2008 Las Vegas Desert Classic
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Las Vegas Desert Classic was the seventh installment of the Las Vegas Desert Classic
, a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation
. It was held in the evenings (GMT
, morning local time/PST) between June 30 and July 6.
Phil Taylor emerged as the champion, in all but one match posting above a 100 average, beating James Wade
in the final. This was his fourth Desert Classic title, having bounced back from a first round defeat to Mark Dudbridge
in the 2007 Las Vegas Desert Classic
.
Last year's champion Raymond van Barneveld
was looking to retain his title but he was knocked out in the second round by Alan Tabern
.
Round 1: First to 6
Round 2: First to 8
Quarter Final: First to 11
Semi-final: First to 11
Final: First to 13
Scores after player's names are three-dart averages (total points scored divided by darts thrown and multiplied by 3)
defeating Co Stompé
6-2. This was Stompé's debut in a televised PDC
tournament having moved over from the British Darts Organisation
a month earlier. Last year's runner-up and the fifth seed Terry Jenkins
also defeated top Irish player Mick McGowan
6-4 - having led 3-0 Jenkins then slumped to allow McGowan to take the match to 4-4. However, Jenkins rallied and took the last two legs to win the match.
An upset was caused in the next match as 27-year old Adrian Gray
defeated Wayne Mardle
, twice runner-up in the competition. Gray, who twice has reached the second round here before, checked out impressive finishes of 156 and 126 on the bullseye
on his way to a 6-4 victory. Another upset also took place as fourth seed, world champion, and winner of this event in 2006, John Part
, was defeated by Mervyn King 6-4. Neither player played at their best, both averaging below 90 despite hitting 8 180's between them.
The best match of the night came as top seed Phil Taylor clashed with Kevin Painter
. Both players incredibly averaged over 100 (Taylor - 108, Painter - 104) and Painter did not miss a double. However he still lost 6-4 to Taylor, who had lost in the first round of this event the year previous.
Another seed was dumped out of the competition in the next match - eighth seed Colin Lloyd
lost 5-6 to qualifier Sam Rooney. Rooney hit a 104 checkout in his win. Another upset looked to be taking place as Welshman Barrie Bates
took a 3-0 lead against Roland Scholten
however the Dutchman improved upon his scoring and managed to take the match 6-4. The final match of the night saw American and North American Championship winner Darin Young
defeating Martin Burchell 6-4. Young hit a 158 checkout, the highest of the night, in the win.
hit a 100+ average in defeating Canadian Shawn Brenneman 6-1. Among the highlights of the match were a 128 checkout on the bull from Hamilton, and winning the match with a ten dart leg. Mark Walsh was also on the verge of an upset against American Bill Davis
who took a 5-3 lead. However, Walsh powered back to win the next three legs and the match; despite Davis having such a lead, he never actually had a dart to win the match.
The next match was a quick-fire contest between young Dutchman Jelle Klaasen
and Canadian Gerry Convery
. Despite six perfect darts towards a nine dart leg from Convery (a leg he later lost), Klaasen's 95 average and clinical finishing saw him win 6-1. The closest match of the night saw Scotsman Robert Thornton
push seventh seed Adrian Lewis
all the way - Thornton had led 2-0 and 4-2, but Lewis pulled back to 5-5. In the final leg both players hit 180s but Lewis was first to the double, which he hit to win 6-5.
Raymond van Barneveld
, the second seed and defending champion, began his defence with a comprehensive victory 6-0 over Matt Clark
. Clark scored well but couldn't hit the doubles which led to a Barneveld victory. A high-quality affair followed as number three seed James Wade
took on Dennis Smith
- despite no 180s being hit in the match both players had averages around 90 and Wade's 6-1 victory scoreline was perhaps harsh on Smith's efforts.
2003 Desert Classic champion Peter Manley
then faced off against Steve Maish
in another high scoring match. This time both players had averages above 90 but Manley's finishing was clinical, living up to his 'One Dart' nickname and taking the match 6-3. To close the first round, Alan Tabern
defeated 1994 World Matchplay champion Larry Butler
6-4, despite Butler having darts to take a 5-3 lead.
veterans Adrian Lewis and Peter Manley trading the lead and sharing 11 180s in a match where both averaged above 95. Lewis was 4-1 up however Manley produced some inspired darts and finally finished on double 1 to win 8-6.
Next up was sixth seed Andy Hamilton facing off against Jelle Klaasen - an unspectacular match saw Klaasen take a 6-3 lead, though Hamilton levelled to 7-7 and a 180 in the deciding leg helped Hamilton to an 8-7 victory, setting up a clash with third seed James Wade in the quarter finals. Two more experienced Premier League players met in the next match - Terry Jenkins became another seed to lose out when he met Roland Scholten. In a match with both players averaging 94 and the first seven legs going against throw, Scholten eventually sneaked past with an 8-6 victory.
Phil Taylor, the top seed, produced another 100+ average in seeing off old rival Dennis Priestley 8-4. Taylor included 101 and 109 checkouts in his win. The biggest story of the night came though as second seed and defending champion Raymond van Barneveld was knocked out of the tournament - Alan Tabern was a fairly comfortable victor 8-4. From 4-4 Tabern won four successive legs to set up an encounter with Peter Manley.
Adrian Gray continued his fine finishing form with a 160 checkout in an 8-3 win over Sam Rooney. From a steady start at 2-2, Gray soon zoomed into a 5-2 lead and never looked back as he won 3 of the next 4 legs to seal the win and a rematch with Taylor, whom he had defeated in a major upset in the first round of the 2007 World Grand Prix
. The final match of the night and the second round saw the lone American left in the competition, Darin Young, face off against Mervyn King. A high-quality match saw 6 180s and three checkouts over 100 from King; in one instance Young performed a 12 darter despite King hitting back-to-back 180s to leave 41 - in the next leg King hit two more 180s making 12 perfect darts in a row. Young held onto the onslaught, levelling the match at 6-6 from 6-4, but King produced 14 and 13 darters to take the match 8-6.
