SUPERB ANDERSON CONTINUES FORM
GARY ANDERSON continued his brilliant run of form by following up Thursday^s 888.com Premier League Darts victory with a win in Saturday^s Players Championship in Crawley.
The Scot, who had picked up the £125,000 first prize at the Wembley Arena on Thursday, defeated Terry Jenkins 6-3 in the final at the K2 Centre to claim a further £6,000 in a prolific week.
The win is also Anderson^s third of the year on the PDC ProTour and the seventh floor event in succession where he has reached at least the quarter-finals.
Anderson set out his case for winning the event with 6-1 wins over Kevin McDine and Andy Hutchings in his opening two games, and then defeated Kevin Painter and Wayne Jones to reach the semi-finals.
After overcoming Alan Tabern 6-3 to reach the final, Anderson swept into an early 3-0 lead, finished 154 for the opening leg, 81 on the bull to break in the second and double top to treble his lead.
He also landed a 180 in the fourth, but Jenkins finished 92 for a 14-darter before Anderson replied in 11 darts to open up a 4-1 cushion.
Jenkins finished 138 to win the next, but missed six darts to pull back to one leg behind in the seventh as Anderson posted double ten to lead 5-2.
Jenkins hit a 180, his second of the final, and double 16 to win his third leg and stay in the game, but Anderson replied with a maximum and tops for a 14-dart finish as he sealed the victory.
"It^s great to win again - I^m getting the hang of it now!" said Anderson. "I said on Thursday night that I wanted to put my feet up for a week after winning the 888.com Premier League, but my manager Tommy Gilmour told me to come to Crawley and I^m glad he did.
"I^m really pleased with my form and that^s showing in my results. Hopefully I can play well on Sunday too."
Jenkins^ run to the final was his best since reaching a Players Championship decider in Holland last September, as he put aside the disappointment of missing out on the Premier League Play-Offs with some superb displays.
He defeated Premier League rival Simon Whitlock 6-3 in the semi-finals, as well as seeing off in-form Wes Newton in the last eight.
Whitlock was a semi-finalist for the first time since February, while Tabern increased his chances of qualifying for July^s World Matchplay by joining him in the last four.
Peter Wright followed up a semi-final appearance in Austria last weekend by reaching the last eight, before losing to Tabern, while Wayne Jones, John Part and Newton were the other quarter-finalists.
Sunday sees another Players Championship held at the K2 Centre in Crawley, which will be the final PDC ProTour event before next month^s Speedy Hire UK Open, to be played from June 2-5.
Players Championship Nine (Saturday)
First Round
Wes Newton (1) Bye
Magnus Caris 6-5 Nigel Heydon
James Richardson 6-3 Brendan Dolan (32)
Scott Rand 6-4 Jimmy Mann
Co Stompe (16) Bye
Adam Smith-Neale 6-4 Darren Whittingham
Steve Farmer (17) Bye
Dave Smith 6-1 Ashley Holgate
Colin Lloyd (8) v
Gary Eastwood 6-4 Matt Clark
Colin Osborne (25) 6-5 Nicky Bache
Adrian Bolitho 6-3 Adam Hunt
Mark Webster (9) Bye
Michael Rosenauer 6-2 Gary Mawson
Terry Jenkins (24) 6-1 Andy Relf
John MaGowan 6-4 Terry Temple
Ronnie Baxter (5) Bye
Chris Thompson 6-5 Ken MacNeil
Dennis Smith (28) 6-5 Joe Cullen
Kirk Shepherd Bye (Arron Monk conceded game)
John Part (12) Bye
Andy Brown 6-2 Paul Rowley
Alex Roy 6-3 Steve Beaton (21)
Roland Scholten 6-4 Antonio Alcinas
