Citizen Reporter – Steve Billingham

Editor: Steve Billingham has submitted content for the Citizens’ Eye website before and thanks to him for continuing to support the Community News Agency here at the Community Media Hub.

Steve will be contributing regular articles about both music and sport. The piece below is a review of the 2009 Grand Slam of Darts that took place at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall.

If you would like to become a Citizen Reporter and submit written content on a subject of interest to you and hopefully others, please get in touch by emailing me on editor@citizenseye.org.

Thanks

2009 GRAND SLAM OF DARTS – Wolverhampton Civic Hall

Highlights of the first round were:
Wade v Thornton which Wade won 5-3 with blistering darts. At one point in the match he averaged 119. Ted Hankey showed plenty of bottle (and skill) to overcome Wayne Mardle (and the crowd) 5-4. Popular on the circuit, Mardle had the crowd heavily on his side in that game. Hankey is sometimes criticized for ‘playing the villain’ but in that game, I could’nt say I blamed him. Far too useful for that stick.’I’m a two time World Champion, the crowd should show me more respect,’he was to remark after the game. Anastasia was a surprise but deserved 5-4 winner over Vincent Van der Voor, who then only proceeded to thump Phil Taylor 5-1. I haven’t seen Taylor whupped like that on television for ages if ever. Maybe getting in fast and aggressive against him is the way to beat him, Van der Voor certainly didn’t hang about. And if he sustained pressure and aggression like that consistently and over longer periods what a player he’d be. Another good win (although it came too late was Darryl Fitton’s 5-4 over Merv King. Fitton, after two dodgy opening games, looked a class act in this match and very high-scoring. In nick like that, he is surely in with a chance of capturing the Lakeside title in January. Colin ‘Jaws’ Lloyd was also battered 5-2 by Fitton’s Stockport compatriot Tony O’ Shea, making a mockery of the supposed ‘superiority’ of the PDC to the BDO. Obviously Taylor and possibly Barneveld aside, it’s all pretty ‘nip and tuck’ I reckon.

Terry ‘the Bull’ Jenkins lived up to his name taking out 121 with an excellent
bulls-eye finish to pip James Wade 10-9 in round 2. This set up a quarter final clash with Scot Robert Thornton who had also edged out American Darin Young 10-9. Haalifax based Scott Waites knocked out the two time semi finalist Garry Anderson 10-9 ‘a marvellous achievement’- one of the wins of his career. Ray Barneveld, ‘hit and miss’ all tournament beat Kevin Painter 16-6 in the quarter final. Painter, or ‘the Artist’ as he is known started well enough going 3-2 up but that was as good as it got. Always a lively and entertaining player, even at the end Painter was going for his shots and was far from disgraced. The clash between the PDC number 1 Phil Taylor and the BDO number 1 Tony O’ Shea produced, as largely expected, a 16-7 win for Taylor.

Against the odds, Scott Waites looked impressive in beating Terry Jenkins 16-11 to set up a final clash with Phil Taylor who had brushed past Raymond van Barneveld 16-6. The final was a one sided affair. Taylor, missing nothing superbly checked out on 170 to go 12-2 up. And to cap it all he was a millimetre and a half away from hitting double 12 for a perfect nine dart finish in the final leg. In went double 6 for a 10 dart finish, a 16-2 win, a cheque for £100,000 and a hat-trick of Grand Slam titles.

Steve Billingham

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