Sunday, June 3, 2018
Column HR233
PDC World Cup XIII – Final Day
The lunchtime crowd at the Eissporthalle was rocking and rolling when the final day of World Cup XIII swung into action. They were there primarily to indulge in the German custom of enjoying “Golden Elixir” and cheering on the home team when they would face the daunting task of taking on the Netherlands which had not dropped a leg while allowing their opponents only 2 darts at a double. Missing from the crowd were the 4 penguins and 3 bananas from yesterday.
The final was a dandy.
#3 Netherlands 3-1 over #1 Scotland. When Michael van Gerwen is just a bit off he still does marvelous things. In his 4-2 win over Peter Wright he was muddling along in the first leg but then took out 143. After a simple double 4 gave MvG a 2-nil lead, Wright checked 103 and 70 to draw level. In the 5th leg MvG checked 132, finishing the match with a 92 average. Just another day at the office.
Gary Anderson opened a 3-0 lead but then missed 5 match darts allowing Raymond van Barneveld to snatch the leg. Barney couldn’t match Anderson’s firepower in the 5th leg as Anderson wanted 81 after 9. Anderson would “jack around” but finally hit double 3 for a 4-1 victory.
The doubles went to the Netherlands (4-1) to put them just one win away from the World Cup. It was a match of big finishes – 66 from MvG, 135 and 96 from Barney and a 127 from Anderson. Barney hit the match winner a pedestrian double 8.
It then took just 7 minutes for Michael van Gerwen to dispatch Gary Anderson 4-0 and deliver the World Cup yet again to Netherlands for the 4th time. To the victors go the spoils.
The afternoon kicked off with #1 Scotland 2-0 over Japan. Peter Wright wasted little time (10 minutes and 64 darts) in disposing of Seigo Asada 4-0. Two legs were won with bulls, one on the end of a 121-check.
Gary Anderson was just about perfect saying “Sayonara” to Japan’s Haruki Muramatsu 4-0. Going into their semi final match The Scots had dropped only one leg, that by Peter Wright. The “Tartan Two OH” were at the top of their game taking a total of only 18 minutes to send Japan packing.
#4 Australia 2-1 over #5 Wales. Simon Whitlock stride on stage to the sound of Men at Work. He opened with a T80 and continued to fill the triple 20, tossing four T80s in the first 3 legs – going up 3-0 over Gerwyn Price. Then, like all men at work he took a break. The break ended when he opened the 6th leg with another T80 that led to his 4-2 win. Wales’ Jonny Clayton was ushered on to the sounds of Chuck Berry’s “Jonny B Good” – which he was while Aussie Kyle Anderson was terrible, having only one dart at a double.
The late Sid Waddell said of darts, “It’s a funny old game.” The doubles decider between Australia and Wales is a prime example. Up 2-0, Wales had darts to go up 3-0 but Jonny Clayton missed. Kyle Anderson, who had been excess baggage, erased 36 for 2-1 and then checked again for 2-2 – and then again on bull on the end of 144 for 3-2. Whitlock opened with T77 with Anderson applying the coup de gras for the 4-2 win.
#7 Belgium 2-1 over #2 England. Rob Cross had built a 3-1 lead when “The Hurricane” Kim Huybrechts got it to 3-2. With the darts Cross went T, T40, T80, 81 – taking the 32 out for the match. In actual fact the Hurricane was but a gentle breeze. Dave Chisnall in the first leg had 21 darts barely leaving an out. He never got a shot. It’s hard to explain his 160-check to narrow the gap to 3-2. The reigning youth champion Dimitri Van den Bergh overcame some nervous moments to eke a 4-3 win sending this one to the pairs.
In the doubles Belgium annihilated England 4-0 with England only missing one double (that’s all they got). Van den Bergh had a pair of T80s. The ODC predicted this outcome.
#3 Netherlands 2-nil over Germany. Michael van Gerwen won 4-1 over Martin Schindler. It was the first leg the Netherlands had lost. In true Paul Harvey fashion, “Now, the rest of the story…”
Schindler had 5 T80s to MvG’s 4. With the score level at 1 both players had T80s with MvG finishing on 32 in 11 darts. MvG got the winning darts checking 82 with bull – d16 after Schindler used a T40, 99, T80 but missed tops. WOW – all in 8 minutes and 22 seconds with both players averaging 110. Max Hopp missed two darts at tops to hold throw in leg 1. Down 3-0, Hopp had one dart at d14 on the end of a 121 check. He missed, allowing Barney the whitewash 4-0 win
With the best crowd of the tournament in attendance the semi finals was played two best of 7 – 501 singles and if tied then one 501 – best of 7 doubles. The final is comprised of two 501 singles – best of 7 and a doubles 501 – best of 7. If no team has 3 points then a reverse single will be contested. MC John McDonald kicked it off with “Let’s Get this party started.” NOTE to John: “The party was already was in full swing – but great voice.” There were no penguins, only one banana and two guys in Orange t-Shirts and horse heads. .
#1 Scotland 2-1 over #4 Australia. Peter Wright had only lost one leg in the tournament. That changed when Simon Whitlock leveled the score at 3 with checks of 130, 105 and head scratched from 68 with t14 and d13. But alas, it wasn’t enough as Wright took the decider for the 4-3 win. Gary Anderson vs. Kyle Anderson was a strange event. To memory it’s the only one that went completely with the darts. In the end, Kyle Anderson emerged triumphant in a leg that went T20, T20, T31 and 130-check for the 4-3 win. The pair of T20s came with only 2 darts each score. The pairs ensued.
Scotland was up 3-nil – that included a Shanghai 120-check by Peter Wright. It got to 3 all thanks to Wrights missing 5 match darts along the way. With the darts Wright hit the decider sending Scotland to the finals with the 4-3 win.
#3 Netherlands faces #7 Belgium for a pace in the finals. Michael van Gerwen started with an 11 dart game but then struggled a bit, dropping 2 legs on the way to a 4-2 win against Kim Huybrechts – averaging 105. Oh the shame of it all.
Raymond van Barneveld took the first 2 legs in 11 and 12darts averaging 130-plus. Dimitri Van den Bergh took 2 to level, missing 3 darts to go up 3-2 when Barney took out 97. Up 3-2, Barney missed 2 for the match while den Bergh sat on 121. den Bergh went 60, 51 hitting the outer bull giving van Barneveld another chance – he didn’t miss. 4-3 Barney and into the finals. Van Bergh averaged 107 and lost.
It’s with a heavy heart that intrepid reporter, the ODC, must report that he made a mistake. The correct score of the Paul “The Great” Lim match against Rob Cross was 4-2 not 4-3. He will be severely reprimanded and sent to his room without his Miller Genuine with ice.
Stay thirsty my friends.
