Championship League Darts - Group 2
WIZARD WORKS MAGIC FOR GROUP TWO TRIUMPH
SIMON WHITLOCK defeated Gary Anderson 6-2 to win Group Two of Championship League Darts in only his second day in the
internet-streamed tournament.
The Australian star booked his place in October's big-money Winners Group following a solid day of darts at Crondon Park GC in Essex.
Having been a semi-finalist in Group One on his debut in the tournament, he improved further to take £3,100 prize money on Wednesday and remain in the hunt for the £10,000 first prize next month. Whitlock finished second in the league table after winning five of his seven league games, a feat matched by both Anderson and Adrian Lewis.
Whitlock then defeated Lewis 6-2 in the semis before repeating that scoreline in the decider against Anderson.
He came from a leg down to take four in a row in assuming a 4-1 lead against Anderson, who hit a 180 and a two-dart 84 finish to win the sixth in his best leg of the final. However, Whitlock matched him blow for blow in the seventh as they traded scores of 140 and 180 before the Australian finished 91 on the bull, before another maximum and double four secured the win.
Anderson, who topped the league table on leg difference after recording whitewash wins over Co Stompe and James Wade during the round-robin league phase, claimed £2,600 prize money on his debut in Championship League Darts. The Scot defeated Ronnie Baxter 6-2 in the semis, taking a 3-0 lead before the Lancastrian pulled back to within a leg before Anderson, aided by a brace of 180s, won the next three for victory.
Baxter had secured a semi-final place with victory over Colin Lloyd in their final league game, as the Essex ace - Group One's runner-up - ended the day without a win to be eliminated.
Paul Nicholson was also eliminated on his debut in the competition, although only a 6-3 loss to Stompe in their winner-takes-all final league game saw him knocked out by virtue of a bottom-two finish.
Stompe had stepped in to compete on Wednesday morning after Mervyn King was forced to withdraw from the tournament with a heel injury, and the Dutchman lost his first four games.
However, wins over Lloyd, Lewis and Nicholson mean that he now progresses to compete in Group Three on Thursday, with Andy Hamilton, reigning champion Colin Osborne and Alan Tabern also joining the eight-player field.