Who'll Win The Blue Square UK Open?

ratinakeg

Nicholson Up For The Battle


PAUL NICHOLSON is eagerly anticipating his clash with Gary Anderson on the opening night of the Blue Square UK Open.

Nicholson, a quarter-finalist in the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship at Christmas, has drawn Scottish star Anderson in the plum tie of Thursday's play at the Reebok Stadium, Bolton.

English-born Australian number one Nicholson made a big impression when he burst onto the televised scene last year at the Grand Slam of Darts - where he defeated Anderson 5-4 in the group stage.

He also reached the last eight on his World Championship debut, while former International Darts League and World Darts Trophy winner Anderson has shown his quality in four months since joining the PDC with a Players Championship win, two finals and a nine-darter.

While much of the talk has centred around the size of the task Nicholson faces against Anderson, the 30-year-old insists he is relishing the challenge.

"A lot of people have said to me it's the hardest draw but I see it as a great opportunity," said Nicholson.

"I'm coming off the back of the World Championship five months ago and a decent Grand Slam, where I played Gary, and taking the positives from it.

"I've got him early. When players get into a tournament they tend to play better so it's probably the best time to play Gary - if at all!

"You want to prove yourself against great players and Gary is without a double one of the best in the world.

"For me, it's a great opportunity to get up there, get into the spotlight again, and hopefully get a win."

Degag

Second Round - Best of 11 legs
Board One
Mick McGowan v John Part
Wayne Mardle v Fitton/Cox
Paul Nicholson v Gary Anderson
Dobromyslova/Roberts v Steve Beaton
Anderson

Board Two
Kirk Shepherd v Steve Brown
Nick Fullwell v Andy Smith
Monaghan/Davie v Wright/Hornby
Tony Ayres v Cullen/Pipe
Andy Smith

Board Three
Martyn Turner v Dave Honey
Jason Clark v Campbell/Bousfield
Hardy/Wiekamp v Jan van der Rassel
Michael Barnard v Steve Maish
Jason Clark

Board Four
Matt Clark v Roy/Burnett
Tony Eccles v Barton/Greebe
Fatum/Rowley v M Smith/Ladley
Usher/Durrant v McGuirk/Pickles
Greebe

Board Five
Ken Dobson v Paul Knighton
Welding/Kuczynski v Parody/MaGowan
Mason/Penney v Riihonen/Grubb
Colin Monk v Larry Butler
MaGowan

Board Six
Adrian Gray v Dave Askew
Scholten/D Williams v Critchett/Beare
Smurthwaite/Jodrill v Chris Thompson
Blundell/Jopling v Kevin Dowling
Adrian Gray

Board Seven
Genery/Loudon v Robinson/Cooper
Wes Newton v Latham/Boulton
Garfield/Dave Smith v Denis Ovens
Evans/Layton v Currie/Dolan
Ovens

Board Eight
Cook/Langley v Mark Lawrence
L Williams/Caves v Wayne Atwood
Mawson/Weaver v Pearce/Haines
Dennis Smith v Mather/Stephens/Parker
Mawson

Kingp35

Board One has some top quality players, gonna be tough to get through that one for Anderson.

ivers57

Lads the boards are randon, there isnt one winner from each board, after all the 2nd round matches the top32 including taylor barney enter the draw and its an open draw.

Anyone know why Jacko Barry isnt in it this year.

Kingp35

ivers57 wrote: »

Anyone know why Jacko Barry isnt in it this year.

He didn't play enough floor tournaments so didn't earn enough money to qualify.

ratinakeg

Tv line up

Thurs 7pm Day 1 Sky Sports 1/HD1
Fri 7pm Day 2 Sky Sports 2/HD2
Sat 1pm Day3 Ses 1 Sky Sports Xtra
Sat 7pm Day3 Ses 2 Sky Sports 3/HD3
Sun 1pm Quarter Finals Sky Sports 3/HD3
Sun 7pm Semis and Final Sky Sports 2/HD2

I put a tenner on Wade at 6/1 and €5 e/w on Osborne at 50/1 today in Paddy Powers (fingers crossed;))!

