PDC World Championship - Report Twelfth Day, Evening
WRIGHT AND WEBSTER CLAIM SEVEN-SET TRIUMPHS AS WHITLOCK BRUSHES PAST PAINTER
Peter Wright and Mark Webster both won through remarkable seven-set clashes at the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship on Friday night, and were joined in the quarter-finals by on-song Simon Whitlock at Alexandra Palace.Wright produced his best-ever televised performance as he knocked out World Youth Champion Michael Smith in a thriller, with his 105.07 average being the highest of this year's event so far.
The number 16 seed overcame ten 180s from Smith with seven of his own amongst a heavy-scoring performance, which included three ton-plus checkouts. Having won the game's opening set in a deciding leg, Wright would lost the next two in the same manner - despite finishes of 161 and 136 - as Smith took a 2-1 lead. Scottish-born Wright then finishde 116 to win the fourth set in another deciding leg, only for Smith to follow up an 11-darter in set five by taking out 136 himself to regain the lead at 3-2. Wright, though, showed his class by taking the sixth set 3-1 to level the game before sweeping through the decider without reply to reach his first World Championship quarter-final, where he will meet Wes Newton on Saturday night.
"It's probably my best performance on TV," said Wright. "Michael wouldn't go away - I threw everything at him and he was still there, and you've got to expect that against him because he'll be a World Champion one day. I missed a few doubles and had a few dodgy scores, so there's room for improvement still. Hopefully my averages will get higher and I will get more consistent and confident with every game I play on stage with my new darts. Michael finished brilliantly and his 136 hurt - a year ago my head would have gone down and I'd have started thinking about other things and not concentrating on the game, but I forgot about it and got on with the next leg. It was hard but I didn't want to go out, I didn't want to let myself down. It's the World Championship and you only get that one chance sometimes; the draw has opened up and I've thrown it away in the past in some tournaments and I don't want to do that this time."
Smith had defeated reigning World Champion Phil Taylor in the second round, but just fell short in his bid to add to his World Youth Championship title by losing out in the last 16.
"I should have won the first set and I blew the sixth set," said Smith. "There's still a lot more I can do and I'm still not playing my best game, but once I start feeling comfortable I know I can win these tournaments. I've got to come back stronger next year. I beat Phil Taylor but that's only one game, and credit to Peter because he hung in and got the game today."
Welsh star Mark Webster, a former Lakeside Champion and a two-time Alexandra Palace semi-finalist, continued his resurgence with another gritty deciding-set victory as he knocked out five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld 4-3.
Webster has previously overcome Mensur Suljovic 3-2 and John Henderson 4-3 as he moved into the last 16, and came from 3-2 down in sets against van Barneveld as he reached his first ranking quarter-final since April. After the first two sets were shared in deciding legs, van Barneveld took out 110 to win the third 3-1, before Webster levelled in the fourth as he hit two 180s and a 101 finish in the deciding leg. Van Barneveld responded with two maximums of his own in a 12-darter to open the fifth set, and took out a 13-darter and a 120 finish to move back in front at 3-2 - only for Webster to claim the next six legs without reply to celebrate another gutsy win.
"I'm hanging in there!" said Webster, who now plays either Michael van Gerwen or Gary Anderson. "I could have gone out in the first round, could have gone out in the second round and possibly could have gone tonight, but when you get your chance you've got to take it, and I have done in every round. I never felt great but I wanted to keep hanging in there because Raymond wasn't himself and that's where you have to take your chances. It's been well documented that I've not been playing well for 18 months, so wins like that are always going to be very welcome. I've really prepared for this competition and I'm in the last eight now. I'm riding the crest of a wave at the minute and I think I can do anything, so hopefully I can keep this going. I'm in the thick of it, and you've got to be in it to win it! I'm feeling like a newcomer at the moment and I still play for the love of the game, and I think my emotions showed that tonight."
Van Barneveld admitted: "In the last couple of sets Mark played some great darts and didn't miss his doubles. I've been practising very hard for this World Championship so to go out in the last 16 is very disappointing."
Australian star Simon Whitlock, the 2010 runner-up at Alexandra Palace, maintained his record of not yet dropping a set in this year's World Championship as he lost only four legs in a 4-0 win over 2004 finalist Kevin Painter.
The number four seed hit four 180s in the opening set as he won a deciding leg to take the advantage, and though Painter led in the second set it was the former European Champion who took command with six straight legs to move 3-0 up.
Painter also led in the fourth set, but Whitlock continued to capitalise on misses as he claimed the next three legs and a place in the quarter-finals against Ian White.
"I thought I played well and I did the right things at the right time," said Whitlock, who needed only 37 minutes to take the win. "I can't ask for more than a 4-0 win and I took every chance I had. I want to be at my best and I'm still not there, but I've been preparing for this tournament for three to four months, putting loads of hours in on the board and I haven't had to play my best darts yet. Ian White's been fantastic in this tournament and he's beaten me a few times on the floor this year, but I've beaten him on stage before and hopefully I've got the advantage."
Painter said: "I was poor and I don't know what happened. I couldn't finish and everything was on the wire - he had Christmas two days ago and he must think it's Christmas again. I've been playing so well and practising so well, and I've no idea where that performance came from."