Новости Unicorn

Kevin Painter just couldn’t find that magic touch, as Taylor romped to victory in the all-Unicorn clash, by 5 sets to 1.

‘The Artist’ fought bravely levelling the match at one set apiece but that was as close as he got to a darting genius.

Taylor will now clash head-on with ‘Hawaii 501’ in the semi-finals, after Wayne Mardle breezed past Alan Warriner-Little 5 sets to nil. Mardle came agonisingly close to the first ever 9-dart finish at The Circus Tavern. He hit eight perfect darts and narrowly missed the double 18.

After losing that 2nd set, ‘The Power’ surged to the finishing line, losing only one more leg in the entire match. He averaged an amazing 105.57 with a dozen 180s thrown in for good measure.

“Pure Class,” said Painter, as they shook hands on stage. You just can’t argue!

Taylor was delighted with another five star performance: “I was pumped up out there and I want that title. I have felt relaxed all week and feel very fresh. I have shut myself away like a recluse to make sure I stay totally focused.”

And looking ahead to the clash with Mardle, Taylor said: “Wayne is going to be up for it. He is buzzing and playing really well but so am I. It should be a cracker.”

The other all-Unicorn showdown exploded into action, as Peter Manley beat Adrian Lewis 5 sets to 3 in a dramatic and controversial quarter-final.

The heat rose to boiling point as the players exchanged words on stage. Lewis then walked off stage midway through the 5th set, after Manley appeared to say something just as the youngster was about to throw.

Referee Russ Bray was forced to cool tempers backstage and the matter will now be investigated by the Darts Regulation Authority in the New Year.

Lewis said: “It started when Peter said I was tutting. I wasn’t and as I went to throw, he said something behind my back and I decided to walk off stage.”

He added: “Good luck to him for the rest of the tournament but I have learned a lot from what happened. It is all part of my darting education.”

Lewis though, was clearly rattled as Manley – the master of mind games – backed it up with some brilliant darts.

He was unruffled by what happened. “What a game! Some blood boiled on stage but I came through it. Yes, there were some little incidents but it happens. It was always going to be like that. I have no problem with Adrian whatsoever.”

The occasion got to Lewis early on, as his usual prolific scoring deserted him. Manley won the first six legs to race into a two set lead.

‘Jackpot’ cashed in with some brilliant throwing. He hit four 180s in four legs to win the third set. Lewis then missed one dart at double 13 to level the match, before ‘One Dart’ lived up to his nickname.

He smacked in a 116 finish and followed it up with an incredible 160 ‘kill’ to take the fourth set.

Then came the verbal jousting but Lewis still managed to pull one set back. In the 6th set, Manley came from two legs down to re-establish his lead.

Still, Lewis battled on as he took set seven against the darts. Manley though, finished in style with a 106 shot-out to sink the hopes of the young pretender.

He will now face Wayne Jones for a place in the final of the 2006 Ladbrokes.com World Championships. The Wolverhampton qualifier thrashed Gary Welding 5-0. Jones dropped only two legs in the entire match, as Welding melted in the heat of the Circus.

The semi-finals take place on New Year’s Day – starting at 6pm live on Sky Sports.

By Stuart Pyke

Semi-Finals order of play – January 31 at 6pm

Peter Manley v Wayne Jones
Phil Taylor v Wayne Mardle