Day 5 Darts: World Championships - Highlights

Welcome to highlights of Day Five of the BDO World Darts Championships

from here at the Lakeside in Frimley Green. Now, the last night it burst

into life the tournament. That continued into the afternoon session

and into the evening today as the Men's Second round got underway we

had close finishes and high averages as well. Sit back and enjoy. We got

to beginning with the bullet. Stephen Bunting has been awesome

over the last 12 months. Dave Prins and the bank goer averaged 96 and it

only earned him one leg. Take a look at the second. Bit of advice, do not

blink. -- badger. REFEREE: 80.

COMMENTATOR: Confident start from Bullet.

REFEREE: 83. COMMENTATOR: He's a very quiet

character. He doesn't scream and shout when he is playing well.

Closup of the throwing action, Stephen Bunting is serving them so

well. Already he is ahead in this set.

COMMENTATOR: Certainly what a good year Bullet has had on the steel tip

he has had a great year on the soft tip tour as well. His manager was

telling me that he had been around the world, having a go at that and

doing very well. Shanghai, China, Hong Kong, France. Useful Air Miles.

I think he was actually the favourite for the World

Championships in Hong Kong recently. He got beaten in the quarters. This

is quality, quality throwing. REFEREE: 171.

COMMENTATOR: Superb. Three treble 19s leaving him on double 8.

Impressive first two from Prins. Surely, a little too late, Bunting

for the first leg of this set. The double conversion is just so

impressive. COMMENTATOR: Four out of six,

continuing that wonderful 67% checkout rate.

Here, putting his man under pressure, once again.

REFEREE: 180. APPLAUSE

COMMENTATOR: Dare we whisper the 9-darter. The afternoon crowd at the

Lakeside would love that. They would go stratospheric, no, not now. A

mere 140. Had to settle for the 10-darter. He only wins one leg,

whatever way you do it. That is all he is concentrating on. Look at the

way in which his power darts now are starting to rack up that average.

Wide any standards, 104 is brilliant. -- by any standards, 104

is brilliant. 98 is not too shabby either, to be honest. 140, got to

hit the treble 20s. He'll go for another.

Bunting, back for 84. Talk us through. This The way he has been

finishing you fancy he will get it. Up the top 20s, Wow! ! Such

certainty. Wanted to make a statement to the rest. He is

certainly doing so. He is in total command. Again, Dave is not doing a

hell of a lot wrong, to be honest. Dave Prins throwing some quality

darts, but being swept away by a performance of brilliance at the

moment from Bunting. Long way to go though. Checkout rate,

extraordinary. Oh, thread through with that last

dart. Not a lot to aim at. The darts are about 14 grams. Probably the

lightest darts in the tournament. That really is light. Dennis

Priestley used to throw feather-light darts, didn't he?

Yeah. About 14 grams again. They are. Little projectiles that are

doing the damage right now. Good switch. And another. Beautiful

cover shots. APPLAUSE

Keeping upside, Bunting, but you need Bunting to quake somewhere, not

a glimmer of opportunity for Prins when he's throwing like that.

Another fantastic shot there to leave a two-dart finish.

Almost leg he has put in a big score to leave that finish. When Dave has

throne great darts in the leg as well. Hitting him where it hurts, 68

again. Oh, great darts. Superb dart. Double four, minor adjustment

required. That's again absolutely clinical. Quality. Quality. It went

on like that, Bunting smashed through the next six legs. His match

average over 100. His finishing straight out of the top drawer. I'm

thinking he has still another gear to move up. Bunting plays the Dutch

man Rick Hofstra in tomorrow evening's quarter-final after a

bizarre night on the oche with The Assassin Atkins having to withdraw

due to an Jerry. Rick has never had an easier night on the Lakeside

stage. Earlier in the afternoon Robbie Green kept up his plus 90

average. The man from the Wirral is through to the last eight again. He

would face the winner of our next match. Wesley Harms looking to make

it three semi-finals in three years against Tony Eccles who did for

Darryl Fitton in round one. It's the best of seven sets now and Harms is

just two legs away from victory as we join it.

