Australia  5 – 1 Netherlands

Australia powered their way through to the World Cup final with an impressive victory in Hamburg.

Simon Whitlock and Paul Nicholson produced another stunning performance in the pairs to eliminate defending champions Holland.

SIMON WHITLOCK 4 – 3 VINCENT VAN DER VOORT

Simon Whitlock continued his strong run of form in Hamburg as he beat Vincent van der Voort in the first singles match of the semi-final.

The world number five edged out his opponent in a last leg decider to give Australia an early lead in the match.

Both players missed doubles in the first leg before van der Voort held his throw. Whitlock hit double top at the first attempt in leg two to go level, and he took the lead by hitting double eight to win the third leg.

‘The Wizard’ hit his first maximum in the next leg before checking out 64 to edge closer to victory. Van der Voort fired in a 180 on his way to reducing the deficit to a single leg, and a 174 helped ‘The Dutch Destroyer’ force a decider.

Whitlock triumphed by taking out 60 to get a point on the board for Australia.

PAUL NICHOLSON 0 – 4 RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD

Raymond van Barneveld claimed a comfortable win over Paul Nicholson to pull Holland level in the match.

Van Barneveld continued his unbeaten record against ‘The Asset’ as he beat his opponent in straight legs.

‘Barney’ hit double top to take the first leg before checking out 62 to double his lead. The Dutchman hit double 16 to move within a leg of winning the game.

The five-time world champion finished the job in style by producing a sensational 148 checkout to complete the whitewash.

SIMON WHITLOCK 4 – 2 RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD

Simon Whitlock maintained his perfect record in singles matches by inflicting Raymond van Barneveld’s first defeat.

The Australian raced three legs in front of his opponent before holding off a mini fight-back to seal his second win of the semi-final.

Van Barneveld started the game in style with a 180 but Whitlock fought back and hit double nine to snatch the leg. ‘The Wizard’ hit double ten to win the second leg.

Whitlock hit a 180 and followed it up by checking out 44 to go three legs in front. ‘Barney’ hit double 13 to pull a leg back, before getting himself right back in the game with a brilliant 87 checkout on the bull.

Whitlock just missed the bull for a 124 checkout but cleaned up the 25 to win the match and put Australia back in the overall lead.

PAUL NICHOLSON 4 – 2 VINCENT VAN DER VOORT

Paul Nicholson recovered from his earlier defeat by producing a fantastic performance to beat Vincent van der Voort.

Nicholson showed his class, posting a couple of fabulous legs to beat the Dutchman 4-2.

Van der Voort won the first leg before Nicholson hit double top to grab his first leg of the session. ‘The Asset’ hit double eight to take the lead but ‘The Dutch Destroyer’ pegged him straight back by hitting double sixteen.

Nicholson then posted a solid leg, with back to back 140’s followed by a ton, before setting up and hitting double 16. The Australian then secured victory with a brilliant eleven dart leg.

Nicholson’s victory gave his team a 3-1 advantage going into the decisive doubles game, which was worth 2 points.

WHITLOCK & NICHOLSON 4 – 0 VAN BARNEVELD & VAN DER VOORT

Australia took charge when Whitlock hit double ten to take the opening leg. Nicholson found the same bed to double the lead, before his teammate produced a stunning 105 finish to move within a leg of the final.

‘The Wizard’ then took out 110 to finish the job in style and secure the first spot in tonight’s final.

Australia will play either Wales or England for the World Cup title.

By Chris Murphy

Australia 3 – 1 Belgium

Australia progressed into the semi-finals of the World Cup in Hamburg when Simon Whitlock and Paul Nicholson produced a stunning display in the doubles to dump Belgium out of the tournament.

Whitlock beat Kurt van de Rijck in straight sets before Nicholson suffered a defeat, meaning that the match would be decided by the doubles game.

Australia were sensational in the decider, and are looking like the team to beat after another convincing win.

SIMON WHITLOCK 4 – 0 Kurt van de Rijck

Simon Whitlock whitewashed Kurt van de Rijck to put Australia a point ahead in the quarter-final. ‘The Wizard’ produced a clinical display in his singles match in Hamburg, which he completed in double quick time.

Whitlock hit double ten to win both of the first two legs. ‘The Wizard’ hit double top to take the third leg with a tidy thirteen darter. He then responded to a 180 from his opponent by hammering in two of his own as he completed a convincing victory.

PAUL NICHOLSON 2 – 4 Kim Huybrechts

Paul Nicholson was beaten by Kim Huybrechts in the second singles match of the quarter-final against Belgium, meaning the match would be decided by the pairs match.

Huybrechts hit the bull to take the lead but ‘The Asset’ hit straight back. He hit double nine to level things up before slotting in his first maximum. Huybrechts took out 111 and then 129 to take a 3-1 lead. Nicholson then hit double 18 to keep himself in the match, before hammering home another maximum under pressure. But it was Huybrechts who won the leg, to draw Belgium level on points.

Photo: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

WHITLOCK & NICHOLSON 4 – 2 van de Rijck & Huybrechts

Simon Whitlock and Paul Nicholson finished off their opponents in a high quality doubles match. The Australian pair produced a stunning display of relentless scoring and sharp finishing to progress to the semi-finals.

Whitlock opened with a maximum and went on to hit double eight to give Australia the lead. Nicholson hit his first 180 in leg two before ‘The Wizard’ hit his second, setting up his teammate to take out 41.

Belgium pulled a leg back before Whitlock hit double top to move a leg away from the semi-finals. Huybrechts hit double ten to keep Belgium in the match and then applied the pressure on the Aussies with a 180. Nicholson hit back with high scoring though and Whitlock hit double top to seal the victory.

