Monthly Archives: December 2017

So it was the end of the road at the World Championship for the Unicorn duo of Gary Anderson and Dimitri van den Bergh.

Anderson will rue missed chances as he lost 5-3 to Phil Taylor, while the Belgian was edged out in a thriller by Rob Cross.

The Scot missed a chance for sure after coming from 1-4 down. First he was two legs up in the fourth set to make it two apiece and lost it, then he blew a golden opportunity to take the match into a deciding set.

Anderson went on a run of winning six legs out of nine....throw in a couple of 180s and a couple of ton plus finishes and all of a sudden it was back to 4-3.

Unfortunately his consistency deserted him. He saw off match darts from Taylor in set eight and an 8th maximum combined with a 112 check-out saw it go to another deciding leg. Twice Taylor failed to find a big treble but twice Gary failed to punish and that was that.

He will be hugely disappointed because if he could have forced that deciding set

Gary Anderson has set up a World Championship quarter-final clash with Phil Taylor.

But worryingly, the Team Unicorn star has suffered a recurrence of the back problem which plagued him last month.

He finally saw off Steve West by four sets to two but clearly felt pain in his back again in the fifth set. Gary eventually won with his 13th match dart.

Hopefully Anderson will be able to get some treatment before the quarter-final on Friday night. But it is a major concern for the Scot.

He was made to work hard by West after missing some important doubles. Anderson took the opening set with a 104 check out after West had a dart to take it.

West levelled after Anderson got sloppy, but the Unicorn man powered his way through the third set without reply, winning it with an 11 darter.

West nailed a 170 check-out to force a fourth set deciding leg. But he missed ‘tops’ to take it and Anderson won it on D1.

Gary then missed two darts

He has done it again!

Team Unicorn’s Dimitri van den Bergh dazzled and danced his way into the quarter-finals of the World Championship for the first time.

Dimitri demolished No.5 seed Mensur Suljovic by four sets to nil in under an hour on Thursday afternoon at the Alexandra Palace.

He will now play Rob Cross in those quarter-finals.

“I am very excited. I did what I had to do against a very good player. To reach a World Championship quarter-final is amazing for me,” he said.

“I felt calm and in control after winning the first set. Mensur missed his chances and I took mine. I have been dreaming about moments like this.”

It really was an outstanding performance from the PDC Unicorn World Youth Champion, who has now very definitely made the big step up to the big time.

He started the match with a 120 finish to break the Suljovic throw and took the opening set with ease. Then came two 180s and the Team Unicorn

It was the last day at the World Championship before the Christmas break.

Team Unicorn youngster Keegan Brown was celebrating after beating Austrian Zoran Lerchbacher 4-2, but for Michael Smith and Kyle Anderson it was the end of the road in contrasting circumstances.

Well, you have to feel for Smith. He played superbly but lost a thriller to Rob Cross in a match which featured an incredible 29 x 180s. The Unicorn star missed match darts to win 4-2 and ended up losing 4-3.

In one of the best ever 2nd Round matches at the World Championship, Smith will always wonder just how he managed to lose.

It was a thriller!

Smith raced through the first set without reply. But he lost set two after missing three darts for a crucial break of throw. Cross took out 164 on his way to levelling.

Smith should have taken set three after going two legs clear. He did miss D13 for a 146 in a deciding leg and Cross hit the front.

But the St Helens star stormed

It was some day at the World Championship!

Team Unicorn stars Gary Anderson and Dimitri van den Bergh were both worthy winners, but veteran star Paul Lim so nearly stole the show.

Gary beat Lim 4-1 but the 63-year-old came agonisingly close to more darting history. 28 years after his history-making 9 darter at the BDO World Championship, Lim just missed D12 to repeat the feat at the Alexandra Palace on Friday night.

After Gary raced into a two set lead, winning all six legs, but in the final leg of that second set Lim so nearly claimed darts’ holy grail again.....177, 180, T20, T19 and just fell shy of the D12.

Anderson - celebrating his 48th birthday said: “Paul is a class act. I was willing him to do it and when the dart left his hand for the double 12, I thought it was in. But just glad to win. It was difficult playing against someone I respect so much. Christmas with the family and then back to business.”

Lim took the third set

Chinese star joins Team Unicorn

19 December, 2017

Unicorn's investment in China has taken another big step forward with the signing of one of the country's top players.

Xiao Chen Zong joins darts' top team. It is all part of Unicorn's investment in the future. 

The 19-year-old from Dandong is the future of darts in China, a market which is being targeted by the PDC. And he makes his debut on the biggest stage on Wednesday night against New Zealander Bernie Smith in the World Championship Preliminary Round. A win would see him play Justin Pipe in round one. 

Beaten but by no means disgraced! Unicorn star Ronny Huybrechts put up a superb display on Monday night at the Alexandra Palace

But the Belgian was eventually beaten 3-1 by World No.4 Daryl Gurney.

It was a terrific match. Ronny averaged 110 in a remarkable first set but lost it and was always chasing from that point.

Gurney started the match with seven perfect darts. He won it in 10 darts. Back came Huybrechts as he hit 13 and 11 darters and the Unicorn man then missed one dart at 'tops' for the set and it proved to be a game changer.

The Irishman went on a run of six straight legs. He was two sets up and a leg in front in the third set. However Huybrechts deserves a lot of credit. He hit back to take set three but was then undone by an outrageous finish from Gurney.

With Ronny sat on 32 to go one up in the fourth set, Gurney nailed a 170 finish and didn't look back. He took his 180 tally to seven as he wrapped it up with a 101 average.

But

Keegan Brown produced his best darts in a long while to cause a big upset on day four at the World Championship. 

He beat James Wade 3-2 in a thrilling all Unicorn clash on Sunday night at the Alexandra Palace. 

For Wade more huge disappointment, but for Brown a real chance to shine and he will now play Zoran Lerchbacher for a place in the last 16. 

"It has been a big struggle for me all year, so this is extra special for me." Brown said. "I have so much respect for James but I had to focus. I always felt I had a performance like that in me. Now I've got to keep it going."

After starting the match with a 124 finish on the bull, Brown won the opening set without reply. That set the pattern for a dramatic match. 

Wade levelled with a cool 72 finish in a second set deciding leg, only for Brown to reply in kind in set three! 'The Machine' dominated the 4th set and we were into