LAST SESSION REPORT

PHIL TAYLOR claimed a third successive PartyPoker.net European Championship with a super 11-1 defeat of Wayne Jones at the Stadthalle in Dinslaken on Sunday night.

The world number one followed up his 11-10 win over Terry Jenkins in the semi-finals with a superb display to see off Jones by dropping just one leg in the final.

When Jones missed one dart to take the first leg on double top, Taylor pounced on double eight to break throw and set the tone for the final, with finishes of double seven, double four, double three and double seven putting him into a 5-0 lead at the first break.

Double six put him further ahead and he took advantage of a missed double 12 from the Wolverhampton man to lead 7-0 before a miss at double top allowed Jones to take out 116 on double 18 to get on the scoreboard in superb fashion.

Taylor replied in style, opening the next leg with a 180 and taking out 81 for a 12-darter, before finishing 121 for a 9-1 cushion.

Jones hit a second maximum of the game to leave a finish in the 11th leg, but Taylor clinically dispatched 84 for an 11-darter before sealing the win on double 14.

"I'm delighted to win another title, especially so soon after winning the World Matchplay last week," said Taylor.

"While the World Matchplay is one game a day, this is one of the hardest tournaments to win because you've got tough short matches early on and three games in one day to win it.

"You have to be mentally and physically fit as well as playing well and I loved every minute of it.

"Terry had me on the ropes in the semi-finals but I was delighted with my last leg. I calmed myself down and started off with the 177 and that killed him in and probably won me the match.

"Going straight into the final did me a favour because I had momentum and I kept Wayne under pressure all the way through. It's been a perfect summer for me."

Taylor had opened the day with a 10-4 quarter-final win over Mark Walsh, which followed his earlier victories over Co Stompe and Andy Smith.

The £50,000 first prize adds to the £100,000 he picked up for winning the World Matchplay, as well as ensuring a clean sweep of the summer's major ranking titles after also claiming June's UK Open.

Jones had overcome Colin Lloyd 11-10 in the semis to reach his first major PDC final and his first televised final since the 1999 World Masters.

The Wolverhampton man picked up £20,000 following a fine tournament in Germany, as he followed his quarter-final run in the World Matchplay by defeating Adrian Lewis, Robert Thornton, Raymond van Barneveld and Lloyd.

"To lose the final by such a big margin is obviously disappointing for me but it's a very memorable weekend," said Jones. "Phil was superb and there wasn't a lot I could do about him.

"But to beat some of the world's top ten this weekend has been fantastic, I'm playing well and finally enjoying being on the big stage."

Jones also qualifies for November's Grand Slam of Darts in his home town of Wolverhampton, and added: "That's a massive boost on top of reaching the final. I love playing in front of my home fans and can't wait to do it again later this year."

SESSION FIVE REPORT

WAYNE JONES took arguably the biggest win of his career with a 10-8 defeat of Raymond van Barneveld as he reached the semi-finals of the PartyPoker.net European Championship.

The Wolverhampton man will now meet Colin Lloyd in the last four in Dinslaken, having held his nerve to knock out the five-time World Champion and number two seed.

The duo traded legs throughout a high-quality encounter, but it was Jones who made the crucial breakthough when he moved 8-6 and 9-7 up before sealing a famous win on the bullseye.

"It's the first time I've ever beaten Raymond and it feels great," said Jones. "It was a really good game to be involved in and win or lose I enjoyed it.

"But to win was very special. I'm really having fun at the moment, it was another good performance from me and I can't wait for the semi-finals now."

Lloyd had powered past Ronnie Baxter 10-7 to book his place in the last four with a second successive ton-plus average, hitting a 160 finish and ten of 14 darts at a double in an impressive display.

Reigning champion Phil Taylor and Terry Jenkins will meet in the other semi-final, having overcome Mark Walsh and Jamie Caven respectively in the last eight.

Taylor was a 10-4 winner against Walsh, who led 2-0 but paid for missed doubles as the world number one put together two five-leg bursts.

Jenkins, meanwhile, continued his return to form with a 10-6 win over Caven, breaking the deadlock at six-all with a 161 finish before pulling away for the win.

The semi-finals and final will be played in one session on Sunday evening as the quartet battle for the £50,000 title.

SESSION FOUR REPORT
RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD came close to one of darts' greatest ever upsets before defeating Germany's Bernd Roith 10-7 in the PartyPoker.net European Championship second round on Saturday, while Phil Taylor remains in the hunt for a third successive title in Dinslaken.

