Mac faces top Dutch ace after Wolfie win
COVENTRY second seed Mark McGeeney must beat last year’s finalist Danny Noppert if he is to make it through to the third round of the BDO World Darts Championship for the first time.
McGeeney, who was born in Wyken, held his nerve to win a sudden-death final leg against former champ Martin ‘Wolfie’ Adams in the opening round at the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green, Surrey.
‘The Gladiator’ has never gone beyond the second round having lost to Scott Waites and Scott Mitchell in the previous two years.
His second round opponent, Dutchman Noppert, handed Richie Edwards a 3-0 thrashing in the first round and many expect him to make the final again this year after falling short against Glen Durrant in last year’s finale.
Three-time BDO champion Adams, 61, forced a fifth set against McGeeney with a 65 checkout but never had a dart to win the match.
Adams, who last lifted the trophy in 2011, lost 3-0 in the opening set but roared back to level matters with two 15-darters in the second set.
McGeeney produced a classy 103 checkout as he romped through the third set 3-0, only to be immediately pegged back as Wolfie registered a whitewash set of his own.
Either player had to win by two clear legs in a titanic deciding set, with McGeeney missing the first match dart on double 13 in the sixth leg. Neither player was able to create another winning chance before Adams checked out from 76 to force a sudden death leg at 5-5.
Wolfie earned the right to throw first by nailing the bull but successive visits of 41, 45 and 28 effectively handed the advantage to McGeeney, who landed two ton-plus scores on his way to pinning double tops for a place in the second round.
McGeeney finished with an average of 28.73 and Adams 27.36. The second round matches begin today.
Coventry Bishopsgate, runners up in last season’s Warwickshire Men’s Super League, are well-placed to push for the title this term. After eight games, they have an 11-point lead and a game in hand over second-placed Rugby who finished the last campaign in a mid-table position. Stratford Yard of Ale are in third place on 46 points, five short of Rugby but with a game in hand.
Mike McFall and Phil Locke took the honours with a fine 4-2 win over Mark Strong and Wayne Bowes in the final of the Coventry Christmas Open Doubles Knockout.
An encouraging 32 pairs did battle for the title. Both finalists had tough semi-final ties with Strong and Bowes defeating Dave Honey and Richard Hosey while McFall and Locke took out Adam Smith-Neale and Anthony Allen. A total of £480 was paid out with the winners receiving £200, runners-up £100, semi-finalists £50 and £20 for the losing quarter-finalists.
A total of 72 players entered the singles knockout with some outstanding games along the way before Dave Pallett defeated Ian Jones 4-1 in the final.
In the quarter-finals, Mark Strong lost out to Pallett by four legs to two, Mike McFall edged out Tom Baughan by the odd leg of seven, Ted Evetts won 4-1 against Mark Craddock and with the same scoreline Ian Jones defeated Jamie Robinson.
Pallett booked his final place with a 4-0 result against McFall in the semifinals while Jones not far behind with a 4-1 win over Evetts. And 4-1 was the result of the final as Pallett defeated Jones to pick up the winners £300 prize money. Jones received £150 as runner-up and there was £70 for the losing semi-finalists plus £30 for each of the players making the last eight.