PDC Media Release - Dublin Wins For Van Gerwen & Thornton
MICHAEL VAN GERWEN and Robert Thornton warmed up for the PartyPoker.com World Grand Prix in style by sharing the spoils in the weekend^s two Players Championship events held at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin.
Van Gerwen claimed his fourth PDC ProTour title of the year as he edged out Thornton to win the £6,000 first prize in Saturday^s event, before the Scot made amends by going all the way 24 hours later.
Van Gerwen^s triumph came only three weeks after he had taken glory in another Players Championship in Barnsley as he continued his superb year.
The Dutch ace, who meets Colin Lloyd on Tuesday night in the World Grand Prix, came from 4-1 and 5-3 down to win Saturday^s final against Thornton, winning the final three legs without reply thanks to checkouts of 70, 124 and 110.
Van Gerwen also defeated Andrew Gilding, Dennis Smith, Paul Nicholson, Joe Cullen and Arron Monk in an impressive day of darts.
Thornton^s run to the final included wins over Kevin McDine, fellow Scot Mike Veitch, Mervyn King, Ian White, Denis Ovens and Scott Rand - as he came from 5-2 down to win through to the decider.
Rand^s semi-final appearance was his first on the PDC ProTour since February, while former PDC Unicorn World Youth champion Monk impressed as he reached the last four on the senior circuit for the first time.
Thornton bounced back superbly to win Sunday^s Players Championship as he came out on the right side of a 6-5 scoreline in a see-saw final against fellow Scot Gary Anderson.
Thornton won five successive matches with 6-3 scorelines as he saw off Darren Johnson, Vincent van der Voort, Scott Rand, Mervyn King and Wes Newton to reach the final - hitting six 180s in his semi-final win over the latter.
Thornton then opened the final with legs of 14 and 11 darts to lead 2-0, only for Anderson to move 3-2 up.
The scoreline changed hands a further two times as Anderson came from 4-3 down to lead 5-4 - but he would never have a dart for the match as Thornton took out 84 to force a decider and 89 to take his first Players Championship win since 2009.
"It^s brilliant to win this - I^m over the moon," said Thornton, who will play Mark Walsh on Monday night in the opening game of the double-start World Grand Prix.
"I^ve had a couple of quarter-finals and semi-finals recently and got to the final yesterday, so I thought I was due a win and hopefully there^s many more to come.
"Michael van Gerwen is probably the player mostly on form at the minute and he^s starting to enjoy his game and he^s outstanding when he starts scoring. I thought I threw it away against him yesterday but he hit his finishes and hats off to him.
"I^m chuffed to bits and I^m looking forward to tomorrow. I^ll rest up tonight, have a couple of hours^ practice tomorrow and then just enjoy the game tomorrow night."
Anderson^s run to the final was a boost for the former Premier League Darts champion, who has not reached that stage in a Players Championship for almost 12 months.
He dropped only three legs in his wins over Adam Smith-Neale, Nigel Heydon and Terry Temple before overcoming PDC Unicorn World Youth Champion James Hubbard 6-3 in the last 16.
Anderson then came from 3-0 down to win his quarter-final with Raymond van Barneveld 6-3 and saw off Dave Chisnall 6-3 in the semis to reach his first ProTour final for almost 12 months.
Chisnall^s run to the last four included wins over former World Champions Dennis Priestley and Mark Webster and a 6-4 quarter-final defeat of Kim Huybrechts, who missed double 12 for a nine-darter in the contest.
