2006 World Matchplay Darts
Encyclopedia
The 2006 Stan James World Matchplay was the 13th staging of the major darts tournament by the Professional Darts Corporation
. It was held at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool
between July 23 and July 29, 2006.
Winner £30,000
Runner-Up £15,000
Semi-Finals £10,000
Quarter-Finals £6,250
Last 16 £3,500
Last 32 £2,000
Total £150,000
lost out surprisingly to Alex Roy
in a 10-6 defeat, and there were also victories for Las Vegas Desert Classic
champion John Part
and 3-times Runner-Up Dennis Priestley
over Wes Newton
and Alan Tabern
respectively.
defeating an off-form Terry Jenkins
, and Sams' performance was described as his best on TV yet. Adrian Lewis
also progressed with a 10-6 over Matt Clark
, followed by an upset, where Number 4 seed Peter Manley
losing 10-2 to a very impressive Andy Hamilton
. The last match of the afternoon session saw Chris Mason
, making his first appearance at the World Matchplay in 4 years, beat Steve Beaton
.
Day Two's Evening Session kicked off with Kevin Painter
defeating up-and coming star Barrie Bates
10-8, despite a spirited comeback from Bates. Then, current champion Colin Lloyd
was sensationally dumped out by Steve Maish
10-6, meaning there would be a new World Matchplay Champion for sure. There was no shock for Phil Taylor, despite having to come from 3-0 down against Bob Anderson
to clinch victory. Finally, Wayne Mardle
made light work of his opponent, Steve Hine
as he breezed through 10-5.
was thrashed 10-1 by up and coming star James Wade
. The next match saw an amazing comeback when Alan Warriner-Little
came from 0-6 down against Andy Jenkins
to make it 9-9 and send it into the tie break, where the winner would be decided by who could go ahead by two clear legs. Jenkins won the first two legs in this scenario to secure a 11-9 win. The next match saw Dutchman Roland Scholten
beat "the Pie Man" Andy Smith
10-6 to book his place in Round Two. The final match of the afternoon session saw Mark Walsh
beat Dave Askew
despite a comeback by Askew who came from 0-6 down, like Warriner-Little before, toroar back into contention. Walsh eventually won through 10-8.
The Evening Session saw the last match in the first round. Ronnie Baxter
beat Dennis Smith
, who really suffered in the heat on stage, 10-4. The first match of the Second Round saw two stars from Stoke-on-Trent
battle it out. Andy Hamilton
edged out Adrian Lewis
in a cracking match 15-13. Then, in a match dubbed as "The Rematch" after last year's quarter-final, Phil Taylor crushed a poor John Part
13-2.
started the action on the Afternoon Session of Day Four with a 13-8 victory against "The Ace of Hearts" Alex Roy
to set up a Quarter-Final with Phil Taylor. This was followed by Wayne Mardle
beating Lionel Sams
, blowing a 9-3 lead to eventually win 13-10. The final match of the Afternoon Session saw James Wade
cause another big shock by beating former World Championship Finalist Kevin Painter
13-9.
The Evening Session concluded Round Two, opening with Roland Scholten
beating Andy Jenkins
to reach the Quarter-Finals of the World Matchplay for the very first time. Chris Mason
admitted after his match that he was feeling unwell, but still managed to beat Colin Lloyd
's conqueror Steve Maish
13-7. The final Second Round tie saw Ronnie Baxter
almost collapse after being 7-0 and 12-3 in the lead against Mark Walsh
to eventually win 13-9.
continue his fantastic week by thrashing Chris Mason
, considered one of the greatest natural talents in the game, 16-4 in an impressive performance. Roland Scholten
also beat Ronnie Baxter
16-13 in the Afternoon Session.
The Evening Session opened with Andy Hamilton
beating crowd favourite Wayne Mardle
16-9 to reach his first major semi-final. The final quarter-final saw a rematch of last year's second round encounter as Phil Taylor faced Dennis Priestley
. In a tight match, Priestley came back from 6-8 to take the next four legs and lead 10-8. However, he couldn't keep it up and "The Power" eventually claimed a dramatic 16-13 win in a classic match.
face one of the more well known players in the PDC, Roland Scholten
. The Dutchman, Scholten, started well, taking five legs in a row to take an early 5-1 lead, but Wade hit back to closen things up, despite not taking the lead. He eventually took the lead at 16-15. Both had one dart since then to clinch a place in the final but it was Wade who held his nerve to claim a famous 17-15 win in a thriller.
