{"id":6050,"date":"2023-07-20T10:50:09","date_gmt":"2023-07-20T10:50:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/2023\/07\/column-hr416-then-there-were-eight\/"},"modified":"2024-02-14T22:17:53","modified_gmt":"2024-02-14T22:17:53","slug":"column-hr416-then-there-were-eight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dartoidsworld.net\/2023\/07\/column-hr416-then-there-were-eight\/","title":{"rendered":"Column #HR416 THEN THERE WERE EIGHT…"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thursday, July 20, 2023
\n<\/strong>Column HR416\u00a0<\/strong>
\nTHEN THERE WERE EIGHT…<\/strong><\/p>\n

The stage at the Winter Gardens\u00a0(Blackpool) has seen players and fans\u00a0battling\u00a0sweltering heat.\u00a0 The fans, of course, were forced to consume aiming fluid while players were limited to H2O.\u00a0 This year, the temperature has been unusually cool.\u00a0 The second round of the World Matchplay was\u00a0\u201cen fuego\u201d.<\/p>\n

Some guy using the name Daryl Gurney showed up to play Gary Anderson.\u00a0 Now, this guy didn\u2019t play like \u201cThe Chin\u201d we know and love.\u00a0\u00a0The imposter opened\u00a0a lead of 6-nil hitting 6 closes with 6 darts.\u00a0\u00a0Anderson needed a 12\u2013darter with a T21 check to get a leg.\u00a0\u00a0Gurney would win 11-4 averaging 104.43 while hitting 11 of 16 checks – only one miss cost him a leg.\u00a0 Anderson didn\u2019t play badly as he averaged 102.47.<\/p>\n

Some would agree that Joe Cullen had little chance against #4 Gerwyn Price who despite a few hiccups was playing the best of all.\u00a0 Cullen took advantage of Price missing 6 doubles to lose 3 legs for leads of 4-1 and 5-2.\u00a0 A Cullen missed bull got Price to 4-5.\u00a0 Price missed 2 more doubles as Cullen extended to 7-5 followed by a 14-darter for 8-5.\u00a0 Finally, \u201cThe Price was Right\u201d as a run of 5 gave him his first lead at 9-8 and then 10-8 one leg from victory.<\/p>\n

Cullen regained his composure with 13 and 12 darts to draw level at 10 after Price missed the bull for the 11th leg.\u00a0\u00a0Both held to level at 11.\u00a0\u00a0In 14 darts Cullen edged ahead 12-11.\u00a0 In what proved to be the decider Price got there first missing d20 and d10 allowing Cullen the chance for a T12 finish which he took for the 13-11 win.<\/p>\n

Following two blistering matches, Nathan Aspinall and Danny Noppert played a “teeter totter\u201d match where they were level after\u00a08.\u00a0\u00a0In 11 and 16 darts Aspinall lead 6-4, then in 12, 8-6.\u00a0 Noppert in 13 darts would tie at 9.\u00a0 Aspinall would snare the next 2 for the 11-9 win but only after Noppert missed double tops to send the match to OT.<\/p>\n

Before the #1 seed (Michel Smith) faced #17 (Chris Dobey) two things were certain on paper: it will be high scoring and Michael Smith would advance to the round of 8.\u00a0\u00a0This is where \u201cthat\u2019s why they play the game\u201d is pertinent.\u00a0 It\u00a0was<\/em>\u00a0high scoring with averages of 99.81 and 98.24.\u00a0 There were 49 scores of more than a ton, 20 of T40+.\u00a0 Yes, it\u00a0was<\/em>\u00a0high scoring.<\/p>\n

Smith opened up 3-0 including a 12-darter with a T21 check.\u00a0 When Smith attempted bull finishes that failed Dobey got 2 back.\u00a0\u00a0Smith answered with a pair going up 5-2, then missed 3 checks for 6-2 instead being ahead only 5-3.\u00a0 Dobey added two more, in 26 darts, to level.\u00a0 Three misses by Smith gave Dobey his first lead at 6-5 which was then expanded to 8-5 when Smith missed one at d14 presenting Dobey a shot at T10 out which he gratefully took out.\u00a0 At 10-5 Dobey gave up two legs then took his 11th<\/sup>\u00a0when Smith missed one at d20 from T06.<\/p>\n

