This article documents all the events in the sport of darts over the course of 2009.
News
January
- 4 â Phil Taylor wins his fourteenth world title and twelfth in the PDC, after a 7âÂÂ1 win over Raymond van Barneveld in the 2009 PDC World Championship final at London's Alexandra Palace. Taylor's average of 110.94 is a world record for a championship final.
- 9 â Francis Hoenselaar finally wins the Women's World Championship beating Trina Gulliver 2âÂÂ1 in the final at the Lakeside. Also, Jelle Klaasen and Wayne Mardle are announced as the two wildcard selections for the Premier League Darts competition, that gets under way on February 5 in Liverpool.
- 10 â Terry Jenkins becomes the first player other than Phil Taylor to win the Bobby Bourn Memorial Players Championship, as the 2009 Pro Tour got underway at The Dome Leisure Centre in Doncaster. Jenkins beat Mark Dudbridge 6âÂÂ3 in the final, as the Players Championship format reverts to the best of eleven legs.
- 11 â Ted Hankey wins the 2009 BDO World Championship final, winning an epic 7âÂÂ6 encounter against Tony O'Shea. In the PDC, Colin Lloyd wins the first of the UK Open regional finals, beating Colin Osborne 6âÂÂ1 in the final in Doncaster.
- 17 â Phil Taylor wins his second tournament of the month by capturing the Eddie Cox Memorial Players Championship in Gibraltar. He picked up the ã6,000 first prize by coming from 2âÂÂ1 down, winning the last five legs consecutively to beat Alan Tabern 6âÂÂ2. Mark Walsh also picked up a ã1,600 prize for a nine-darter against Jamie Caven, in a match he won 6âÂÂ5.
- 18 â Phil Taylor completes the Gibraltar double, by beating Mark Dudbridge 6âÂÂ1 in the final of the Stan James.com Players Championship. In the BDO, Richard Marcotte wins the category B Quebec Open beating Martin Tremblay to pick up the $2400 first prize.
- 24 â Garrett Gray of the Republic of Ireland wins the Gwynedd Open, defeating Derek Williams 5âÂÂ3 in legs in the final. Also on the day, Jenni Tulley and Craig Baxter win the Scottish Mixed Pairs Championship in Bannockburn, beating Paul Hanvidge and Louise Hepburn 3âÂÂ0 in the final.
- 25 â In the BDO, Kevin Münch wins the men's German Gold Cup defeating Jan Dekker 3 sets to 1 in the final. In the women's event, Irina Armstrong beats Karin Krappen 2âÂÂ1 to retain the title. Elsewhere, Wes Newton claims the men's Las Vegas Open title defeating Brian Blake 4 legs to 0 in the final and in the women's event, Canada's Robin Curry wins 4âÂÂ3 against American Cali West.
- 30 â The all-new Players Championship Finals tournament gets underway at the former home of the PDC World Darts Championship â the Circus Tavern in Purfleet, Essex.
- 31 â Scott Mitchell wins the Eastbourne Classic, beating Steve Douglas 3âÂÂ0 in legs, in the final. In the women's event, Trina Gulliver beat Rhonda West 3âÂÂ0 in legs.
February
- 8 â Darryl Fitton wins the Dutch Open, in Veldhoven beating Willy van de Wiel by 3âÂÂ2 in sets. In the women's event, Trina Gulliver wins 5âÂÂ3 in legs over Wales' Julie Gore. Meanwhile, in the pairs events, Holland's Gino Vos and Rico Dera beat Brian Woods and Robbie Green 2âÂÂ1 in sets to win the men's and in the women's, Gulliver teamed up with her good friend Francis Hoenselaar to win 5âÂÂ1 in legs over Gore and Welsh teammate Jan Robbins.
- 12 â Week two of the Premier League rolls into the Royal Highland Showground in Ingliston, Edinburgh. Just like week one, there were two draws (John Part v Raymond van Barneveld and Terry Jenkins v Wayne Mardle) and convincing wins for Phil Taylor, who won 8âÂÂ2 against Jelle Klaasen and Mervyn King, who won 8âÂÂ1 against James Wade. In other news, the number one ranked player in the World Darts Federation and two-time semi-finalist at the Grand Slam of Darts, Gary Anderson moves across from the BDO to the PDC, with his debut coming at the Players Championship and UK Open Scottish Regional events in Irvine in early March.
- 14 â Gino Vos wins the WDF-ranked Dortmund Open, beating Ronny Huybrechts three sets to one in the final. In the women's event, Michelle Sossong wins her first tournament, beating Carla Molema by two sets to nil.
- 16 â Roland Scholten has surgery on his injured shoulder which has seen his form dip and his ranking tumble outside the top 16.
- 19 â Mervyn King continued his impressive start to his maiden Premier League Darts campaign, with an 8âÂÂ2 win over John Part as the Premier League circus moved to Coventry's Ricoh Arena for week three. He has now won his first three matches dropping just four legs in the process. In the other matches, Phil Taylor's 100% start was ended when he drew 7âÂÂ7 with Terry Jenkins â having been as far back as 6âÂÂ4. James Wade averaged nearly 108 in beating Raymond van Barneveld 8âÂÂ4 in the second match on â a repeat of their semi-final meeting at the 2009 PDC World Darts Championship and Wayne Mardle won a hard-fought match with Jelle Klaasen 8âÂÂ6, with Hawaii 5âÂÂ0âÂÂ1 picking up top checkout prize for the second week running.
