PDC McCoys Premier League-Week 2

AECC, Aberdeen Wes Newton 2-7 Raymond van Barneveld
Andy Hamilton 7-4 James Wade
Gary Anderson 7-5 Simon Whitlock
Adrian Lewis 3-7 Phil Taylor
Robert Thornton 6-6 Michael van Gerwen

Wes Newton v Raymond van Barneveld

 0-0 - Wes Newton will throw first
0-1 - van Barneveld starts the brighter and hits tops at the first time of asking to break throw in the opening leg.
0-2 - The Dutchman lands a 180 and takes out 116 on tops for a 12-darter to double his lead.
1-2 - Newton hits back with a 14-darter, taking out 65 on tops to win his first leg of the evening.
1-3 - van Barneveld lands a 177 to leave 40, and although he initially fails to finish off the leg has enough cushion to return and hit double ten.
1-4 - van Barneveld posts a 180 to leave 121 and has the first chance at a finish - only to score five with his next visit. Newton, though, misses double 18 to finish 104 and the Dutchman hits the same bed to complete a 116 combination and break throw once more.
1-5 - The Dutchman posts a third ton-plus finish as he takes out 117 on tops.
1-6 - van Barneveld ensures he will remain unbeaten by opening with a 180 and taking out 76 on double 18 for a 12-dart finish.
2-6 - Newton takes out 46 to keep the game alive, breaking throw for the first time, albeit in unconventional fashion by hitting double 14 and double nine.
2-7 - van Barneveld opens with another maximum, and although he misses the bull to take out 130, Newton's misses at double top and ten allow him back to seal the win.

Andy Hamilton v James Wade

 0-0 - Andy Hamilton will throw first
1-0 - Hamilton takes out 58 on tops to win the game's opening leg.
2-0 - Hamilton finishes 120 to double his lead.
3-0 - Wade lands a 180, but Hamilton takes out 98 to move three legs up.
4-0 - Hamilton finishes 68 on double 16 to break throw for a second time.
5-0 - Hamilton wins a fifth straight leg to move close to his first point of the season.
5-1 - The players trade 180s and Wade finishes 65 to win his opening leg.
6-1 - Hamilton finishes tops to secure a minimum of a draw from the game.
6-2 - Wade lands a third 180 and hits tops to keep his hopes alive.
6-3 - Wade breaks for the first time by hitting double ten.
6-4 - The 2009 champion continues to fight back, opening with 180 and 140 before landing tops to win a fourth leg.
7-4 - Hamilton secures the triumph by landing double 16.

Gary Anderson v Simon Whitlock

 0-0 - Gary Anderson will throw first
0-1 - Whitlock misses double 19 to take out 118, but Anderson is off-target with a dart at tops and the Australian returns to break by landing double 19.
0-2 - Anderson posts a 180 but misses the bullseye and Whitlock pins double 16 for a 68 finish to move two legs up.
1-2 - Anderson lands a second maximum and posts double eight to get himself off the mark.
1-3 - Anderson hits another 180, but misses the bull and further darts at double four and two to level before Whitlock finishes 74 on the bull to punish the home favourite.
2-3 - Anderson takes out 90 in two darts with a treble 20, double 15 combination.
3-3 - Whitlock hits a 180 but misses three darts, at double 12 and six, to allow Anderson back in to level with his sixth dart at double 18.
4-3 - Anderson hits the front for the first time with a confident double top.
5-3 - Anderson misses the bull to finish a crowd-pleasing 170, but returns to post double four to win a fourth successive leg.
6-3 - Anderson posts double 12 to ensure his first point of the season.
6-4 - Whitlock finishes 98 for a second time to keep alive his hopes.
6-5 - Anderson misses five match darts, and Whitlock lands double ten to force a deciding leg.
7-5 - Whitlock misses tops to take out 157, and Anderson this time seals the win on double 12.


