UK Open 2016 - Preview
The charm of the UK Open derives mainly from two things - the amateur qualifiers and the unusual format with now seeded players and a new draw after each round. Before the UK Open moved to Minehead there was a third factor: all matches were played on different boards in a single venue, which was an added challenge for the players and an added charm bonus for the crowd. Now here in Minehead we have three different venues which now is more an added challenge for the crowd and the journalists/Photographers. It is just not possible to be every where at once.
Beside all the charms and challenges the winners list with one exception doesn't look much different from other PDC Majors: Phil Taylor won the tournament five times, Raymond van Barneveld and James Wade twice and Adrian Lewis, Roland Scholten (the exception), Robert Thornton and Michael van Gerwen once. Might be a little bit different from other tournaments the runners-up list looks and that already started with the first runner-up in 2003 - Shayne Burgess who was at that time already in decline. For players like Barrie Bates, Vincent van der Voort or Colin Osborne to reach the UK Open final was the biggest success of their careers. Those names probably no one would have predicted would he been asked for might be finalists.
And so of course it is difficult to predict what will happen in this rather unpredictable tournament. Last year Andrew Gilding surprised by reaching the semi-finals. Some years ago it was Denis Ovens - another of the players who had to end his career due to an injury.
I myself think nevertheless that the tournament winner will be one of the players who at the moment play in Premier League. Of course Michael van Gerwen enters the tournament as favourit to win the title but one shouldn't write off Phil Taylor and Gary Anderson either. Peter Wright and James Wade seem to get stronger from week to week and Wade is a former winner while Wright last year was the runner-up. The gap between the performance of the top players and the players outside of the top 16 seems to get bigger. That doesn't mean players like Mensur Suljovic, Ricky Evens, Benito van de Pas -might be even Rene Eidams - to name only a few or some of the amateurs will not be able to mix up the top players but who of those will be capable to beat Michael van Gerwen or the rejuvenated Phil Taylor in the later rounds of the tournament? Jelle Klaasen's 5-1 win over John Henderson means that he now plays Andy Hamilton, the 2013 UK Open runner-up, while whitewash wins for Ronny Huybrechts and Steve Maish, against Adrian Gray and Ben ward respectively, see them play Simon Whitlock and Nigel Heydon respectively.
Nottingham's 22-year-old Aden Kirk defeated Conan Whitehead and Gerwyn Price on his UK Open debut as he set up a Third Round date with reigning UK Open champion Phil Taylor on Friday evening.
World Champion Michael van Gerwen will face former World Youth Champion James Hubbard in the last 64, with the Norfolk ace having to defeat Jeff Batham and Steve Hine to progress to the evening session.
Aberdeen's Jason Hogg defeated Wolverhampton's Wayne Jones 5-3 as he set up an all-Scottish third round game with Robert Thornton, the 2012 UK Open champion.
Former Grand Slam of Darts semi-finalist Kevin McDine had to defeat Sheffield amateur Aaron Holdstock, Australia's Kyle Anderson and Scottish newcomer Ewan Hyslop as he won through to the last 64.
Simon Stevenson, an amateur qualifier from Plymouth, defeated Ian Jones, Jason Lovett and Mark Barilli as he moved into the Third Round to play Belgium's Rocco Maes.
Tony Randell and Andy Boulton complete a quartet of the Rileys Amateur Qualifiers who have won through to the Third Round, as they prepare to face Mensur Suljovic and Dean Winstanley respectively.
Kevin Dowling's wins over Chris Dobey and Jamie Caven mean that he now plays reigning Lakeside Champion Stephen Bunting, who is making his first televised appearance since joining the PDC circuit recently.
Wes Newton, who missed Thursday's Betway Premier League Darts with tonsillitis, has withdrawn from the Coral UK Open, with his planned Third Round opponent Andrew Gilding receiving a Bye.