Day two of the second round began as \u201cblow out city\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0The ODC’s favorite song is \u201cWhat a Difference a Day Makes\u201d by Dinah Washington.\u00a0 For Brenden Dolan it was a couple of days after he used timely doubles sending MvG home 10-7.\u00a0 Then Dolan missed\u00a010 doubles falling behind Damon Heta 5-0.\u00a0 At 5-1 Heta turned it on taking a T50, 65, 91 (bull) and 88 to lead 9-1.\u00a0 Heta made it 10-1 in 12-darts and concluded with a T21 check.\u00a0 Taps was finally played when Heta closed things out for the 11-1 win.<\/p>\n

Dirk van Duijvenbode built a 3-0\u00a0lead\u00a0over Luke Humphries\u00a0which included a pair of double bull checks plus a T32 12-darter.\u00a0\u00a0From 3-2 at the pause Duijvenbode got to 5-3 after Humphries missed 4.\u00a0\u00a0At level 5 Duijvenbode garnered 3 on the trot for 8-5 which became 9-6.\u00a0 Humphries claimed an 11-darter for 9-7 only to have Duijvenbode use just 10 darts for 10-7 and one leg from advancing.\u00a0 \u201cCool Hand Luke\u201d interrupted the Duijvenbode celebration with a three-leg run including a bull finish that drew them level at 10.\u00a0 Each man held to level at 11 and 12. Humphries broke getting his 13 in 15 darts including an 88 finish.<\/p>\n

Duijvenbode, in the 26th<\/sup>\u00a0leg, after 15 darts wanted 200.\u00a0 After the same number\u00a0of darts left Humphries had 1 dart at 38 which he missed.\u00a0 Humphries nailed the d19 for the 14-12 overtime win.<\/p>\n

The Clayton-Van den Bergh match saw both hold for through 2.\u00a0 Then Clayton broke in 11 darts and followed with a T70 to lead 3-1.\u00a0\u00a0Van den Bergh got it to 3-4 when he clocked a T25 check following that with T15I for a level at 4.\u00a0 A Van den Bergh miss gave Clayton a leg with a 66-finish.\u00a0 In 42 darts Clayton expanded that lead to 9-5 with the 9th<\/sup>\u00a0win a 156-out.\u00a0\u00a0At 10-6 Van den Bergh missed 4 to extend giving Clayton the 11-6 win.<\/p>\n

Peter Wright and Ryan Searle\u00a0met\u00a0to see who would face Jonny Clayton in the next round.\u00a0\u00a0Both held to level at 2.\u00a0\u00a0Searle would hold for 3-2, then break and hold for 5-2.\u00a0 Wright grabbed one back for 5-3, then missed 3 from 20 as Searle got his 6th<\/sup>\u00a0leg.\u00a0\u00a0Going to the break Wright got one back.\u00a0 Following the break Searle got to 8-4.<\/p>\n

Then\u00a0the double wheels fell off the Searle victory wagon as 6 misses changed the score to\u00a08-5 which morphed into 8-6 with another miss.\u00a0 A 16-darter made the lead 9-6, then 10-8.\u00a0 Wright could have denied Searle a 10th<\/sup>\u00a0leg missing 2 at 32, although he did hit d16 to force a 19th<\/sup>\u00a0leg.\u00a0 Searle\u00a0finished in stylist fashion with a T12 (18, T18, d20).<\/p>\n

With seeds 1 to 7 sent home, a \u201cneophyte\u201d would suggest that the quarters, semis and finals would be a \u201cpiece of cake\u201d from eight on would be easy.\u00a0 Au contraire.\u00a0\u00a0Those remaining\u00a0are all playing well – as the PDC has become the ultimate \u201con any day sport\u201d.<\/p>\n

Good stuff on tap:<\/p>\n