- 21 â 2002 BDO World Champion Tony David was rushed to hospital for an emergency liver transplant. The operation was successful although he remains in an intensive care unit.
- 22 â Tony O'Shea wins the Scottish Open in Renfrew with a hard-fought 5âÂÂ4 win over Martin Atkins. In the women's competition, Tricia Wright saw off Karen Lawman 4âÂÂ0 in the final. The competition also ran pairs events, with Martin Phillips and Tony Martin, and Francis Hoenselaar and Irina Armstrong picking up the respective pairs trophies.
- 26 â James Wade inflicted the first defeat of the 2009 season on Phil Taylor with a fantastic 8âÂÂ4 win over the fourteen-time world champion during week four's action at Belfast's Odyssey Arena in the Premier League. Wade's victory was made even sweeter by his 138 finish â the Deller checkout â to win the match. In the other matches, Mervyn King continued his 100% start with an 8âÂÂ4 win over Jelle Klaasen, John Part thrashed Wayne Mardle 8âÂÂ1 and Raymond van Barneveld won his first match of the tournament, seeing off Terry Jenkins 8âÂÂ6 with an average of 106.51.
- 28 â Phil Taylor wins his third Players Championship event in succession, winning the German Darts Classic in Gladbeck. In the final, he saw off Adrian Lewis by 6 legs to nil. Over his seven matches on Saturday, just six legs were dropped by The Power, on his way to picking up the ã6,000 first prize. In other matches, Mark Webster made his PDC debut but found life tough going, losing his very first match to Ronnie Baxter 6âÂÂ1. Meanwhile, Stephen Bunting and Francis Lawson win the men's and women's Tyne and Wear Open. Bunting beat Glen Durrant to pick up the ã1,100 first prize, while Lawson surprised Anastasia Dobromyslova to pick up the ã200 first prize. In the youth competition, Leon Bailey saw off Lee Rump to claim victory.
March
- 1 â In a busy weekend of darts, it was four in a row for Phil Taylor as he sealed the Gladbeck Players Championship double. In a rematch of the previous day's final, Taylor beat Adrian Lewis by six legs to one, to pick up yet another ã6,000 first prize. Elsewhere, the English team of Martin Atkins, Scott Waites, John Walton, Tony O'Shea and Martin Adams won the Nations Cup with a 13âÂÂ8 victory over the Dutch side of Daniel Brouwer, Rick Hofstra, Kevin Vennik, Willy van de Wiel and Joey ten Berge. Waites' performance stood out as he won 5 of the English side's 13 legs. Meanwhile, Robert Wagner took advantage of the Nations Cup ruling out many top players, to win the Finnish Open beating Oskar Lukasiak 5âÂÂ4 in a closely contested final. In the women's event, Tricia Wright won again, beating Kirsi Viinikainen 4âÂÂ2 in the final. Wayne Brown also won the Essex Open, beating Jason Evans 4âÂÂ1 in the final.
- 5 â Week five of the Premier League saw the competition move to the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle for the highly anticipated clash between Mervyn King and Phil Taylor. A 7âÂÂ7 draw was the result, however there was some needle between the two players. During the seventh leg, Taylor after removing the darts from a 60 score, dropped one of them at the side of the oche. As Taylor retrieved it, King threw his first dart over Taylor, thus being deemed unsporting by the 14-time world champion. In slightly less bad-tempered matches, James Wade moved up to second in the table after an 8âÂÂ6 win over Jelle Klaasen, who still languishes at the bottom of the table; Wayne Mardle and Raymond van Barneveld shared a 7âÂÂ7 draw and John Part occupies the final play-off spot, after an 8âÂÂ5 win over the winless Terry Jenkins.
- 7 â Robert Thornton wins his first major PDC title by clinching the Scottish Players Championship in Irvine, North Ayrshire. In a repeat of the quarter-final of the Players Championship Finals, the man from Stevenston saw off Dennis Priestley in a deciding leg. Also in the tournament, making his debut was Gary Anderson. Under his new sobriquet of The Flying Scotsman, Anderson made the fourth round before falling to Thornton 6âÂÂ3. In other darts-related news, Tony David was released from his hospital after his liver transplant on February 21. He is said to be feeling "great but tired".
- 8 â Robert Thornton became only the third player â after Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis â to win both events of a PDC Pro Tour weekend after conquering Dennis Priestley again during the final of the UK Open Scottish Regional. With his win, Thornton has now won over ã84,000 in less than a year's competition on the PDC circuit, and is within range of the world's top sixteen. In only his fourth tournament since defecting from the BDO, Mark Webster made his first Pro Tour semi-final, having survived a scare during his third round match. In a battle of the 2008 BDO World Darts Championship champions, Anastasia Dobromyslova wasted eight match darts at 5âÂÂ4, before Webster came back and won 6âÂÂ5. Webby would eventually fall to Thornton 6âÂÂ3. Meanwhile, in a category four World Darts Federation event, Troy Hanlon won the Halifax Open in Canada. Hanlon beat Seymour Dixon in the final. In the women's event, Cindy Pardy beat Tammy Perry to pick up the trophy.