The second Semi-Final saw two residents of Stoke battle it out as qualifier Andy Hamilton faced seven time World Matchplay Champion Phil Taylor. Taylor was forced to fight once again for victory as both players had three dart averages of over 100 and the 17-11 scoreline didn't really do justice to how well Hamilton played. Both players were so close to perfect nine-dart legs, first Hamilton in leg 13 hit two 180s before hitting the triple-20 and triple-19 to leave double-12, unluckily it just went the wrong side of the wire. Taylor later hit two 180s and the triple-20 but was not able to hit the triple-19.
in his first major final. Wade started the brighter, breaking Taylor's throw early on to take an early 4-1 lead in the race to 18. In those five legs he hit two 100 finishes. The next few legs all went to who threw first in that leg before "The Power" broke back to lead 10-9. Since then, Taylor was always in control, taking eight of the next eleven legs, including a 140 finish, to claim a 18-11 victory and his eighth World Matchplay title.
Professional Darts Corporation
The Professional Darts Corporation is a professional darts organization, established in the United Kingdom during 1992, when a group of leading professional players split from the British Darts Organisation to form what was initially called the World Darts Council...
. It was held at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool
Winter Gardens, Blackpool
The Winter Gardens is a large entertainment complex in the town centre of Blackpool, Lancashire, England. It has twelve different venues, including a theatre, ballroom and conference facilities. Opened in 1878, it is a Grade II* listed building, incorporating various elements built between 1875 and...
between July 23 and July 29, 2006.
Prize money
The prize fund increased by £30,000 on the previous year, with the winner now receiving £30,000.Winner £30,000
Runner-Up £15,000
Semi-Finals £10,000
Quarter-Finals £6,250
Last 16 £3,500
Last 32 £2,000
Total £150,000
Day One
The 2006 tournament started on July 23, and was kicked off with then-ranked World Number 8 Mark DudbridgeMark Dudbridge
Mark Daniel Dudbridge is an English professional darts player.-Darts career:He started playing in his very early teens, citing Dennis Priestley as one of his heroes...
lost out surprisingly to Alex Roy
Alex Roy (darts player)
Alex Roy is a darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation events. He uses the nickname Ace of Herts for this matches and is with Dave Holland Management....
in a 10-6 defeat, and there were also victories for Las Vegas Desert Classic
Las Vegas Desert Classic
The Las Vegas Desert Classic was a darts tournament, organised by the Professional Darts Corporation and was held each year in July from 2002 until 2010...
champion John Part
John Part
John Part is a Canadian professional darts player, who is nicknamed Darth Maple.Part is one of only five players in darts history to be a three time World Champion...
and 3-times Runner-Up Dennis Priestley
Dennis Priestley
Dennis Priestley is an English professional darts player. He has won two world championships, and was the first player to win both the BDO and WDC world championships, in 1991 and 1994 respectively...
over Wes Newton
Wes Newton
Wesley "Wes" Newton is an English darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation tournaments.-Darts career:...
and Alan Tabern
Alan Tabern
Alan Tabern is an English darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation, where he is also known as "The Saint" and "Tabby"...
respectively.
Day Two
Day Two brought the first Afternoon session, which started with an upset, Lionel SamsLionel Sams
Lionel Jeffrey Sams is an English darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation tournaments. He uses the nickname The Lion for his matches....
defeating an off-form Terry Jenkins
Terry Jenkins
Terry Jenkins is an English professional darts player who is nicknamed The Bull, having previously used the nickname "Tucker" for his matches...
, and Sams' performance was described as his best on TV yet. Adrian Lewis
Adrian Lewis
Adrian Lewis is an English professional darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation who is the reigning PDC World Darts Champion...
also progressed with a 10-6 over Matt Clark
Matt Clark (darts player)
Matt Clark is an English darts player who competes for the Professional Darts Corporation and formerly played for the British Darts Organisation. He uses the nickname Superman for his matches.-Darting history:...
, followed by an upset, where Number 4 seed Peter Manley
Peter Manley
Peter David Manley is an English professional darts player who plays in the Professional Darts Corporation. He is nicknamed One Dart as he is known for hitting doubles with his first dart...
losing 10-2 to a very impressive Andy Hamilton
Andy Hamilton (darts player)
Andy Hamilton is a full time professional English darts player widely known for his "aggressive" style of play. He is nicknamed The Hammer and is currently ranked 12th on the PDC Order of Merit....
