Michael van Gerwen 8 (99.00) Daryl Gurney 3 (100.6)
Michael van Gerwen secured only his second ever title in Australia with an 8-3 win over Daryl Gurney in the final of the 2019 Melbourne Darts Masters at the Melbourne Arena. Van Gerwen won the first leg with a double 18 to hold throw comfortably. A 140 opening from Gurney in the next leg was then followed up with a maximum from him. He then moved to 81 and held throw at his next visit. Despite a bounce out Gurney opened up with a 120 and then another maximum on the van Gerwen throw but the Dutchman was throwing good scores consistently to leave 167 anyway. He could only score 57 but Gurney left eight at his next time at the oche and did not get a shot at double from 96 as his opponent stepped up and held throw. Gurney opened up the next leg with another 180 and followed it up with 140. With van Gerwen on one hundred Gurney missed a shot at the leg only for both players to then miss multiple chances at the same. Requiring seven Gurney hit three and then missed two darts at double two before finally van Gerwen hit double ten with his last dart in hand to take a 3-1 lead. In the fifth leg Van Gerwen started with a 140 as Gurney hit another maximum and followed it up with a 140. Van Gerwen moved to 91 with a 170 as 92 left Gurney on 89. Van Gerwen left 40 and was punished as Gurney took the break back at his next visit. Both players started slowly in the sixth leg but Gurney moved from 162 to 72 with a 90 as van Gerwen could only move to 210. A double 16, so helpful to him in this tournament, put Gurney back on level terms at 3-3. After the break van Gerwen opened with 100 on throw and watched as his opponent started with 134 so responded with 140. Another score over 130 was then bettered by a 180 which finally went in for the Dutchman. 125 left Gurney on 111 as MvG missed a dart at the leg. Gurney then missed tops for the break as his opponent hit double six with his next dart to hold throw. Gurney quickly moved to 167 in the eighth leg but left himself needing 74. A 140 (his third in a row) moved MvG to 40 and put the pressure on the Gurney throw and in response he was unable to get a dart at a checkout. MvG hit double ten with his next dart to move 5-3 clear. Van Gerwen led the next leg with strong scores although Gurney managed his sixth 180 of the match. 134 moved van Gerwen to 76 as 85 moved his opponent to 124. A double eight gave MvG three legs on the spin and move him two legs away from the title. A 134 from his second visit in the next leg put MvG in the box seat and after the next visit he required 167. He hit 139 to leave 28. Gurney then hit double 7 with his last dart in hand to move to 7-3. Van Gerwen quickly moved to needing 134 for the match in what would end up being the final leg. With Gurney on 187 MvG left 82 but then missed tops for the match. Gurney was unable to convert 130 and his next dart went in thus securing an 8-3 win for MvG and title of 2019 Melbourne Darts Masters champion. “It is phenomenal to be back and it is nice to win a tournament over here. I have let my Australian fans down for a long time but I’m back” van Gerwen said after the final. Statistics Averages: MvG 99.00 Gurney 100.6 Check outs: MvG 8/19 Gurney 3/11 Breaks of throw: MvG 3-1 180s: Gurney 6-1
Semi Final 1
Michael van Gerwen 8 (96.97) Peter Wright 0 (82.61)
Michael van Gerwen showed his intent to take out the Melbourne Darts Masters title in 2019 with an 8-0 win over Peter Wright in a firey semi-final at times. He opened the match with a 100 and won the leg with a double 1 with Wright sitting on 18. He then broke the Wright throw with a 14 dart leg culminating in a double 8 after he had missed out on a big 148 check out on his previous visit to the oche. In leg three van Gerwen opened with visits of 100 and 140 and a double 5 with his 17th dart meant a three nil lead. As if he needed too van Gerwen then upped the pressure with successive 12 dart legs and 124 and 98 check outs. Leading 5-0 van Gerwen then threw a 15 dart leg, checking out 78. He then hit a 139 and 137 on alternate legs before finally throwing a double ten with his 18th dart for the leg. In what would be the final leg of the match van Gerwen opened with 140 and matched that score three visits later. He secured the leg with a bull on his 15th dart, thus becoming the first qualifier for the Final in the Melbourne Darts Masters in 2019. Statistics Averages: MvG 96.97 PW 82.61 Check outs: MvG 8/17 PW 0/5 Legs won against the throw: 4-0 to MvG 180s: 1-1
Semi Final 2
Daryl Gurney 8 (96.25) Rob Cross 5 (98.25)