Simon Whitlock (4) Bye
Mark Jones 6-3 Steve Grubb
Tony Eccles (29) 6-4 Prakash Jiwa
Darrell Claydon 6-0 Mareno Michels
Justin Pipe (13) Bye
Steve Maish 6-5 Andy Jenkins
Andy Hamilton (20) 6-4 Matt Jackson
John Henderson 6-3 Devon Petersen
Gary Anderson (2) Bye
Kevin McDine 6-5 Michael Mansell
Adrian Gray 6-5 Mark Dudbridge (31)
Andy Hutchings 6-5 Barrie Bates
Mervyn King (15) Bye
Dave Chisnall 6-3 Louis Blundell
Kevin Painter (18) Bye
Simon Burt 6-0 Steven Pearson
Vincent van der Voort (7) Bye
Reece Robinson 6-5 Ryan Harrington
Mark Hylton (26) 6-4 Shaun Griffiths
Peter Hudson 6-4 Kevin Dowling
Paul Nicholson Bye
Wayne Mardle 6-4 Peter Manley
Wayne Jones (23) 6-5 Steve Evans
Michael Smith 6-3 Nandor Bezzeg
Mark Walsh (6) Bye
Robert Thornton 6-2 Jon Archer
Jelle Klaasen (27) 6-4 Darren Johnson
Dave Ladley 6-2 Matthew Edgar
Alan Tabern (11) Bye
Michael van Gerwen 6-3 Colin Monk
Richie Burnett 6-5 Ian White
Steve Hine 6-1 Matt Padgett
Jamie Caven (3) Bye
Gary Welding 6-5 Brian Woods
Steve Brown (30) 6-4 Nick Fullwell
Mark Frost 6-4 Wayne Atwood
James Wade (14) Bye
Peter Wright 6-4 Jason Crawley
Andy Smith Bye
Michael Barnard 6-1 Mick Todd
Second Round
Wes Newton 6-0 Magnus Caris
Scott Rand 6-4 James Richardson
Co Stompe 6-3 Adam Smith-Neale
Steve Farmer 6-4 Dave Smith
Colin Lloyd 6-1 Gary Eastwood
Colin Osborne 6-1 Adrian Bolitho
Michael Rosenauer 6-5 Mark Webster
Terry Jenkins 6-2 John MaGowan
Ronnie Baxter 6-4 Chris Thompson
Dennis Smith 6-4 Kirk Shepherd
John Part 6-1 Andy Brown
Roland Scholten 6-5 Alex Roy
Simon Whitlock 6-3 Mark Jones
Tony Eccles 6-5 Darrell Claydon
Justin Pipe 6-3 Steve Maish
Andy Hamilton 6-5 John Hendersn
Gary Anderson 6-1 Kevin McDine
Andy Hutchings 6-0 Adrian Gray
Mervyn King 6-2 Dave Chisnall
Kevin Painter 6-4 Simon Burt
Vincent van der Voort 6-1 Reece Robinson
Mark Hylton 6-5 Peter Hudson
Paul Nicholson 6-3 Wayne Mardle
Wayne Jones 6-1 Michael Smith
Mark Walsh 6-3 Robert Thornton
Jelle Klaasen 6-3 Dave Ladley
Alan Tabern 6-4 Michael van Gerwen
Steve Hine 6-3 Richie Burnett
Jamie Caven 6-3 Gary Welding
Steve Brown 6-4 Mark Frost
Peter Wright 6-4 James Wade
Michael Barnard 6-4 Andy Smith
Losers £200
Third Round
Wes Newton 6-1 Scott Rand
Co Stompe 6-2 Steve Farmer
Colin Osborne 6-5 Colin Lloyd
Terry Jenkins 6-3 Michael Rosenauer
Ronnie Baxter 6-3 Dennis Smith
John Part 6-3 Roland Scholten
Simon Whitlock 6-5 Tony Eccles
Andy Hamilton 6-5 Justin Pipe
Gary Anderson 6-1 Andy Hutchings
Kevin Painter 6-4 Mervyn King
Vincent van der Voort 6-2 Mark Hylton
Wayne Jones 6-2 Paul Nicholson
Mark Walsh 6-4 Jelle Klaasen
Alan Tabern 6-5 Steve Hine
Steve Brown 6-4 Jamie Caven
Peter Wright 6-1 Michael Barnard
Losers £400
Fourth Round
Wes Newton 6-3 Co Stompe
Terry Jenkins 6-3 Colin Osborne
John Part 6-3 Ronnie Baxter
Simon Whitlock 6-3v Andy Hamilton
Gary Anderson 6-4 Kevin Painter
Wayne Jones 6-2 Vincent van der Voort
Alan Tabern 6-4 Mark Walsh
Peter Wright 6-2 Steve Brown
Losers £600
Quarter-Finals
Terry Jenkins 6-1 Wes Newton
Simon Whitlock 6-5 John Part
Gary Anderson 6-2 Wayne Jones
Alan Tabern 6-4 Peter Wright
Losers £1,000
Semi-Finals
Terry Jenkins 6-3 Simon Whitlock
Gary Anderson 6-3 Alan Tabern
Losers £2,000
Final
Gary Anderson 6-3 Terry Jenkins
Winner £6,000
Runner-Up £3,000
Final - Leg-by-leg
Terry Jenkins v Gary Anderson
0-0 - Gary Anderson wins the bull and will throw first
0-1 - Jenkins hits a 180 but Anderson superbly takes out 154 to lead.