- 12 â Week six of the Premier League saw the tournament move to the Manchester Evening News Arena, and Mervyn King was defeated for the first time. Raymond van Barneveld put King to the sword, and defeated him by eight legs to three. In other matches, Jelle Klaasen earned only his second point after a 7âÂÂ7 draw with John Part, and James Wade and Phil Taylor both recorded wins to hold onto second and third places in the table. Wade saw off Terry Jenkins 8âÂÂ5, while Taylor beat Wayne Mardle 8âÂÂ4.
- 14 â Dennis Priestley continues his current run of form by winning the North-West Players Championship at the Robin Park Tennis Centre in Wigan. He defeated Colin Lloyd 6âÂÂ1 in the final to pick up the ã6,000 prize. The star of the day's play however, was Louis Blundell, who surprised everyone by reaching the semi-finals to pick up ã1,500. On the way, he beat former UK Open runner-up Gary Mawson, Peter Wright, Steve Maish and Mark Walsh before an incredible 6âÂÂ0 whitewash of world number two James Wade. The Shevington native's luck was out though, as he would fall to Lloyd in a final leg decider.
- 15 â Fresh from his whitewash humbling by Louis Blundell the previous day, James Wade won his first tournament of 2009 after clinching the UK Open North-West Regional. Wade beat Kevin McDine 6âÂÂ3 in the final, but again a lesser-known name made a mark. Durham's Paul Knighton reached his first PDC Pro Tour quarter-final beating Raymond van Barneveld 6âÂÂ1 and Barrie Bates 6âÂÂ3 along the way. He fell to McDine in another final-leg decider but earned ã800 which pushed him up the PDC Order of Merit. In the BDO, Darryl Fitton won the prestigious Isle of Man Open, beating Ted Hankey to pick up the ã5,000 first prize. In the women's event, Julie Gore saw off Lisa Ashton to win the tournament.
- 19 â Week seven saw the halfway stage being reached of the Premier League campaign when it took place at The Brighton Centre. Mervyn King suffered a second consecutive defeat, this time to Terry Jenkins 8âÂÂ5 which saw him being dethroned as Premier League leader. Succeeding to the throne as table-topper was James Wade. Wade's fifth consecutive victory â 8âÂÂ3 over Wayne Mardle â sees Wade top the table on eleven points. Phil Taylor moved up into second place after a similar win over John Part. Part fell out of the top four as Raymond van Barneveld won the all-Dutch clash with Jelle Klaasen, again by eight legs to three. In other news, Simon Whitlock became the third big name from the British Darts Organisation to move across to the Professional Darts Corporation. It marks a return to the PDC circuit for Whitlock as he competed in PDC events in 2003, reaching the second round of the 2003 PDC World Darts Championship before losing to Richie Burnett.
- 20 â Martin Goodin won the Torremolinos Open by beating Tim Jones 3âÂÂ0 in the final. Jones was playing in his first tournament final, just two months after winning the John Smith's People's Darts Championship at the Lakeside. Namesake Linda Jones won the women's event, beating Carole Frison of France 3âÂÂ0.
- 21 â Phil Taylor wins yet another Players Championship event, with a win in the Brentwood Players Championship. He defeated Ronnie Baxter in the final by six legs to two. Brad Wethington beat Lito Moises in the final to win the Virginia Beach Darts Classic, while Robin Curry beat Paula Murphy to win the women's event. In Gibraltar, John Ferrell beat Paul Harvey to win the Gibraltar Open. In the women's event, Carole Frison made her second final in two days, as she won the title, beating Paula Jacklin in the final.
- 22 â Yet another PDC Pro Tour weekend double for Phil Taylor as he wins the UK Open South-East Regional. He defeated Terry Jenkins in the final by six legs to four. The tournament also saw a return to form for Michael van Gerwen, who reached the semi-final before losing to Taylor.
- 26 â Week eight of the Premier League at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham ended with a third different table-topper in three weeks. Phil Taylor returned to the top after an 8âÂÂ2 win over Raymond van Barneveld. James Wade dropped to second behind The Power after he could only draw 7âÂÂ7 with John Part, who moved back into the playoff spots due to van Barneveld's misfortune. In the other two matches, Mervyn King defeated Wayne Mardle â and his new throwing action â 8âÂÂ2 and Jelle Klaasen earned his first win after edging out Terry Jenkins 8âÂÂ6.
- 28 â Mark Walsh stuns Phil Taylor in the final of the Midlands Players Championship to win only his third PDC Pro Tour title. Walshie led both 2âÂÂ0 and 5âÂÂ2 before going on to win 6âÂÂ4 in Coventry. Amazingly, that was only Taylor's second defeat of 2009, having only lost to James Wade on February 26, at night four of the Premier League in Belfast. Mervyn King also recorded his first competition nine-darter during his match with Stuart Bousfield, to which he received ã4,000 after the bonus had rolled over for ten Pro Tour events. In other events, Jyhan Artut won the first day of the German Darts Corporation event in Niedernhausen. Artut beat Andree Welge 6âÂÂ2 in the final. Meanwhile, Down Under, Brian Roach wins the first day of the Gaels Club Open in Penrith, New South Wales and took home the $800 first prize. He won a deciding leg against Barry Jouannet, after Jouannet took the game from 5âÂÂ2 to the deciding leg.