Daryl Gurney secured his position in the final of the Melbourne Darts Masters after an 8-5 win over Rob Cross in the last semi final of this competition. Cross opened up the match with a 13 dart leg on throw. In contrast Gurney’s first leg on throw took 20 darts to complete and saw him hit scores above 60 in only two visits. He was fortunate that Cross missed a chance at converting 70 before Gurney hit tops to move the match to one leg apiece. Cross then opened the next leg with visits of 134, 140 and 134 to move clear once more at 2-1. On his second visit in the next leg Gurney hit a maximum and a follow up 134 was enough to set himself well ahead in the leg and eventually a double five moved the scoreboard to 2-2. The next leg saw the first four visits to the oche collect 140 three times and 134 once. Gurney backed his visits up with 90 and 99 and when Cross missed a chance at double 16 Gurney hit the same check out with his 14th dart to collect the first break of the match. He then held throw with 11 darts, including the perfect first 6 darts and a follow up visit of 125. At 4-2 Cross had to hold throw and he did so in 15 darts, including a maximum visit of his own at his third time at the oche in leg seven. He then broke the Gurney throw with a 180 on his second visit helping set up the leg, alongside some inaccurate throwing from the Northern Irishman. Cross then held throw in 14 darts thanks to visits of 140 and 180 mid leg to move back in front in the match at 5-4. He missed a critical dart in the next leg which would have moved him two legs clear and instead a double nine from Gurney put the match back into parity. Gurney then hit two 140s in three visits to set up a chance at the next leg, an opportunity he took although he had to watch as Cross missed out on a 160 check out first. In leg 12 Gurney opened with visits of 134 and 140 and two visits later hit the bigger number again to leave 32 which he hit with his 13th dart and thus he moved within a leg of the match. Cross had to hold throw and with three visits of 134, 100 and 100 looked like he would do so, however Gurney heaped on the pressure by scoring 140 and 120 on visits four and five and after Cross left 8 when chasing 78 to stay in the match Gurney hit double 14 to secure the second position in the Melbourne Darts Masters final 2019 with a 8-5 win. Statistics Averages: DG 96.25 RC 98.25 Check outs: DG 8/19 RC 5/16 Legs won against the throw: RC 3-1 180s: 5-5
Quarter Final 1
Peter Wright 8 (94.91) Raymond van Barneveld 6 (94.4)
Peter Wright edged out Raymond van Barneveld 8-6 to take up the first position in the semi finals of the 2019 Melbourne Darts Masters. Peter Wright started slowly but a 140 from his second visit gave Barney a solid lead on throw early. Wright hit his own 140 mid leg but it did not get him to a check out. He moved to 150 as Barney chased 106, which he completed despite an errant first dart. Wright then opened with a 140 on throw which was matched by his opponent. Wright hit another 100 to move ahead of his opponent and got to a possible check out chance first with 141. He missed the big check out which gave Barney a chance at 110 but he left 18. Wright got the 54 with last dart in hand to draw the match level. Barney moved well clear in the next leg but threw a 45 mid leg to open it up for Wright who did not take up the chance. Later Wright hit 140 to move to 146 as Barney moved from 136 to 8, just hitting the wrong side of the wire on the double 8. Wright then hit triple three with his second dart and his frustration was there for all to see (but followed it up with a treble 20). Barney took out the leg with his next dart. Wright hit a 140 to move to 270 in leg four and then hit another to move to 130. With Barney well behind on 245 Wright still took the shot at the big check out and successfully converted the 130 to move things back to parity. Barney was comfortable on throw until a 125 moved his opponent to 220 and 59 left him on 142. An errant last dart meant Wright left 135 but Barney could only move to 82. Wright then left 93 as Barney got the check out at his next visit with last dart in hand. Wright then opened up with a 140 once more and had first shot at 66 which he hit with the bull and a double eight to tie things back up after six legs. The next leg saw Barney comfortable on throw once more as he moved to 136. Both players were throwing errant darts throughout this leg though and Barney did not come close to hitting 136. He did hit the 76 in two darts though, demonstrating the confidence in his doubling he had last night. Wright hit a 104 check out to take the next