Adrian Lewis v Phil Taylor

 0-0 - Adrian Lewis will throw first
0-1 - Taylor wins the opening leg on double three to break throw.
1-1 - Lewis hits a 180 and gets off the mark by taking out 72 on the bull.
2-1 - Lewis lands double 14 to move ahead.
2-2 - Taylor levels by finishing 70 on tops.
2-3 - Taylor lands tops again, this time to take out 64, as he breaks throw to regain the lead.
3-3 - Taylor misses tops to take out 110, and Lewis finishes double ten to level.
3-4 - Taylor opens with a 180 and finishes 103 to regain the lead.
3-5 - Double 12 for Taylor puts him two legs clear for the first time.
3-6 - Taylor kicks off the leg with a 180, and lands tops to ensure at least a draw.
3-7 - Lewis lands his second 180, but Taylor hits a 177 and seals the win on double eight.


Robert Thornton v Michael van Gerwen

 0-0 - Robert Thornton will throw first
1-0 - van Gerwen misses two darts to break throw and Thornton lands tops for the opening leg.
1-1 - van Gerwen levels by finishing double 14.
2-1 - van Gerwen misses a dart at double 13 to punish four missed doubles from Thornton, who returns to land double five.
2-2 - van Gerwen takes out 80 on double ten to level.
3-2 - Thornton holds throw to win the fifth leg.
3-3 - van Gerwen finishes 104 to square the contest again.
4-3 - Thornton opens with a 180, and when van Gerwen misses two darts at double 19 to break the Scot posts double 12.
4-4 - Thornton hits a 180, but misses tops as van Gerwen follows an earlier 171 by taking out 81 in two darts.
5-4 - The pair trade 180s before Thornton finishes 76 for an 11-darter.
5-5 - van Gerwen takes out 64 to level the contest once again.
6-5 - van Gerwen opens with a 180, but Thornton lands tops to ensure that he will take at least a point.
6-6 - van Gerwen misses the bull to take out 161 for a draw - but Thornton wires double ten for a 140 finish to take both points and the Dutch ace returns for double eight to share the spoils.


Week Three

 February 21 - BIC, Bournemouth

James Wade v Adrian Lewis
Robert Thornton v Wes Newton
Simon Whitlock v Phil Taylor
Michael van Gerwen v Raymond van Barneveld
Andy Hamilton v Gary Anderson

An interview with the Silverback Tony O'Shea

An Interview with The 'SilverBack' Tony O'Shea

This interview was recorded on Thursday the 7th of Feb 2013.

I had organised to ring Tony at 7pm, ended up ringing him at 3 minutes past. The call went to answer phone, i was gutted i had missed my chance to have a chat with a darting legend. So imagine my surprise when my phone rung, i answered and a voice said " Hi is that Richard, its Tony, Tony O'shea". We both chatted for a couple of minutes then got down to the following interview.

RN : So when did you start playing darts? When did it start getting ‘serious’?

Tony : I started playing in the pub about 1978 but that was a bit of fun really, i don't class serious until i started playing county darts in 1980 for lancashire. I pottered around playing county darts for a while, my first actual ranking event that a travelled to was the German Open in 98, that was the start of going on tour and chasing points.

RN : You have been with Target for some time now, how did the partnership come about and how long does it take to develop your darts?

Tony: I was actually with Data Dart Europe for quite a while, about 5 or 6 years in the early 2ooo's, but he struggled a bit and when the contract run out they must of sent out info to other companies and Winmau and Target got in touch literally on the day the contract ended. I went down to see the lads at Target and didn't bother looking at anyone else because they were so friendly, they really enjoyed the darts and knew what they were on about so i dived straight in with them and I've been with them since.

RN : I use Target darts too.

Tony : The quality, obviously i did a bit of homework, but everyone seems to say the same thing, the Target stuff is far Superior to most so i went with them.

RN : Do you find it difficult to play and beat people being the 'nice guy' of darts. Is it right you had aggression coaching?