- 29 â Phil Taylor bounced back from his shock defeat to Mark Walsh the day before by winning yet another UK Open Regional title, by winning the West Midlands qualifier in Coventry. In the final, he beat Wolverhampton's Wayne Jones 6âÂÂ5, after Jones had missed darts to win his first PDC Pro Tour title. For the second consecutive day, a nine-darter was recorded. This time it was Raymond van Barneveld, who achieved this during his match against Kirk Shepherd. Meanwhile, on day two in Niedernhausen, Jyhan Artut completed the weekend double by beating Tomas Seyler 6âÂÂ4 in the final. In Penrith, Barry Jouannet went one better than his result the previous day, by winning day two of the Gaels Club Open. He beat Jerry Weyman 7âÂÂ4 in the final to win $800.
April
- 2 â Week nine of the Premier League sees the players go back across the border for the second of three nights to be held in Scotland, this time at Glasgow's Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre. In front of a partisan crowd, Raymond van Barneveld returned to the top four after a crushing 8âÂÂ1 win over John Part. In match two, Terry Jenkins beat Wayne Mardle 8âÂÂ2. Match three saw Phil Taylor just edge past Jelle Klaasen 8âÂÂ6, although Taylor was booed constantly throughout the match, and after the match, the Englishman said that he had been hit by an apple. Mervyn King, fresh from his nine-darter last weekend, won the final match 8âÂÂ3 against James Wade.
- 4 â Phil Taylor wins yet another Players Championship, by winning the first of the weekend's events in Nuland. In the final, he beat Scotland's Gary Anderson â who was appearing in his first final since coming across to the PDC â by six legs to five. Anderson is known to be a formidable player when playing in the Netherlands, having won both the International Darts League and the World Darts Trophy. The players' averages were incredible, for an eleven-leg match. Anderson averaged 108.24, whereas Taylor recorded 116.04, in order to win the ã6,000 first prize.
- 5 â An eleventh tournament win of 2009 for Phil Taylor as he beat Gary Anderson once again, 6âÂÂ2 in the final of the second Players Championship in Nuland. There was a fourth nine-darter of the year, with Vincent van der Voort recording his first in open play against Mario Masurka. The English team won the BDO British Internationals championship, after an 8âÂÂ4 win over Wales. In the women's event, Wales clinched their first title in a dozen years, winning 4âÂÂ2 against England.
- 7 â After coming down with a virus, Wayne Mardle pulled out of week ten of the Premier League due to be played on April 9, in Exeter. John Part will play two matches, with Mardle due to make his games up on April 16 in Nottingham.
- 9 â John Part was the undoubted hero of week ten of the Premier League in Exeter, as he won one and drew the other of his two matches, to move into fourth place in the standings. In match one, he defeated Mervyn King 8âÂÂ6, before drawing with Jelle Klaasen in the final match. In the other matches, Phil Taylor and Terry Jenkins drew 7âÂÂ7 and James Wade beat Raymond van Barneveld 8âÂÂ5.
- 11 â Michael van Gerwen won his first major UK tournament, by winning the South-West Players Championship in Taunton. The teenager beat his Dutch compatriot Vincent van der Voort 6âÂÂ3 in the final, to pick up the winner's cheque. With the win, van Gerwen moved up to 30th in the PDC Order of Merit.
- 12 â Phil Taylor claimed yet another UK Open Regional title, by demolishing Andy Hamilton 6âÂÂ0 in the final of the South-West Regional in Taunton. Over the six legs, Taylor's match average exceeded 120, finishing at 120.24, using just 75 darts. Elsewhere, Eser Tekin won the Turkish Masters, beating Emre Toros to pick up the â¬100 first prize. In the women's event, Neslihan Algul beat Mine Aloglu; and in Greece, John Michael and Evi Nakka won their respective Greek Open titles.
- 15 â Wayne Mardle is rushed into hospital, after contracting mumps. This ruled him out of the Week 11 matchups of the Premier League, in Nottingham. This left him with five matches to catch up over the last three weeks. This meant that Mervyn King and James Wade would play twice during week eleven, in a hastily rearranged fixture list.
- 16 â In the revised schedule of week eleven of the Premier League, James Wade was the only winner on the night; an 8âÂÂ1 thrashing of Terry Jenkins. The other three matches (Jelle Klaasen v Mervyn King, King v Raymond van Barneveld and Phil Taylor v Wade) all ended up in 7âÂÂ7 draws. This took Wade to the top of the standings with 17 points from 12 games, ahead of Taylor, who has 16 from 11 and King, who has 15 from 12.
- 18 â James Wade, fresh from returning to the top of the Premier League standings, won only his second title of 2009, by picking up the Players Championship event in Derby. He defeated Colin Lloyd 6âÂÂ4 in the final, to pick up yet another ã6,000 as he looks to keep within ã300,000 of Phil Taylor in the PDC Order of Merit. Gary Anderson achieved his first nine-darter in the PDC, during his match with Darren Latham. He would latterly fall to his former BDO companion Mark Webster, but Anderson has now broken into the top 80 in the PDC, in just seven weeks. John Henderson won the German Open, after beating Stephen Bunting 3âÂÂ2, while Trina Gulliver held off the in-form Tricia Wright 2âÂÂ1, to win the women's event. The youth events were won by Zoe Jones and Tim van de Hoek, with the pairs events won by Ron Meulenkamp/Robert Wagner (men's) and Gulliver/Francis Hoenselaar (women's).