leg. Barney then opened with yet another big score, this time 140 and followed it up with the same twice. Barney missed tops for the leg and with a 145 Wright put the pressure on his opponent but Barney hit his target with last dart in hand. Both players then opened with 140 and Wright backed it up with another. One hundred from Barney left him behind but a 41 left Wright on 180. Barney pounced with a 130 to leave 121. Wright moved to 86 as Barney missed the double 14 for the break. Wright then missed the bull to hold his throw and Barney missed three for the leg. With a 5 and double 10 (from his second attempt) Wright held throw. Barney opened with 100 in the next leg and he got to a check out first at 112. He left 68 but Wright could only move from 196 to 96 with a ton. Barney could not convert his check out at his next visit and Wright again stepped up to turn things around completely but his second dart failed to give him a shot at a checkout. Barney then handed the leg back to Wright by missing double 8 for the leg and Wright hit double ten to finally take out the leg and go 6-5 up. Barney’s double accuracy had completely deserted him over the previous two legs. Wright then quickly moved to requiring 36 in the next leg and as Barney missed the big check out he was able to step up and with his next dart moved two legs clear, and one away from the match. Both scored well in the 13th leg and a 60 moved Barney to needing 116. Wright hit 140 to move to 68 and put the pressure on his opponent. A double ten then gave Barney the leg and move to a leg from parity once more. A second maximum from Barney in the match was not enough to move him ahead in the next leg and Wright had a shot at 170 for the match. Wright moved to 75 as 90 left Barney on 101. Wright missed his second and third match dart at his next visit. Van Barneveld then missed the big number with his second dart and failed to set up a check out. Thus Wright got another set of chances and despite going well wide with his first dart he hit the double 6 for the match with his second. Statistics: Averages PW 94.91 RvB 94.4 Doubles: PW 8/17 RvB 6/19 Legs against the throw: PW 1-0 180s: RvB 2-1
Quarter Final 2
Michael van Gerwen 8 (100.53) Gary Anderson 6 (95.08)
In a classic match up Michael van Gerwen eliminated Gary Anderson from the Melbouren Darts Masters with a 8-6 victory in an instant classic affair. In the very first leg two perfect visits from MvG was not followed up with another treble 20 but with his 11th dart he secured the 32 required to break his opponent at the first attempt. Both players started with 140 in the next leg. MvG missed double 16 for a 139 check out towards the end of the leg but Anderson failed to convert at the next attempt. Surprisingly MvG then missed his chance to break and Anderson broke straight back with his next dart. MvG regained his mojo in the next leg and broke straight back before hitting yet another 180 to move to 240 in the following leg. He then left himself 100 as Anderson sat on 200. With no need to hit tops tops MvG left 40 which he took with the first dart of his next visit. Anderson left 121 in the next leg as a 130 moved MvG to 127. Anderson then missed a single 11 with his second dart for a shot at the leg but was able to return to the oche to wrap it up and move within a leg of parity. Van Gerwen then missed double 8 for the next leg and Anderson stood up to hit the bull for a 79 check out and to tie things up at 3-3. A bounce out on his second visit cruelled Anderson a maximum on throw in the next leg as MvG moved ahead and had a shot at 164 which was only denied to him by missing the bull. Anderson then left 20 as MvG missed darts at breaking Anderson once more. Anderson then managed to miss three darts to go ahead for the first time in the match as a double two with last dart in hand gave MvG another break. MvG then hit 177 on throw and backed it up with a 180 and although he failed at the 9 darter again a double 5 late in the leg was enough to help him move two legs clear. Anderson opened the next leg with a maximum but MvG missed a 164 check out. Anderson failed to convert and watched as MvG did the same. A double ten finally saved the Scotsman from losing that leg. The tenth leg was a close run affair until a maximum left Anderson needing 110. MvG then hit his own big score to leave 130 to put some pressure on. Anderson then missed darts for the break once more. A double 9 punished Anderson this time and he moved to 6-4. 