Players Championship 13
Saturday October 6 2012, Citywest Hotel, Dublin
First Round
Justin Pipe (1) Bye
Paddy Meaney 6-2 Tony Littleton
Reece Robinson 6-5 Wayne Jones (32)
Denis Ovens 6-3 Joe Murnan
Vincent van der Voort (16) Bye
Matthew Edgar 6-4 Paul Rowley
Brendan Dolan (17) Bye
Kevin Dowling 6-5 Chris Aubrey
Ian White (8) Bye
James Hubbard 6-5 Magnus Caris
Michael Smith (25) 6-1 Jamie Lewis
Steve Brown 6-1 Connie Finnan
Mervyn King (9) Bye
Alan Tabern 6-1 Adam Smith-Neale
Robert Thornton (24) 6-2 Kevin McDine
Mike Veitch 6-4 Mark Hylton
Simon Whitlock (5) Bye
Terry Temple 6-1 Jim Walker
Gary Anderson (28) 6-5 Alex Roy
Barrie Bates 6-4 Adrian Gray
Kim Huybrechts (12) Bye
Tony West 6-4 Ross Smith
John Henderson 6-5 Mark Walsh (21)
Darren Webster 6-5 John MaGowan
Wes Newton (4) Bye
Scott Rand 6-0 Stephen Hardy
Kevin Painter (29) 6-1 Steve Hine
Mareno Michels 6-3 Paul Barham
Andy Hamilton (13) Bye
Shaun Griffiths 6-5 Bernd Roith
John Part 6-0 Steve Beaton (20)
Darren Johnson 6-2 Mark Forman
Dave Chisnall (2) Bye
John Scott 6-5 Darren Whittingham
James Richardson (31) 6-1 Gino Vos
Andy Jenkins 6-5 Michael Barnard
Colin Osborne (15) Bye
William O^Connor 6-0 Steve Grubb
Mark Webster (18) Bye
Dave Ladley 6-2 Glenn Spearing
Adrian Lewis (7) Bye
Roland Scholten 6-5 Richie Howson
Peter Wright (26) 6-3 Prakash Jiwa
Arron Monk 6-4 Dennis Priestley
Ronnie Baxter (10) Bye
Mark Jones 6-3 Stuart Kellett
Andy Smith (23) 6-2 Mark Dudbridge
Scott Coleman 6-1 Dave Kelly
Michael van Gerwen (6) Bye
Andrew Gilding 6-0 Gaz Cousins
Dennis Smith 6-4 Jamie Caven (27)
Gareth Pass 6-2 Steve Maish
Terry Jenkins (11) Bye
Ted Hankey 6-5 Brian Woods
Paul Nicholson (22) 6-5 Michael Mansell
Sam Hill 6-5 Glen Fitzpatrick
Raymond van Barneveld (3) Bye
John Bowles 6-0 Mick Todd
Joe Cullen (30) 6-1 Nigel Heydon
Peter Hudson 6-1 Keith Stephen
Colin Lloyd (14) Bye
Johnny Haines 6-5 Dean Winstanley
Richie Burnett (19) Bye
Brandon Walsh 6-4 Mick McGowan
Second Round
Justin Pipe 6-1 Paddy Meaney
Denis Ovens 6-4 Reece Robinson
Vincent van der Voort 6-5 Matthew Edgar
Brendan Dolan 6-3 Kevin Dowling
Ian White 6-1 James Hubbard
Michael Smith 6-2 Steve Brown
Mervyn King 6-2 Alan Tabern
Robert Thornton 6-1 Mike Veitch
Simon Whitlock 6-1 Terry Temple
Gary Anderson 6-2 Barrie Bates
Kim Huybrechts 6-4 Tony West
John Henderson 6-4 Darren Webster
Scott Rand 6-2 Wes Newton
Kevin Painter 6-0 Mareno Michels
Shaun Griffiths 6-4 Andy Hamilton
Darren Johnson 6-2 John Part
Dave Chisnall 6-1 John Scott
Andy Jenkins 6-3 James Richardson
Colin Osborne 6-3 William O^Connor
Mark Webster 6-1 Dave Ladley
Roland Scholten 6-5 Adrian Lewis
Arron Monk 6-4 Peter Wright
Mark Jones 6-1 Ronnie Baxter
Andy Smith 6-3 Scott Coleman
Michael van Gerwen 6-4 Andrew Gilding