- 19 â Mark Walsh produced a sensational comeback to win the penultimate regional qualifier for the UK Open, by winning the East Midlands Regional in Derby. After being 4âÂÂ0 down to Dutchman Raymond van Barneveld, Walshie reeled off 5 consecutive legs, before taking a deciding leg. It was his second tournament win of 2009. Ken Dobson caused a major surprise by reaching the semi-finals, before falling to Walsh 6âÂÂ2. Elsewhere, Darin Young won the WDF-sanctioned Charlotte Open, beating Canada's Shawn Brenneman in the final. In another USA v Canada final, Paula Murphy beat Robin Curry to win the women's event.
- 20 â Wayne Mardle was given the all-clear to rejoin the Premier League circuit, for Thursday night's fixtures in Aberdeen. The PDC also revealed the fixtures for the last three weeks, after Mardle's illness had led to the original fixtures being scrapped.
- 22 â The Professional Darts Corporation released a statement confirming that Wayne Mardle had been removed from the 2009 Premier League, after he was re-admitted to hospital, with mumps. In order for four matches to be played at each remaining night, challenge matches were arranged, featuring Robert Thornton, Adrian Lewis, Dennis Priestley, Mark Webster and Gary Anderson. Also, the qualification places of James Wade and Phil Taylor to the play-offs were confirmed, as they could not be caught.
- 23 â Week twelve of the Premier League in Aberdeen began with one of the challenge matches arranged the day before. James Wade took on Robert Thornton in a race-to-7 match. Wade averaged in excess of 105 to beat the Scot 7âÂÂ2. Regular Premier League matches completed the night, with Terry Jenkins and Mervyn King drawing 7âÂÂ7, Raymond van Barneveld beating Jelle Klaasen 8âÂÂ5, and Phil Taylor thrashed John Part 8âÂÂ3. Taylor averaged 116.01 during the match, breaking his own record of 114.53, for the highest three-dart average recorded on television. King and van Barneveld confirmed their places in the play-offs, with Wade and Taylor confirmed to finish in the top two.
- 25 â Sixteen players qualified for the UK Open thanks to their performances during the Holsten Pub Qualifiers in Batley and Aylesbury. From the Batley event, Darren Weaver, Graham Usher, Chris Hornby, Stuart Monaghan, David Smurthwaite, Gary Stephens, Glen Durrant and Alan Davie all qualified, and from the Aylesbury event, Peter Green, Stuart Pickles, Coen Wiekamp, Adrian Genery, Steve Penney, Phil Currie, Steve Dolan and John McGuirk qualified. Elsewhere, John Henderson continued his good run, as he won the Scottish Singles Championship, beating Brian Woods 3âÂÂ2 in the final. In the women's event, teenager Lorraine Hyde saw off Linda Marshall 3âÂÂ1. Also, the pairs events were held towards the Open Holland, with Carla Molema winning the women's pairs and mixed pairs, with partners Irina Armstrong and Pedro Heijnen. Molema and Armstrong beat Melissa Landkroon and Melanie Os 4âÂÂ0, while Molema and Heijnen beat Karin Krappen and Daniel Brouwer 5âÂÂ0. The men's pairs were won by Hans Zeelenberg and Niels-Jan Stuiver, beating Alan Norris and Stephan Gerritsen 5âÂÂ2.
- 26 â The sixteen remaining UK Open spots were snapped up during the Holsten Pub Qualifiers in Salford and Birmingham. Salford saw Kevin Beare, Duane Garfield, Matthew Campbell, Andy Boulton, Harry Robinson, Ken Mather, Les Fitton and Derek Williams all qualified, and in Birmingham, Andy Roberts, Mark Layton, Paul Cook, Paul Rowley, Mark Cox, Johnny Haines, Mike Langley and Andy Pearce all qualified. Meanwhile, the International Open Holland continued with the singles events. Mareno Michels saw off Scotland's Mark Barilli 3âÂÂ2 to win the men's event. Karin Krappen avenged her mixed pairs defeat by beating Carla Molema 2âÂÂ1 in the final of the women's event. The youth events were won by Jeffrey Sparidaans and Mercedes Pieters.
- 30 â The penultimate week of the Premier League saw play move to Sheffield, where two challenge matches and two league matches. In the challenge matches, Raymond van Barneveld saw off Adrian Lewis 7âÂÂ5, and Phil Taylor saw off Dennis Priestley 7âÂÂ4. Priestley also provided some humour to the crowd by donning a hula shirt, something made famous by Wayne Mardle whom Priestley had replaced due to his ill health. In the league, Terry Jenkins made sure that he didn't finish bottom after an 8âÂÂ3 win over John Part, while James Wade completed his matches with an 8âÂÂ4 win over Jelle Klaasen.
May
- 2 â Simon Whitlock returned in style to the DPA circuit, by winning the Saturday Goulburn Workers Club Open, in New South Wales. He saw off Steve MacArthur 7âÂÂ5 in the final, having been 4âÂÂ0 up at one stage.
- 3 â Another $1,000 went the way of Simon Whitlock as he completed the Australian Grand Prix double, by winning the Sunday Goulburn Workers Club Open. This time, he saw off Russell Stewart 7âÂÂ2 in the final. Despite only competing in this weekend, Whitlock is up to fourth in the DPA Order of Merit, $800 behind leader Paul Nicholson.