140 from Anderson and 180 from MvG as openings demonstrated the class of this match. Anderson missed another big number to set up a check out but MvG was unable to collect 130 and Anderson held throw at his next visit. Anderson got to a check out first on MvG’s next throw but a 164 looked a long way away and he left 64. Van Gerwen needed just two darts to hit 78 and move to a 7-5 lead. Anderson moved to 150 in the 13th leg and then left 40 as MvG tried to hit 124 but left 72. Anderson hit the required dart and now faced breaking the van Gerwen throw once again to stay in the match. Visits of 134 and 180 from MvG made it hard for Anderson (who hit two 140s in a row.) Anderson left 176 as van Gerwen set up 32. Anderson moved to 81 but MvG hit the double 8 with last dart in hand to take out the match 8 legs to 6. Statistics: Averages: MvG 100.63 GA 95.08 Checkouts: MvG 8/26 GA 6/17 Legs against the throw: MvG 3-2 180s: MvG 7-3
Quarter Final 3
Rob Cross 8 (102.86) Damon Heta 3 (87.2)
Rob Cross defeated Damon Heta 8-3 to win a position in the semi finals of the Melbourne Darts Masters. Cross moved quickly ahead in the first leg and then piled on the pressure on the Heta throw to move 140 clear and with two darts hit the 47 required to break Heta at the first attempt and moved two legs clear. Cross then opened up with a 180 in the third leg and a 44 check out had him quickly three nil up. Heta watched as Cross opened with a 140 against his throw but a 180 of his own filled Heta with confidence. A follow up 58 did not leave a check out score as Cross moved to 161 at his next visit. A good last dart left Heta on 84 but 161 was taken out by Cross to reinforce his dominance. A 115 start from Cross in the fifth leg demonstrated the chasm he had created in the match. With Heta not on a check out Cross had a shot at 127 but set up the leg by leaving 32. Cross then hit a miraculous third dart past his first two to secure a 32 almost as remarkable as his 161 check out in the previous leg. The scoreboard was now in his favour 5-0. A 177 from Cross moved him to 228 on the Heta throw and after his next visit the West Australian was facing up to a chance of 132. Cross left 28 as Heta had an outside chance at 129 but threw a poor first dart and instead left 82. Double 14 gave Cross the sixth leg. Cross had an average over 110 at the start of the seventh leg. With Heta sitting on 102 Cross tried to check out 146 but instead had to suffice with leaving 16. On his next throw Heta left 8, still not having had a shot at a double only for Cross to hit the wrong double bed and bust at his next visit. Heta hit a double two to break the Cross throw and he followed it up with an opening maximum on his own throw. Heta could have tried to check out 161 but instead chose to leave himself 32. With Cross only moving to 153 Heta missed three chances at the leg. Cross did not make the big check out and Heta hit the double 8 for his second leg in succession. Cross opened up with a 180 but a 134 from Heta kept him in the leg . Another perfect leg from Cross gave him a shot at a nine darter and he even got the next treble 20 but missed the treble 19. He left himself 52 which he collected on his next visit (in 12 darts.) Two visits over a ton in a row from Heta gave him a good early lead in the next leg with a 140 on his third visit leaving him needing 136. Heta missed two darts at the leg as Cross lined up a 156 but missed the double 18 as his first match dart. Heta hit double one with his last dart in hand to move the match to 7-3. Cross was again strong at the start of his own throw in the eleventh leg and soon had set up a 170 attempt. Cross missed it but a 134 left him requiring 74. Cross then hit his beloved double 18 for the match with last dart in hand. Statistics Averages: RC 102.86 DH 87.2 Check outs: RC 8/15 DH 3/11 Legs against the throw: RC 3-1 180s: RC 4-2
Quarter Final 4
Darryl Gurney 8 (94.74) Simon Whitlock 4 (92.44)
Darryl Gurney overcame Simon Whitlock and the Aussie crowd with an 8-4 victory in the final quarter final of the Melbourne Darts Masters. Gurney threw first and got the first maximum of the match to move to 104. He left 52 as Whitlock moved from 164 to 110. Gurney got the leg with his second dart on his next visit landing in the double 16 bed. On the Whitlock throw Gurney took a slight lead but it was Whitlock that moved to a check out target of 24 with his first maximum of the match. He collected it to move the scoreboard to one all. Gurney took out 44 to take the third leg with Whitlock ready to pounce if he missed. A 140 in the next leg gave Gurney an outside chance at the leg but his follow up was poor. Whitlock then left 170 as Gurney moved to 160. Whitlock could