Roith, a caterer from Tuebingen in Germany who overcame Denis Ovens in the first round on his televised debut, set up the prospect of an incredible victory over the world number two when finishes of 101 and 141 helped him into a 7-5 lead.

However, van Barneveld regained his composure to punished three misses from Roith to level in the 14th leg, before completing a run of five successive legs to set up a quarter-final with Wayne Jones on Sunday.

"This is one of the hardest battles I've had in my career," said van Barneveld. "I didn't underestimate him but he played superbly and I am very relieved to come through it."

Reigning champion Taylor, meanwhile, progressed to the quarter-finals in more comfortable fashion with a 10-5 defeat of Andy Smith, who held the world number one for eight legs before succumbing to a typical charge from the Stoke great.

Taylor will now meet Mark Walsh in the quarters, after the number eight seed overcame Jelle Klaasen 10-6 earlier on Saturday.

Colin Lloyd produced a superb display to defeat Michael van Gerwen 10-6, hitting a 101 average in seeing off the Dutch youngster in a thriller.

Lloyd will take on Ronnie Baxter on Sunday afternoon, with the Blackpool man defeating local rival Wes Newton 10-9 earlier in the day.

Jamie Caven won through to his second televised quarter-final with a 10-6 defeat of Wales' Barrie Bates, and he now faces world number five Terry Jenkins on Sunday.

Jenkins had earned his last eight place with a 10-8 defeat of Simon Whitlock, while Jones set up his clash with van Barneveld by seeing off Robert Thornton 10-4.

SESSION THREE REPORT
RONNIE BAXTER progressed to the PartyPoker.net European Championship quarter-finals with a second successive deciding leg victory, as he defeated Wes Newton 10-9 in Dinslaken.

Baxter took out 126 in the 11th leg to edge past Alan Tabern in Friday's first round, and was pushed all the way by local rival Newton in a thriller.

The Blackpool man led 7-4 and 9-6 before Newton - who hit a 170 earlier in the game - hit back to level, but both players struggled to find the treble in the decider before Baxter finished double ten for a last eight spot.

Number five seed Terry Jenkins was also pushed all the way before seeing off Australian star Simon Whitlock 10-8 in their second round clash.

The duo shared the game's opening 14 legs before a double salvo from Jenkins put him into a crucial 9-7 lead before he closed out victory.

Mark Walsh held off a fightback from Jelle Klaasen before defeating the Dutch youngster 10-7.

Klaasen found himself 6-1 down following a slow start, but a change of darts sparked a comeback as he pulled back to 8-6 before Walsh found another gear to seal victory with a 128 checkout.

Wolverhampton's Wayne Jones booked his place in a second successive major quarter-final, defeating Scotland's Robert Thornton 10-4.

Saturday's evening session will feature the remaining four second round games, including reigning champion Phil Taylor against Andy Smith and world number two Raymond van Barneveld facing Germany newcomer Bernd Roith.

Barrie Bates and Jamie Caven will kick off the night, while Lloyd and van Gerwen also do battle for a spot in the last eight.

SESSION TWO REPORT
RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD edged out Andy Hamilton in an 11-leg thriller at the PartyPoker.net European Championship on Friday night, but seeds James Wade and Adrian Lewis crashed out of the event in Dinslaken, Germany.

Dutch star van Barneveld followed up last week's run to the final of the World Matchplay in Blackpool with a gritty display in his opener in Dinslaken.

Van Barneveld took the opening two legs before Hamilton won four in a row to lead 4-2, only to see the five-time World Champion produce some superb darts in taking four of the final five for victory.

"I had a tough week in the World Matchplay but this is another big tournament for all of us and this is a good start," said van Barneveld. "I had a tough draw and it's great to get through it."

Van Barneveld will meet Germany's Bernd Roith in the second round on Saturday, after the newcomer celebrated his TV debut with a 6-4 defeat of Denis Ovens.

Another German, Tomas Seyler, suffered defeat in his clash with Michael van Gerwen, who returned from a month on the sidelines with a broken collarbone to take a 6-4 win.

Two seeded players joined Seyler, Hamilton and Ovens in exiting the tournament on Friday, with James Wade going down to Colin Lloyd and Adrian Lewis slumping to a 6-3 loss against Wayne Jones.

Lewis produced one of his most disappointing televised displays in his loss to in-form Jones, while Wade was defeated 6-4 by Colin Lloyd, who held his nerve after the world number three came from 4-2 down to level.

Scotland's Robert Thornton bounced back from his whitewash in the World Matchplay's first round with a 6-4 win over Mark Dudbridge, and he now faces Jones in the second round.