Tony : To be honest that's always been my problem. I went to a sports psychologist and he did me a disc and had a session with him to try and get that aggressive streak in me and to stop being so nice. The first session i had with him was 2011 the night before the Northern Ireland Open, and i won it the next day, after one session. I thought hmm he might have something here so I've been talking to him regular ever since.

RN : So it is working then?

Tony: Yeah, i won the Northern Ireland Open then i went to Holland and got to the semi's of the Zuiderduin Masters, then got runner-up at the Lakeside and went to the Dutch open 3 weeks after and won that! he has 5 or 6 other players with him now.

RN : You seem to have done it all. Any other ambitions?

Tony : Well i haven't done it all because I'm still to win a major on TV, so i still have loads of ambitions, as far has I'm concerned i haven't fulfilled anything yet. I'm captain of England now so that's an achievement, but until i win one of them big TV tournaments, I've done nothing yet.

RN : So you've got a check list and your waiting to tick off the big ones?

Tony : Yeah, Exactly. I mean I'm not obsessed by it, but until I've won one of them i wont be happy.

RN : So what’s your favourite tournament?

Tony : Obviously there is the Lakeside, its like the wembley of darts i absolutely love it there, but i would put it on a level parr with the Grand Slam in Wolverhampton, just purely because of the atmosphere. I do get great support at he Slam, i just get a buzz and really look forward to both the tournaments more than anything else throughout the year. So Probably Lakeside but the Grand Slam is a very, very close 2nd.

RN : Describe your throw in 3 words?

Tony : Slow and Steady! A lot of people say i throw like Leighton Rees, Slow and smooth. When I'm playing well, i do slow down a little. So yeah slow and steady sums it up perfect. 

RN : What was the highlight of 2012?

Tony : Getting to the final at the Lakeside was a big thing, but i got over the disappointment of losing fast because i won the Dutch Open and for me that was the highlight. Even though i had just lost in the final of the Lakeside, the Dutch open is such a tough open tournament to win, everyone is there, everyone is chasing them big points, its near enough like winning a big tournament.

RN : What do you do to relax away from darts?

Tony: Well my wife will tell you I'm a tele addict, I've just come back from Holland I've been away for 2 weeks and I've filled up the Sky+ box memory, i record all sorts of stuff. Documentaries everything so yeah I'm a tele addict, i love watching TV,films and stuff. 

RN : Tell me something we don’t know about you?

Tony : To be honest I've said everything. I am a chocoholic, Its not something to be proud of and its not good for me but yeah I'm a chocoholic.

RN : Do you have any darts weaknesses?

Tony : I haven't got that killer instinct, that's the only weakness. I know on a good day i can play has good has anyone but some days I'm just to soft but I'm working on that. I'm just too nice.

RN : Why ‘Hey Baby’?

Tony : I love old music, 60's kind of stuff. I like the original by Bruce Channel, I was actually at the German open it could of been the first year i was there in 98. An old English pal of mine was living in German and hes into the 60's and he put this DJ Otzi rework of the song on for me to listen to, and i thought to myself if i ever get on TV I'm having that. It was 4 years later, and i had forgotten about it, but because i couldn't have the one i had chosen, i suddenly remembered about 'Hey Baby' and I've had it ever since. I would never change it now.

RN : No, I wouldn't either its one of the most popular walk ons around.

Tony : Its a bit cheesy, but it gets everyone going.

RN : If not that what else would you walk on tune be?

Tony : When i did qualify for the Lakeside in 2002 i was going to use my Cheshire county walk on tune Let me Entertain you by Robbie Williams, I wanted that for the Lakeside but they said you cant because Merv King already has it so that's when i remembered about Hey Baby.

RN : Do you take much notice of the social media side of darts i.e.: Twitter, Face book etc?

Tony : I don't get involved to be honest. I know Target have the twitter thing but I'm not really computer literate to be honest, I've got a new iPhone but I'm not sure what most of it does, so i don't get involved in anything like that.

RN : When your not playing do you enjoy watching any other players play?