only move to 112 as Gurney took his score to requiring 20. Whitlock missed the bull for the leg and Gurney hit the double ten for the break with last dart in hand. The next leg saw Gurney have a shot at 128 only to leave 32 which he converted on his next visit to move three legs clear, although it was only one break. Whitlock started with 180 but the next few visits were poor from both players. Whitlock then missed a chance at the leg only to convert on his next visit. In the next leg a 130 from Gurney on his first visit was bettered by a maximum for Whitlock. Errant darts meant Wizard only followed up with a 79. Another 180 left Whitlock requiring 62. He had one dart at double 16 for the break and secured it to move to 4-3 down but back on throw. In leg eight Whitlock started with 134 and followed it up with 137 before a maximum moved Gurney back into contention. Whitlock had a shot at 170 with Gurney standing behind him needing 124. Whitlock left 36 in a valiant effort as Gurney could only leave 68. Whitlock gained parity on the scoreboard with his next dart. Leg nine was a tight affair until another maximum moved the Wizard to 121. Gurney left 132 as Whitlock missed the bull for a fourth leg in a row. Gurney hit 25, treble 19 and a bull for the leg to deny Whitlock a shot at 25 in what would be the big turning point of the match. Whitlock left 16 in the next leg as Gurney hit 62 with a double 16 to get another break and lead 6-4. An opening 90 in leg eleven was bettered by Whitlock with a 140. Gurney then matched the Wizard’s previous effort and another double 16 finish had him back to leading by three legs and just one away from a semi-final position. Whitlock stayed slightly ahead in the next leg until a 66 only moved him to 148 as Gurney positioned himself to requiring 128. Whitlock needed 88 as Gurney left tops. Whitlock missed double seven to stay in the match and Gurney silenced the crowd with tops. Statistics Averages: DG 94.74 SW 87.2 Check outs: DG 8/11 SW 4/12 Legs against the throw: DG 3-1 180s: SW 5-3
Night 1
Match 1
Simon Whitlock 6 (97.62) Mick Lacey 3 (78.93)
In the opening match of the 2019 version of the Melbourne Darts Masters Simon Whitlock put pay to Team Rebel’s Mick Lacey debut with a 6-3 win. Whitlock had known he would be in for a battle and the chance he presented Lacey was duly snapped up but in the end his experience on the big stage was there for all to see. Despite opening the leg with 100 and 140 Simon Whitlock was unable to checkout 50 at his sixth visit and Mick Lacey hit double 5 to hold the first throw of the match. Whitlock secured a 14 dart leg to bring the score back to 1-1. Lacey opened the next leg with a maximum and 14 darts after that he was checking out double 9 for a 2-1 lead. Whitlock then hit a remarkable 12 dart leg to tie the match back up. Leg five saw Lacey only throw 41 to leave 177 at his fourth visit to the oche. It emboldened Whitlock who threw 130 to leave tops and his next dart was placed in the red 20 to move Whitlock into a 3-2 lead. Whitlock then held his throw to move two legs clear. Another strong lead for the Wizard through the next leg on the Lacey throw, including visits of 180 and 140, and the Aussie number one had three shots at double 16 for the leg but failed to grab the chance. On throw Lacey pounced with an 84 check out total, including a double 12 ending the leg and moving him within a break of parity. Visits of 134 and 180 on his second and third visits from Whitlock put pay to that idea though, as Lacey could only watch as a double 18 moved his opponent to within a leg of the match. The leg included the match’s fourth maximum of the match. The end would come only too soon with a 114 visit setting up Whitlock and with last dart in hand on his next visit (and Lacey still requiring 108) he hit double six, having missed the double 12 on the outside and inside with his previous two darts. Lacey was delighted with the experience but reflected on a few errors of his own “It was awesome, it was a huge reward for my family my sponsors and everyone that has supported me. I loved it up there. Unfortunately a few mistakes in key legs and he was good enough to capitalise.” Meanwhile Whitlock was pleased to have got through this awkward obstacle in his desire to win a World Series title in Australia, “I am pretty happy with that, I threw some good darts today, a few loose ones here and there, but a great win. I have got my proper set up now and I am happy. I’d love to win it.” Statistics: Averages SW 97.62 ML 78.93 Check Outs SW 6/16 ML 3/6 Breaks of Throw SW 2-0 180s SW 3-1
Match 2
