and then hit a confident 13-dart finish to take the second.

That gave the Australian command of the set, which was duly won in the third leg with a two-dart 78 finish as he edged back ahead.

Chisnall hit a 180 in the process of taking the first leg of the fourth set before winning the second with a 14-darter, after Whitlock missed one dart at double 19.

Chisnall then won the next as hit double top for the second time in three legs to take the set without reply and leave the game finely balanced at two sets apiece.

Whitlock hit a 120 checkout to win the first leg of the fifth set and secured the second against the darts on double two, which included a 180.

Both players fired in maximums in the third leg before Whitlock missed four darts at doubles to win the set, but Chisnall failed with two attempts at double top and the Australian returned to hit double ten and edge ahead for the third time.

Chisnall hit back at the start of the sixth set as he landed the bullseye to convert a 76 finish, before an accurate attempt at double ten gave the number 12 seed the second.

Whitlock, who was edged out by Andy Hamilton in dramatic semi-final 12 months ago, managed to edge the third leg on tops after Chisnall wasted three chances to wrap up the set.

The Australian hit a fabulous 126 finish, completed on the bullseye, to take the fourth to move a leg away from the victory, but Chisnall held his nerve to force a deciding set.

Whitlock converted a 100 finish to take the first leg of set seven, and converted a 130 checkout on the bullseye to move 2-0 up, making Chisnall pay for two missed darts at doubles.

Chisnall kicked off the third leg with consecutive 180s, igniting hopes of a second nine-darter in this tournament, and although he missed a seventh treble 20, he won the leg in 14 darts to secure a vital break of throw.

The St Helens ace then hit double 16 with a pressure third darts to win the fourth leg, before taking the fifth on double four, after Whitlock missed the bullseye, to lead 3-2 - moving ahead for the first time in the game.

The sixth leg saw Chisnall leave 90 after 12 darts to put himself to the brink of victory, but Whitlock produced a spectacular 152 finish to keep the game alive.

Whitlock hit a 180 in the process of taking the seventh leg, and an accurate attempt at double top in the next secured a quarter-final place.

Chisnall admitted: "The 152 from Simon was a real killer. Simon's a great player but I was disappointed with my scoring today and I had too many slack darts, but it was a great game."

Match Stats

James Wade 4-0 Vincent van der Voort
(3-0, 3-2, 3-2, 3-1)
JAMES WADE reached his fifth Ladbrokes World Darts Championship quarter-final thanks to a straight-sets victory over Dutchman Vincent van der Voort at Alexandra Palace.

Wade's progression through the tournament continued as he set up a quarter-final against Wes Newton by punishing a string of missed doubles from van der Voort.

The Dutchman out-scored the world number three, but was punished for missing chances to win the second and third sets as Wade progressed.

"I never reached top gear and Vincent made my job much easier for me by missing so many darts at doubles," admitted Wade.

"It's frustrating not to play my best in this tournament so far, but I've only dropped two sets in the three matches I’ve played, so I must be doing something right."

Wade hit a 180 in the opening leg of the match, which he won on double ten, before punishing a miss at tops from the Dutchman to win the second - for a 160 finish - on double 12.

Wade the posted double five in leg three to win the first set in comfortable fashion before taking the opening leg of the second set against the darts by pinning double 16.

Van der Voort hit two 180s in the process of taking his first leg of the match, with an 11-darter, before hitting double 16 to take the third leg.

Wade missed three darts at double five to take the fourth leg, but van der Voort let three chances to win the set go begging, and Wade returned to hit double two to level.

The number three seed, who saw off Steve Beaton in the round two, then landed double top in the deciding leg to give himself a two-set lead.

Van der Voort put the disappointment of the previous set behind him as he began the third with a 108 finish, before taking the second leg in 13 darts, which included a 180.

Wade hit double 18 to win the third leg, and an accurate third dart at double five gave the Aldershot ace the fourth before he punished two misses from van der Voort to take the set by landing tops to pull clear.

Both players held their throw at the start of the fourth set before Wade secured a break of throw on double 19, after van der Voort missed six further darts at doubles.

Van der Voort hit a 180 - his fourth of the game - in the next leg to forge ahead, only for Wade to hit a 159 to leave 24, and when the Dutchman missed three more doubles he stepped in to hit double 12 to secure a last eight place.