0-2 - Anderson opens the second leg with a maximum, and Jenkins replies with his second 180 of the game, but the Scot adds scores of 100 and 140 before taking out 81 on the bull to break.
0-3 - Jenkins misses double 18 for a 116 finish to break back, and Anderson checks out double top at the first time of asking.
1-3 - Anderson hits another 180 but Jenkins finishes 92 in two darts for a 14-darter to get off the mark.
1-4 - Anderson hits scores of 121, 140 and 180 before finishing tops for an 11-dart leg.
2-4 - Jenkins takes out 138 for a brilliant 12-dart kill, with Anderson hitting a 180 on the way to leaving 121 after nine darts.
2-5 - Anderson edges an important leg, with Jenkins missing the bull for a 127 finish and five further darts to win the leg before double ten puts the Scot one away from victory.
3-5 - Jenkins posts a 180 and finishes double 16 to keep the match alive.
3-6 - Anderson hits another 180 and finishes tops for a 14-darter to secure victory.
ENDS
VAN GERWEN CLAIMS PDC UNICORN YOUTH TOUR DOUBLE
MICHAEL VAN GERWEN won his second PDC Unicorn Youth Tour event, defeating Co Stompe Jnr 4-1 in an all-Dutch final at the K2 Centre in Crawley.
Van Gerwen had been the winner in Wigan at the end of April, defeating Ash Khayat in the final, and picked up the £600 first prize to move to the top of the Youth Tour Order of Merit.
The Dutch ace dropped only two legs in his opening five games, with only Lewis McGurn pushing him all the way.
Van Gerwen then defeated Chris Aubrey 4-2 in the semis, before winning 4-1 in the decider.
Stompe shared the first two legs with his opponent, finishing 86 for a 14-darter in the second leg, but van Gerwen took out double 16 for the third and then broke in the fourth on tops after his opponent missed three darts to level.
Van Gerwen then showed his experience to close out the win, opening the fifth leg with scores of 125, 140 and 140 before hitting double ten to deny Stompe a fightback.
"I^m really happy," said van Gerwen. "I wanted to win another Youth Tour event quickly to keep my confidence and form after Wigan, so to do it is a boost.
"Having Co in the final with me shows that there^s good players coming through in Holland as well as in the UK, which is great to see."
Stompe Jnr, the son of World Cup winner Co Stompe, enjoyed his best run on the Youth Tour as he followed recent finishes in the quarter-finals and semi-finals by reaching the decider, picking up £400 prize money.
His run on the day included victories over Michael Smith - with a 4-1 win in the semis - as well as against more experienced pair Adam Smith-Neale and Ryan Herrington, plus fellow Dutchman Wouter Vaes.
Aubrey reached his third semi-final of the year, while Smith^s run to the last four was his best performance since event two in Barnsley, when he hit a nine-darter and was runner-up.
Hull^s Reece Robinson reached the quarter-finals for the fourth time in the last five events, and he was joined in the last eight by Smith-Neale, Jamie Grinhaff and Daniel King-Morris.
Joe Cullen, who won last week^s Youth Tour event in Austria, was knocked out 3-2 by King-Morris in the last 32.
The next PDC Unicorn Youth Tour event will be held at the Barnsley Metrodome on Saturday June 11. Entry, costing £25, is open to players aged 14-21 by calling the PDC Head Office on 08712 501 180 during office hours.