Raymond van Barneveld 6 (106.13) Haupai Puha 1 (93.13)
Raymond van Barneveld made it two from two against Haupai Puha in the 2019 version of the World Series of Darts as an average over 106 saw him rolling back the years as he won 6-1 on the opening night of the Melbourne Darts Masters. On throw he opened the match with no visit of less than 95 and checked out 109 with a double 16 on his 15th dart. He then broke the throw of his opponent in one less dart, checking out 83 with another finish of the green 16. Leg three saw a response from the Kiwi as he opened with 180, 140 and then 145 and despite being unable to convert 36 at his first visit he watched as Barney missed his chance to hold throw and with last dart in hand hit double four for the leg on his next visit to the oche. Leg four saw normal service resume though as Barney collected the leg in 14 darts to break back straight away. Then he backed it up with a second 14 dart leg, this time checking out 76 emphatically in two darts. In the sixth leg visits of nothing less than 91 left Barney requiring 72 against the throw, and with his opponent well behind he left it until his 15th dart to take a 5-1 lead. He finished the match in style as visits of 100, 180 and 140 left him needing just 81 and in two darts it was over, van Barneveld’s 11th dart of the leg securing itself in the red bed of the 12. Puha was magnanimous in defeat, “I never really got a chance, I felt like I played okay and I am still smiling. He took almost everything he looked at so hats off to him.” Statistics: Averages RvB 106.13 HP 93.13 Check Outs RvB 6/8 HP 1/8 Breaks of Throw RvB 3-1 180s RvB 3-1
Match 3
Daryl Gurney 6 (97.57) Kyle Anderson 3 (93.35)
Daryl Gurney held off a late challenge from Kyle Anderson to move through to another quarter final stage at the World Series of Darts, this time at the 2019 Melbourne Darts Masters, with a 6-3 win. After 25 of his own darts Gurney was holding a 2-0 lead in the match. His opening throw had been held in 14 and then with two successive maximums he was able to leave 46 which he secured in the two minimum darts. He then held throw comfortably in another 14 darts. Anderson had his first chance at a finish in the next leg and took it, converting 60 with Gurney requiring 12 after he had chased 112 on his previous visit. Opening visits of 125, 82 and 140 from Gurney held him in good stead in leg five and a double 16 with dart 16 returned Gurney’s three leg buffer in the match. The match was not done yet as Anderson held throw in 16 darts. He then piled the pressure on with a 13 dart leg that included a maximum on his third visit to the oche. Anderson then had to hold throw and at 152 he left 52 before the pressure was applied as a 140 moved Gurney from 156 to 16. Anderson could not convert the one shot he had at tops for the leg at his next visit and Gurney pounced, landing double eight with his next dart. Despite more good visits from Anderson in the 9th leg he could only move 155 down by 131 and Gurney secured the final leg with a 84 check out, including a double 11 to win the match. Overall Gurney was happy enough with the result, “I gave Kyle some opportunities and he took them but in the end I got the check outs required. Kyle is one of my best mates, but thankfully I got the six legs to my name before Kyle did.” Statistics: Averages DG 97.57 KA 93.35 Check Outs DG 6/8 KA 3/7 Breaks of Throw DG 2-1 180s DG 4-2
Match 4
Gary Anderson 6 (96.67) James Bailey 0 (79.34)
Gary Anderson put the cleaners through James Bailey in the opening round of the Melbourne Darts Masters, the second time he has secured a win at this stage of this specific event against Bailey, with a 6-0 victory. The opening leg was on the Anderson throw and whilst not a highlight he did the job with tops securing his required 80. Against the throw in leg 2 Anderson hit 140, 100 and 180 before collecting 81 with his 10th and 11th dart. Anderson should have fallen in the next leg though as he took five darts to get 47 but Bailey was so far behind he did not even get a shot at a check out and inside seven minutes the Scotsman was 3-0 up. A 15 dart leg from Anderson broke the throw of Bailey once more, the final 58 check out set up by visits like 131 and 180. Leg five was again more emphatic with it being completed in one less dart that included a 100 check out for the leg. On throw in the next leg Bailey had a small window as Anderson threw ten to leave four as Bailey sat on 135. Bailey could not even get a shot at a double and 99 left him needing double 18. He never got a shot at it although Anderson used all three darts to secure the required double two for the match. Bailey was obviously disappointed not to have thrown like he can during the match, “Tonight I don’t even think I was a challenger. The way I played tonight as opposed to last week was like chalk and cheese, but that is the way our game goes.” Gary Anderson was reflective after the win, “My game is getting there, I have had time off before and walked back in and taken up where I left off, this time around it has been much different. It is going to take more work this time around obviously.” Statistics Averages GA 96.97 JB 79.34 Check Outs GA 6/14 JB 0/0 Breaks of Throw GA 3-0 180s GA 2-1