Match Stats

Evening Session
Michael van Gerwen 4-1 Colin Lloyd
(3-2, 3-0, 1-3, 3-1, 3-0)
MICHAEL VAN GERWEN defied injuries to both feet as he advanced to the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship quarter-finals for the first time in his career with a 4-1 win over Colin Lloyd.

The Dutch ace was visibly limped from the start of the game, having initially injured his right foot before then finding his left Achilles tendon become inflamed, partially as a result of over-compensating on the leg over the past tqo days.

He also found himself 2-1 down in the game's opening set, but took five successive legs - including winning the first set with a 116 checkout - as he moved 2-0 up in the contest.

Lloyd showed his character to win the third set, but the World Grand Prix champion took six of the next seven legs as he raced to victory, ending the game with an average of almost 99.

"I'm so happy to reach the quarter-finals of the World Championship for the first time," said a delighted van Gerwen, who will play either Adrian Lewis or Kevin Painter on Saturday evening.

"I never expected to play as well as I did, considering I am suffering quite a lot of discomfort in my left foot. I feel that this win is a big step for me in trying to win my first World Championship.

"I'm pleased to have a day off before I play my quarter-final match and I'll get some treatment on my leg, and hopefully on Saturday I can continue the good form I've shown."

Van Gerwen broke throw at the first opportunity to take the opening leg on double four, before Lloyd won the second with fantastic 132 checkout, ending on the bullseye.

Lloyd hit a clinical two-dart 80 finish to win the third leg before van Gerwen hit double top to complete a 13-darter to level in the fourth, and then took out a clinical 116 checkout to secure a high-quality opening set.

Van Gerwen continued the superb finishing at the start of the second set, as he converted checkouts of 78 and 121 to take command, before securing the set without reply by posting double eight to double his advantage.

Van Gerwen won his sixth successive leg at the start of the fourth set, thanks to a 65 finish, before Lloyd stopped the rot in the next by hitting double ten, after the Dutchman missed two darts at doubles.

Lloyd hit double top to win the third leg, and an accurate third dart at double 14 gave the Colchester ace the set, after van Gerwen missed three darts at doubles.

Van Gerwen held throw with a 14-dart finish to win the first leg of the fourth set, and repeated the feat to break throw in the next.

Lloyd hit double top to win the third leg, but three missed darts at doubles proved costly in the next as van Gerwen hit double top at the first time of asking to restore his two set advantage.

The 23-year-old started brightly in the fifth set as he won the opening leg with a 13-dart finish, before he took the second in only 11 darts to move a leg away from victory.

Van Gerwen kicked off the third leg with a trio of 140 scores, and when LLoyd missed two darts at double 18 to keep the game alive, the Dutchman posted double three to seal his quarter-final spot.

Match Stats

Gary Anderson 0-4 Raymond van Barneveld
(3-2, 3-1, 3-2, 3-0)
FIVE-TIME World Champion Raymond van Barneveld reached the quarter-finals of the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship after comfortably defeating Gary Anderson 4-0 in a 33-minute romp.

The Dutchman edged a high-quality first set which lasted a little over seven minutes, before dropping just three more legs to the 2011 finalist, who was left to rue 23 missed darts at doubles.

"The key to my win was taking the first set, which gave me huge confidence," said van Barneveld, who will now face Simon Whitlock for a place in the semi-finals.

"After that first set, Gary's level seemed to drop and he didn’t produce the high scoring that saw him hit 19 180s against John Bowles."

Van Barneveld added: "I'm looking forward to playing Simon tomorrow night. He's a world class player and has few weaknesses, and he beat me in semi-finals three years ago, so I know I have a tough game on my hands.

"I believe that I can win the World Championship once again. With the confidence I currently have, I can beat anyone, and I'm playing well and enjoying myself."

Van Barneveld hit a 180 in the process of taking the first leg and posted another in the second, but a missed dart at double 12 saw Anderson take out a clinical two-dart 75 finish to level.

Van Barneveld hit double four to win the third leg, before Anderson replied with double 12 to win the fourth, which included a 180 from the Scot, but it was the 2006 champion who posted a superb 171 in the decider to leave 36 before taking out double 18 at the first time of asking to establish an early lead.

The Grand Slam of Darts champion hit his third 180 at the start of the second set, but three missed darts at doubles proved costly as Anderson hit double ten to edge ahead.