, the sole non-English player left in the competition, over Mervyn King. King never played his best game, perhaps because of the late game the previous day against Darin Young. After a 1-1 scoreline, Scholten won the next 7 legs to take a commanding 8-1 lead, one that King couldn't come back from and Scholten took the game comfortably 11-2. His opponent in the semi-finals would be top seed Phil Taylor, who defeated Adrian Gray
11-4. Gray took the lead 3-1 early on with an encouraging start, but Taylor soon upped a gear - with the match at 4-4, Taylor also won 7 successive legs to win the match.
The other pair of quarter-finals saw third seed James Wade
make an impressive start against sixth seed Andy Hamilton
- he opened the match with a 170 checkout and went 2-0 up. Hamilton fought back to take the lead 3-2, but Wade then took the next 5 legs without reply and soon took a 10-4 lead. With Wade one leg away from victory, Hamilton began a spirited fightback, including a 135 checkout to take the match to 10-7, but Wade held his nerve and wrapped up the game on double top. The last quarter-final was somewhat unspectacular though steady; neither Peter Manley
nor Alan Tabern
could muster a 90+ average though Manley included checkouts of 161, 120, and 118 in his 11-8 win over Barneveld's conqueror.
James Wade
however suffered the after-effects of a gruelling match in the final which followed soon after. Phil Taylor on the other hand had some time to rest and it soon showed as he took a 4-0 lead. Wade could only muster a 92 average and with Taylor on 105 a victory was rarely in doubt. While Wade hit back to 5-3 Taylor upped his game and soon lead 10-4. Wade hit a 126 checkout to get back to 10-5 but Taylor won two more legs to put himself on the brink of victory. Wade then won the next two legs, one of which was an 11 darter, but Taylor hit an 11 darter himself afterwards and took the title with a 13-7 win.
Losers £100
Losers £200
Losers £100
Losers £200
Las Vegas Desert Classic
The Las Vegas Desert Classic was a darts tournament, organised by the Professional Darts Corporation and was held each year in July from 2002 until 2010...
, a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation
Professional Darts Corporation
The Professional Darts Corporation is a professional darts organization, established in the United Kingdom during 1992, when a group of leading professional players split from the British Darts Organisation to form what was initially called the World Darts Council...
. It was held in the evenings (GMT
Greenwich Mean Time
Greenwich Mean Time is a term originally referring to mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. It is arguably the same as Coordinated Universal Time and when this is viewed as a time zone the name Greenwich Mean Time is especially used by bodies connected with the United...
, morning local time/PST) between June 30 and July 6.
Phil Taylor emerged as the champion, in all but one match posting above a 100 average, beating James Wade
James Wade
James Wade is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation . He became the youngest player ever to win a major PDC title at the World Matchplay in July 2007...
in the final. This was his fourth Desert Classic title, having bounced back from a first round defeat to Mark Dudbridge
Mark Dudbridge
Mark Daniel Dudbridge is an English professional darts player.-Darts career:He started playing in his very early teens, citing Dennis Priestley as one of his heroes...
in the 2007 Las Vegas Desert Classic
2007 Las Vegas Desert Classic
The 2007 Las Vegas Desert Classic was the sixth time that the Professional Darts Corporation stage the prestigious darts tournament...
.
Last year's champion Raymond van Barneveld
Raymond van Barneveld
Raymond van Barneveld , nickname Barney is a professional darts player. He is a five time World Darts Champion, and two time UK Open Champion. From January to June 2008, he was the PDC world number one ranked player...
was looking to retain his title but he was knocked out in the second round by Alan Tabern
Alan Tabern
Alan Tabern is an English darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation, where he is also known as "The Saint" and "Tabby"...
.
Prize money
A total prize fund of £126,400 was available for the tournament, unchanged from the previous year.- Champion - £20,000
- Runner-up - £10,000
- Semi-finalists - £7,000
- Quarter-finalists - £5,000
- Second round losers - £3,000
- First round losers £2,000
- Qualifying round losers - £200
Pre-qualified players
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Qualifiers
|
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Draw
Format -Round 1: First to 6
Round 2: First to 8
Quarter Final: First to 11
Semi-final: First to 11
Final: First to 13
Scores after player's names are three-dart averages (total points scored divided by darts thrown and multiplied by 3)
Day 1, Wednesday 2nd July
The tournament began with veteran Dennis PriestleyDennis Priestley
Dennis Priestley is an English professional darts player. He has won two world championships, and was the first player to win both the BDO and WDC world championships, in 1991 and 1994 respectively...
defeating Co Stompé
Co Stompé
Jacobus Wilhelm "Co" Stompé , is a Dutch professional darts player who currently plays in the Professional Darts Corporation. Stompé is nicknamed The Matchstick because of his almost bald head and very thin appearance making him look like a matchstick...
6-2. This was Stompé's debut in a televised PDC
Professional Darts Corporation
The Professional Darts Corporation is a professional darts organization, established in the United Kingdom during 1992, when a group of leading professional players split from the British Darts Organisation to form what was initially called the World Darts Council...
tournament having moved over from the British Darts Organisation
British Darts Organisation
The British Darts Organisation, or the BDO for short, is a darts organisation founded on 7 January 1973 by Olly Croft, OBE. The BDO is a founder member of the World Darts Federation which was formed in 1976....
a month earlier. Last year's runner-up and the fifth seed Terry Jenkins
Terry Jenkins
Terry Jenkins is an English professional darts player who is nicknamed The Bull, having previously used the nickname "Tucker" for his matches...
also defeated top Irish player Mick McGowan
Mick McGowan
Mick McGowan is an Irish darts player. He currently plays in Professional Darts Corporation events, where he is Ireland's top ranked player...