Double Top

ratinakeg wrote: »

Tv line up

Thurs 7pm Day 1 Sky Sports 1/HD1
Fri 7pm Day 2 Sky Sports 2/HD2
Sat 1pm Day3 Ses 1 Sky Sports Xtra
Sat 7pm Day3 Ses 2 Sky Sports 3/HD3
Sun 1pm Quarter Finals Sky Sports 3/HD3
Sun 7pm Semis and Final Sky Sports 2/HD2

I put a tenner on Wade at 6/1 and €5 e/w on Osborne at 50/1 today in Paddy Powers (fingers crossed;))!

cheers for the times mate. my bro won't be happy:D:D:D:D he hates darts:eek::eek::eek:. get's him back for having to watch hours of LTV

ratinakeg

Double Top wrote: »

cheers for the times mate. my bro won't be happy:D:D:D:D he hates darts:eek::eek::eek:. get's him back for having to watch hours of LTV

I'm happy he's a Liverpool fan, disappointed he's not a darts fan. LFC and darts is the only way for me!;)

rag2gar

John Part
Gary Anderson
Raymond Van Barneveld
Colin Osborne

If any of them win the UK Open I will be a very happy man as thats where my money lies ahead of my trip to Bolton tomoroow for four days of darting fun.

Cant wait:)

ratinakeg

rag2gar wrote: »

John Part
Gary Anderson
Raymond Van Barneveld
Colin Osborne

If any of them win the UK Open I will be a very happy man as thats where my money lies ahead of my trip to Bolton tomoroow for four days of darting fun.

Cant wait:)

I hope Osborne wins for both of us then!;):D

ratinakeg

Power aiming to bounce back

World champion hoping to bounce back from Premier League upset


Phil Taylor has conceded that he could struggle to rediscover top form at the Blue Square UK Open.

The 14-time world champion surrendered his Premier League Darts crown last week as he lost to Mervyn King in the semi-finals at Wembley Arena.

He is hoping he can compensate for that loss by winning the UK Open, which runs from Thursday to Sunday at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton, but admits he is not certain of getting straight back into the groove.

"You can't always be in good form and it's difficult," Taylor stated. "I was practising well before I played Mervyn but I didn't seem to hit form.

"It was bugging me because I knew if I could have kicked a little bit then I'd have got him, because he wasn't playing as well as he can.

"But it's one of those things, it's not the end of the world although it's gutting when you get beaten.

"Sometimes you can't always put it right within a week or two and it might take five or six weeks.

"All I can do is get back on the practice board, rest and prepare for Bolton."

Tough

On the face of it Taylor has enjoyed another supremely successful season winning ten of 11 events on the PDC Pro Tour, but the 48-year-old insists it has been one of the hardest of his glittering career.

"This has been the toughest year I've ever played," he continued.

"I was away from Wednesday to Monday nearly every week during the Premier League and maybe I did too much.

"I was winning the tournaments but it took its toll on me. Next year I'll sit back and plan it out - but I'm greedy, and if there's money to be won I chase it!

"I might not do as many as I used to do - I'm 49 this year and you think you can do what you did when you were 20! - but I've got to make sure that my form is right for the events that count."

Caretaker

I think The Dreamboy Gary Anderson will be the 2010 PDC World Champion. Dont think he'll win any of the majors b4 then.

paulcorr

have to say anderson not in the same class as taylor barney wade just yet but give him another 12 months playing these guys and then we will see if he has it think this could be one step to far king the value bet of the week

Double Top

paulcorr wrote: »

have to say anderson not in the same class as taylor barney wade just yet but give him another 12 months playing these guys and then we will see if he has it think this could be one step to far king the value bet of the week

me might not be in the same class but he is a savage floor player and this tourney is right up his street, i think i will be a very close tourney though, wade,talyor,barney and anderson in the semi's

7mountpleasant

Anyone know where I can get the scores for this, or does anyone know who won between latham and boulton? Match was tonight and i can't find the scores anywhere?

