2018 Auckland Darts Masters Day One

World Series of Darts

THE 2018 Auckland Darts Masters, presented by TAB and Burger King, begins on Friday at the Trusts Arena.

Newcomer Irwin Aiming High

World Series of Darts

TAHUNA IRWIN has spoken of his ambitions as he prepares for his big-stage debut at the Auckland Darts Masters.

Robb's Auckland Debut As Cadby Misses Out

World Series of Darts

BEN ROBB will compete in the Auckland Darts Masters, presented by TAB & Burger King, following the withdrawal of Corey Cadby.

Dutch Duo Chase Knockout Blow!

World Series of Darts

DUTCH duo Michael van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld are aiming to provide the knockout blow at the Auckland Darts Masters.

Whitlock Fired Up For World Series

World Series of Darts

SIMON WHITLOCK is in positive mood ahead of the this weekend's Auckland Darts Masters, presented by TAB & Burger King, which kicks off August's World Series of Darts treble-header Down Under.

Melbourne and Brisbane Fields Finalised

World Series of Darts

THE fields for the Melbourne Darts Masters and Brisbane Darts Masters have been finalised after Justin Thompson and James Bailey sealed qualification.

O'Donnell and Gardner Book World Series Places

World Series of Darts

RAY O'DONNELL and Barry Gardner secured qualification for the World Series of Darts events in Melbourne and Brisbane.

Mathers and Bonser Claim World Series Spots

Betfred World Matchplay

GORDON MATHERS and Mike Bonser secured qualification for next month's World Series of Darts events in Brisbane and Melbourne respectively.

Heta Secures Double World Series Qualification

World Series of Darts

AUSTRALIAN ace Damon Heta enjoyed a double success with qualification for the PDC World Series of Darts events in Melbourne and Brisbane next month.

Puha & Cleaver Seal World Series Spots

World Series of Darts

MARK CLEAVER and Haupai Puha have qualified for the World Series of Darts in Brisbane and Melbourne respectively.

The 2021 Jack's World Series of Darts Finals took place from October 29-31 at the AFAS Live in Amsterdam.

The tournament saw 24 PDC stars competing across three days for the title and £300,000 in prize money.

Details of the 2022 event will be confirmed in due course.

Jonny Clayton continued his dream 2021 by winning his fourth TV title of the year at the Jack's World Series of Darts Finals, defeating Dimitri Van den Bergh in the final on Sunday in Amsterdam.

A winner of the World Grand Prix earlier in October, Clayton sealed his second TV title of the month in style, averaging 101.63 in an 11-6 victory over Van den Bergh.

That was the Welshman's second ton-plus average of the day, having posted a 101.47 in an 11-6 semi-final win over Dutch number one Michael van Gerwen, who received vociferous support from the AFAS Live crowd.

Clayton also claimed the scalp of reigning champion, world number one and Welsh World Cup teammate Gerwyn Price in the quarter-finals on another memorable day for the 47-year-old.

"I'm enjoying every second of what I'm doing right now," Clayton reflected. "I want to thank everyone who supports me and gives me the chance to do this.

"I feel brilliant, my confidence is sky high at the moment. I'm one very happy man.

"There's no easy games, everyone in this competition is fantastic but it's my weekend so I'm going to smile tonight.

"It was a class game in the final, fair play to Dimitri. I could not get away from him until the last quarter of the game."

A captivating final saw Clayton go 2-0 up before the lead changed hands four times across the next nine legs as both players wrestled to take hold of the contest.

The 14th leg proved pivotal, as Clayton broke the Van den Bergh throw to go 8-6 in front before taking out 103 to give himself a three-leg buffer.

Clayton pressed home his advantage, winning the last two legs with finishes of 121 and 96 to lift his first World Series title and pocket the £70k top prize.

Despite coming up short in the final, Van den Bergh enjoyed a return to form across the weekend as he bounced back from a disappointing first round exit at the World Grand Prix.

The world number five claimed a gutsy 11-8 win over Krzysztof Ratajski in the semi-finals, having got the better of his Belgian World Cup teammate Kim Huybrechts in the quarter-finals.

"It wasn't the result I wanted but Jonny and I played a fantastic final, what a star he is," said Van den Bergh.

"I felt a lot better in my game this weekend than I have in the last few weeks. I've sorted something out and now I feel free to enjoy my darts again.

"I want to say a massive thank you to the fans, it was a joy playing in front of this crowd. I will be back."

Sunday also saw the quarter-finals take place in the afternoon, as Clayton and Van den Bergh defeated their World Cup partners Price and Huybrechts in thrilling contests.

Dutch youngster Niels Zonneveld saw his run ended by Ratajski, while Van Gerwen delighted the Dutch crowd with a 10-5 win over Mervyn King.

Drawboard