Darts (International) -- News

[MODMAN]

DAMON HETA INTO WORLD'S TOP-10 FOR FIRST TIME AS LUKE HUMPHRIES NEARS TOP-3 AND STOWE BUNTZ HAS TOP-64 IN HIS SIGHTS IN PROVISIONAL UPDATE TO PDC ORDER OF MERIT

After his stunning elimination of Michael van Gerwen at the Grand Slam of Darts, Damon Heta is into the top-10 of the PDC Order of Merit for the first time in his career.

For van Gerwen himself, he had set himself the goal of entering the World Darts Championship as number one in the world, but after his defeat against Heta, 'Mighty Mike' has to draw a line under this objective. Van Gerwen is currently £34,000 behind number two Peter Wright, while Smith has a £211,000 lead over the Dutchman.

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[MODMAN]

Wade and Humphries to meet in semis after winning quarter-final epics

James Wade and Luke Humphries will meet in the semi-finals of the Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts after coming through epic quarter-final contests on Friday.

Wade defeated Josh Rock 16-15 in dramatic fashion, while Humphries beat Gary Anderson 16-14 on an unforgettable night of action in Wolverhampton which saw 61 of a possible 62 legs played.

Wade produced a stunning fightback to defeat Rock, winning the last four legs to battle back from 12-15 down.

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[MODMAN]

Unstoppable Humphries races to Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts title

Sensational Luke Humphries scooped his second televised title in as many months with a brilliant Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts triumph in Wolverhampton on Sunday, powering past Rob Cross 16-8 in the final.

Humphries had won his maiden PDC Premier ranking title at October's World Grand Prix, and claimed the Eric Bristow Trophy as Grand Slam champion to crown a wonderful week at WV Active Aldersley.

The 28-year-old had raced through the Group Stage with three wins for the loss of just four legs, before defeating Ryan Searle and Gary Anderson with huge ton-plus averages to reach the semi-finals.

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[MODMAN]

Legendary referee Russ Bray set for Ally Pally farewell

Darts legend Russ Bray will referee his last televised ranking match in the 2023/24 Paddy Power World Darts Championship final on January 3, as the popular official begins to wind down his stellar career.

Russ, whose distinctive tones have seen him earn a nickname as 'The Voice', has played an instrumental role in the sport's global growth over the last four decades, and he will begin a new role as a PDC ambassador in 2024.

'The Voice' Russ Bray

Having represented Hertfordshire as a player at County level, Russ joined the PDC as a referee in July 1996, and this year's Alexandra Palace showpiece will mark his 28th and final World Championship behind the microphone.

The 66-year-old has starred in some of the sport's iconic moments, including the 2007 World Championship decider between Phil Taylor and Raymond van Barneveld at the Circus Tavern.

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[MODMAN]

Veenstra stuns World Champion Smith on opening day in Minehead

Richard Veenstra dumped out World Champion Michael Smith on the opening day of the 2023 Cazoo Players Championship Finals, as Michael van Gerwen kicked off his title defence with victory over Callan Rydz.

Day One of the £600,000 event saw all 64 players in first round action at Butlin’s Minehead Resort, with world number one Smith crashing out in unceremonious style on Friday evening.

The St Helens star missed double 12 for a nine-darter midway through the tie, but was punished for a below-par display by a nerveless Veenstra, who averaged 97 to secure the biggest win of his PDC career to date.

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[MODMAN]

Phil 'The Power' Taylor to retire from darts after farewell tour next year

Taylor, who is often named the greatest darts player of all time, said "time waits for no man and I know now is the right time to step away from the tour". He added: "It's been an unbelievable journey over the past 35 years and I've loved every minute of it."

Phil Taylor, who has won a record 16 world championships, has announced he will retire from competitive darts next year.

Nicknamed 'The Power', Taylor says the World Senior Darts Tour in 2024 will be his final year on the circuit, following an "unbelievable journey over the past 35 years" in the sport.

The 63-year-old star, from Stoke-on-Trent, had originally stepped away from darts after reaching the final of the PDC World Championship in 2018.

But then he returned to competition last year.

He has spent the last two seasons on the senior tour where he reached the quarter-finals in 2022 and 2023, but will aim to go out on a high in 2024.

After his retirement, he will continue to be involved in the tour as an ambassador.

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[MODMAN]

New trophy unveiled for Cazoo Players Championship Finals

The winner of the 2023 Cazoo Players Championship Finals will receive a specially-commissioned new trophy.

The new perpetual Players Championship Finals trophy has been created by award-winning jeweller & goldsmith Mike Shorer, who works with the PDC to provide bespoke trophies and awards.

The trophy features a dartboard design and a silver dart, and will be presented for the first time on Sunday night at Butlin's Minehead Resort.

Shorer has previously created the Sid Waddell Trophy, which is presented to the World Champion, as well as the perpetual trophies used for the Premier League and World Grand Prix, PDC Hall of Fame and Player of the Year awards and the nine-dart pin badges presented to players who achieve a perfect leg.

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[MODMAN]

INTERNATIONAL DARTS​

 

[MODMAN]

MICHAEL VAN GERWEN INTO QUARTER-FINALS IN MINEHEAD WITH BUSINESSLIKE VICTORY AS LUKE WOODHOUSE'S RUN CONTINUES AT EXPENSE OF DAVE CHISNALL

Michael van Gerwen has qualified for the last eight at the Players Championship Finals. The 34-year-old did not convince, but won comfortably 10-6 over Mario Vandenbogaerde.

Van Gerwen impressed on Saturday afternoon with an average of over 118, but it soon became clear that that level was not in the cards this time. The pace of Vandenbogaerde did not help. In the first half of the match Van Gerwen missed many doubles, allowing Vandenbogaerde to initially keep up. Mighty Mike missed chances on the doubles in the first, third, fifth and eighth leg. Those legs were won by Vandenbogaerde, making it 4-4 after eight legs. The Dutchman then went into the break with a 6-4 lead.

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[MODMAN]

SCHEDULE SUNDAY AFTERNOON AT PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS INCLUDING MICHAEL VAN GERWEN, JAMES WADE AND LUKE HUMPHRIES

Eight players remain in the race Sunday for overall victory at the Players Championship Finals. Michael van Gerwen leads the way in his quest for title eight in Minehead.

Van Gerwen impressed in the second round by throwing an average of 118 in his match against Ross Smith (6-1). Then 'Mighty Mike' also dealt with Mario Vandenbogaerde (10-6). Now Stephen Bunting will be the opponent, after 'The Bullet' dealt with Gian van Veen (6-1) and Kim Huybrechts (10-8) on Saturday.

At the other end of the schedule is a cracker between James Wade and Luke Humphries for a spot in the semifinals. The final quarterfinal of the afternoon is between Damon Heta and Ryan Joyce.

Schedule Players Championship Finals 2023 -- Sunday, Nov. 26

Afternoon session (from 12:45 p.m.)

Quarterfinals

Stephen Bunting v Michael van Gerwen

Luke Woodhouse v Gabriel Clemens

James Wade v Luke Humphries

Damon Heta v Ryan Joyce

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