- 7 â The regular season of the 2009 Premier League ended as the final week took place in Cardiff, and just like the previous week, was made up of two challenge matches and two league matches. In a battle of former BDO world champions, Jelle Klaasen saw off Mark Webster 7âÂÂ3, while John Part was humbled 7âÂÂ4 by Gary Anderson; the Scot averaged 107.40 during the match. In the league matches, Raymond van Barneveld clinched third after a 7âÂÂ7 draw with Terry Jenkins, who finished fifth, and Phil Taylor sealed the number one spot after an 8âÂÂ2 win over Mervyn King. The semi-finals at Wembley Arena on May 25, will see Taylor and King face each other once again, while van Barneveld will do battle with James Wade.
- 9 â The PDC Pro Tour returned after a three-week break with the Welsh Players Championship in Newport. After his superb win over John Part the previous Thursday, Gary Anderson clinched his first tournament win after beating Mervyn King 6âÂÂ2 in the final. Anderson moved into the world's top sixty after the win, while King moved into the world's top five.
- 10 â In a weekend of firsts, Jamie Caven won his first Pro Tour title, by winning the UK Open Welsh Regional in Newport. He edged out Alan Tabern in a final leg decider to pick up the ã6,000 first prize. What makes Caven's success even more special is the fact that he is blind in one eye. The Welsh Regional was the final qualifying event for the UK Open and will see 130 players take part at the tournament. Elsewhere, Simon Whitlock's great run continued, as he won his third successive tournament on the DPA circuit. Whitlock saw off Phil Hazell 7âÂÂ5 in the final of the Clubs NZ Viva Las Vegas event, despite trailing 4âÂÂ1. Both players receive airfare and accommodation for the PartyPoker.net Las Vegas Desert Classic in July.
- 25 â James Wade won the 2009 Premier League Darts after an amazing night unfolded at Wembley Arena. Mervyn King knocked out four-time defending champion Phil Taylor 10âÂÂ6 in the first semi-final. In the second semi, Wade put paid to the chances of Raymond van Barneveld 10âÂÂ8. In the final, Wade raced into a 7âÂÂ0 lead over King, but eventually won 13âÂÂ8.
- 31 â Scott Burnett won the North American Darts Championship in Boxborough, Massachusetts after a 6âÂÂ3 win over Darin Young. With the win, Burnett earned a place at the 2009 Las Vegas Desert Classic at the start of July.
June
- 7 â Phil Taylor won the 2009 UK Open after a hard-fought 11âÂÂ6 win over Colin Osborne in the final. Osborne's final performance also earns him a place at the 2009 Grand Slam of Darts.
- 13 â Mark Walsh claimed his third tournament of the year with a 6âÂÂ4 win over Jamie Caven in the Barnsley Players Championship. Caven's ã3,000 earned also helps towards earning a place at the 2009 World Matchplay.
- 14 â A week after reaching the UK Open final, Colin Osborne wrapped up his first tournament title of 2009 with a 6âÂÂ2 win over Gary Anderson in Barnsley. Anderson's runner-up earnings pushed him towards the edge of the top 50 in the PDC Order of Merit. Colin Monk earned ã2,000 for a nine dart finish in a 6âÂÂ1 win over Ray Farrell.
- 20 â "Pieman" Andy Smith claimed his first tournament win since October 2007 after winning the German Darts Trophy in Dinslaken. Smith edged out Colin Lloyd in a deciding leg to win the ã6,000 first prize. Along the way, Smith also hit a nine dart finish during a 6âÂÂ5 victory over Mark Walsh. Joe Cullen made his first semi-final since turning professional, losing 6âÂÂ3 to Smith in the semi-finals.
- 21 â Mark Walsh picked up his fourth title of 2009 with a win in Dinslaken over Andy Hamilton 6âÂÂ5. Walsh, the highest ranked player on the Players Championship Order of Merit in the tournament also knocked out Ronnie Baxter, Gary Anderson and Steve Beaton en route to the final. Meanwhile, on the DPA circuit, Simon Whitlock continued his good form by winning the Mittagong RSL Club Open in Mittagong, New South Wales. He beat Kevin Luland 8âÂÂ2 in the final to claim his eighth title of the year.
- 28 â The first six of twelve remaining places in the 2009 Las Vegas Desert Classic were sealed in the first of two qualifying tournaments at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. Sealing places in the tournament were Dutch trio Jelle Klaasen, Co Stompé and Vincent van der Voort, Australian Simon Whitlock and English pair Jamie Caven and Peter Wright.
- 29 â The final six places for the 2009 Las Vegas Desert Classic were taken during the second qualifying event at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. Former champion Peter Manley, who has dropped out of the world's top 16 due to poor form, Colin Monk, Wes Newton, Louis Blundell, Phillip Hazel and Gary Anderson all qualified for the ã200,000 event.
- 30 â Ronnie Baxter handed Phil Taylor only his second Players Championship loss of the season, with a stunning 6âÂÂ2 win over the world number one in the Las Vegas Players Championship at the Mandalay Bay Resort. Baxter's win also takes him within a few pounds of the top six qualification places for the 2010 Premier League. Wes Newton and Larry Butler both hit nine dart finishes against Colin Osborne and Jan van der Rassel respectively, sharing an ã800 bonus prize. Their nine-darters didn't help them progress in the tournaments, as they lost against their respective opponents 6âÂÂ3 and 6âÂÂ2.
