PDC Media Release - Newton Wins Maiden Players Championship

NEWTON WINS MAIDEN PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

WES NEWTON claimed his first ranking title with a narrow victory over Red Dragon Darts new signing Steve Beaton in Saturday^s Scottish Players Championship.

Newton has reached three PDC Pro Tour finals since the summer without victory, but ended that run in a final-leg thriller with Beaton at the Magnum Centre in Irvine.

In-form Beaton had defeated the Fleetwood ace a fortnight ago to claim his first win for eight years, but missed one dart for another victory in the deciding leg of this clash.

Beaton took the final^s opener and landed a 180 in the second, but missed doubles allowed Newton to level, and the pair also traded the next two before an 11-darter put the Warwickshire-based star 3-2 up.

Newton landed two 140s and a 70 finish to level, and then defied another 180 from Beaton to land double 12 for a break of throw for a 4-3 lead after his opponent missed double 16 for the leg.

Newton then hit four ton-plus scores and double eight to move 5-3 up - before Beaton landed back-to-back 14-dart finishes to send the final into a decider.

Beaton landed two 140s, but a missed double 16 allowed Newton - who had hit scores of 139 and 137 in leaving 66 - back to snatch the win on double 18.

"I^m so relieved to have finally won a Players Championship," said Newton. "There was so much pressure on me in the final and I was trying not to think about it and just to play darts how I had throughout the day.

"I played awesome all day long - it^s probably the best I^ve played consistently round on round - so I^m over the moon.

"I was 5-3 up and Steve got it back to five-all and had the darts in the last leg, and I thought I^d blown it!

"I knew I had to produce just one big leg and treated it like it was just a normal leg down at my local pub, and luckily enough I won it."

The win was a fine way for Newton to bounce back from the disappointment of a first round loss in Friday^s PartyPoker.com Grand Slam of Darts ITV Wildcard Qualifier, an event he won last year in Irvine.

A whitewash of Mick McGowan saw him start the day perfectly, and he narrowly missed double 12 for a nine-darter in defeating Nick Fullwell 6-1 in the second round, admitting: "I thought it was in and even celebrated, but it was right on the wire!"

Newton also dropped just one leg in a win over Roland Scholten before defeating Northern Irish pair Brendan Dolan and John MaGowan to reach the semi-finals, where he saw off Andy Smith 6-3.

Beaton sneaked past Peter Wright 6-5 in an exciting semi-final, with colourful star Wright missing three darts for victory in the decider before the European Championship runner-up took out 128 on the bull for victory.

Resurgent Beaton included Dutch pair Vincent van der Voort and Jelle Klaasen as well as former Lakeside Champion Mark Webster amongst his victims in reaching his third PDC Pro Tour final in as many months.

Wright^s run to the semis matched his previous best run on the PDC Pro Tour, in the Las Vegas Players Championship this summer, and included a 6-2 win over practice partner Mervyn King in the last 16.

Steve Brown and John MaGowan reached the quarter-finals for just the second time this year, while Gary Anderson also reached the last eight before losing 6-2 to Smith.

Players Championship (Saturday)

First Round

Alex Roy (1) Bye

Gary Welding 6-4 Rick Lowther

Matt Clark (32) 6-4 Gary Mawson

Barrie Bates 6-3 Dave Smith

Vincent van der Voort (16) 6-0 Carl Minter

Steve Grubb 6-4 Joe Cullen

Andy Hamilton (17) 6-0 Geoff Whitworth

Matt Jackson 6-4 Sean White

Steve Beaton (8) 6-4 Stuart Holden

Colin Monk 6-4 Lee Holden

Andy Jenkins (25) 6-1 Norman Fletcher

Mark Webster 6-4 Danny Pinhorne

Ronnie Baxter (9) 6-5 Mark Stephenson

Tony Ayres 6-3 Jacko Barry

Jelle Klaasen (24) 6-0 Dave Ahmet

Bryan de Hoog 6-2 Michael Barnard

Colin Lloyd (5) 6-0 Matt Padgett

Dennis Smith 6-1 Richie Burnett

Steve Brown 6-1 Steve Hine (28)

