darts at times and he beat a fivetime World Champion yesterday, so I knew he would be good and it shows that the future in Australia is bright.” “I want to play well and go on to win this tournament now, and I know I can improve on this performance, but winning was the most important thing tonight.” Adrian Lewis ensured that the World’s top four players would compete in the semi-finals, although his match with Wes Newton was the closest on the night. ‘Jackpot’ started well taking out finishes of 138 and 78 to lead 3-2 in the early stages. Newton fought back however, with the Fleetwood-based thrower levelling up at 4-4, before Lewis kicked on to seal an 8-5 victory
with an average of 99.02 in a display that included no less than seven maximums. “Wes got off to a good start, but when push came to shove I produced two 11-dart legs against the throw and that was massive in winning me the match,” said Lewis. “It was a tough game and I thought I’d let him in at one point, so it’s a relief to be through and I’m very happy with how I’m playing. I knocked in a 103 average last night and nearly 100 again tonight.”
Photo: Andrew Fawcett/PDC
Semi-Finals
Simon Whitlock enjoyed home advantage when he faced World Number 1 Phil Taylor, but it was not enough for the battling Aussie. In fact Taylor produced a superlative display of darts that saw him average 109.42 on his way to a 10-6 victory. He raced in front during the early stages of the match, and
Photo: Andrew Fawcett/PDC
led 4-1 at the first break, before another 4-1 session victory saw him take an 8-2 lead into the final session. Whitlock did produce a fightback, closing the gap to 9-6, before the sixteen-time World Champion closed the match out with a 90 checkout, his highest of the match. “I’m delighted to be through to the final, and it was a good game to be involved it. Simon started to come back well and the crowd were behind him and he got on a roll, so I’m glad I got it finished when I did,” said Taylor. “Phil got ahead of me early on in the semi-final and I left myself too
“It was a tough game and I thought I’d let him in at one point, so it’s a relief to be through and I’m very happy with how I’m playing”
Adrian Lewis