2008 World Grand Prix Darts

The 2008 Sky Poker World Grand Prix will be the eleventh instance of the darts tournament held by the Professional Darts Corporation, the World Grand Prix. It will be held from October 6 to October 12. As usual it will be staged at the Citywest Hotel in Saggart, Dublin. [ [http://www.planetdarts.tv/page/GrandPrixDetail/0,,10180~1365760,00.html PDC website report - Irish Fans Show Record Support] from the Professional Darts Corporation, obtained 15-08-2008] The event will feature a tournament record prize fund of £250,000 with £50,000 going to the winner. [http://www.planetdarts.tv/page/GrandPrixDetail/0,,10180~1356495,00.html PDC website report - Sky Poker sponsors World Grand Prix] from the Professional Darts Corporation, obtained 15-08-2008] [http://www.planetdarts.tv/page/OrderofMerit/0,,10180~1233239,00.html PDC Order of Merit Explanation] from the Professional Darts Corporation, obtained 15-08-2008]

James Wade was the defending champion, however he suffered a 2-1 defeat to Tony Eccles in the first round.

Format

The tournament's usual format is in play with the usual 501 legs double-in double-out format (the World Grand Prix remains the only televised darts tournament to use the double-in format). The first round's games are best of 3 sets - the quickfire nature of this round means shocks are frequent in this round, not least involving seven-time champion Phil Taylor who three times has gone out the in first round here. Second round games are best of 5 sets, the quarter finals best of 7 sets, the semi finals best of 9 sets, and the final is best of 11 sets. All sets are best of 5 legs/first to three legs. [http://www.planetdarts.tv/page/GrandPrixDetail/0,,10180~1401367,00.html PDC website report - Sky Poker World Grand Prix Schedule of Play] from the Professional Darts Corporation, obtained 23-09-2008]

Prize money

A tournament record prize fund of £250,000 is available to the participants, divided based on the following performances:

Champion - £50,000
Runner-up - £25,000
Semi-finalists - £14,500
Quarter-finalists - £10,000
Second round losers - £6,750
First round losers - £3,250

Nine-dart jackpot - £15,000

Qualification

The field of 32 players was mostly made up from the top 16 players in the [http://www.planetdarts.tv/page/OrderofMerit/0,,10180,00.html PDC Order of Merit] on September 21, following the two Players Championship events at the Newport Center in Newport, Wales. The top 8 from these rankings were also the seeded players. The remaining 16 places went to the top 12 non-qualified players from the [http://www.planetdarts.tv/page/OrderofMerit/0,,10180~1221390,00.html 2008 Players Championship Order of Merit] , and then to the top 4 non-qualified residents of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland from the 2008 Players Championship Order of Merit who have competed in at least six Players Championship events.

Draw

Draw and schedule of play is as follows:

32TeamBracket-Compact
RD1=1^st Round, October 6-7
b.o. 3 sets, losers £3,250
RD2=2^nd Round, October 8-9
b.o. 5 sets, losers £6,750
RD3=Quarter Finals, October 10
b.o. 7 sets, losers £10,000
RD4=Semi Finals, October 11
b.o. 9 sets, losers £14,500
RD5=Final, October 12
b.o. 11 sets,
£50,000 / £25,000

score-width=15

RD1-seed01=1
RD1-team01=flagicon|ENG Phil Taylor 96.72
RD1-score01=2
RD1-seed02=
RD1-team02=flagicon|ENG R. Baxter 84.62
RD1-score02=0

RD1-seed03=
RD1-team03=flagicon|NIR J. MaGowan 78.47
RD1-score03=1
RD1-seed04=
RD1-team04=flagicon|ENG C. Osborne 89.01
RD1-score04=2

RD1-seed05=8
RD1-team05=flagicon|ENG A. Hamilton 85.09
RD1-score05=2
RD1-seed06=
RD1-team06=flagicon|ENG Andy Smith 86.36
RD1-score06=1

RD1-seed07=
RD1-team07=flagicon|SCO R. Thornton 89.36
RD1-score07=2
RD1-seed08=
RD1-team08=flagicon|ENG P. Manley 81.16
RD1-score08=0

RD1-seed09=4
RD1-team09=flagicon|CAN John Part 79.63
RD1-score09=2
RD1-seed10=
RD1-team10=flagicon|ENG Chris Mason 74.46
RD1-score10=0

RD1-seed11=
RD1-team11=flagicon|IRE Jacko Barry 82.44
RD1-score11=2
RD1-seed12=
RD1-team12=flagicon|NIR B. Dolan 79.53
RD1-score12=1