. The last match of the afternoon session saw Chris Mason
Chris Mason (darts player)
Christopher John Mason is an English darts player who plays in the Professional Darts Corporation. He uses the nickname Mace the Ace for his matches.- BDO and first PDC spell :...
, making his first appearance at the World Matchplay in 4 years, beat Steve Beaton
Steve Beaton
Steve Beaton is an English professional darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation...
.
Day Two's Evening Session kicked off with Kevin Painter
Kevin Painter
Kevin Painter is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation tournaments, where he is known as "The Artist"...
defeating up-and coming star Barrie Bates
Barrie Bates
Barrie Bates is a darts player currently residing in Bedlinog, Mid-Glamorgan. He plays in the Professional Darts Corporation and is a regular on the circuit. His nickname is "Batesy"....
10-8, despite a spirited comeback from Bates. Then, current champion Colin Lloyd
Colin Lloyd
Colin Lloyd , nicknamed Jaws, is an English professional darts player on the Professional Darts Corporation circuit. He is a former world number one ranked player and he has won two major television titles in the PDC - the 2004 World Grand Prix and 2005 World Matchplay...
was sensationally dumped out by Steve Maish
Steve Maish
Steve Maish is a darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation events. He uses the nickname Mr Magic for his matches....
10-6, meaning there would be a new World Matchplay Champion for sure. There was no shock for Phil Taylor, despite having to come from 3-0 down against Bob Anderson
Bob Anderson (darts player)
Robert Charles "Bob" Anderson is a former world darts champion. He was ranked as world number one for over three years in the late 1980s. Nicknamed The Limestone Cowboy, he lives in Clevedon in Somerset.-Before Darts:Anderson threw his first darts maximum at the age of just five...
to clinch victory. Finally, Wayne Mardle
Wayne Mardle
Wayne Mardle is a darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation, and former player in the BDO. He now lives in Romford...
made light work of his opponent, Steve Hine
Steve Hine
Steve Hine is an English darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation events. He works as a baker and consequently he is nicknamed The Muffin Man...
as he breezed through 10-5.
Day Three
The first match of the afternoon session on Day Three saw an upset, as experienced Denis OvensDenis Ovens
Denis Ovens is an English darts player currently ranked number 29 in the PDC Order of Merit. He is nicknamed The Heat and is now based in Stevenage. Ovens is widely regarded as one of the most consistent players in the circuit, though he has as yet failed to convert his form from the circuit to...
was thrashed 10-1 by up and coming star James Wade
James Wade
James Wade is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation . He became the youngest player ever to win a major PDC title at the World Matchplay in July 2007...
. The next match saw an amazing comeback when Alan Warriner-Little
Alan Warriner-Little
Alan Warriner-Little is an English professional darts player. He currently lives in Crosby, Cumbria and plays with the nickname The Iceman...
came from 0-6 down against Andy Jenkins
Andy Jenkins
Andy Jenkins is an English darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation events. Jenkins had trials for Southampton Football Club while at school.-BDO career:...
to make it 9-9 and send it into the tie break, where the winner would be decided by who could go ahead by two clear legs. Jenkins won the first two legs in this scenario to secure a 11-9 win. The next match saw Dutchman Roland Scholten
Roland Scholten
Roland Scholten is a Dutch professional darts player who plays for the Professional Darts Corporation and formerly for the British Darts Organisation. He is nicknamed Tripod or The Flying Dutchman and uses Hey Ya by Outkast as his walk-on. He is currently ranked 45th in the PDC...
beat "the Pie Man" Andy Smith
Andy Smith (darts player)
Andrew Smith is a darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation events. He uses the nickname Pieman for his matches...
10-6 to book his place in Round Two. The final match of the afternoon session saw Mark Walsh
Mark Walsh (Dart player)
Mark Walsh is an English darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation tournaments.He reached his first major televised final in 2005, when he was beaten by England's Phil Taylor in the UK Open in Bolton.-Early career:Walsh made his televised debut at the 2002 World Matchplay but...
beat Dave Askew
Dave Askew
Dave Askew is an English darts player who competes in the Professional Darts Corporation. Askew is a twice semi-finalist in the PDC World Championship, both in 2001 and 2002 and on both occasions losing to eventual winner Phil Taylor.- Overview :Askew began competing in major tournaments in the...
despite a comeback by Askew who came from 0-6 down, like Warriner-Little before, toroar back into contention. Walsh eventually won through 10-8.
