Simon Whitlock took victory in Sunday’s Players Championship 12 at Barnsley Metrodome, defeating Andy Hamilton 6-4 in the final.

‘The Wizard’ finally got rewarded for his solid form this year, as he claimed his first ranking title since 2010.

“I’m delighted to get the win,” said Whitlock, who will now turn his attention to the televised European Championships next week.

“It has been a while but I’ve been playing well. My form has been good so I always felt I would win one soon.

“I’ve been putting the practise in and I’m looking forward to going to Germany now, with this win under my belt.”

The Australian star, who had reached the quarter-finals in Saturday’s event, began Sunday’s tournament with a 6-2 defeat of Tony Littleton.

He followed that up with wins over Scott Rand and Kim Huybrechts, before seeing off the challenge of Steve Maish in the quarter-finals.

‘The Wizard’ halted the charge of former World Champion Dennis Priestley in the last four, triumphing 6-2 over the Yorkshire-man before beating Hamilton to clinch the £6,000 title.

Whitlock trailed ‘The Hammer’ by two legs in the final but hit back to tie the match at 2-2.

The next four legs all went with the throw before Whitlock grabbed a crucial break, hitting double eight to take the lead before posting double 16 to triumph.

‘The Wizard’ goes in pursuit of his first PDC major title in the PartyPoker.net European Championships in Germany next week. He faces Mark Walsh in the first round on Friday evening.

By Chris Murphy

See some of the world’s top darts players in action at The Untouchables,Eastbourne on Friday 19 October.

Images courtesy of Lawrenc Lustig/PDC

Simon Whitlock took glory in the DPA Australasian Masters with a 6-5 victory over Phil Taylor in Sunday’s final in Queensland, Australia.

‘The Wizard’ delighted his home crowd by defeating 15-time World Champion Taylor to take the title, after coming through a field of 256 players at the Gold Coast.

“I am thrilled to win this here in Australia,” said Whitlock. “To beat Phil in the final makes it an extra special day for me and all my Australian fans. This is for them.”

Whitlock, who was runner up to Taylor in the 2012 McCoy’s Premier League, hit five maximums in his final against the world number one, who he toppled in a last leg decider.

The Australian ace had whitewashed Bill Aitken in the quarter-finals before a 6-1 triumph over Koha Kokiri set up a tasty final clash against ‘The Power’.

And the PDC pair didn’t let the southern hemisphere down, playing out a brilliant final, in which ‘The Wizard’ reigned supreme.

See some of the world’s top professional darts stars in action at The Untouchables,Eastbourne on Friday 19 October.

Simon Whitlock is part of the best ever line-up of professional darts stars, which has been assembled for an exclusive two-day event, the Dalgleish Borders Masters, which will take place on the 28-29 September at Kelso.

Image courtesy of Lawrence Lustig/PDC

15-time World Champion Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor heads the list of the PDC’s top players taking part in the exciting event, which can boast an unprecedented abundance of quality.

World number one Taylor is joined by reigning and two-time World Champion Adrian Lewis, seven-time major winner James Wade and five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld.

Another World Champion, Welshman Mark Webster, is also on show, as are Australian aces Whitlock and Paul Nicholson.

The stunning line-up is completed by the Scottish trio of former Premier League champion Gary Anderson, 2012 UK Open winner Robert Thornton and John Henderson.

The Dalgleish Borders Masters sees the world’s very best players battle it out in two exclusive tournaments, with eight players competing in the Nations Cup being on Friday September 28 before Taylor and Thornton join them for the Borders Masters, which takes place the following day.

Image courtesy of Lawrence Lustig/PDC

Promoters Davie Hanson and Kevin Green are delighted to have put together such a star-studded field of talent.

“This really is our perfect ten,” said Hanson. “We have ten superstars of the sport and it will be a fantastic couple of days.

“The only time you would normally see such quality is in the latter stages of televised majors and I know there will be no shortage of competitiveness.”

Green added: “It really is like a who’s who of darts and a once in a lifetime opportunity for darts fans to see all of their favourite players under one roof.”

Tickets for this unique event are available from Davie Hanson 07872 078715 / Kevin Green 07958 642751 or online via www.dartshop.tv

By Chris Murphy

To buy tickets for the Dalgleish Borders Master click here

Simon Whitlock replica playing shirts are now available to buy exclusively at dartshop.tv

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

Arguably the most recognisable shirt in darts, as seen on Sky Sports in major tournaments, is now on sale for the very first time.

The Wizard’s trademark attire can be purchased exclusively here

Simon Whitlock believes that he is on the brink of sealing his first PDC major title and is hoping to take his maiden televised triumph in the Betfair World Matchplay.

‘The Wizard’ has reached the final of both the McCoy’s Premier League and the Cash Converters World Cup in 2012, as well as the semi-final of the Ladbrokes World Championship.

Image courtesy of Lawrence Lustig/PDC

The Australian ace, who has made it to at least the quarter-finals in each of the last seven pro-tour events, feels like he has got everything in place to take glory at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens next week.

“This could be the one,” said Whitlock, the world number six.

“I think I am at the stage where I can win something now. I’ve always had the belief, but you need the form to go with it. I believe that I have got that at the moment.”

Whitlock thinks that the field at the prestigious tournament, where 32 players will compete for the £100,000 first prize, is the strongest ever and knows that he will have to be at his best to avoid an upset when he meets young Dutch talent Michael van Gerwen in the first round.

“I am pretty confident but Michael has been playing a lot better this year,” said ‘The Wizard’, who beat van Gerwen in the World Championships in December.

“He has won a few floor tournaments so far but I’m in pretty good form too. It should be a good game and it is the only one I’m thinking about.

“I know who is in my half of the draw but I am focusing on the first game because that is the only way to approach a tournament like this.

“I think that there will be a lot of shocks in Blackpool, so I have to be at my best to make sure that I’m not one of them.”

Whitlock reached the semi-finals at the Winter Gardens in 2010 before succumbing to an inspired comeback by Andy Hamilton in the quarters last year, losing 17-15 after he had led 15-8.

Image courtesy of Lawrence Lustig/PDC

Having ended his Hamilton hoodoo with victory over ‘The Hammer’ in their Premier League semi-final, which included a spectacular nine-darter, the bearded sensation now hopes to take the Matchplay by storm.

“I have had some bad memories there to be honest,” admitted Whitlock, who is defending £25,000 in ranking prize money in Blackpool.

“Everyone talks about the lead I lost to Andy last year but I was just as gutted when I missed out on the final the year before.

“I’m hoping to banish those memories and replace them with some good ones this time.

“I try not to think too much about the rankings because it puts extra pressure on me but I know what I’ve got to do and I have high expectations of myself.”

Whitlock’s first round clash with van Gerwen will take place at approximately 10.00pm on Sunday.

By Chris Murphy

Keep up to date with the latest news, results, exhibitions and events involving Simon ‘The Wizard’ Whitlock via his Official Facebook Fan Page or on twitter @SWhitlock180