RD1-seed13=5
RD1-team13=flagicon|ENG T. Jenkins 80.44
RD1-score13=2
RD1-seed14=
RD1-team14=flagicon|IRE M. McGowan 73.20
RD1-score14=0

RD1-seed15=
RD1-team15=flagicon|ENG Mark Walsh 85.84
RD1-score15=2
RD1-seed16=
RD1-team16=flagicon|ENG S. Beaton 79.84
RD1-score16=1

RD1-seed17=2
RD1-team17=flagicon|NED R. Barneveld 93.00
RD1-score17=2
RD1-seed18=
RD1-team18=flagicon|ENG Alan Tabern 88.06
RD1-score18=1

RD1-seed19=
RD1-team19=flagicon|ENG A. Lewis 75.86
RD1-score19=2
RD1-seed20=
RD1-team20=flagicon|NED R. Scholten 78.57
RD1-score20=1

RD1-seed21=7
RD1-team21=flagicon|ENG Colin Lloyd 79.77
RD1-score21=2
RD1-seed22=
RD1-team22=flagicon|NED V.v.d. Voort 77.07
RD1-score22=1

RD1-seed23=
RD1-team23=flagicon|ENG M. Dudbridge 74.08
RD1-score23=0
RD1-seed24=
RD1-team24=flagicon|ENG K. Painter 78.57
RD1-score24=2

RD1-seed25=3
RD1-team25=flagicon|ENG James Wade 80.71
RD1-score25=1
RD1-seed26=
RD1-team26=flagicon|ENG T. Eccles 85.68
RD1-score26=2

RD1-seed27=
RD1-team27=flagicon|ENG M. King 80.62
RD1-score27=2
RD1-seed28=
RD1-team28=flagicon|ENG Wayne Jones 83.96
RD1-score28=1

RD1-seed29=6
RD1-team29=flagicon|ENG W. Mardle 83.36
RD1-score29=2
RD1-seed30=
RD1-team30=flagicon|NIR F. McBrearty 71.07
RD1-score30=0

RD1-seed31=
RD1-team31=flagicon|ENG D. Priestley 81.87
RD1-score31=2
RD1-seed32=
RD1-team32=flagicon|ENG Denis Ovens 80.29
RD1-score32=0

RD2-seed01=1
RD2-team01=flagicon|ENG Phil Taylor 100.20
RD2-score01=3
RD2-seed02=
RD2-team02=flagicon|ENG C. Osborne 77.98
RD2-score02=0

RD2-seed03=8
RD2-team03=flagicon|ENG A. Hamilton 85.10
RD2-score03=3
RD2-seed04=
RD2-team04=flagicon|SCO R. Thornton 79.21
RD2-score04=2

RD2-seed05=4
RD2-team05=flagicon|CAN John Part 80.47
RD2-score05=3
RD2-seed06=
RD2-team06=flagicon|IRE Jacko Barry 77.87
RD2-score06=0

RD2-seed07=5
RD2-team07=flagicon|ENG T. Jenkins 92.72
RD2-score07=3
RD2-seed08=
RD2-team08=flagicon|ENG Mark Walsh 79.71
RD2-score08=0

RD2-seed09=2
RD2-team09=flagicon|NED R. Barneveld 90.72
RD2-score09=3
RD2-seed10=
RD2-team10=flagicon|ENG A. Lewis 88.38
RD2-score10=2

RD2-seed11=7
RD2-team11=flagicon|ENG Colin Lloyd 80.90
RD2-score11=3
RD2-seed12=
RD2-team12=flagicon|ENG K. Painter 80.57
RD2-score12=2

RD2-seed13=
RD2-team13=flagicon|ENG T. Eccles 84.10
RD2-score13=2
RD2-seed14=
RD2-team14=flagicon|ENG M. King 83.34
RD2-score14=3

RD2-seed15=6
RD2-team15=flagicon|ENG W. Mardle 77.11
RD2-score15=2
RD2-seed16=
RD2-team16=flagicon|ENG D. Priestley 78.52
RD2-score16=3

RD3-seed01=1
RD3-team01=flagicon|ENG Phil Taylor 98.60
RD3-score01=4
RD3-seed02=8
RD3-team02=flagicon|ENG A. Hamilton 91.35
RD3-score02=1