6-4 - having led 3-0 Jenkins then slumped to allow McGowan to take the match to 4-4. However, Jenkins rallied and took the last two legs to win the match.
An upset was caused in the next match as 27-year old Adrian Gray
Adrian Gray
Adrian Gray is an English darts player. Previously using the nickname '3 Styler', he is now known as 'The Conqueror'. Adrian made his televised debut at the 2003 UK Open...
defeated Wayne Mardle
Wayne Mardle
Wayne Mardle is a darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation, and former player in the BDO. He now lives in Romford...
, twice runner-up in the competition. Gray, who twice has reached the second round here before, checked out impressive finishes of 156 and 126 on the bullseye
Bullseye (target)
The bullseye, or bull's-eye, is the centre of a target , and by extension the name given to any shot that hits the bullseye...
on his way to a 6-4 victory. Another upset also took place as fourth seed, world champion, and winner of this event in 2006, John Part
John Part
John Part is a Canadian professional darts player, who is nicknamed Darth Maple.Part is one of only five players in darts history to be a three time World Champion...
, was defeated by Mervyn King 6-4. Neither player played at their best, both averaging below 90 despite hitting 8 180's between them.
The best match of the night came as top seed Phil Taylor clashed with Kevin Painter
Kevin Painter
Kevin Painter is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation tournaments, where he is known as "The Artist"...
. Both players incredibly averaged over 100 (Taylor - 108, Painter - 104) and Painter did not miss a double. However he still lost 6-4 to Taylor, who had lost in the first round of this event the year previous.
Another seed was dumped out of the competition in the next match - eighth seed Colin Lloyd
Colin Lloyd
Colin Lloyd , nicknamed Jaws, is an English professional darts player on the Professional Darts Corporation circuit. He is a former world number one ranked player and he has won two major television titles in the PDC - the 2004 World Grand Prix and 2005 World Matchplay...
lost 5-6 to qualifier Sam Rooney. Rooney hit a 104 checkout in his win. Another upset looked to be taking place as Welshman Barrie Bates
Barrie Bates
Barrie Bates is a darts player currently residing in Bedlinog, Mid-Glamorgan. He plays in the Professional Darts Corporation and is a regular on the circuit. His nickname is "Batesy"....
took a 3-0 lead against Roland Scholten
Roland Scholten
Roland Scholten is a Dutch professional darts player who plays for the Professional Darts Corporation and formerly for the British Darts Organisation. He is nicknamed Tripod or The Flying Dutchman and uses Hey Ya by Outkast as his walk-on. He is currently ranked 45th in the PDC...
however the Dutchman improved upon his scoring and managed to take the match 6-4. The final match of the night saw American and North American Championship winner Darin Young
Darin Young
Darin Young is an American darts player who plays for the Professional Darts Corporation. He uses the nickname Big Daddy....
defeating Martin Burchell 6-4. Young hit a 158 checkout, the highest of the night, in the win.
Day 2, Thursday 3rd July
The second day of the tournament saw sixth seed Andy HamiltonAndy Hamilton (darts player)
Andy Hamilton is a full time professional English darts player widely known for his "aggressive" style of play. He is nicknamed The Hammer and is currently ranked 12th on the PDC Order of Merit....
hit a 100+ average in defeating Canadian Shawn Brenneman 6-1. Among the highlights of the match were a 128 checkout on the bull from Hamilton, and winning the match with a ten dart leg. Mark Walsh was also on the verge of an upset against American Bill Davis
Bill Davis (darts player)
Bill Davis is an American darts player who plays for the Professional Darts Corporation.Davis made his televised debut in the States, taking part in the World Series of Darts in 2006, losing in the first round to Denis Ovens in a tight game...
who took a 5-3 lead. However, Walsh powered back to win the next three legs and the match; despite Davis having such a lead, he never actually had a dart to win the match.
The next match was a quick-fire contest between young Dutchman Jelle Klaasen
Jelle Klaasen
Jelle Klaasen is a Dutch professional darts player who plays in the Professional Darts Corporation and is the youngest darts player to win the World Darts Championship. His nickname is The Matador. He lives in Breda, North Brabant, Netherlands...
and Canadian Gerry Convery
Gerry Convery
Gerry Convery is a Canadian darts player.Convery made his televised debut in the 2004 Las Vegas Desert Classic, beating Darren Webster in the first round before losing in the second round to Dennis Smith...
. Despite six perfect darts towards a nine dart leg from Convery (a leg he later lost), Klaasen's 95 average and clinical finishing saw him win 6-1. The closest match of the night saw Scotsman Robert Thornton
Robert Thornton (darts player)
Robert Thornton is a Scottish darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation events after his switch from the BDO in May 2008. He won the prestigious Winmau World Masters in November 2007.-BDO career:...
push seventh seed Adrian Lewis
Adrian Lewis
Adrian Lewis is an English professional darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation who is the reigning PDC World Darts Champion...
all the way - Thornton had led 2-0 and 4-2, but Lewis pulled back to 5-5. In the final leg both players hit 180s but Lewis was first to the double, which he hit to win 6-5.
Raymond van Barneveld
Raymond van Barneveld
Raymond van Barneveld , nickname Barney is a professional darts player. He is a five time World Darts Champion, and two time UK Open Champion. From January to June 2008, he was the PDC world number one ranked player...
, the second seed and defending champion, began his defence with a comprehensive victory 6-0 over Matt Clark
Matt Clark (darts player)
Matt Clark is an English darts player who competes for the Professional Darts Corporation and formerly played for the British Darts Organisation. He uses the nickname Superman for his matches.-Darting history:...