Match 5
Peter Wright 6 (82.24) Corey Cadby 4 (83.8)
Peter Wright defeated Corey Cadby six legs to four in a close game that failed to reach the heights that many fans would expect from these two, although as ever from a Cadby match there was a little interaction between the two players. The opening leg saw Wright hold throw, although not a single visit saw him hit over 100. He then broke the throw of Cadby with his 19th dart as Cadby failed to secure 82 in six darts. Opening visits of two lots of 41 from Wright and he should have been out of the leg but Cadby could not pounce comprehensively and Wright secured the leg with a 142 check out to lead 3-0. In an ordinary fourth leg Cadby held throw for the first time in the match with his 24th dart landing in the red segment of the 8. Neither player had secured a visit over 100 for the whole leg, and even then there were only two tons, an 85 and the next best visit was 60. Cadby had the leg though and showed that he was up for a fight on the Wright throw in the next leg as he checked out 96 with Wright having failed to make 100 on his previous visit. Wright was able to steady the match though as he broke straight back, Despite visits of 180 and 14 from Cadby he failed to convert 82 with six darts and had to watch as Wright hit 52 with his 13th and 14th darts. Wright then held throw thanks to mid round visits of 121 and 134 before Cadby held his own throw, set up by a maximum start matched with some poor visits from Wright (eg three 60s in a row.) Cadby then broke the throw of Wright once more with a 14 dart leg including mid round visits of 134 and 131. At 5-4 he now had the darts on throw to tie the match up and put it into a deciding leg. An opening 133 helped his cause but Wright’s second visit secured him 180. Cadby responded with 136 which left him on 170. He failed to make that number in two visits and whilst Wright missed 140 on the first attempt he cleaned up tops with his 13th dart to take the break, the leg and the match 6-4. Wright was upset at how poorly he had played after the match despite the win being next to his name. “Corey is obviously struggling and I am struggling but I have not got a clue why. I cant explain it, no idea, I am gutted, I am gutted for my fans and supporters and will try and get it sorted for the next game.” Statistics: Averages PW 82.24 CC 83.8 Check Outs PW 6/9 CC 4/12 Breaks of Throw PW 3-2 180s CC 2-1
Match 6
Damon Heta 6 (99.6) James Wade 1 (93,25)
Damon Heta continued his strong run of form to prove that his tournament win in Brisbane was no fluke as he comprehensively did the job against James Wade, winning the match by six legs to one. The opening leg saw Heta hold his throw although with Wade hitting 140 to leave just 16 Heta had to check out 116 to go one up. On the Wade throw Heta opened with two 180s in a row to leave the magic 141. He failed to gain it but with Wade unable to convert 171 (leaving tops), Heta secured 81 with his 11th dart landing in the double 12 segment. On throw in the third leg Heta struggled to secure a treble but Wade was unable to fully capitalise and having stood back and watched as Wade missed out on 78 Heta stepped up and secured 72 with last dart in hand to go 3-0 up. In the next leg Wade had a shot at Shanghai but left 20. Having previously hit a maximum to leave 62 Heta was able to step up to the Oche and put that away with his 13th and 14th darts. Heta then threw a remarkable leg in one minute and 15 seconds as visits of 180, 140, 140 and 41 secured an 11 dart leg and a 5-0 lead. Wade then held throw in 15 darts to avoid the whitewash before Heta stepped up first once more, threw 100 followed by a maximum, another ton and a 105 to leave just 16 after 12 darts. With Wade well behind he hit one hundred to leave 160 and then could only watch as Heta took out double 8 with his next dart for the 6-1 victory. After the match Heta was delighted to have followed up Brisbane with another win, “I obviously want to back the Brisbane win up to show that it was not a one off happy birthday event and to show that this is the real deal. I went out to prove tonight that I have got the game and I am willing to go on with it and no holding back. I really want to do well in these series and show that it is a normal thing and not just luck.” Statistics Averages DH 99.6 JW 93.25 Check Outs DH 6/8 JW 1/4 Breaks of Throw DH 2-0 180s DH 5-0