James Barton 6-3 Chris Loudon

Alan Tabern (12) 6-1 Andy Callaby

Dylan Duo 6-3 Mark Carter

Michael van Gerwen (21) 6-3 Rocco Maes

Lee Williams 6-1 Andy Fulton

Colin Osborne (4) Bye

Michael Smith 6-1 Ian MacFarlane

Peter Wright (29) 6-0 Andy Fordham

Graeme Stoddart 6-4 Alex Tinsley

Mervyn King (13) 6-0 Geoff Wylie

Mark Jodrill 6-5 Paul Gudgeon

Mark Dudbridge (20) 6-2 Andy Relf

Ian Lever 6-3 Steve Watts

Mark Walsh (2) Bye

Colin McGarry 6-2 John Quantock

Kevin McDine (31) 6-1 Dave Honey

Jan van der Rassel 6-3 Darren Latham

Wayne Jones (15) 6-0 Chris Allen

Wayne Atwood 6-3 Louis Blundell

Andy Smith (18) 6-2 Dave Ladley

Nigel Birch 6-1 Par Riihonen

Gary Anderson (7) 6-3 Toon Greebe

Lionel Sams 6-1 Dave Ansell

Peter Manley (26) 6-3 Mark Lawrence

Adrian Gray 6-1 Shayne O^Connor

Dennis Priestley (10) 6-0 Tom Martin

Trevor Frost 6-1 Jim Leighton

Kevin Painter (23) 6-3 Ken Dobson

John Part 6-4 Simon Whitlock

Robert Thornton (6) 6-3 Jason Clark

Darren Johnson 6-0 Andy Pearson

Tony Eccles (27) 6-1 Kevin Harris

John MaGowan 6-2 Kirk Shepherd

Steve Evans 6-5 Jamie Caven (11)

Stuart Bousfield 6-4 Steve Maish

Denis Ovens (22) 6-4 Steve Musson

Martyn Turner 6-2 Chris Jackson

Adrian Lewis (3) Bye

Mark Frost 6-3 Billy Meakins

Brendan Dolan (30) 6-4 Stephen Hardy

Justin Pipe 6-0 Jon Archer

Wes Newton (14) 6-0 Mick McGowan

Nick Fullwell 6-4 Ray Farrell

Arron Monk 6-2 Paul Nicholson (19)

Roland Scholten 6-3 Anastasia Dobromyslova

Second Round

Alex Roy 6-5 Gary Welding

Barrie Bates 6-1 Matt Clark

Vincent van der Voort 6-1 Steve Grubb

Andy Hamilton 6-2 Matt Jackson

Steve Beaton 6-5 Colin Monk

Mark Webster 6-2 Andy Jenkins

Ronnie Baxter 6-3 Tony Ayres

Jelle Klaasen 6-1 Bryan de Hoog

Dennis Smith 6-3 Colin Lloyd

Steve Brown 6-4 James Barton

Alan Tabern 6-2 Dylan Duo

Lee Williams 6-4 Michael van Gerwen

Colin Osborne 6-3 Michael Smith

Peter Wright 6-5 Graeme Stoddart

Mervyn King 6-3 Mark Jodrill

Mark Dudbridge 6-1 Ian Lever

Mark Walsh 6-3 Colin McGarry

Jan van der Rassel 6-1 Kevin McDine

Wayne Jones 6-4 Wayne Atwood

Andy Smith 6-2 Nigel Birch

Gary Anderson 6-4 Lionel Sams

Adrian Gray 6-3 Peter Manley

Dennis Priestley 6-2 Trevor Frost

John Part 6-4 Kevin Painter

Robert Thornton 6-4 Darren Johnson

John MaGowan 6-3 Tony Eccles

Steve Evans 6-3 Stuart Bousfield

Denis Ovens 6-1 Martyn Turner

Mark Frost 6-5 Adrian Lewis

Brendan Dolan 6-4 Justin Pipe

Wes Newton 6-1 Nick Fullwell

Roland Scholten 6-3 Arron Monk

Losers £200

Third Round

Alex Roy 6-4 Barrie Bates

Vincent van der Voort 6-1 Andy Hamilton

Steve Beaton 6-4 Mark Webster

Jelle Klaasen 6-3 Ronnie Baxter

Steve Brown 6-5 Dennis Smith

Lee Williams 6-5 Alan Tabern

Peter Wright 6-3 Colin Osborne

Mervyn King 6-3 Mark Dudbridge

Mark Walsh 6-3 Jan van der Rassel

Andy Smith 6-4 Wayne Jones

Gary Anderson 6-0 Adrian Gray

Dennis Priestley 6-5 John Part

John MaGowan 6-4 Robert Thornton

Denis Ovens 6-0 Steve Evans

Brendan Dolan 6-0 Mark Frost

Wes Newton 6-1 Roland Scholten

Losers £300

Fourth Round

Vincent van der Voort 6-0 Alex Roy

Steve Beaton 6-5 Jelle Klaasen

Steve Brown 6-5 Lee Williams

Peter Wright 6-2 Mervyn King

Andy Smith 6-5 Mark Walsh

Gary Anderson 6-4 Dennis Priestley

John MaGowan 6-3 Denis Ovens

Wes Newton 6-5 Brendan Dolan

Losers £400

Quarter-Finals

Steve Beaton 6-3 Vincent van der Voort

Peter Wright 6-4 Steve Brown

Andy Smith 6-2 Gary Anderson

Wes Newton 6-3 John MaGowan

Losers £800

Semi-Finals

Steve Beaton 6-5 Peter Wright

Wes Newton 6-3 Andy Smith

Losers £1,500

Final

Wes Newton 6-5 Steve Beaton

Winner £6,000

Runner-Up £3,000