Thursday, October 17, 2024
Column HR470
CinderFELLA – it’s Mike!
Mike De Decker became a debut PDC TV winner with a stunning derailment of Luke Humphries’ dreams of becoming a back-to-back Grand Prix Champion. There were times in the Leicester’s Mattioli Arena when the crowd sat in stunned silence by what was happening. De Decker had never advanced past the top 32 in previous TV events. As the late Sid Waddell said: “It’s a funny game.”
Going into the final, Humphries was a favorite considering his 5-0 win in the semis. He averaged 100.3 and lost only 3 legs. De Decker, in the semis, came from 1 down to beat fellow Belgian, Dimitri Van den Bergh, 5-2.
THE FINAL
Mike De Decker 6-4 vs. Luke Humphries
Set Scores: 2-3, 3-2, 3-0, 3-1, 3-2, 2-3, 1-3, 2-3, 2-3, 3-1, 3-2.
Set #1: Humphries takes the opening set 3-2 after De Decker misses one dart at 20.
Set #2: After Humphries misses 2 doubles De Decker goes up 2-1. Humphries pegs T05 to force a 5th leg. Humphries then misses 3 from 40 as De Becker win the set to draw even at 1.
Set #3: De Decker uses only 42 darts to win the set 3-0 as Humphries is definitely “discombobulated”.
Set #4: De Becker 0-1. Humphries is on his way to a second leg when De Decker takes control with a 6-dart finish from 235. De Decker was up 2-1 then took leg 3 with a T56 close.
Set #5: Here’s where things went sideways for De Decker. Up 2-nil, De Decker and Humphries both went “wiggle doodle”. Humphries misses 4 from 87. De Decker outdid him missing by 7 from 90. De Decker takes the set 3-2.
Set #6: As both commentators – Mardle and Part – remarked, De Decker was throwing his darts differently: missing triples, doubles and experiencing bounce outs. Regardless, De Decker led 2-nil as Humphries missed 8 doubles. Humphries caught fire, winning 3 on the trot including a T52 finish as De Decker saw nary a double.
Set #7: De Decker down 2-nil shows some signs of life with a T56 check. He then misses a double to lose 3-2. Humphries was still down 4-3.
Set #8: With Humphries up 2-1 he misses a T70 check with a baby bull. He Still won 3-2 to close the set leveling the match at 4.
Set #9: De Decker seems to steady his play as he takes the set 3-1 in 14, 15 and 16 darts – moving 1 set from victory.
Set #10: The first 2 legs go with the darts. De Decker then break in 11 darts with a 71 check. Humphries uses power scoring to break back to level at 2 legs. After an even start in the decider the players were even. De Decker then pegs T34, T, T80 with a 55-close to win the Grand Prix 6-4.
Round 16 to 8
Ryan Joyce beats Nathan Aspinall 3-2 (2-3, 3-2, 3-1, 2-3, 3-2). WOW, what a spellbinder. It went as far as possible. Ryan Joyce won after first busting for the win. Getting another chance, Aspinall came back to force a 5th and deciding leg. Joyce had first shot, busting 12. Aspinall has missed 3 match darts in the last 2-legs. Joyce regained his composure to hit the winning double and moved into the quarters for the second time in a row.
#4 Rob Cross beats Martin Schindler 3-1(3-0, 0-3, 3-2, 3-1). Before the match, Schindler said he was one of the big guns of darts. The first set he was a water pistol but turned into a howitzer to win the second. Two legs up, in the third he ran out of ammunition as Cross collected the 3rd leg to lead in sets 3-2. The 4th set was all Cross. Schindler missed 34 starting darts. Cross into the Quarter finals again.
#1Luke Humphries 3-1 over Ricardo Pietreczko (3-0, 1-3, 3-1, 3-1). Humphries experienced starting problems allowing Pietreczko to level at 1. As often happens, the roles were reversed in the last two sets. In the 3rd Humphries had two 3-dart outs (T12 and T30) – the T12 with Pietreczko on 20 and the T30 after Pietreczko missed a dart at 32. In the deciding set Pietreczko missed 6 starting darts.
Jonny Clayton 3-1 over Ross Smith (0-3, 3-1, 3-2, 3-1). Clayton was seemingly befuddled after missing 9 darts in the first set. Smith was flying in the first set assisted by checks of 149 and 145. He then lost the 2nd set. Smith missed two doubles to lose the 3rd set. Smith took the first leg of the 4th then missed a d20 in the second leg. Clayton rolled with 3 straight to move on.