Tony : As i said I'm always watching Tv, i even saw snips of the World cup when i was in Holland last week, i try and watch all the darts. I'm a darts fan as well as a player, years ago i loved watching the indoor league from years ago. But modern day darts, I'm a big Phil Taylor fan. I think what hes achieved is unbelievable really, he doesn't seem to lack anything really. He can score, he can kill a game. Hes got the bottle, hes got a sense of humour. Hes the complete package really. Phil Taylor i just a living darts legend!

RN : Why have you never taken the leap to the PDC? Is it something that would interest you? And when if you were to go?

Tony : To be honest a few years ago i was offered a sponsorship deal to go and do it, think it was about 4 years ago maybe longer, but I've always had this ambition to win the 'Embassy' has i still call it, and until I've won Lakeside i will always have unfinished business and while I'm still runner-up all these times its just tunnel vision. I would love to play with them lot,i do play against them in exhibitions and do quite well.

RN : Well yeah, and you do the Grand Slam too.

Tony : Yeah exactly. I love the atmosphere. One or two people complain about the noise but it helps me. I cant hear my own heart beat for a start. I would love to play at Blackpool and these Premier League nights, the crowds are fantastic. That's probably why i enjoy the Grand slam in Wolverhampton so much, but obviously until I've sorted out this unfinished business out I've got blinkers on. I just want to win Lakeside, for me it will always be the blue ribbon, even though the PDC one is bigger prize money and the crowds are bigger, i need to win the Lakeside!

RN : Its where everyone started, isn't it. You need to win that one before you step over.

Tony : Exactly. Gary Anderson moved across, he always seemed to struggle at the Lakeside, its got its own special little pressures. I don't think until you've won that your a world champion, i know Adrian Lewis was born and bred in the PDC and hes never had the chance to play at the Lakeside, but I'm sure he would of loved to of done something there too.


And with that the interview ended, Plus the first night of the Premier League was on.

A big thank you to Tony for taking time out to do this interview, and also to Rob Hartley for getting Tony's email to start this off. Also to you the reader, thank you

  

BDO 2013 Scottish Open-Preview

The 2013 Scottish Open will take place in the Normandy Cosmopolitan Hotel, Inchinnan Road, Renfrew on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th February 2013.

And traditionally, before the main even gets underway, there will once again be the ever popular warm-up competition on the Friday evening (Feb 15). This will be Mixed Triples and entries will be accepted (£7.50 per trio) on the night up to 7.30pm. It is a relaxed and enjoyable way to kick off the weekend.

The Scottish Open is a BDO Invitation table event and open to all players who are eligible to play in the Winmau World Masters and the Lakeside World Professional Championships. It also carries ranking points in the WDF World and BDO Grand Prix ranking tables. The Men's Singles has a top prize of £3,000 and there is £1,000 for the Women's Singles Champion.

The Men's Singles will be played in two sessions: From 10am to 15.30pm, and 16.00pm to 21.30pm. Both sessions will play down to the Last 16 and will be best of 5 legs of 501 in the early rounds, and best of of 7 legs in the Semi-Finals and best of 9 legs in the final. Players will 'Bull up' in the deciding leg if required.

The Women's Singles will also be played in two sessions:10.00am to 15.30pm, and 16.00pm to 1.30pm. Both sessions will play down to last 4. Best of 5 legs of 501 in the early rounds and best of 7 legs in the Semi-Finals and Final. Players will 'Bull up' in deciding leg if required.

The Scottish Open Doubles will be played on Sunday 17th February and there will be a £2000 prize fund guaranteed, to cover both events. All stage finals will be played at approx. 18.00pm on Sunday 17th February.  

BDO/BICC Review-9/10 Feb

PREMIER DIVISION

It’s no change at the top of the table following a weekend of high-scoring action during which Cheshire’s Anastasia Dobromyslova topped the Ladies Averages with an outstanding 31.31 average, which included six perfect darts at the start of her final leg! And to confirm the quality of the ladies, Trina Gulliver, Deta Hedman, Lisa Ashton and Lorraine Farlam all had winning sets with over 25 averages.