. Clark scored well but couldn't hit the doubles which led to a Barneveld victory. A high-quality affair followed as number three seed James Wade
James Wade
James Wade is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation . He became the youngest player ever to win a major PDC title at the World Matchplay in July 2007...
took on Dennis Smith
Dennis Smith (darts player)
Dennis Smith is an English darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation events. He is a stalwart on the PDC circuit, having been playing on the circuit since 1994 but has yet to capture a major title to add to his collection of Open wins...
- despite no 180s being hit in the match both players had averages around 90 and Wade's 6-1 victory scoreline was perhaps harsh on Smith's efforts.
2003 Desert Classic champion Peter Manley
Peter Manley
Peter David Manley is an English professional darts player who plays in the Professional Darts Corporation. He is nicknamed One Dart as he is known for hitting doubles with his first dart...
then faced off against Steve Maish
Steve Maish
Steve Maish is a darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation events. He uses the nickname Mr Magic for his matches....
in another high scoring match. This time both players had averages above 90 but Manley's finishing was clinical, living up to his 'One Dart' nickname and taking the match 6-3. To close the first round, Alan Tabern
Alan Tabern
Alan Tabern is an English darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation, where he is also known as "The Saint" and "Tabby"...
defeated 1994 World Matchplay champion Larry Butler
Larry Butler (darts player)
Larry Butler is an American darts player, who was the winner of the 1994 PDC World Matchplay Darts Championship. This success made him the first, and so far only American player to have won a major darts tournament in Europe....
6-4, despite Butler having darts to take a 5-3 lead.
Day 3, Friday 4th July
American Independence Day and the date of all eight second round matches began with a steady victory for third seed James Wade over Mark Walsh, 8-5. Walsh was 4-1 down but levelled to 5-5 - with Walsh missing a dart to take the lead, Wade soon wrapped up the game. A more heavy scoring match followed with Premier LeaguePremier League Darts
The 888.com Premier League Darts is a darts tournament which launched on January 20, 2005 on Sky Sports, and is currently the world's largest indoor sports event. The league is now played weekly from February to May, having originally started as a fortnightly fixture...
veterans Adrian Lewis and Peter Manley trading the lead and sharing 11 180s in a match where both averaged above 95. Lewis was 4-1 up however Manley produced some inspired darts and finally finished on double 1 to win 8-6.
Next up was sixth seed Andy Hamilton facing off against Jelle Klaasen - an unspectacular match saw Klaasen take a 6-3 lead, though Hamilton levelled to 7-7 and a 180 in the deciding leg helped Hamilton to an 8-7 victory, setting up a clash with third seed James Wade in the quarter finals. Two more experienced Premier League players met in the next match - Terry Jenkins became another seed to lose out when he met Roland Scholten. In a match with both players averaging 94 and the first seven legs going against throw, Scholten eventually sneaked past with an 8-6 victory.
Phil Taylor, the top seed, produced another 100+ average in seeing off old rival Dennis Priestley 8-4. Taylor included 101 and 109 checkouts in his win. The biggest story of the night came though as second seed and defending champion Raymond van Barneveld was knocked out of the tournament - Alan Tabern was a fairly comfortable victor 8-4. From 4-4 Tabern won four successive legs to set up an encounter with Peter Manley.
Adrian Gray continued his fine finishing form with a 160 checkout in an 8-3 win over Sam Rooney. From a steady start at 2-2, Gray soon zoomed into a 5-2 lead and never looked back as he won 3 of the next 4 legs to seal the win and a rematch with Taylor, whom he had defeated in a major upset in the first round of the 2007 World Grand Prix
2007 World Grand Prix Darts
The 2007 SkyBet World Grand Prix was the tenth staging of a PDC darts tournament which took place between October 8 and October 14. It was the seventh year that the event was being staged at the Citywest Hotel, Saggart, Dublin...
. The final match of the night and the second round saw the lone American left in the competition, Darin Young, face off against Mervyn King. A high-quality match saw 6 180s and three checkouts over 100 from King; in one instance Young performed a 12 darter despite King hitting back-to-back 180s to leave 41 - in the next leg King hit two more 180s making 12 perfect darts in a row. Young held onto the onslaught, levelling the match at 6-6 from 6-4, but King produced 14 and 13 darters to take the match 8-6.
Day 4, Saturday 5th July
The quarter-finals opened with an unexpected heavy victory for Roland ScholtenRoland Scholten
Roland Scholten is a Dutch professional darts player who plays for the Professional Darts Corporation and formerly for the British Darts Organisation. He is nicknamed Tripod or The Flying Dutchman and uses Hey Ya by Outkast as his walk-on. He is currently ranked 45th in the PDC...
, the sole non-English player left in the competition, over Mervyn King. King never played his best game, perhaps because of the late game the previous day against Darin Young. After a 1-1 scoreline, Scholten won the next 7 legs to take a commanding 8-1 lead, one that King couldn't come back from and Scholten took the game comfortably 11-2. His opponent in the semi-finals would be top seed Phil Taylor, who defeated Adrian Gray
Adrian Gray
Adrian Gray is an English darts player. Previously using the nickname '3 Styler', he is now known as 'The Conqueror'. Adrian made his televised debut at the 2003 UK Open...
11-4. Gray took the lead 3-1 early on with an encouraging start, but Taylor soon upped a gear - with the match at 4-4, Taylor also won 7 successive legs to win the match.