July
PDC
Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship
Premier League
Coral.co.uk Players Championship
Blue Square UK Open
PartyPoker.net Las Vegas Desert Classic
Stan James World Matchplay
Skybet World Grand Prix
European Championship
PDC Pro Tour
(All matches â best of 11 legs)
Players Championships
- Bobby Bourn Memorial Trophy, January 10: Terry Jenkins 6âÂÂ3 Mark Dudbridge
- Gibraltar, January 17: Phil Taylor 6âÂÂ2 Alan Tabern
- Gibraltar, January 18: Phil Taylor 6âÂÂ1 Mark Dudbridge
- Germany, February 28: Phil Taylor 6âÂÂ0 Adrian Lewis
- Germany, March 1: Phil Taylor 6âÂÂ1 Adrian Lewis
- Scotland, March 7: Robert Thornton 6âÂÂ5 Dennis Priestley
- North-West, March 14: Dennis Priestley 6âÂÂ1 Colin Lloyd
- South, March 21: Phil Taylor 6âÂÂ2 Ronnie Baxter
- Midlands, March 28: Mark Walsh 6âÂÂ4 Phil Taylor
- Nuland, April 4: Phil Taylor 6âÂÂ5 Gary Anderson
- Nuland, April 5: Phil Taylor 6âÂÂ2 Gary Anderson
- South-West, April 11: Michael van Gerwen 6âÂÂ3 Vincent van der Voort
- East-Midlands, April 18: James Wade 6âÂÂ4 Colin Lloyd
- Wales, May 9: Gary Anderson 6âÂÂ2 Mervyn King
- Barnsley, June 13: Mark Walsh 6âÂÂ4 Jamie Caven
- Barnsley, June 14: Colin Osborne 6âÂÂ2 Gary Anderson
- Dinslaken, June 20: Andy Smith 6âÂÂ5 Colin Lloyd
- Dinslaken, June 21: Mark Walsh 6âÂÂ5 Andy Hamilton
- Las Vegas, June 30: Ronnie Baxter 6âÂÂ2 Phil Taylor
- Australia, August 8: Paul Nicholson 6âÂÂ1 Robert Thornton
- Canada, August 16: Dennis Priestley 6âÂÂ4 Wes Newton
- Austria, September 5: Adrian Lewis 6âÂÂ4 Carlos Rodriguez
- Austria, September 6: Jamie Caven 6âÂÂ2 Steve Beaton
- Ireland, October 3: Adrian Lewis 6âÂÂ4 Andy Hamilton
- Ireland, October 4: Phil Taylor 6âÂÂ1 Wes Newton
- Killarney Pro Tour, October 18: Phil Taylor 6âÂÂ0 Paul Nicholson
- Nuland, October 24: Steve Beaton 6âÂÂ1 Wes Newton
- Nuland, October 25: James Wade 6âÂÂ2 Brendan Dolan
- Scotland, November 7: Wes Newton 6âÂÂ5 Steve Beaton
- Scotland, November 8: Colin Osborne 6âÂÂ4 Michael van Gerwen
UK Open Regional Finals
- January 11 (North East): Colin Lloyd 6âÂÂ1 Colin Osborne
- March 8 (Scotland): Robert Thornton 6âÂÂ2 Dennis Priestley
- March 15 (North West): James Wade 6âÂÂ3 Kevin McDine
- March 22 (South): Phil Taylor 6âÂÂ4 Terry Jenkins
- March 29 (Midlands): Phil Taylor 6âÂÂ5 Wayne Jones
- April 12 (South-West): Phil Taylor 6âÂÂ0 Andy Hamilton
- April 19 (East-Midlands): Mark Walsh 6âÂÂ5 Raymond van Barneveld
- May 10 (Wales): Jamie Caven 6âÂÂ5 Alan Tabern
BDO/WDF
Lakeside World Darts Championship
Winmau World Masters
WDF World Cup
Zuiderduin Masters
WDF Category 1 Events
- Dutch Open at NH Hotel/Congress centre, Veldhoven, February 8
Quarter-Finals (Losers â¬500, Best of 7 legs) Tony O'Shea 4âÂÂ1 John Walton, Darryl Fitton 4âÂÂ3 Magnus Caris, Brian Woods 4âÂÂ3 Paul Hogan, Willy van de Wiel 4âÂÂ2 Dennis te Kloese
Semi-Finals (Losers â¬1,250, Best of 3 sets, 5 legs per set) Darryl Fitton 2âÂÂ1 Tony O'Shea, Willy van de Wiel 2âÂÂ0 Brian Woods
Final (Winner â¬4,500 Runner-up â¬2,250, Best of 5 sets, 5 legs per set) Darryl Fitton 3âÂÂ2 Willy van de Wiel
- Scottish Open at Normandy Cosmopolitan Hotel, Renfrew, February 22
Quarter-Finals (Losers ã100, Best of 5 legs) Tony O'Shea 3âÂÂ2 Ian White, Martin Phillips 3âÂÂ1 Garrett Gray, Martin Atkins 3âÂÂ1 Martin Adams, Andy Roberts 3âÂÂ1 Alan Norris
Semi-Finals (Losers ã300, Best of 7 legs) Tony O'Shea 4âÂÂ2 Martin Phillips, Martin Atkins 4âÂÂ2 Andy Roberts
Final (Winner ã2,000 Runner-up ã800, Best of 9 legs) Tony O Shea 5âÂÂ4 Martin Atkins
- German Open in Bochum, April 18. Matches played in sets, three legs per set.
