James Wade showed incredible courage, character and class to win one of THE all-time great darts matches.
Unicorn’s World No.3 is through to the semi-finals of the World Championship after beating John Part by 5 sets to 4 in a match which went all the way to an amazing last leg sudden-death shoot-out.
It was pure theatre….pure sporting drama as Wade won a match he looked to be coasting, then nearly threw away!
“I can’t believe that!” he said.
“John played brilliantly and at one stage I thought I was out, but I showed something up there today didn’t I?!”
You can say that again James!
It was a darting classic….another epic in what has been THE best World Championship ever seen.
Andy Hamilton’s quarter-final was somewhat simpler, as he beat Kim Huybrechts 5-2, but the headlines have to go to Wade.
Wade handled the pressure brilliantly…..this is what happened:
• The Unicorn man raced into a 3 sets to 1 lead, at one stage winning seven straight legs and he looked unstoppable
• He missed a dart at the bull for a 4 sets to 1 advantage and that was the beginning of a brilliant Part resurgence
• The Canadian has Wade on the ropes, winning three consecutive sets to hit the front for the first time
• ‘The Machine’ somehow scrambled the 8th set to take us to a decider and that’s when the real drama started!
• Both players missed chances to break but they couldn’t be separated at two legs apiece, we were into the tie-break
And this is how the tie-break developed…it was simply sensational
• Wade hit a 7th 180 and finished 124 on the bull for 3-2
• But Wade was in despair after missing darts at D12 and D6 for the match and Part levelled
• It was advantage the Canadian, because he broke to lead 4-3
• Wade hit back showing so much ‘bottle’ with a 108 finish and it was 4-4
• Back-to-back 180s from Wade and a 12 darter for 5-4
• Part hits back with a 13 darter to set up sudden-death
• Wade wins the throw and despite an incredible 174 from Part, the Unicorn star nails a fabulous 85 two dart finish (T15 and ‘tops’) and the celebrations began!
Both players received a standing ovation from the crowd, and deservedly so….it was THAT good.
But make no mistake – Andy Hamilton is also a major contender for this title, after he brushed aside the challenge of Belgium’s Kim Huybrechts by 5 sets to 2.
It will be his second World Championship semi-final, and whether it’s Gary Anderson or Simon Whitlock, it will hold no fears for ‘The Hammer’ who averaged a brilliant 102 over seven sets of pressurised darts at the Ally Pally.
And the man has a dream!
“I keep dreaming I am lifting the trophy on Monday and there is no reason why I can’t!” Hamilton said. “It has been my childhood dream and I am playing well enough.”
Hamilton’s run to the semi-finals has catapulted him back into the world’s top 10, he is now guaranteed the biggest cheque of his career – a minimum of £50,000, and of course, he can now dare to dream about being in the 2012 Premier League!
This victory also guarantees Hamilton two years at the Grand Slam of Darts! He failed to qualify for this year’s tournament.
He won 16 legs in the match, incredibly 13 of those in 15 darts or less and he actually averaged 111 in the final three sets of the match.
“After seven years, I am probably just beginning to realise how good I can be. I work very hard at my darts and I just don’t feel nervous at all,” he said.
“I’ll let everybody else worry about me now, because they will have to!”
From the moment that the Unicorn star raced into a two set lead, it was always going to be a big ask for the inexperienced Belgian.
Hamilton hit finishes of 98 and 100 and three crucial 180s got him back in the second set, which he won on D16 in a deciding leg with his opponent sat on 57.
Huybrechts finally got on the board in set three, but then Hamilton found an extra couple of gears, winning five legs on the spin to open up an unassailable 4 sets to 1 advantage.
His run included two more 12 darters and a punishing 122 finish on the bull…..to his credit, Belgium’s number one player kept fighting and managed to take another set, but he wasn’t in the same league as Hamilton on the day.
And ‘The Hammer’ nailed down the win in style! A 9th maximum, 110 finish and 12 darter to break the throw, followed by an 11 darter with a 96 check-out and he took his 180 tally to 11 with another 11 dart leg to book his semi-final spot.
“I shall just rest up now,” he said. “It will be a quiet New Year’s Eve….early to bed and early to rise to get ready for the semi-final, which will be the biggest night of my darting life.”
And on Friday night, it’s all down to Gary Anderson and Terry Jenkins as far as Team Unicorn is concerned!
Anderson takes on Australian Simon Whitlock, while ‘The Bull’ locks horns with World Champion Adrian Lewis.
Friday afternoon Quarter-Final results:
Andy Hamilton 5-2 Kim Huybrechts
James Wade 5-4 John Part
By STUART PYKE at the Alexandra Palace
Photos courtesy Lawrence Lustig / PDC