In the Men's it was two of Yorkshire’s Lakeside players who topped the averages with 31.81 apiece, namely Jamie Wilson and Garry Thompson. Those wins helped Yorkshire maintain their place at the head of the Premier, closely followed by Essex who overcame Cheshire, and Lancashire who beat Warwickshire. At the foot of the table, Kent won the clash of the bottom two with victory over Surrey, while Devon will be looking over their shoulders after losing at home to Glamorgan - having played a game more than those below them.

DIVISION ONE

Cornwall remain clear at the top of the Division, despite being held by a resurgent Derbyshire. However Cambridgeshire, who seem to have found their feet in this Division, continue to close the gap with a 22 – 14 victory at Staffordshire, where England’s new recruit Amanda Mallett topped the Ladies Divisional averages with 25.05. Dorset just edged out Nottinghamshire, who still retain their promotion dreams, while in the lower echelons, West Midlands drew with Co Durham in a match which produced the two top averages in the Division. Co Durham’s Keith Gowland 31.81 was pipped at the post by West Midlands Nick Fullwell with 32.09.

DIVISION TWO

Lincolnshire remain at the top of the table despite losing to promotion rivals London, whilst Berkshire’s 19 -17 win against Somerset means this Division looks likely to go to the final game of the season to decide who goes up. The foot of the table is equally competitive as Bedfordshire, Norfolk and Wiltshire all slipped to away defeats against Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire and Suffolk respectively. In the averages Berkshire’s Paul Roe with 30.67 topped the men's, while London’s Hayley Plume topped the ladies with a more than respectable 24.24.

DIVISION THREE

Cleveland have pulled clear at the top of the table following a comfortable 22 – 14 win at home against Gwynedd, but the other promotion places are all up for grabs. Sussex remain second, having played a game more than their rivals. They overcame fellow promotion hopefuls Shropshire. Gloucestershire and Leicestershire cancelled each other out, which allowed Montgomery and Radnor as well as Buckinghamshire to put themselves in with an outside chance while at the same time moving clear of the drop zone following wins against the bottom two of Middlesex and Worcestershire. Cleveland’s Tony Eccles 31.31 and Middlesex’s Tina Neylon 23.86 topped the divisional averages.

DIVISION FOUR

Whoever gets out of Division Four will have done so the hard way! All four teams who managed to beat the weather last month are in the top four places. However, the three teams directly below them are realistically in with a chance of promotion. Merseyside remain top despite going down 20 – 16 away to Pembrokeshire, whose Mens ‘A’ team resurrected their hopes by winning 10 -2. Second placed Cumbria lost out at home to Tyne & Wear, while Humberside, who were in third place at the start of the day, went down 21 -15 away to lowly Breconshire. In the other match in the Division, West of England, whose Sam Allen topped the Divisional Averages with 31.98, put themselves back in the promotion hunt with an emphatic 25 – 11 home win against the Isle of Wight. It was Pembrokeshire’s Welsh International Julie Gore with 24.24 who topped the ladies averages.

SCOTLAND NORTH

Grampian have closed the gap on Fife following an emphatic 31 – 5 victory against Perthshire, while leaders Fife, who have a bye next time around, were made to work hard by Tay Valley for their 23 – 13 win. Highland moved above Clackmannanshire following their 22 – 14 win, while Angus continue to move up the table after beating East Stirlingshire 26 – 10. In the averages it was two Tay Valley players who topped the Division: Ross Parsons 31.31 in the men's and ladies ‘B’ team player Jennifer White 20.04.

SCOTLAND SOUTH

It was both West Ayrshire and Ayrshire who came out winners in their top of the table clashes against Lanarkshire and Lothian respectively. However, the 32 – 4 demolition of West Lothian by Borders puts them back in the frame for top spot. In the local derby it was East Renfrewshire who defeated Renfrewshire 24 -12. And it was a West Ayrshire, Ayrshire double in the averages, with Andy Boulton’s 30.09 topping the men's and Scottish International Anne Kirk 22.43 topping the ladies.