Quarter-Finals (Losers â¬240) John Henderson 2âÂÂ0 Martin Adams, Robbie Green 2âÂÂ0 Garry Thompson, Robert Wagner 2âÂÂ1 Steve West, Stephen Bunting 2âÂÂ0 Ian White
Semi-Finals (Losers â¬480) John Henderson 2âÂÂ1 Robbie Green, Stephen Bunting 2âÂÂ0 Robert Wagner
Final (Winner â¬2,400 Runner-up â¬1,200) John Henderson 3âÂÂ2 Stephen Bunting
Quarter-Finals (Losers ã250) Ross Montgomery 3âÂÂ1 Martin Atkins, Dougie Smith 3âÂÂ0 Wayne Brown, Stuart Kellet 3âÂÂ1 Brian Derbyshire, Mark Barilli 3âÂÂ0 Steve West
Semi-Finals (Losers ã600) Ross Montgomery 2âÂÂ1 Dougie Smith, Mark Barilli 2âÂÂ1 Stuart Kellet
Final (Winner ã2,500 Runner-up ã1,200) Ross Montgomery 3âÂÂ0 Mark Barilli
British Open at The Spa in Bridlington, September 19.
Quarter-Finals (Losers ã150, Best of 5 legs) Colin Fowler 3âÂÂ2 Martin Adams, Dave Chisnall 3âÂÂ1 Alan Norris, Paul Hanvidge 3âÂÂ2 Daryl Gurney, Martin Atkins 3âÂÂ1 John Henderson
Semi-Finals (Losers ã400, Best of 3 sets, 5 legs per set) Dave Chisnall 2âÂÂ1 Colin Fowler, Martin Atkins 2âÂÂ1 Paul Hanvidge
Final (Winner ãã3,000 Runner-up ã1,000, Best of 3 sets, 5 legs per set) Dave Chisnall 2âÂÂ0 Martin Atkins
WDF Category 2 Events
- German Gold Cup, January 25 (Winner â¬840, Runner-up â¬420) Kevin Munch 3âÂÂ1 Jan Dekker
- England Classic, February 1 Scott Mitchell 3âÂÂ0 Steve Douglas
- Dortmund Open, February 15 Gino Vos 3âÂÂ1 Ronny Huybrechts
- Isle of Man Open, March 15 (Winner ã5,000) Darryl Fitton beat Ted Hankey
- Virginia Beach Dart Classic, March 21 (Winner $1,200, Runner-up $600) Brad Wethington beat Lito Moises
- Open Holland, April 26 (Winner â¬2,500, Runner-up â¬1,000) Mareno Michels 3âÂÂ2 Mark Barilli
- Antwerp Open, May 24 (Winner â¬2,500, Runner-up â¬1,000) Ian White 3âÂÂ0 Ted Hankey
- BDO International Open, June 14 (Winner ã2,000, Runner-up ã600) Tony O'Shea 4âÂÂ0 Ted Hankey
- Canadian Open, June 26 (Winner C$1000, Runner-up C$500) Jerry Hull beat Rodney Spencer
- England Open, June 28 (Winner ã2,000 Runner-up ã1,000) Ted Hankey 5âÂÂ0 Tony O'Shea
- Malaysian Open, July 4 (Winner RM2,000 Runner-up RM1,000) Clarines Joseph beat Mohd Latif Sapup
- Australian Grand Masters, July 5 (Winner A$2,900 Runner-up $1,400) Anthony Fleet 5âÂÂ3 Shane Tichowitsch
- England Masters, July 19 (Winner ã1,200 Runner-up ã600) Brian Woods 5âÂÂ0 Dave Chisnall
- British Classic, July 25 (Winner ã2,000 Runner-up ã500) Stephen Bunting 2âÂÂ1 Scott Waites
- Pacific Masters, July 25 (Winner A$1,100 Runner-up A$600) Anthony Fleet 6âÂÂ2 Neil Hembrow
- New Zealand Open, August 5 Koha Kokiri 5âÂÂ0 Eddie Toms
- Belgium Open, August 9 (Winner â¬2,500 Runner-up â¬1,200) John Henderson 2âÂÂ0 John Walton
- Didam Open, August 23 (Winner â¬2,500 Runner-up â¬1,000) John Henderson 3âÂÂ0 Tony West
- Tops of Holland, October 25 (Winner â¬2,500 Runner-up â¬1,000) Brian Woods 3âÂÂ2 Steve West
- Northern Ireland Open, November 8 (Winner ã1,600 Runner-up ã750) Martin Atkins 2âÂÂ0 Willy van de Wiel
- Flanders Open, November 15 (Winner â¬2,500 Runner-up â¬1,000) John Walton 3âÂÂ1 Steve West
- Center Parcs Masters, November 29 (Winner â¬2,500 Runner-up â¬1,000) Martin Adams 3âÂÂ1 Frans Harmsen
See also
References
External links