COMMENTATOR: 3-2, Harms. 14-darter from Wesley Harms. Looking to repeat

that in this leg or better it if he can, you would think he would have

an outstanding chance of moving within a leg of the victory. First

to four sets. Harms breaks here, Eccles is in big, big trouble.

Nobody will know that more than Tony Eccles, will he? Good last dart.

REFEREE: 140. Looks as though he is moving into the position where he is

thinking he can close that one out, Harms.

That's good. Needed it. But Harms now, 100 plus. Wouldn't that look

handy? It's only a single though. COMMENTATOR: Decent recovery from

Tony. . REFEREE: 140. Tony, you require 108.

COMMENTATOR: 108. The pressure is on big time. Treble 17. For the

bull's-eye. This will be a massive takeout of 108 if he hits it. He hit

the single three. Harms then, 80 to go 2-1 ahead, in what could be the

last set. Treble five with his first dart. Tops now. Oh, good finish. Use

the bull, having gone into the treble five. 25, left him with tops.

That was the result. 2-1, only needs one more leg, Wesley Harms. He has

the win. Crucially, he has the darts. The last four legs he has had

the darts, he's won. None of them started 5-1.

Excellent cover dart from Wesley. So conceivably this is the last leg of

Tony Eccles' career. A few people who know him say, believe that when

you see it! Good record over the years and still, as he has shown

here, able to throw at a very good level.

REFEREE: 140. Career which has brought him nine ranking titles. A

CV which saw a quarter-final place here in 2007. Had an elimination to

Mervyn King in that match. What he would give for a 180 here.

REFEREE: 99. COMMENTATOR: I will always remember

that 2077 Lakeside campaign. He took the lead in the quarter-final

against Mervyn King. Hadn't dropped a set in the tournament up to that

point. Missed the darts, lost the match 5-4. 167, for the match.

Can't be done, no checkout for Eccles, Harms will come back. Nicely

placed now. REFEREE: 99.

COMMENTATOR: 99, 67 for Wesley Harms, for the match. 18 for double

16. Composes himself. And misses. Well, Eccles, again, come on his

supporters shout. 80. Tops now, for Tony Eccles. To make it 2-2. And

keeping the match alive. At last he says to himself, "where has that

been earlier?" With the darts, in what will be the deciding leg. Life

in the Oldboy yet. This is going to be very much what

Sir Al calls squeaky bum time. This is going to be about bottle, about

nerve, and who can hold it together when it comes down to the crucial

moments. Is this going to be the end as far as Eccles is concerned or is

he going to keep the match alive? Simple as that. If it is to be the

last match of his career, the last week of his career, wouldn't it be

fitting for it to end on a missed shot at tops in that last leg? He

went to the bull's-eye with that third dart. He has left himself with

a bit of a mess. He has got no finish here, and Harms can move into

a controlling position. Troubled 20 would be handy and that is precisely

what he has got. The scoreboard tells its own story. -- treble 20.

He needs to do some damage to the 182 here. He hasn't done it,

effectively. 141 from here. Tony will have two conjure up some

majesty. He surveys the scoreboard. 61 left, Wesley. Double 18 if he

comes back. What a quality last dart that was. 122. Double 7, he has got

it. The crowd poised. What a checkout that is. Eccles keeps his

hopes alive. It is three apiece. He roars his appreciation along with

the crowd and his supporters. That is a superb check under massive

pressure. Why are you thinking of jacking it in, Tony? Double 7, to

stay in the tournament. 122, junior. He may not like the motorways, but

he likes the checkout. What price is it for this one going

right to the wire? Just a reminder, it's the first of three legs

provided you win by two clear legs. If not, we carry on going until

somebody is two legs clear. If it gets to 5-5, we play and all or

nothing sudden dense final leg. Then it really is just down to who can

keep it together. I wonder if it will go as far as that? You can

certainly see it happening. A loose first start. 16 leaves in

double top. A late adjustment therefrom Wesley. He does have the

advantage of the darts in this decisive set.

Tens for the opening leg of the opening set.