Mike De Decker 3-0 over Gary Anderson (3-0, 3-2, 3-2). Gary Anderson played as well as anyone in round one. The ODC would have bet on him in a minute against De Decker. De Decker checked T60 in the final leg of the final set. Anderson answered back with 84 after De Decker needed 7 darts to start. In the decider Anderson sputtered needing 5 to start as De Decker went 108, 180, 139, 74 out. Bye-bye, Gary.
James Wade 3-0 over Gerwyn Price (3-2, 3-1, 3-1). As evident by the scoreline James Wade had a comfortable win over Gerwyn Price. The first set tells the story. Tied at 2-legs, Wade had the honors checking in. Price needed 3, then followed with a T80 giving him a lead. Wade with T45 left himself at 25 thanks to a missed bull. Price scores only 6 to get to 65. As Wade will do, he hit 5 and then his “fav” d10.
Joe Cullen 3-2 over Daryl Gurney (1-3, 3-2, 0-3, 3-0, 3-0). Down 2-1 in the second set, Cullen drew level at 2 in 24 darts. Cullen took the 3rd leg with a T40 leaving himself at 12 which he captured with a miss – 6, d3. After Gurney hung a goose egg (3-0) on Cullen, Cullen returned the favor (3-0) with Gurney missing 11 doubles to win legs. Gurney was just awful in the final allowing Cullen a trip to the round of 8
Dimitri Van den Bergh 3-1 over Dave Chisnall (1-3, 3-0, 3-2, 3-2). The “Chin’s” first set win was ugly but a win’s a win. In both the 3rd and 4th sets Chisnall held 2-1 leads, then 2-2. In the decider in each set Chisnall never got to a finish.
Quarterfinals
Mike De Decker 3-0 over James Wade (3-2, 3-2, 3-2). After being down 2-1 Mike De Decker took the first set with a pair of T46 starts. De Decker loved the d16, t189, T19 start yet he missed 12 darts to allow Wade to level at 2 in the second set. Then came a T46 start followed by a T22 finish giving De Decker the win.
Ryan Joyce 3-2 over Rob Cross 3-2 (1-3, 3-2, 3-1, 2-3, 3-1). The Match of the Quarters continued Ryan Joyce’s Cinderella Grand Prix. Joyce had survived match darts by Nathan Aspinall to get to the quarters. Cross captured the opening set behind a 14-darter with an 11-dart close. Joyce then leveled it in the 2nd set after Cross missed a double. Joyce overpowered Cross to take the 3rd set in 14, a pair of 15-darters including a T35 close. Cross came back to level the 4th set after Joyce pegged a T32 with a T56 answer. At a level 2 Cross checked T10 to take it to a 5th set. Joyce took advantage of Cross missing 5 darts to finish 2 legs for the win.
#1 Luke Humphries 3-1 over Jonny Clayton (3-1, 1-3, 3-2, 3-2). After splitting the two opening sets, Humphries came from 0-2 down with a T46 finish, then a 16-darter to level the 3rd at 2. Humphries won the decider set by holding and breaking Clayton. Clayton had no double to take the set.
Dimitri Van den Bergh 3-1 over Joe Cullen (2-3, 3-1, 3-1, 3-1, 3-1). Dimitri Van den Bergh became the second Belgian to advance to the semifinals. Van den Bergh lost the 1st set when he failed to close 32. The 2nd was all Van den Berge – finishing it off in 11 darts. The next 2 sets went to Van den Berge as Cullen had only 2 finishes, which he took.
Semifinals
Mike De Decker 5-2 over Dimitri Van den Bergh (0-3, 3-2, 3-0, 3-0, 1-3, 3-0, 3-1). Van den Bergh rolled in the opening set when De Decker found nary a double. De Decker then wins out as all games go with the darts. De Decker takes the 3rd and 4th sets 3-0 as Van den Berg sees only one double – a Big Bull. The 5th set starts off on fire as Van den Bergh takes the first leg with a T70-check in 12. De Decker levels in specular fashion – T20 points (20, 50, 50). Van den Berg takes the next two in 13 and 14 darts to move to 2-3 in sets. De Decker powers through the next set 3-0 including a T50 on a 12-dart leg. De Decker misses 7 darts to lose the first leg. He takes the next 3 for a trip to the finals.
#1 Luke Humphries 5-0 over Ryan Joyce (3-0, 3-2, 3-1, 3-0, 3-0). If you’ve ever had a Taco Bell double burrito then you know how Luke Humphries went through Ryan Joyce. Humphries was simply magnificent. He was 15/25 (60.9%) checking out with an average of 103.3.
On the local scene, in North America, the Champion Darts Circuit holds its finale this weekend with the Continental Cup in Philadelphia. The top 16 from the year-long series will meet. PDC-TV will show the event.
Stay thirsty, my friends.