The Evening Session saw the last match in the first round. Ronnie Baxter
Ronnie Baxter
Ronnie Baxter is an English darts player. He uses the nickname The Rocket for his matches. Baxter is known for his fast, robotic throwing action...
beat Dennis Smith
Dennis Smith (darts player)
Dennis Smith is an English darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation events. He is a stalwart on the PDC circuit, having been playing on the circuit since 1994 but has yet to capture a major title to add to his collection of Open wins...
, who really suffered in the heat on stage, 10-4. The first match of the Second Round saw two stars from Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
battle it out. Andy Hamilton
Andy Hamilton (darts player)
Andy Hamilton is a full time professional English darts player widely known for his "aggressive" style of play. He is nicknamed The Hammer and is currently ranked 12th on the PDC Order of Merit....
edged out Adrian Lewis
Adrian Lewis
Adrian Lewis is an English professional darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation who is the reigning PDC World Darts Champion...
in a cracking match 15-13. Then, in a match dubbed as "The Rematch" after last year's quarter-final, Phil Taylor crushed a poor John Part
John Part
John Part is a Canadian professional darts player, who is nicknamed Darth Maple.Part is one of only five players in darts history to be a three time World Champion...
13-2.
Day Four
Dennis PriestleyDennis Priestley
Dennis Priestley is an English professional darts player. He has won two world championships, and was the first player to win both the BDO and WDC world championships, in 1991 and 1994 respectively...
started the action on the Afternoon Session of Day Four with a 13-8 victory against "The Ace of Hearts" Alex Roy
Alex Roy (darts player)
Alex Roy is a darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation events. He uses the nickname Ace of Herts for this matches and is with Dave Holland Management....
to set up a Quarter-Final with Phil Taylor. This was followed by Wayne Mardle
Wayne Mardle
Wayne Mardle is a darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation, and former player in the BDO. He now lives in Romford...
beating Lionel Sams
Lionel Sams
Lionel Jeffrey Sams is an English darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation tournaments. He uses the nickname The Lion for his matches....
, blowing a 9-3 lead to eventually win 13-10. The final match of the Afternoon Session saw James Wade
James Wade
James Wade is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation . He became the youngest player ever to win a major PDC title at the World Matchplay in July 2007...
cause another big shock by beating former World Championship Finalist Kevin Painter
Kevin Painter
Kevin Painter is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation tournaments, where he is known as "The Artist"...
13-9.
The Evening Session concluded Round Two, opening with Roland Scholten
Roland Scholten
Roland Scholten is a Dutch professional darts player who plays for the Professional Darts Corporation and formerly for the British Darts Organisation. He is nicknamed Tripod or The Flying Dutchman and uses Hey Ya by Outkast as his walk-on. He is currently ranked 45th in the PDC...
beating Andy Jenkins
Andy Jenkins
Andy Jenkins is an English darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation events. Jenkins had trials for Southampton Football Club while at school.-BDO career:...
to reach the Quarter-Finals of the World Matchplay for the very first time. Chris Mason
Chris Mason (darts player)
Christopher John Mason is an English darts player who plays in the Professional Darts Corporation. He uses the nickname Mace the Ace for his matches.- BDO and first PDC spell :...
admitted after his match that he was feeling unwell, but still managed to beat Colin Lloyd
Colin Lloyd
Colin Lloyd , nicknamed Jaws, is an English professional darts player on the Professional Darts Corporation circuit. He is a former world number one ranked player and he has won two major television titles in the PDC - the 2004 World Grand Prix and 2005 World Matchplay...
's conqueror Steve Maish
Steve Maish
Steve Maish is a darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation events. He uses the nickname Mr Magic for his matches....