Dennis Smith 6-4 Gareth Pass
Terry Jenkins 6-3 Ted Hankey
Paul Nicholson 6-4 Sam Hill
John Bowles 6-4 Raymond van Barneveld
Joe Cullen 6-2 Peter Hudson
Colin Lloyd 6-3 Johnny Haines
Richie Burnett 6-2 Brandon Walsh
Losers £200
Third Round
Denis Ovens 6-2 Justin Pipe
Brendan Dolan 6-2 Vincent van der Voort
Ian White 6-5 Michael Smith
Robert Thornton 6-4 Mervyn King
Simon Whitlock 6-5 Gary Anderson
Kim Huybrechts 6-5 John Henderson
Scott Rand 6-1 Kevin Painter
Shaun Griffiths 6-2 Darren Johnson
Andy Jenkins 6-4 Dave Chisnall
Mark Webster 6-1 Colin Osborne
Arron Monk 6-4 Roland Scholten
Mark Jones 6-3 Andy Smith
Michael van Gerwen 6-3 Dennis Smith
Paul Nicholson 6-5 Terry Jenkins
Joe Cullen 6-3 John Bowles
Colin Lloyd 6-2 Richie Burnett
Losers £400
Fourth Round
Denis Ovens 6-4 Brendan Dolan
Robert Thornton 6-1 Ian White
Kim Huybrechts 6-3 Simon Whitlock
Scott Rand 6-1 Shaun Griffiths
Mark Webster 6-1 Andy Jenkins
Arron Monk 6-1 Mark Jones
Michael van Gerwen 6-2 Paul Nicholson
Joe Cullen 6-5 Colin Lloyd
Losers £600
Quarter-Finals
Robert Thornton 6-5 Denis Ovens
Scott Rand 6-3 Kim Huybrechts
Arron Monk 6-3 Mark Webster
Michael van Gerwen 6-2 Joe Cullen
Losers £1,000
Semi-Finals
Robert Thornton 6-5 Scott Rand
Michael van Gerwen 6-1 Arron Monk
Losers £2,000
Final
Michael van Gerwen 6-5 Robert Thornton
Winner £6,000
Runner-Up £3,000
Players Championship 14
Citywest Hotel, Dublin, Sunday October 7 2012
First Round
Justin Pipe (1) Bye
Magnus Caris 6-2 John Part
Scott Rand (32) 6-1 Paul Barham
Mark Hylton 6-2 Richie Howson
Vincent van der Voort (16) Bye
Michael Mansell 6-2 Bernd Roith
Robert Thornton (17) Bye
Darren Johnson 6-5 John MaGowan
Ian White (8) Bye
Tony West 6-4 Jim Walker
Michael Smith (25) 6-2 Gino Vos
Peter Hudson 6-5 Steve Maish
Mervyn King (9) Bye
Steve Brown 6-5 Keith Stephen
Andy Smith (24) 6-4 Alan Tabern
Scott Coleman 6-4 Brandon Walsh
Simon Whitlock (5) Bye
Mark Dudbridge 6-1 Adrian Gray
Kevin Painter (28) 6-5 Johnny Haines
Denis Ovens 6-1 Barrie Bates
Ronnie Baxter (12) Bye
Paddy Meaney 6-3 Dennis Smith
Paul Nicholson (21) 6-2 Mick Todd
Sam Hill 6-1 Mark Forman
Wes Newton (4) Bye
John Bowles 6-4 Arron Monk
Wayne Jones 6-3 Jamie Caven (29)
Steve Grubb 6-4 Mareno Michels
Andy Hamilton (13) Bye
Connie Finnan 6-5 Tony Littleton
Brian Woods 6-2 Richie Burnett (20)
Glenn Spearing 6-2 Ryan Maher
Dave Chisnall (2) Bye
Dennis Priestley 6-4 Shaun Griffiths
Stuart Kellett 6-4 James Richardson (31)
Roland Scholten 6-1 John Scott
Colin Osborne (15) Bye
Steve Hine 6-4 William O^Connor
Mark Webster (18) Bye
Darren Webster 6-0 Dave Kelly
Adrian Lewis (7) Bye
Kevin McDine 6-3 Paul Rowley
Peter Wright (26) 6-1 Alex Roy
Prakash Jiwa 6-5 John Henderson
Kim Huybrechts (10) Bye