That checkout from Tony Eccles which took that last set, had to be one of

the checkouts of the tournament so far. Two treble 18s, and double 7,

you don't see that too often. Sometimes, when you are on the point

of no return, it can kill you. Sometimes it can bring out the best

of you. Yesterday, we saw Paul Hogan hitting the bull to stay alive

against Mitchell. A fantastic checkout. Tony Eccles, double 7,

wonderful. And he will be coming back with 144.

Harms probably going to come down the board and leave himself on even

checkout. There you go. Now Eccles, 144. He will fancy this now.

79 required. Terrific last draft. 106 needed. A great start. Heads the

64 double top to move within it. He has missed it again. Another

pressure visit for Eccles. Double 11. Not a bad marker. Now this is a

big daft. -- daft. It was huge. Tears in the eyes of his cousin as

she watches and admiration. Tony Eccles doesn't know when he is

beaten. He has kept his nerve brilliantly. But still, it's going

to be sudden death, this, Jim. Every chance, unless someone can produce

something of extraordinary brilliance.

It was an epic checkout from Tony Eccles which set this up. It wasn't

quite as quick as that, but you get the drift. It wasn't far short.

180 would be handy here. A bit unlucky.

He has left himself on a bogey number there. Single five. That was

an opportunity going begging, wasn't it? He had a real chance to take

that leg by the scruff of the neck of and just couldn't do it. Nerve

ends are jangling! So a chance, against the darts, Ford Tony Eccles.

-- for Tony Eccles. Who can take it out more quickly? 17 will leave

tops. What pressure now on Wesley Harms taking 139? He can't do it

now. Eccles with tops. To take a monumental step towards winning this

match. Double 10. Double 10 again. Slight adjustment.

Yes, he has got it! Here's one for legs out of five and all he has to

do now is hold and he is a quarterfinal for the second time in

his career. The fans were leaping up in a claimed there. They really know

their darts here, and when that went in, they knew that, despite the fact

that for much of this match, Harms has looked like the likely winner,

Eccles is in pole position. It is his to lose now. His to lose, with

the darts. Looking to serve it out. Well, he has held in just over two

thirds of the legs in which ears have the darts. A reminder that in

set six, Wesley was in the same position, where he had the darts for

the match. Eccles took out a double top. And in the next leg, had a

brilliant 122 to win the set. But Wesley, only 42 with his first three

darts, a lead he has to win, and Eccles replying magnificently.

Oh, he says. But he's in really strong position now. Harms can't

find it when he needs it. He is way, way back. A brilliant last dart

because he squeezed in between the other two into a gap which seemed

inconceivable to him but after that 140, excellent treble 19 with the

last dart. I cry from the audience a moment ago, "you are nearly there,

Tony! " He knows how close he is. Is Harms buckling? We can see Eccles

geeing himself up. Eccles made sure he was never out of harms way in

this match. A raise of the eyebrows from Wesley. That's the first to

tell from the poker player we have seen. Doesn't have the look of a

potential winner, does he? And the scoreboard supports the contention

because Eccles will come back and Harms looks like he is thrown in the

towel in. 56 for the match for Tony Eccles. 16. Eight. It is double 16

for the match. He will be back. Harms, 289, and he threw that last

dart away in that last visit, and this is a bit too late. He's still

not going to finish. Only once has he reached the quarterfinals on this

stage and there is, the last tournament of his career, it is

double 8. A sharp intake of breath. Happy

birthday, Tony Eccles! He has seen off Wesley Harms

brilliantly on the ropes. Almost passed the point of no return. 122.

It will all live in the memory of a brilliant checkout, and then three

successive legs in the decisive seventh set. Wesley Harms,

semifinalist in the last two years come out in the second round. Tony

Eccles beats him in a thriller, 4-3, magnificent at Lakeside yet again.

STUDIO: His 44th birthday and Wesley kept giving him gift wrapped chances

and my goodness didn't he take it. Let's move on to Glenn Durrant who

took on Alan Norris who has toughened up a bit. We'd join it one

set up and two legs all in the final leg of the second set.

