German Darts Masters
seed as he defeated Shropshire’s Dave Pallett 6-3 to set up a quarter
final clash with Steve Beaton, who earlier had been impressive in a 6-2
victory over Wes Newton.
Quarter Finals
Stephen Bunting’s incredible debut run continued as he ended the
challenge of Dutchman Vincent van der Voort with an impressive display
that saw him run out a 6-1 victor.
Bunting’s reward for victory would be a semi-final against Phil Taylor,
who whitewashed another St Helens based thrower in the form of
Michael Smith. Taylor averaged well in excess of 100 in an impressive
display.
The bottom half of the draw saw wins for reigning World Champion
Michael van Gerwen, who whitewashed Steve Beaton, and Adrian
Lewis, who came through thanks to a 6-2 victory over John Henderson.
Photo: Mike Glover/UK Darts Magazine
Semi-Finals
Phil Taylor proved to be a step too far for the impressive Stephen
Bunting, although the St Helens based thrower did put some pressure
on the sixteen time World Champion, taking three legs as he succumbed
to a 6-3 defeat.
Bunting will have been pleased with his debut campaign, with the
£4,000 in prize money putting a long way towards qualification for the
World Matchplay in July.
In the other semi-final Michael van Gerwen and Adrian Lewis renewed
their recent rivalry. It was the turn of the Dutchman to take the spoils
this time around and he came through with a 6-3 victory to set up a
mouth watering final clash with Phil Taylor.
Final
“Winning this will
set me up really
well for the rest
of the Premier
League because
I’m so determined
to reach the playoffs”
Phil Taylor
The final was an extremely close affair, with all of the first nine legs
going with the throw. The advantage of throwing first saw Phil Taylor
lead 5-4 and in typical fashion the Stoke ace to take advantage of the
situation, finding a 13-dart leg that included a maximum at the crucial
time to seal a 6-4 victory.
“I