The other pair of quarter-finals saw third seed James Wade
James Wade
James Wade is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation . He became the youngest player ever to win a major PDC title at the World Matchplay in July 2007...
make an impressive start against sixth seed Andy Hamilton
Andy Hamilton (darts player)
Andy Hamilton is a full time professional English darts player widely known for his "aggressive" style of play. He is nicknamed The Hammer and is currently ranked 12th on the PDC Order of Merit....
- he opened the match with a 170 checkout and went 2-0 up. Hamilton fought back to take the lead 3-2, but Wade then took the next 5 legs without reply and soon took a 10-4 lead. With Wade one leg away from victory, Hamilton began a spirited fightback, including a 135 checkout to take the match to 10-7, but Wade held his nerve and wrapped up the game on double top. The last quarter-final was somewhat unspectacular though steady; neither Peter Manley
Peter Manley
Peter David Manley is an English professional darts player who plays in the Professional Darts Corporation. He is nicknamed One Dart as he is known for hitting doubles with his first dart...
nor Alan Tabern
Alan Tabern
Alan Tabern is an English darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation, where he is also known as "The Saint" and "Tabby"...
could muster a 90+ average though Manley included checkouts of 161, 120, and 118 in his 11-8 win over Barneveld's conqueror.
Day 5, Sunday 6th July
The final day of the tournament opened with the first semi-final between Roland Scholten and Phil Taylor. Both players had defeated their quarter-final opponents heavily but it was Scholten who was on the wrong end of an 11-2 defeat this time. With Taylor posting a 103 average and hitting 11 out of 13 attempts at a double, the Dutchman could not do much to stem the onslaught and his missed chances were unlikely to have changed the outcome of the match. Taylor would meet James Wade in the final who came through a high-quality match against 2003 champion Peter Manley. Both players averaged over 95 and Manley looked to be heading for a win at 8-6 up. However, uncharacteristic missed doubles from Manley saw Wade take the next five legs in a row to seal the win 11-8.James Wade
James Wade
James Wade is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation . He became the youngest player ever to win a major PDC title at the World Matchplay in July 2007...
however suffered the after-effects of a gruelling match in the final which followed soon after. Phil Taylor on the other hand had some time to rest and it soon showed as he took a 4-0 lead. Wade could only muster a 92 average and with Taylor on 105 a victory was rarely in doubt. While Wade hit back to 5-3 Taylor upped his game and soon lead 10-4. Wade hit a 126 checkout to get back to 10-5 but Taylor won two more legs to put himself on the brink of victory. Wade then won the next two legs, one of which was an 11 darter, but Taylor hit an 11 darter himself afterwards and took the title with a 13-7 win.
Preliminary Round
- Ron Colvard 5-0 Keith Luck
- Martyn Graham 5-1 Roger Goswell
- Steve Smith 5-2 Taro Yachi
- Kevin McDine 5-1 Tony Little
- Kevin Dowling 5-1 Brian Jones
- Paul Lim 5-2 Dave Essex
- Scott Burnett 5-0 Danny Llanes
- Mark Tiller 5-3 Wayne Atwood
- Robbie Clear 5-4 Alan Codlin
- Richie Burnett 5-0 Ron Peppers
- Tom Wilson 5-0 Davey Harris
- Brian Derbyshire 5-3 Jerry Hull
- Sam Sawyer 5-0 Steve Randall
- Tomokazu Onoda 5-3 Marcus Maraitis
- Anton Pein 5-0 Niall Rooney
- Dave Cameron 5-2 Robbie Newland
- Dave Honey 5-0 Joe Formica
- Eddie White 5-4 Cyril Pearce
- M. van Gerwen 5-1 J. Worthington
- Sam Rooney 5-0 Bobby Peters
- Alan Matthews 5-2 Alan Wyatt
- John Murray 5-1 John Hursey
- Simon Whatley 5-0 Par Rihonen
- Scott Kirchner 5-0 Darren Dixon
- Gary Blades 5-4 Robert Heckman
- Steve Mason 5-0 Steve Hogan