PDC Unicorn Youth Tour Event Eight
First Round
Marc Evans 3-0 Liam Bonner
Paul Barham 3-0 Aaron Bans
Ben Songhurst 3-2 James Young
Michael van Gerwen 3-0 Robbie Herbert
Brandon Monk 3-2 Dan Read
Jonathan Mulley 3-2 Tom McGurn
Ross Robson 3-2 Jake Jones
Sean White 3-1 Dan Cross
Nick Kenny 3-2 Owen Grantham
Rees Hall 3-0 Zak Fullick
Reece Robinson 3-0 Connor Durham
David Coyne 3-0 David Everley
Matthew Dicken 3-0 Spencer Murphy
Simon Hicks Bye (Mike Nissen timed out)
Adam Hunt 3-0 Karl Brooks
Jamie Landon 3-2 Lewis Venes
Adam Smith-Neale 3-1 Darren Whittingham
Josh Jones 3-0 Luke Humphries
Curtis Hammond 3-0 Steve Haggerty
Co Stompe Jnr 3-1 Ryan Herrington
Greg Upton 3-1 Jonny Ansell
Kurtis Atkins 3-1 Anthony West
Jack Tweddell 3-0 Mason Riou
James Smith 3-1 Sam Hill
David Pallett 3-1 Jack Hill
Gary Thorne 3-2 Thomas Newbie
Michael Smith 3-0 Mark Fluck
Joe Davis 3-1 Warren Grantham
Second Round
Jamie Grinhaff 3-0 Peter Browning
Jack Marriner 3-2 Marc Evans
Jamie Lewis 3-0 Craig Brown
Paul Barham 3-0 Ben Songhurst
Lewis McGurn 3-0 Sam Davidson
Michael van Gerwen 3-0 Brandon Monk
James Thompson 3-1 Ryan Hitchens
Ross Robson 3-0 Jonathan Mulley
Martin Heneghan 3-1 Chris Bent
Chris Aubrey 3-0 Sean White
Ryan Maher 3-0 Bryan Flew
Rees Hall 3-1 Nick Kenny
James Hubbard 3-0 Joe Pearce
Reece Robinson 3-2 David Coyne
Ryan Harrington 3-0 Ross Mitchell
Matthew Dicken 3-0 Simon Hicks
Scott Pearson 3-1 Harry Annals
Paul Cooper 3-2 Adam Hunt
Charlie Jackson 3-1 Dean Reynolds
Adam Smith-Neale 3-2 Jamie Landon
Wouter Vaes 3-0 Joe Osman
Curtis Hammond 3-2 Josh Jones
Aden Kirk 3-0 Anthony Bonner
Co Stompe Jnr 3-0 Greg Upton
Daniel King-Morris 3-2 Scott Rollings
Joe Cullen 3-1 Kurtis Atkins
George Killington 3-0 Josh McCarthy
Jack Tweddell 3-0 James Smith
Dan Dean 3-1 Adam Griffiths
David Pallett 3-1 Gary Thorne
Ash Khayat 3-0 Jelle Muller
Michael Smith 3-1 Joe Davis
Third Round
Jamie Grinhaff 3-2 Jack Marriner
Jamie Lewis 3-2 Paul Barham
Michael van Gerwen 3-2 Lewis McGurn
James Thompson 3-1 Ross Robson
Chris Aubrey 3-0 Martin Heneghan
Ryan Maher 3-1 Rees Hall
Reece Robinson 3-0 James Hubbard
Matthew Dicken 3-2 Ryan Harrington
Paul Cooper 3-1 Scott Pearson
Adam Smith-Neale 3-1 Charlie Jackson
Wouter Vaes 3-1 Curtis Hammond
Co Stompe Jnr 3-1 Aden Kirk
Daniel King-Morris 3-2 Joe Cullen
George Killington 3-1 Jack Tweddell
David Pallett 3-1 Dan Dean
Michael Smith 3-2 Ash Khayat
Fourth Round
Jamie Grinhaff 3-2 Jamie Lewis
Michael van Gerwen 3-0 James Thompson
Chris Aubrey 3-0 Ryan Maher
Reece Robinson 3-2 Matthew Dicken
Adam Smith-Neale 3-1 Paul Cooper
Co Stompe Jnr 3-0 Wouter Vaes
Daniel King-Morris 3-1 George Killington
Michael Smith 3-1 David Pallett
Losers £25
Quarter-Finals
Michael van Gerwen 3-0 Jamie Grinhaff
Chris Aubrey 3-2 Reece Robinson
Co Stompe Jnr 3-1 Adam Smith-Neale
Michael Smith 3-1 Daniel King-Morris
Losers £100
Semi-Finals
Michael van Gerwen 4-2 Chris Aubrey
Co Stompe Jnr 4-1 Michael Smith
Losers £200
Final
Michael van Gerwen 4-1 Co Stompe Jnr
Winner £600
Runner-Up £400