Kingp35

Mick McGowan just beaten 6-3 by John Part. He played well enough but a few sloppy shots cost him. John McGowan got through, I didn't catch Dolans score.

Big shock so far is Mason losing to an unknown player in Round 1. Anastasia hammered 6-2 in Round 1 as well. No other major shocks, maybe Joe Cullen losing to Justin Pipe as big things expected of Cullen.

Mardle against Les Fitton on now then the biggest match of the night, Nicholson against Anderson.

Jay.cymru

is it online?? dodgy box has gone :mad::mad::mad:

Kingp35

Jay.cymru wrote: »

is it online?? dodgy box has gone :mad::mad::mad:

Sorry mate only saw this now.

Yeah it's always online, just use this link for tomorrow
http://www.justin.tv/uggla

Great win for Nicholson, he played some great darts and deserved it but I'm disappointed Anderson didn't get through. Really wanted him to do well this weekend.

Double Top

anderson let me down, think he should change his nickname to nightmare boy:D:D:D

Declan30

Well my Ten euros didnt last long. With Nicoholson Beating Anderson.

It was a Great game of Darts though and the 132 Finish was brilliant.

He could go far in the Tournament.

pad180

just have to say ,i was never a fan of nicholson ,always thought his aditude stunk ,very good player but there was something about him i disliked .
well after last nights peformance and his very kinds words he said about the late tom kirby i have changed the way i feel about him .i was hopeing for anderson to win but he didnt perform the way he can . but for the rest of the tournement ill be keeping a close eye on nicholson fair play to him ..;)

Carrickman

Third Round Draw & Order of Play (7pm Friday)
Board One
Michael van Gerwen v Andy Hamilton
Adrian Lewis v Robert Thornton
Lee Williams v Phil Taylor
Peter Manley v James Wade

Board Two
Denis Ovens v Alan Tabern
Mark Walsh v Wayne Mardle
Colin Lloyd v John Part
Raymond van Barneveld v Ken Dobson

Board Three
Ronnie Baxter v Tony Eccles
Barrie Bates v Steve Grubb
Roland Scholten v Darren Johnson
Andy Roberts v Louis Blundell

Board Four
Gary Welding v Steve Hine
Ken Mather v Paul Nicholson
Kevin Painter v Dave Askew
Dennis Priestley v Colin Monk

Board Five
Mark Dudbridge v Johnny Haines
Co Stompe v Mark Frost
Dave Honey v Wes Newton
Mark Webster v Peter Wright

Board Six
Colin Osborne v Jason Clark
Alex Roy v Lionel Sams
Jan van der Rassel v Jelle Klaasen
Andy Smith v Chris Cooper

Board Seven
Steve Dolan v Jamie Caven
Andy Jenkins v Justin Pipe
Brendan Dolan v Kevin McDine
Mervyn King v Michael Barnard

Board Eight
Vincent van der Voort v Wayne Jones
Steve Brown v Mark Lawrence
Paul Rowley v Chris Thompson
Glen Durrant v Terry Jenkins

Kingp35

Wow there are some cracking ties in the third round! Lewis and Thornton will be an epic, so will MvG and Hamilton. Manley and Wade could be interesting and then some crackers on board 2 as well with Walsh and Mardle and then Lloyd and Part.

Really looking forward to tonight now, just wish i could watch all the matches!

Daffy501

Nicholson interview after his match with Anderson :

He said one reason for wearing a shirt , tie , waistcoat was in memory of Tom Kirby.

I thought this was a nice gesture and that puts him up in my estimation as a decent fella

Anyone agree?