- Donnie Strode 5-0 Marc Garcia
- Sue Cusick Bye (Steven Harbert)
- Roger Carter 5-1 Kenji Mayama
- Steve Hine 5-0 Jason Smith
- Nick Rivera 5-0 Takeyama Daisuke
- Steve Beaton 5-0 James Stephenson
- Geoff Daniels 5-4 C. Eberley
- Steve Brown 5-2 Russell Stewart
- Peter Walford 5-2 Scott Clifford
- Michael Rosenauer 5-0 Dan Lauby
- Chris White 5-0 Mark K Robinson
- Shawn Brenneman 5-1 John Dawes
- Steve Hills 5-1 Joseph Swick
- Andy Mason 5-2 Dave Ansell
- Robert Watson-Lang 5-3 Matt Clark
- Mark Nielsen 5-1 David Uribe
- Mark Frost 5-0 Jayson Barlow
- Sean Palfrey 5-3 Dave Smith
- Dan Olson 5-0 David Ley
- Dale Arthur 5-3 N.J. MacPherson
- Ben Hendon 5-1 Robert Race
- G. Warburton 5-0 V. Gavrielatos
- Keith Bedding 5-0 Gary Mawson
- Robert Thornton 5-1 Isaac Julian
- S. Panuncialman 5-3 Paul Nicholson
- Ben Burton 5-1 Isen Veljic
- Peter Wright 5-1 Thomas Jackowski
- Steve Cusick Bye (Tarek Hamdy)
- Joe Slivan 5-4 Dale Masterman
- Mark Card 5-2 Alexander Plachutin
- Steve Grubb 5-4 Pete Riehl
- John Quantock 5-1 Paul Cohen
- Steve Farrow 5-0 Gilbert Llanes
- Dennis Smith 5-3 Anthony Clark
- Martin Burchell 5-2 Gregor Cruickshank
- Mark Carter 5-0 Stephen Grant
- Philip Smith 5-3 Gordon Dixon
- Greg Lewis 5-4 John Kuczynski
- Terry Stewart 5-2 Jim Withers
- Andy Beardmore Bye (Victor DeWilde)
- Stacy Bromberg 5-3 Frederick Krueger
- John Ferrell 5-1 Nigel Panton
- Danny King 5-4 Bryan Willis
- Mena Maximo 5-1 Brenda Roush
- Mark Stephenson 5-4 Geoff Dyer
- Stuart Holden 5-0 Karl Loiseau
- Tony Ayres Bye (Martin Tremblay)
- Alan Caves Bye (Anthony Eugenia)
- Danny Pinhorne 5-1 Grant Firmager
- Dan Zimmerman 5-2 Tony Thompson
- Steve Maish 5-2 Rocco Maes
First Round
- Jelle Klaasen 5-4 Ronnie Baxter
- Ron Colvard 5-4 Martyn Graham
- Aaron Turner 5-4 Steve Smith
- Kevin Dowling 5-4 Kevin McDine
- Adrian Gray 5-1 Gary Broomhead
- Paul Lim 5-1 Scott Burnett
- Lee Holden 5-1 Steve Perkins
- Mark Tiller 5-0 Robbie Clear
- Mervyn King 5-2 Jimmy Williams
- Tom Wilson 5-2 Richie Burnett
- Brian Derbyshire 5-1 Peter Webb
- Sam Sawyer 5-2 Tomokazu Onoda
- Barrie Bates 5-2 Alan Warriner-Little
- Anton Pein 5-2 Dave Cameron
- Dave Honey 5-1 David Fatum
- Michael van Gerwen 5-0 Eddie White
- Denis Ovens 5-0 Mark Billing
- Alan Matthews 5-4 Sam Rooney
- Co Stompe 5-0 John Murray
- Simon Whatley 5-1 Scott Kirchner
- Wes Newton 5-4 Masahiko Sano
- Steve Mason 5-2 Gary Blades
- Donnie Strode 5-0 Chris Chadwick
- Roger Carter 5-1 Sue Cusick
- Colin Osborne 5-0 Phil Jones
- Steve Hine 5-0 Nick Rivera
- Steve Beaton 5-3 Terry Takacs
- Steve Brown 5-0 Geoff Daniels
- Mick McGowan 5-3 David Wilderman
- Michael Rosenauer 5-3 Peter Walford
- Tony Eccles 5-2 Chris White
- Shawn Brenneman 5-4 Steve Hills
- Kevin Painter 5-1 Richie Blake
- Robert Watson-Lang 5-3 Andy Mason
- Ken MacNeill 5-0 Mark Nielsen
- Sean Palfrey 5-2 Mark Frost
- Mark Walsh 5-0 Ian Frame
- Dan Olson 5-0 Dale Arthur
- Ian Jopling 5-1 Pat Breithaupt
- Graham Warburton def Ben Hendon
- Andy Jenkins 5-0 Andy Relf
- Robert Thornton 5-1 Keith Bedding
- Stephen Panuncialman 5-1 Kim Whiffen
- Ben Burton 5-2 Peter Wright
- Kirk Shepherd 5-3 Lee Williams
- Joe Slivan 5-4 Steve Cusick
- Darren Moulsley 5-1 Mark Card
- John Quantock 5-1 Steve Grubb
- Mark Dudbridge 5-2 Brian Cyr
- Dennis Smith 5-0 Steve Farrow
- Martin Burchell 5-0 Danny White
- Mark Carter 5-4 Philip Smith
- Alan Reynolds 5-4 Andy Smith
- Greg Lewis 5-2 Terry Stewart
- Kit Young 5-2 Dennis Sayre Jnr
- Andy Beardmore 5-3 Stacy Bromberg
- Alan Tabern 5-0 Eddie Lawrence
- Danny King 5-4 John Ferrell
- John Rutherford 5-1 Mena Maximo
- Stuart Holden 5-1 Mark Stephenson
- Alex Roy 5-0 Scott Cummings
- Tony Ayres 5-2 Alan Caves
- Steve Evans 5-3 Danny Pinhorne
- Steve Maish 5-1 Dan Zimmerman
Second Round
- Jelle Klaasen 5-1 Ron Colvard
- Kevin Dowling 5-2 Aaron Turner
- Adrian Gray 5-3 Paul Lim
- Mark Tiller 5-2 Lee Holden
- Mervyn King 5-4 Tom Wilson
- Brian Derbyshire 5-1 Sam Sawyer