Wins for Fleetwood's Wes Newton and Blackpool's Ronnie Baxter over Colin Osborne and Alan Tabern saw them set up a local derby in the last 16, with Baxter taking out 126 on the bullseye in a deciding leg to progress.

SESSION ONE REPORT
REIGNING PartyPoker.net European Championship winner Phil Taylor made a winning start to the defence of his title with a 6-2 win over Co Stompe on Thursday night.

Taylor has won the previous two stagings of the European Championship and was in clinical mood at the Stadthalle in Dinslaken as he bids to claim Sunday's £50,000 first prize.

Stompe gave Taylor some edgy moments in the opening five legs, but three missed darts to level the game in the sixth allowed the Stoke legend to put daylight between the duo before winning the next two without reply to seal victory.

"It was a difficult game but a very good game too," he said. "I kept putting him under pressure and it worked for me.

"Co played well but I picked up on him missing doubles and under pressure he was doing that.

"The Dutch players are very competitive and Co epitomises that. He works hard at his game and it showed because he made me work very hard."

Taylor will now face Andy Smith in the second round on Saturday, after the Studley-based thrower knocked out Paul Nicholson 6-3 in Germany.

World number four Mervyn King crashed out of the tournament with a 6-3 defeat to Barrie Bates, who took a 5-0 lead and held off a brief fightback to claim victory.

Bates takes on Jamie Caven in round two, after the Derby man came from 2-0 down to see off Scotland's Gary Anderson 6-2 in their clash.

Jelle Klaasen also produced a spirited comeback to defeat Vincent van der Voort 6-4 in the battle of the Dutch aces, having included finishes of 142 and 92 in coming from 3-1 down to take the win.

Klaasen meets Mark Walsh in the second round, with the number eight seed having overcome Spanish debutant Antonio Alcinas 6-3, despite trailing the newcomer - who hit a 160 finish - 3-2 midway through the game.

Germany's Andree Welge also threatened an upset in his clash with world number five Terry Jenkins, coming from 4-2 down to level before the English star took the last two legs in style.

Simon Whitlock set up a tasty last 16 meeting with Jenkins on Saturday with his 6-3 win over two-time World Champion Dennis Priestley.

The first round concludes on Friday night at the Stadthalle in Dinslaken with the remaining eight matches, which include number two seed Raymond van Barneveld's meeting with Andy Hamilton.

World number three James Wade faces Colin Lloyd, Adrian Lewis takes on Wayne Jones and German pair Bernd Roith and Tomas Seyler are in action on home soil when they take on Denis Ovens and Michael van Gerwen.

RESULTS
PartyPoker.net European Championship
Sunday, August 1
Final
Phil Taylor 11-1 Wayne Jones

Semi-Finals
Wayne Jones 11-10 Colin Lloyd, Phil Taylor 11-10 Terry Jenkins

Quarter-Finals
Terry Jenkins 10-6 Jamie Caven, Colin Lloyd 10-7 Ronnie Baxter, Phil Taylor 10-4 Mark Walsh, Wayne Jones 10-8 Raymond van Barneveld

Saturday July 31
Second Round
Mark Walsh 10-6 Jelle Klaasen, Terry Jenkins 10-8 Simon Whitlock, Ronnie Baxter 10-9 Wes Newton, Wayne Jones 10-4 Robert Thornton, Barrie Bates 6-10 Jamie Caven, Raymond van Barneveld 10-7 Bernd Roith, Phil Taylor 10-5 Andy Smith, Colin Lloyd 10-6 Michael van Gerwen

First Round
Friday, July 30
Bernd Roith 6-4 Denis Ovens, Mark Dudbridge 4-6 Robert Thornton, Adrian Lewis 3-6 Wayne Jones, Tomas Seyler 4-6 Michael van Gerwen, James Wade 4-6 Colin Lloyd, Raymond van Barneveld 6-5 Andy Hamilton, Colin Osborne 4-6 Wes Newton, Ronnie Baxter 6-5 Alan Tabern

Thursday, July 29
First Round
Paul Nicholson 3-6 Andy Smith, Mark Walsh 6-3 Antonio Alcinas, Terry Jenkins 6-4 Andree Welge, Simon Whitlock 6-3 Dennis Priestley, Gary Anderson 2-6 Jamie Caven, Phil Taylor 6-2 Co Stompe, Jelle Klaasen 6-4 Vincent van der Voort, Mervyn King 3-6 Barrie Bates

Date updated: August 2, 2010

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