13-7. The final Second Round tie saw Ronnie Baxter
Ronnie Baxter
Ronnie Baxter is an English darts player. He uses the nickname The Rocket for his matches. Baxter is known for his fast, robotic throwing action...
almost collapse after being 7-0 and 12-3 in the lead against Mark Walsh
Mark Walsh (Dart player)
Mark Walsh is an English darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation tournaments.He reached his first major televised final in 2005, when he was beaten by England's Phil Taylor in the UK Open in Bolton.-Early career:Walsh made his televised debut at the 2002 World Matchplay but...
to eventually win 13-9.
Day Five
Day Five was Quarter-Final day, with all four last eight matches being played on 27 July. The first match saw 23 year-old James WadeJames Wade
James Wade is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation . He became the youngest player ever to win a major PDC title at the World Matchplay in July 2007...
continue his fantastic week by thrashing Chris Mason
Chris Mason (darts player)
Christopher John Mason is an English darts player who plays in the Professional Darts Corporation. He uses the nickname Mace the Ace for his matches.- BDO and first PDC spell :...
, considered one of the greatest natural talents in the game, 16-4 in an impressive performance. Roland Scholten
Roland Scholten
Roland Scholten is a Dutch professional darts player who plays for the Professional Darts Corporation and formerly for the British Darts Organisation. He is nicknamed Tripod or The Flying Dutchman and uses Hey Ya by Outkast as his walk-on. He is currently ranked 45th in the PDC...
also beat Ronnie Baxter
Ronnie Baxter
Ronnie Baxter is an English darts player. He uses the nickname The Rocket for his matches. Baxter is known for his fast, robotic throwing action...
16-13 in the Afternoon Session.
The Evening Session opened with Andy Hamilton
Andy Hamilton (darts player)
Andy Hamilton is a full time professional English darts player widely known for his "aggressive" style of play. He is nicknamed The Hammer and is currently ranked 12th on the PDC Order of Merit....
beating crowd favourite Wayne Mardle
Wayne Mardle
Wayne Mardle is a darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation, and former player in the BDO. He now lives in Romford...
16-9 to reach his first major semi-final. The final quarter-final saw a rematch of last year's second round encounter as Phil Taylor faced Dennis Priestley
Dennis Priestley
Dennis Priestley is an English professional darts player. He has won two world championships, and was the first player to win both the BDO and WDC world championships, in 1991 and 1994 respectively...
. In a tight match, Priestley came back from 6-8 to take the next four legs and lead 10-8. However, he couldn't keep it up and "The Power" eventually claimed a dramatic 16-13 win in a classic match.
Day Six
The first Semi-Final saw the surprise package of the tournament James WadeJames Wade
James Wade is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation . He became the youngest player ever to win a major PDC title at the World Matchplay in July 2007...
face one of the more well known players in the PDC, Roland Scholten
Roland Scholten
Roland Scholten is a Dutch professional darts player who plays for the Professional Darts Corporation and formerly for the British Darts Organisation. He is nicknamed Tripod or The Flying Dutchman and uses Hey Ya by Outkast as his walk-on. He is currently ranked 45th in the PDC...
. The Dutchman, Scholten, started well, taking five legs in a row to take an early 5-1 lead, but Wade hit back to closen things up, despite not taking the lead. He eventually took the lead at 16-15. Both had one dart since then to clinch a place in the final but it was Wade who held his nerve to claim a famous 17-15 win in a thriller.
The second Semi-Final saw two residents of Stoke battle it out as qualifier Andy Hamilton faced seven time World Matchplay Champion Phil Taylor. Taylor was forced to fight once again for victory as both players had three dart averages of over 100 and the 17-11 scoreline didn't really do justice to how well Hamilton played. Both players were so close to perfect nine-dart legs, first Hamilton in leg 13 hit two 180s before hitting the triple-20 and triple-19 to leave double-12, unluckily it just went the wrong side of the wire. Taylor later hit two 180s and the triple-20 but was not able to hit the triple-19.
Day Seven
The final saw the legendary Phil Taylor face one of darts' rising young stars, 23-year-old James WadeJames Wade
James Wade is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation . He became the youngest player ever to win a major PDC title at the World Matchplay in July 2007...
in his first major final. Wade started the brighter, breaking Taylor's throw early on to take an early 4-1 lead in the race to 18. In those five legs he hit two 100 finishes. The next few legs all went to who threw first in that leg before "The Power" broke back to lead 10-9. Since then, Taylor was always in control, taking eight of the next eleven legs, including a 140 finish, to claim a 18-11 victory and his eighth World Matchplay title.