- Barrie Bates 5-3 Anton Pein
- Michael van Gerwen 5-2 Dave Honey
- Denis Ovens 5-2 Alan Matthews
- Co Stompe 5-1 Simon Whatley
- Wes Newton 5-0 Steve Mason
- Roger Carter 5-0 Donnie Strode
- Steve Hine 5-4 Colin Osborne
- Steve Brown 5-4 Steve Beaton
- Mick McGowan 5-3 Michael Rosenauer
- Shawn Brenneman 5-2 Tony Eccles
- Kevin Painter 5-0 Robert Watson-Lang
- Ken MacNeill 5-2 Sean Palfrey
- Mark Walsh 5-0 Dan Olson
- Ian Jopling 5-1 Graham Warburton
- Robert Thornton 5-2 Andy Jenkins
- Stephen Panuncialman 5-2 Ben Burton
- Joe Slivan 5-2 Kirk Shepherd
- John Quantock 5-2 Darren Moulsley
- Dennis Smith 5-4 Mark Dudbridge
- Martin Burchell 5-2 Mark Carter
- Alan Reynolds 5-1 Greg Lewis
- Kit Young 5-2 Andy Beardmore
- Alan Tabern 5-0 Danny King
- John Rutherford 5-4 Stuart Holden
- Alex Roy 5-2 Tony Ayres
- Steve Maish 5-1 Steve Evans
Third Round
- Kevin Dowling 5-4 Jelle Klaasen
- Adrian Gray 5-2 Mark Tiller
- Mervyn King 5-2 Brian Derbyshire
- Barrie Bates 5-3 Michael van Gerwen
- Co Stompe 5-4 Denis Ovens
- Roger Carter 5-3 Wes Newton
- Steve Brown 5-3 Steve Hine
- Shawn Brenneman 5-2 Mick McGowan
- Kevin Painter 5-4 Ken MacNeill
- Mark Walsh 5-1 Ian Jopling
- Robert Thornton 5-1 Stephen Panuncialman
- Joe Slivan 5-3 John Quantock
- Martin Burchell 5-4 Dennis Smith
- Kit Young 5-2 Alan Reynolds
- Alan Tabern 5-3 John Rutherford
- Steve Maish 5-3 Alex Roy
Losers £100
Fourth Round
- Adrian Gray 5-3 Kevin Dowling
- Mervyn King 5-3 Barrie Bates
- Co Stompe 5-2 Roger Carter
- Shawn Brenneman 5-4 Steve Brown
- Mark Walsh 5-3 Kevin Painter
- Robert Thornton 5-4 Joe Slivan
- Martin Burchell 5-0 Kit Young
- Steve Maish 5-3 Alan Tabern
Losers £200
Preliminary Round
- Stuart Holden 5-0 Eddie Lawrence
- Brian Cyr Bye (David Wilderman)
- Simon Whatley 5-1 David Uribe
- Paul Nicholson 5-1 Lee Williams
- Gary Broomhead 5-0 James Stephenson
- Scott Burnett 5-1 Donnie Strode
- Wayne Atwood 5-0 Peter Walford
- Jerry Hull 5-0 Robert Heckman
- Jelle Klaasen 5-1 Ian Frame
- Joe Slivan 5-1 Anthony Clark
- John Dawes 5-3 Napoleon McPherson
- Jim Withers 5-0 Kenji Mayama
- Steve Mason 5-1 Bobby Peters
- Peter Webb 5-2 Marcus Maraits
- Ian Jopling 5-0 Niall Rooney
- Brian Jones Bye (Tomokazu Onoda)
- Danny Pinhorne Bye (Keith Luck)
- Tony Ayres 5-2 Darren Moulsley
- Danny King 5-1 Bryan Willis
- Joseph Swick 5-4 Mena Maximo
- Brian Derbyshire 5-0 Vasilios Gavrielatos
- Dale Masterman 5-3 Dave Ley
- Steve Cusick 5-2 Ron Peppers
- Stephen Panuncialman Bye (D. Dixon)
- Scott Kirchner Bye (John Murray)
- Dennis Smith 5-1 Roger Carter
- Mark Tiller 5-4 Graham Warburton
- Andy Mason 5-3 John Hursey
- Tom Wilson 5-4 Sam Sawyer
- Steve Evans 5-3 Stacy Bromberg
- Andy Beardmore 5-2 Anton Pein
- Andy Relf 5-0 Joe Formica
- Alan Reynolds 5-0 Ben Hendon
- Kit Young 5-4 Terry Takacs
- Mark Billing 5-0 Chris Chadwick
- Rocco Maes 5-4 Steve Hills
- Tony Eccles 5-0 Steve Perkins
- Cyril Pearce Bye (Mark Card)
- Karl Loiseau Bye (Alan Codlin)
- Richie Blake 5-0 Marc Garcia
- Keith Bedding 5-2 Anthony Eugenia
- Eddie White 5-2 Steve Grubb
- Dave Cameron 5-1 Terry Stewart
- Dave Ansell 5-4 Philip Smith
- Mark Stephenson 5-4 Gordon Dixon
- Sean Palfrey Bye (Danny White)
- Matt Clark 5-0 Sue Cusick
- Kim Whiffen 5-4 Gary Blades
- Takeyama Daisuke 5-2 Mark Neilsen
- Dave Honey 5-0 Dave Essex
- John Rutherford 5-0 Isaac Julian
- Nick Rivera 5-2 John Ferrell
- Sam Rooney 5-0 Dennis Sayre Jnr
- John Worthington 5-1 Alan Wyatt
- Paul Cohen 5-3 Jimmy Williams
- Aaron Turner 5-2 Jason Smith
- Michael Rosenauer 5-1 Dan Olson
- Isen Veljic 5-3 John Quantock
- Lee Holden 5-3 Tony Thompson
- Steve Hine 5-1 Jayson Barlow
- Russell Stewart 5-2 Steve Farrow
- Gregor Cruickshank 5-2 Steve Hogan
- Kevin Dowling 5-0 Robbie Clear
- Ken MacNeill 5-0 Roger Goswell
- Dan Lauby 5-2 Steve Brown
- Alan Matthews 5-0 Pete Reihl
First Round
- Ronnie Baxter 5-1 Lee Holden
- Simon Whatley 5-4 Brian Cyr