Van Barneveld hit double 16 to secure an immediate break to level, and the five-time World Champion hit double eight in the next after Anderson was guilty of missing three chances at double 16 before wrapping up another set with a 14-dart finish.

The Dutchman hit double ten to win the first leg of the third set, before capitalising on two missed darts at doubles from Anderson to break throw in the second with back-to-back 14-dart finishes.

Van Barneveld was off-target with two chances to win the set in the third leg, and Anderson accepted his reprieve on double five.

The third dart came to Anderson's rescue again as he hit double four to win the fourth leg and level, but van Barneveld won the set's decider on double eight to pull further ahead at 3-0.

Van Barneveld continued his momentum in set four as he broke throw on double five, before landing double 16 in the next to move a leg away from victory.

He initially missed five match darts in the third leg, but Anderson was off-target on six doubles of his own to allow van Barnevend in to secure victory on double three.

Match Stats

Adrian Lewis 4-2 Kevin Painter
(3-0, 3-2, 2-3, 2-3, 3-1, 3-1)
ADRIAN LEWIS remains on course for a third successive Ladbrokes World Darts Championship title after overcoming the challenge of 2004 runner-up Kevin Painter with a 4-2 victory.

Lewis took early command of the game by taking the first two sets, only for Painter to fight back and claim the next two to level the match.

However, the reigning champion recovered by taking six of the next eight legs to come through and set up a mouth-watering quarter-final clash against Michael van Gerwen on Saturday.

"I'm very pleased to win the match because Kevin was in better form than me coming into the game," admitted Lewis, who won his 15th consecutive match on the Alexandra Palace stage.

"We're now in to the business of the tournament and I've proved over the last two years that I know how to get the job done.

"I'm really looking forward to playing Michael in the next round. He has had an incredible year with his win in the World Grand Prix, and is probably a World Champion in waiting.

"The bookmakers may well make Michael favourite on Saturday, but I'm the one who has won the big matches in this competition. Michael is yet to do that and I think that counts in my favour."

Lewis, who failed to convince in his opening two matches, started the better of the two players to take the opening set without reply.

After holding throw in the opening leg, the defending champion hit double ten to win the second in 14 darts before a successful attempt at tops gave Lewis the set.

Painter won his first leg of the match at the start of the second set, after landing double top, before Lewis hit double ten to claim the next.

Painter, who defeated Ronnie Baxter in a seven-set tussle to reach this stage, hit a 180 in the process of taking the third leg, before Lewis replied with one of his own as he won the fourth with a 14-dart finish.

The fifth leg saw Lewis miss a dart at double 14 for the set, but Painter was off-target with his attempt at double top to level the match and the Stoke ace returned to hit double seven at the first time of asking, to move two sets clear with a 13-darter.

Painter hit his stride at the start of the third set as he broke throw in the first leg with a 70 finish, which was completed on tops, before landing double nine in the second.

Lewis hit double top to convert a 66 finish before hitting consecutive 180s at the start of the fourth to leave the opportunity of a nine-darter.

His attempt at a seventh treble 20 was off-target, but he converted a crucial 87 finish to win the leg in 12 darts, with Painter waiting on tops for the set.

The deciding leg saw Lewis leave himself 36 to move further clear, but Painter held his nerve to take out 68 in two darts to reduce the deficit to 2-1.

Painter won the first leg of the fourth set on double two after Lewis missed a dart at tops, before firing in a superb 11-darter in the second.

Lewis recorded a 109 checkout to win the third leg, with his opponent waiting on 32, before the number two seed hit a 100 finish on double ten to win the fourth, but Painter was again the better in the deciding leg and took out 62 to level the contest.

Lewis hit a 180 at the start of the fifth set, but two missed darts at doubles proved costly as Painter broke to win the opening leg.

The Stoke ace fired in another 180 in leg two, which he took in 12 darts with an 87 finish, before posting a 177 to leave double 12 for a 13-darter in the third, and double 18 saw him take the set in leg four as Painter was punished for three missed doubles.

Lewis' surge continued at the start of the sixth set as he broke throw on double four following two further misses from Painter, and a missed bull from the 2004 finalist allowed the reigning champion to post double ten to move two legs up.

Lewis missed a dart at double top to win the match in the third leg as Painter hit the same double to keep his slim hopes alive but scores of 180 and 140 from Lewis pushed him ahead in the next, and he finished an 11-dart leg to cross the finishing line in style.

Match Stats