PDC McCoys Premier League-Week 2 Preview

The McCoys premier league rolls into Aberdeen this Thursday, and if its anything like last week we should be in for a cracking night of Arrers. A couple of matches stand out from week 2. Anderson v Whitlock should be a high scoring, double hitting contest. Anderson will have home ground advantage, but i don't think that really bothers the wizard because where ever he goes its never home ground.

The other stand out match is Taylor v Lewis. The Master v the Padawan. Taylor carried Lewis in the World cup, which Jackpot was non to happy about. The form seems to have deserted Lewis, with just rare glimpses of genius poking through now and then. He has been the closest to the magical 9 Dart finish in the past few weeks, but never made it! He would love to show the critics why he is a 2 time world champion, and i for one hope he does and soon.

Wes Newton v Raymond van Barneveld
Andy Hamilton v James Wade
Gary Anderson v Simon Whitlock
Adrian Lewis v Phil Taylor
Robert Thornton v Michael van Gerwen

Its another betting dream or nightmare which ever way you look at it, with all the players seeming to be equally matched. It all kicks off at the AECC at 7pm.

PDC European Tour UK Masters Weekend

The entries for the opening European Tour event of 2013 have been confirmed, with a total of 114 players set to compete in the UK Qualifier on Friday February 22.

Following the success of the inaugural season of European Tour events last year, the series has expanded to include £100,000 prize money per tournament in 2013 along with new events in Gibraltar, Germany and the UK. The UK Masters weekend will be held at the Butlins Minehead Resort from March 8-10, with 64 players competing for the £20,000 first prize.

The top 32 players from the PDC's One-Year Rolling ProTour Order of Merit qualify by right for each European Tour event and are seeded to face the 32 qualifiers in the first round draw. The eight European Qualifiers for the UK Masters have already won their places following the knockout event in Hamburg, with a further 24 spots on offer at the K2 Centre in Crawley on February 22 in the UK & Home Nation Qualifier. Fans wishing to attend the UK Masters weekend can book packages, which include three nights' accommodation and tickets for all six sessions on Friday, Saturday and Sunday by calling 0845 070 4734 or visiting www.bigweekends.com/darts.

Entries for the UK Masters are as follows:

 32 Seeded Players - Top 32 from Rolling ProTour OOM at January 29
 Dave Chisnall (1)
Simon Whitlock (2)
Michael van Gerwen (3)
Raymond van Barneveld (4)
Phil Taylor (5)
Wes Newton (6)
Justin Pipe (7)
Ian White (8)
Robert Thornton (9)
Kim Huybrechts (10)
Adrian Lewis (11)
Terry Jenkins (12)
Andy Hamilton (13)
James Wade (14)
Ronnie Baxter (15)
Colin Lloyd (16)
Peter Wright (17)
Andy Smith (18)
Mervyn King (19)
Brendan Dolan (20)
Richie Burnett (21)
Paul Nicholson (22)
Gary Anderson (23)
Vincent van der Voort (24)
Mark Walsh (25)
Colin Osborne (26)
Mark Webster (27)
Jamie Caven (28)
Kevin Painter (29)
Steve Beaton (30)
Wayne Jones (31)
James Hubbard (32)