Kingp35

Yeah I thought the same. I didn't really like Nicholson before last night but he has definitely gone up in my estimations after that interview. Not many players would do that and it shows the man has a bit of class.

Kingp35

I'm bored so I'm going to try and predict the winners of the Round 3 matches



Ronnie Baxter v Tony Eccles
Lee Williams v Phil Taylor
Gary Welding v Steve Hine
Mark Dudbridge v Johnny Haines
Colin Osborne v Jason Clark
Steve Dolan v Jamie Caven
Vincent van der Voort v Wayne Jones
Barrie Bates v Steve Grubb
Ken Mather v Paul Nicholson
Co Stompe v Mark Frost
Mark Walsh v Wayne Mardle
Alex Roy v Lionel Sams
Andy Jenkins v Justin Pipe
Steve Brown v Mark Lawrence
Raymond van Barneveld v Ken Dobson
Roland Scholten v Darren Johnson
Kevin Painter v Dave Askew
Michael van Gerwen v Andy Hamilton
Denis Ovens v Alan Tabern
Colin Lloyd v John Part
Dave Honey v Wes Newton
Jan van der Rassel v Jelle Klaasen
Brendan Dolan v Kevin McDine
Paul Rowley v Chris Thompson
Andy Roberts v Louis Blundell
Dennis Priestley v Colin Monk
Mark Webster v Peter Wright
Andy Smith v Chris Cooper
Peter Manley v James Wade
Adrian Lewis v Robert Thornton
Mervyn King v Michael Barnard
Glen Durrant v Terry Jenkins

I wonder how much an accumulator would get me, gonna check it out now

padr81

Ronnie Baxter v Tony Eccles - Eccles
Lee Williams v Phil Taylor - Taylor
Gary Welding v Steve Hine - Welding
Mark Dudbridge v Johnny Haines - Dudbridge
Colin Osborne v Jason Clark - Osborne
Steve Dolan v Jamie Caven - Caven
Vincent van der Voort v Wayne Jones - Jones
Barrie Bates v Steve Grubb - Bates
Ken Mather v Paul Nicholson - Nicholson
Co Stompe v Mark Frost - Stompe
Mark Walsh v Wayne Mardle - Mardle
Alex Roy v Lionel Sams - Roy
Andy Jenkins v Justin Pipe - Jenkins
Steve Brown v Mark Lawrence - Brown
Raymond van Barneveld v Ken Dobson - Barney
Roland Scholten v Darren Johnson - Scholten
Kevin Painter v Dave Askew - Painter
Michael van Gerwen v Andy Hamilton - Hamilton
Denis Ovens v Alan Tabern - Tabern
Colin Lloyd v John Part - Part
Dave Honey v Wes Newton - Newton
Jan van der Rassel v Jelle Klaasen - Klaasen
Brendan Dolan v Kevin McDine - McDine
Paul Rowley v Chris Thompson - ?
Andy Roberts v Louis Blundell - Blundell (on a good run of form)
Dennis Priestley v Colin Monk - Priestley
Mark Webster v Peter Wright - Webster
Andy Smith v Chris Cooper - Smith
Peter Manley v James Wade - Wade
Adrian Lewis v Robert Thornton - Lewis
Mervyn King v Michael Barnard - King
Glen Durrant v Terry Jenkins - Jenks

Kingp35

Disappointing night so far for the TV games. Both MvG and Thornton never showed up but you have to give Hamilton and Lewis credit for solid displays. Biggest shock is pub qualifier Ken Mather beating Nicholson. Fair play to the lad. Walsh beating Mardle is no shock but the scoreline was 9-2. Some very good matches off the TV stage which really should have been one the main stage. Baxter and Eccles was always gonna be close and Part v Lloyd is 8-8 at the moment!!

Brendan Dolan 4-3 up at the moment.

mr.jingle

Great win for Manley what a game Wade blew it at the end after a cracking 16th leg to win:eek: 9-8 Manley

Jay.cymru

manley is a legend