By Chris Murphy

World Cup of Darts: Round 2: Australia 4 – 0 Republic of Ireland          

SIMON WHITLOCK & PAUL NICHOLSON 5 – 2 Mick McGowan & William O’Connor

Australia put on a convincing display in the pairs, as they booked their place in the quarter-finals with a 5-2 triumph over the Republic of Ireland on Saturday afternoon.

Having both won their singles games yesterday, Simon Whitlock and Paul Nicholson completed the task by claiming two more points for winning the doubles, meaning they won the match 4-0 overall.

Australia won the first leg when Nicholson recovered from a stray shot a double top, by hitting double nineteen. It was Whitlock who turned on the style in leg two. He hit the first 180 of the match before finding the double eight bed to increase the lead.

Ireland pulled a leg back before Nicholson took out a neat 68 finish to restore a two leg advantage. Mick McGowan took out 102 to reduce the deficit again. Australia responded in kind when Whitlock checked out 78. Nicholson stuck in a maximum in the final leg, and ‘The Wizard’ stepped forward to finish the job by hitting double sixteen.

Nicholson said: “Today we just went up there and played darts. We played as a team and did a very professional job. We are building up a lot of confidence by getting the job done in that fashion. It was all about the team and we are both very pleased with how it went.”

Australia will face Belgium in tonight’s quarter-final and Nicholson believes it will be a tough test.

He added: “Tonight’s game will probably be the hardest that Simon I have ever had to play as a pair. Belgium is a great team and we are going to have to pull out our ‘A-game’ to beat them.  Once we know when we are scheduled to play, we will sit down and formulate a game plan and make sure we are prepared right. Simon and I are working towards the same goals. There are no personal agendas; we just want to win for Australia.”

By Chris Murphy

World Cup of Darts: Round 2: Australia v Republic of Ireland

Australia moved a step closer to the last eight of the World Cup of Darts with two comprehensive singles victories over the Republic of Ireland in Hamburg.

SIMON WHITLOCK 4 – 1 Mick McGowan

Simon Whitlock cruised through his first singles game at the World Cup of Darts in Hamburg. The World Championship semi-finalist put on a stylish display to sweep aside Irishman Mick McGowan.

Whitlock said: “It was good out there tonight. The crowd were really noisy and they got behind me, which was great. It’s good to get off to a winning start, even though I wasn’t at my best.”

The Wizard hit double four to win the first leg and then quickly doubled his lead, hitting the first maximum of the match in the process. Mcgowan pulled a leg back before Whitlock took out 50 to leave himself within a leg of victory.

The Australian wasted no time in wrapping up the match, taking out 90 to get the job done in style.

PAUL NICHOLSON 4 – 0 William O’Connor

Paul Nicholson was in typically ruthless form in his first singles match at the World Cup. He completed a 4-0 whitewash over Irishman William O’Connor in Hamburg, winning every single leg against the throw.

The win gave Australia a 2-0 lead ahead of tomorrows pairs match. The Asset believes that him and his partner got their preparation right before their individual games and will need to do the same tomorrow.

He said: “We had a bit of a practise together today but also did some on our own. Tomorrow we will do all our practising together because it’s pairs. We need to make sure we leave the right doubles for each other, get a rhythm between us and get some camaraderie going. We have to beat what is put in front of us before we start to worry about the quarter-finals. I think the fact that we’ve played together before is a massive advantage over other pairs.”

Nicholson punished his opponent for missed doubles in the opening leg by checking out 64 in two darts. The Asset hammered in his first 180 in leg two before doubling his advantage. He then surged into a three leg lead by hitting double four. Nicholson completed the rout when he hit double eight.

Nicholson and Whitlock more than justified Australia’s tag as one of the front-runners for the tournament. They will be back in action tomorrow afternoon as they take on the same opponents in the pairs. Victory will see them progress into the quarter-finals.

Whitlock said: “I’m actually more of a pairs person so I’m really looking forward to tomorrow. Paul played really well tonight. I think we can make it through to the final.”

Nicholson added: “Tonight we have done half of the job, and the format means that we have to go and finish it tomorrow. From a confidence point of view it’s fantastic that we both won. Simon and I are quite happy with how we played and are really looking forward to tomorrow.”

By Chris Murphy

World Cup of Darts: Round 2: Australia v Republic of Ireland

Australia moved a step closer to the last eight of the World Cup of Darts with two comprehensive singles victories over the Republic of Ireland in Hamburg.

SIMON WHITLOCK 4 – 1 Mick McGowan

Simon Whitlock cruised through his first singles game at the World Cup of Darts in Hamburg. The World Championship semi-finalist put on a stylish display to sweep aside Irishman Mick McGowan.

The Wizard hit double four to win the first leg and then quickly doubled his lead, hitting the first maximum of the match in the process. Mcgowan pulled a leg back before Whitlock took out 50 to leave himself within a leg of victory.

The Australian wasted no time in wrapping up the match, taking out 90 to get the job done in style.

PAUL NICHOLSON 4 – 0 William O’Connor

Paul Nicholson was in typically ruthless form in his first singles match at the World Cup. He completed a 4-0 whitewash over Irishman William O’Connor in Hamburg, winning every single leg against the throw.

Nicholson punished his opponent for missed doubles in the opening leg by checking out 64 in two darts. The Asset hammered in his first 180 in leg two before doubling his advantage. He then surged into a three leg lead by hitting double four. Nicholson completed the rout when he hit double eight.

Nicholson and Whitlock more than justified Australia’s tag as one of the front-runners for the tournament. They will be back in action tomorrow afternoon as they take on the same opponents in the pairs. Victory will see them progress into the quarter-finals.

By Chris Murphy