UK Qualifier Entries

Paul Amos
Wayne Atwood
Chris Aubrey
Paul Barham
Michael Barnard
Joe Bata
Barrie Bates
Michael Blake
John Bowles
Steve Brown
Matt Clark
Scott Coleman
David Copley
Gaz Cousins
Mark Cox
Simon Craven
Joe Cullen
Daniel Day
Matthew Dicken
Kevin Dowling
Mark Dudbridge
Matthew Edgar
Ricky Evans
Carl Evans
Connie Finnan
Mark Forman
Nick Fullwell
Andrew Gilding
Adrian Gray
Lee Gregory
Shaun Griffiths
Steve Grubb
Daryl Gurney
Johnny Haines
Ted Hankey
Stephen Hardy
Ryan Harrington
Lee Hayes
Terry Hayes
John Henderson
Nigel Heydon
Sam Hill
Steve Hine
Dave Honey
Richie Howson
Peter Hudson
Adam Hunt
Mark Hylton
Ewan Hyslop
Campbell Jackson
Andy Jenkins
Prakash Jiwa
Darren Johnson
Mark Jones
Jon Jukes
Stuart Kellett
David Ladley
Mark Lawrence
Jamie Lewis
Anthony Littleton
Ross Lowe
Steve Maish
Peter Manley
Michael Mansell
Kevin McDine
Glen Miller
Lee Moffat
Arron Monk
Ian Moss
Joe Murnan
Mike Norton
William O'Connor
Denis Ovens
Joey Palfreyman
David Pallett
John Part
Gareth Pass
Jake Patchett
Josh Payne
Andy Pearce
Martin Perring
Craig Pope
Scott Rand
Steve Randall
Nathan Richards
James Richardson
Neville Roberts
Jamie Robinson
Reece Robinson
Keith Rooney
Paul Rowley
John Scott
Damien Sherwood
Dennis Smith
Michael Smith
Ross Smith
Daniel Starkey
Keith Stephen
Mark Stephenson
Alan Tabern
Terry Temple
Kevin Thomas
Mick Todd
Jack Tweddell
Jim Walker
Darren Webster
Steve West
Tony West
Stuart White
Darren Whittingham
Geoff Whitworth
Dean Winstanley
Brian Woods
Jonathan Worsley

European Qualifiers

Kurt Van De Rijck
Mensur Suljovic
Michael Rasztovits
Jarkko Komula
Tomas Seyler
Bernd Roith
Jyhan Artut
Jelle Klaasen

Schedule of Play

Friday March 8

Afternoon Session (12pm-5pm)
First Round
16 Games played across two stages

Evening Session (7pm-12am)

First Round
16 Games played across two stages

Saturday March 9

Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm)
Second Round
Eight Games on Main Stage

Evening Session (7pm-11pm)

Eight Games on Main Stage

Sunday March 10

Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm)
Third Round
Eight Games on Main Stage

Evening Session (7pm-11pm)

Quarter-Finals
Semi-Finals
Final
All on Main Stage

PDC and Cash Converters

THE Professional Darts Corporation are delighted to announce a two-year partnership with Cash Converters.

The deal will see Cash Converters continue as the title sponsors of the Cash Converters Players Championship Finals alongside their role as an Official Partner of the PDC's other major tournaments. Cash Converters will be using the association to roll out a nationwide darts campaign across their network of over 200 stores. In addition to the live event activity, Cash Converters will be creating - with the PDC - the first official darts fan website.

The new site will focus on supporting the famous fan experience at PDC events, including the chance to win unique prizes and social media interaction with the stars of the PDC, including Cash Converters Players Champion and 16-time World Champion, Phil 'The Power' Taylor.

PDC Chief Executive Matthew Porter said: "We are delighted to announce Cash Converters are extending their support with the PDC as an official partner. "We're looking forward to launching the new innovative fan site in the coming months and working with them ahead of each of our events across the year." Cash Converters Chief Executive David Patrick said: "We are very excited about the prospect of extending our association with one of the fastest growing sports in the UK.

"Our sponsorship of the Players Championship has been a great success and agreeing the official partnership provides us with the platform to talk to the PDC's excellent fans around the UK and the World at every event."

Cash Converters provides consumers with a modern and convenient environment in which to sell used or unwanted goods for instant cash. Stores also offer a place to shop for pre-owned bargains and a range of financial services including pawnbroking, cash advance and personal loans. The deal was sourced and negotiated by sports marketing consultancy, SportQuake, who will also manage the sponsorship. The consultancy also look after Cash Converter's sponsorship at Hull City and Motherwell.