RD3-seed03=4
RD3-team03=flagicon|CAN John Part 85.35
RD3-score03=2
RD3-seed04=5
RD3-team04=flagicon|ENG T. Jenkins 81.89
RD3-score04=4

RD3-seed05=2
RD3-team05=flagicon|NED R. Barneveld 85.27
RD3-score05=4
RD3-seed06=7
RD3-team06=flagicon|ENG Colin Lloyd 75.83
RD3-score06=1

RD3-seed07=
RD3-team07=flagicon|ENG M. King 83.88
RD3-score07=4
RD3-seed08=
RD3-team08=flagicon|ENG D. Priestley 85.26
RD3-score08=2

RD4-seed01=1
RD4-team01=flagicon|ENG Phil Taylor
RD4-score01=5
RD4-seed02=5
RD4-team02=flagicon|ENG T. Jenkins
RD4-score02=0

RD4-seed03=2
RD4-team03=flagicon|NED R. Barneveld
RD4-score03=5
RD4-seed04=
RD4-team04=flagicon|ENG M. King
RD4-score04=0

RD5-seed01=1
RD5-team01=flagicon|ENG Phil Taylor
RD5-score01=
RD5-seed02=2
RD5-team02=flagicon|NED R. Barneveld
RD5-score02=

Scores after player's names are three-dart averages (total points scored divided by darts thrown and multiplied by 3)

NB: Due to the double-in format of the tournament, the averages are lower than would normally be expected meaning player performance can not be as accurately inferred.

Tournament review

Day 1, Monday 6th October

The tournament began sensationally when, in its first match, Tony Eccles beat third seed and the defending champion James Wade 2-1. Wade started strongly, taking the first set 3-0 including a 160 checkout. In the second set, Wade had two darts at double top to win the match 2-0 but missed; Eccles hit that same double to level the match. Eccles took the lead 2-0 in the final set but though Wade hit back, a missed dart at double top to level the match allowed Eccles to win the match with a 125 checkout.

Dennis Priestley opened his challenge with a comfortable 2-0 win over Denis Ovens. Priestley had taken September off for radiotherapy treatment for prostate cancer and had also won the warm-up Pro Tour Players Championship event on Sunday. Ovens' defeat also meant he has the somewhat unwelcome achievement of losing in the first round of this event for five years straight.

Elsewhere on the first day, Mervyn King looked to be heading towards a surprising defeat to Wayne Jones but he came from a set down to win the match 2-1. King had defeated Phil Taylor the previous day in the Players Championship event. The seventh seed Colin Lloyd also won a surprisingly unspectacular match against Dutchman Vincent van der Voort. The match was somewhat polarised, with all sets being won 3-0 with Lloyd coming out the 2-1 winner. This was the first time that Lloyd had won a match in a ranked major this year.

The second seed Raymond van Barneveld, having taken a two-month sabbatical from darts, made his return with a close victory over the in-form Alan Tabern, who has reached the quarter-finals of all televised events this year. Barneveld hit 3 180s in the win, taking the first set 3-1 before Tabern hit back 3-0 in the second. Though another defeat for van Barneveld may have looked to be on the cards at this point, he held his nerve and won the match with a spectacular 127 checkout on the bull to take victory.

Sixth seed Wayne Mardle won comfortably 2-0 against Irishman Felix McBrearty despite losing the opening leg. This was McBrearty's televised debut, having qualified through the Players Championship Order of Merit with a shock victory in an Irish Players Championship event in his hometown back in September. An unspectacular match followed with neither Kevin Painter nor Mark Dudbridge hitting top form in their clash, though Painter won 2-0 with a 111 checkout. The final match of the night saw a gritty yet thrilling clash between Adrian Lewis and Roland Scholten go to a final set. Lewis edged the first set 3-2 and looked to have the match won in the second, leading 2-0 before missing four darts for the match. Scholten hit back to win this set 3-2 before Lewis took a 2-0 lead yet again in the final set. Déja vu looked to be taking place as Scholten took the next leg but Lewis finally wrapped up the win with a 119 checkout to end the night's action.

* [http://www.planetdarts.tv/page/GrandPrixDetail/0,,10180~1414739,00.html Summary of Day 1]

Television coverage and sponsorship

As usual and since its inception the tournament will be screened by Sky Sports.

The sponsorship for the tournament will also stay with Sky Bet who have sponsored the event since 2004, however one of its brands, Sky Poker, will be the new title sponsor.

References

External links

* [http://www.planetdarts.tv/page/GrandPrix/0,,10180,00.html World Grand Prix page on the PDC's official website]