Match 7
Michael van Gerwen 6 (93.24) Tim Pusey 2 (83.49)
Michael van Gerwen defeated Tim Pusey 6-2 in the penultimate match of the opening night of the 2019 Melbourne Darts Masters. Van Gerwen put down his marker from the outset with an opening visit of 180 and in 14 darts he was a leg up. He then hit two successive maximums against the throw but whilst unable to score 141 at his next visit within 6 darts he had completed the 141 to gain a two leg lead. He then missed out on converting 24 with three darts on throw and watched as Pusey hit double 8 to win back a leg. Pusey then held throw in 17 darts to push the match back into parity. With opening visits of 100 and 140 van Gerwen pushed the gears up once more and despite poorer follow up visits and a miss at the bull for a 126 finish he was able to hold throw with his 17th dart. The next leg would be critical as both players put in some great visits but van Gerwen hit 134 to leave 36 and with Pusey unable to convert the big check out of 130 (leaving 72) MvG hit the double 18 with his second dart on the next visit. The Dutchman then opened with a maximum and a 133 two visits later. It took him a while to whittle down the remainder but with Pusey unable to secure 76 for the leg van Gerwen put the leg away with a double 4 to move to within a leg of the match. That eighth leg was secured against the Pusey throw thanks to a start of 100, 100 and 131 from the three time world champion when Pusey combined to only score 184 in his opening three visits. Despite hitting 140 and then 120 to leave 16 it was not enough for Pusey as van Gerwen hit tops with his 16th dart to take out the match 6-2. Pusey was realistic after the match, “He played awesome early on and I just had to stay with him. He is actually really good to play with, I like his pace, so hopefully I can give him a run for his money next time. I did get sucked in as he increased the pace but that is me and my inexperience. I will learn from that and play my own game next time.” Statistics Averages MvG 93.24 TP 83.49 Check Outs MvG 6/18 TP 2/5 Breaks of Throw MvG 3-1 180s MvG 4-1
Match 8
Rob Cross 6 (86.28) Robbie King 2 (77.13)
Rob Cross capped off the opening night of the 2019 Melbourne Darts Masters with a victory over World Series debutant Robbie King 6-2. Cross opened the match by losing his throw to his Australian opponent. King had left 40 from 175 and with Cross only able to move from 93 to 48 he had a couple of darts at tops on his next visit to secure the break. Cross showed his class by breaking back although the only visit for he or King in that leg over one hundred was a maximum to Cross on his fifth visit to the oche. Cross then managed to hold throw for the first time in leg three, King unable to collect 74 to create the third break in a row and Cross hitting the required double ten for the leg on his next visit. Cross upped the scoring on the King throw in the next leg as earlier visits of 140 and 180 had him chasing 41 to move 3-1 clear, a job he completed with his 14th dart. He then held throw with the same tally of darts after opening with another maximum. Leg six looked to be Cross’s as well after late visits of 125 and 140 but he failed to convert 54 and King hit double 8 with his 17th dart to move back to within two legs of his opponent at 4-2. Despite some heavy scoring early in the next leg from King, including a 168, Cross got to a check out first and with twenty and double 16 he moved within a leg of the match. A 177 start against the throw set the story for the next leg but King still had his chances, He failed to collect 160 and Cross then missed 125. King left twenty chasing 60 as Cross showed him how it was down hitting twenty and double twenty with his next two darts to take out his 60 and the match by six legs to two. King was disappointed after the match, “I could not get going tonight, I could not get my first dart right and things did not play out how I would want, but I will be back. I did not come to lose obviously but things did not happen and hopefully next time I will be better.” Statistics Averages RC 86.28 RK 77.13 Check Outs RC 6/14 RK 2/8 Breaks of Throw RC 3-1 180s RC 3-0