- Mark Carter 5-0 Brenda Roush
- Paul Nicholson 5-0 Gary Broomhead
- Alan Warriner-Little 5-4 Davey Harris
- Wayne Atwood 5-4 Scott Burnett
- Alan Caves 5-0 Stephen Grant
- Jelle Klaasen 5-1 Jerry Hull
- Barrie Bates 5-0 Phil Jones
- Joe Slivan 5-2 John Dawes
- John Kuczynski 5-2 Pat Breithaupt
- Jim Withers 5-1 Steve Mason
- Kirk Shepherd 5-0 Steve Randall
- Ian Jopling 5-1 Peter Webb
- Steven Harbert 5-0 Gilbert Llanes
- Danny Pinhorne 5-1 Brian Jones
- Denis Ovens 5-3 Ron Colvard
- Tony Ayres 5-1 Danny King
- Mark Frost 5-1 Dan Zimmerman
- Brian Derbyshire 5-3 Joseph Swick
- Mick McGowan 5-2 Dave Smith
- Steve Cusick 5-0 Dale Masterman
- R. Watson-Lang 5-1 F. Krueger
- Scott Kirchner 5-4 Stephen Panuncialman
- Colin Osborne 5-3 Taro Yachi
- Dennis Smith 5-2 Mark Tiller
- Ben Burton 5-4 Paul Lim
- Tom Wilson 5-0 Andy Mason
- Greg Lewis 5-3 Alex Roy
- Andy Beardmore 5-3 Steve Evans
- Scott Cummings 5-4 Martyn Graham
- Alan Reynolds 5-1 Andy Relf
- Kevin Painter 5-2 Kit Young
- Rocco Maes 5-0 Mark Billing
- Mark K Robinson 5-4 Thomas Jackowski
- Tony Eccles 5-0 Cyril Pearce
- Gary Mawson 5-3 Par Rihonen
- Richie Blake 5-1 Karl Loiseau
- Grant Firminger 5-3 Christopher Eberley
- Eddie White 5-1 Keith Bedding
- Andy Jenkins 5-0 Geoff Dyer
- Dave Cameron 5-1 Dave Ansell
- Robbie Newland 5-1 Alexander Plachutin
- Mark Stephenson 5-3 Sean Palfrey
- Peter Wright 5-1 Andy Smith
- Matt Clark 5-3 Kim Whiffen
- Nigel Panton 5-0 Scott Clifford
- Dave Honey 5-2 Takeyama Daisuke
- David Fatum 5-4 Mark Dudbridge
- Nick Rivera 5-3 John Rutherford
- Steve Smith 5-2 Masahiko Sano
- Sam Rooney 5-1 John Worthington
- Chris White 5-2 Wes Newton
- Aaron Turner 5-0 Paul Cohen
- Kevin McDine 5-0 Dale Arthur
- Michael Rosenauer 5-0 Isen Veljic
- Alan Tabern 5-0 Danny Llanes
- Steve Hine 5-1 Lee Holden
- Michael van Gerwen 5-0 Geoff Daniels
- Russell Stewart 5-3 Gregor Cruickshank
- Steve Beaton 5-0 Robert Race
- Kevin Dowling 5-4 Ken MacNeill
- Richie Burnett 5-0 Tony Little
- Dan Lauby 5-2 Alan Matthews
Second Round
- Ronnie Baxter 5-2 Simon Whatley ** Ronnie Baxter 9-darter **
- Paul Nicholson 5-2 Mark Carter
- Wayne Atwood 5-1 Alan Warriner-Little
- Jelle Klaasen 5-0 Alan Caves
- Barrie Bates 5-3 Joe Slivan
- John Kuczynski 5-4 Jim Withers
- Kirk Shepherd 5-1 Ian Jopling
- Steven Harbert 5-4 Danny Pinhorne
- Denis Ovens 5-3 Tony Ayres
- Brian Derbyshire 5-2 Mark Frost
- Mick McGowan 5-1 Steve Cusick
- Scott Kirchner 5-4 Robert Watson-Lang
- Dennis Smith 5-3 Colin Osborne
- Ben Burton 5-4 Tom Wilson
- Andy Beardmore 5-2 Greg Lewis
- Scott Cummings 5-4 Alan Reynolds
- Kevin Painter 5-3 Rocco Maes
- Tony Eccles 5-1 Mark K Robinson
- Richie Blake 5-4 Gary Mawson
- Eddie White 5-1 Grant Firminger
- Andy Jenkins 5-0 Dave Cameron
- Robbie Newland 5-4 Mark Stephenson
- Matt Clark 5-4 Peter Wright
- Dave Honey 5-0 Nigel Panton
- David Fatum 5-4 Nick Rivera
- Sam Rooney 5-4 Steve Smith
- Chris White 5-3 Aaron Turner
- Kevn McDine 5-4 Michael Rosenauer
- Alan Tabern 5-2 Steve Hine
- Michael van Gerwen 5-4 Russell Stewart
- Steve Beaton 5-3 Kevin Dowling
- Dan Lauby 5-2 Richie Burnett
Third Round '
- Ronnie Baxter 5-3 Paul Nicholson
- Jelle Klaasen 5-1 Wayne Atwood
- Barrie Bates 5-4 John Kuczynski
- Kirk Shepherd 5-4 Steven Harbert
- Denis Ovens 5-2 Brian Derbyshire
- Mick McGowan 5-0 Scott Kirchner
- Dennis Smith 5-2 Ben Burton
- Andy Beardmore 5-1 Scott Cummings
- Kevin Painter 5-1 Tony Eccles
- Richie Blake 5-0 Eddie White
- Andy Jenkins 5-1 Robbie Newland
- Matt Clark 5-3 Dave Honey
- Sam Rooney 5-4 David Fatum
- Chris White 5-4 Kevin McDine
- Alan Tabern 5-2 Michael van Gerwen
- Steve Beaton 5-0 Dan Lauby
Losers £100
Fourth Round
- Jelle Klaasen 5-3 Ronnie Baxter
- Barrie Bates 5-3 Kirk Shepherd
- Mick McGowan 5-2 Denis Ovens
- Dennis Smith 5-2 Andy Beardmore
- Kevin Painter 5-1 Richie Blake
- Matt Clark 5-4 Andy Jenkins
- Sam Rooney 5-3 Chris White
- Alan Tabern 5-2 Steve Beaton
Losers £200