Joe Murnan 6-3 Ted Hankey
Mark Walsh (23) 6-2 Ross Smith
Kevin Dowling 6-2 Mick McGowan
Michael van Gerwen (6) Bye
Terry Temple 6-3 Andrew Gilding
Gary Anderson (27) 6-1 Adam Smith-Neale
Nigel Heydon 6-1 Mark Jones
Terry Jenkins (11) Bye
James Hubbard 6-2 Jamie Lewis
Steve Beaton (22) 6-2 Reece Robinson
Chris Aubrey 6-4 Dave Ladley
Raymond van Barneveld (3) Bye
Dean Winstanley 6-2 Stephen Hardy
Joe Cullen (30) 6-4 Matthew Edgar
Michael Barnard 6-5 Darren Whittingham
Colin Lloyd (14) Bye
Gareth Pass 6-2 Andy Jenkins
Brendan Dolan (19) 6-0 Gaz Cousins
Mike Veitch 6-1 Glen Fitzpatrick
Second Round
Magnus Caris 6-4 Justin Pipe
Scott Rand 6-1 Mark Hylton
Vincent van der Voort 6-2 Michael Mansell
Robert Thornton 6-3 Darren Johnson
Ian White 6-2 Tony West
Peter Hudson 6-1 Michael Smith
Mervyn King 6-3 Steve Brown
Andy Smith 6-1 Scott Coleman
Simon Whitlock 6-1 Mark Dudbridge
Kevin Painter 6-3 Denis Ovens
Ronnie Baxter 6-2 Paddy Meaney
Paul Nicholson 6-0 Sam Hill
Wes Newton 6-3 John Bowles
Wayne Jones 6-2 Steve Grubb
Andy Hamilton 6-1 Connie Finnan
Glenn Spearing 6-4 Brian Woods
Dave Chisnall 6-3 Dennis Priestley
Stuart Kellet 6-5 Roland Scholten
Colin Osborne 6-4 Steve Hine
Mark Webster 6-3 Darren Webster
Adrian Lewis 6-1 Kevin McDine
Prakash Jiwa 6-4 Peter Wright
Kim Huybrechts 6-5 Joe Murnan
Mark Walsh 6-5 Kevin Dowling
Terry Temple 6-4 Michael van Gerwen
Gary Anderson 6-2 Nigel Heydon
James Hubbard 6-5 Terry Jenkins
Chris Aubrey 6-4 Steve Beaton
Raymond van Barneveld 6-4 Dean Winstanley
Michael Barnard 6-5 Joe Cullen
Gareth Pass 6-2 Colin Lloyd
Brendan Dolan 6-5 Mike Veitch
Losers £200
Third Round
Scott Rand 6-5 Magnus Caris
Robert Thornton 6-3 Vincent van der Voort
Peter Hudson 6-4 Ian White
Mervyn King 6-1 Andy smith
Kevin Painter 6-1 Simon Whitlock
Ronnie Baxter 6-3 Paul Nicholson
Wes Newton 6-0 Wayne Jones
Andy Hamilton 6-1 Glenn Spearing
Dave Chisnall 6-1 Stuart Kellett
Mark Webster 6-2 Colin Osborne
Adrian Lewis 6-5 Prakash Jiwa
Kim Huybrechts 6-2 Mark Walsh
Gary Anderson 6-0 Terry Temple
James Hubbard 6-4 Chris Aubrey
Raymond van Barneveld 6-3 Michael Barnard
Gareth Pass 6-4 Brendan Dolan
Losers £400
Fourth Round
Robert Thornton 6-3 Scott Rand
Mervyn King 6-4 Peter Hudson
Ronnie Baxter 6-3 Kevin Painter
Wes Newton 6-3 Andy Hamilton
Dave Chisnall 6-5 Mark Webster
Kim Huybrechts 6-3 Adrian Lewis
Gary Anderson 6-3 James Hubbard
Raymond van Barneveld 6-1 Gareth Pass
Losers £600
Quarter-Finals
Robert Thornton 6-3 Mervyn King
Wes Newton 6-3 Ronnie Baxter
Dave Chisnall 6-4 Kim Huybrechts
Gary Anderson 6-4 Raymond van Barneveld
Losers £1,000
Semi-Finals
Robert Thornton 6-3 Wes Newton
Gary Anderson 6-3 Dave Chisnall
Losers £2,000
Final
Robert Thornton 6-5 Gary Anderson
Winner £6,000
Runner-Up £3,000