COMMENTATOR: Great first dart but it had unlucky with the second. Good

enough, though. -- but had unlucky. These two have only met once before

and it was a very significant meeting particularly for Durrant.

Norris one and it was the final qualifier for Lakeside 2012 and

Norris doctors based at Durrant's expense. That would've been a

particularly bad defeat to take. Norris went all the way through to

the quarterfinals that year but they meet again on the Lakeside stage

proper. For a place in the quarters. Nine darts now. Durrant returns

looking to tee up a nice finish. Good first dart. Treble 20.

Beautiful. Both in. Spectacular! Maximum for Durrant at last and

leaving him on the ideal checkout. Now double top to win it. And tie it

up at one set a piece. In a context of the match a brilliant recovery,

three darts of doubles in this set. Glen has hit all three, a dart at

tops, three big leg, 1-1 the score. Maximum number four or for Norris.

Hot atmosphere and hot darts. REFEREE: 46.

COMMENTATOR: Another one goes in. Oh, unlucky. Just the wrong side of

the wire. Look where the third one was? Tough luck for Norris.

Reef 60. COMMENTATOR: Well in charge of this

first leg of set number three. Even more in charge now.

REFEREE: 140. COMMENTATOR: First eight darts of

this leg all trebles. Seven of them in the perfect treble. No pressure

what so ever. 58, Norris, 18 tops, you would anticipate here. Here he

comes for an 11-darter. That's impressive throwing.

REFEREE: Game on. COMMENTATOR: Excellent leg of darts

from Alan Norris. He's been all over the place. Hails

from Somerset. Spent time in the Netherlands, in Scotland as well. A

spell in Sweden as well, didn't he? He's been all over the shop.

Multi-cultural. REFEREE: 140.

APPLAUSE COMMENTATOR: This is really good now

from both men. Ratcheting up the standard.

REFEREE: 180. COMMENTATOR: Five for Alan in the

game so far. Can Durrant reply in kind? Just the wrong side of the

wire. 180 from Norris, followed by a 135 from Durrant. Alan, just

assessing again what the situation is here. 126 required for Durrant.

Norris, not on a finish. Six darts from here. Oh, it's a great first

dart. Just working it out, nine would leave 16 s. Very nice. Chuck,

miscounted last time round. Double 16 here, for Durrant, to make it

1-1. In legs and sets. No problem. Counting just absolutely of

paramount importance. You want to get your kids being good at doing

their takeaway, mental arithmetic, get them on the oche. Works well for

my lads. They are good at taking one and five off anything.

REFEREE: 100. COMMENTATOR: Oldest swingers in town

in tonight, by the look of it. REFEREE: 140.

APPLAUSE COMMENTATOR: Only one 140 in the

first four visits to the oche between these two players. A sense

this is a little breather. That's unlucky. That was off the wire.

Look at this? Brilliant! REFEREE: 180!

APPLAUSE COMMENTATOR: Durrant then to take

the advantage, 81 required. Starting down the bottom of the board, of

course. Bull's-eye.

REFEREE: 44. COMMENTATOR: No, sir. Tops for

Norris. He's held. He's clung on. He take as 2-1

advantage, with the match tied one a piece in sets. The miss at bull was

the first miss in five foreGlen. -- for Glen. Norris is 2-1 up in

legs rather than 2-1 down. Durrant throwing to hold and stay in the

third set. Good switch. Lovely cover shots now.

That puts Durrant under pressure, Norris ahead. And poised, maybe, for

something special and to take this leg and, and with it the set.

Durrant will have other ideas. He needs a treble. No.

REFEREE: 98. COMMENTATOR: Unlucky, those first

two darts. Perfect elevation, but still with a decent advantage here.

The pressure on Glen. He got the treble with the third dart, which

was absolutely crucial, because it means he is on a finish. Important

last darts indeed. That puts Durrant now in a strong position. 132, when

Norris returns, if he returns. He will do now.

REFEREE: 100. COMMENTATOR: He said a 122 already,

he has had a 132. For the third set. A 2-1 lead. Treble 19. Would have

left bull. Here comes Durrant. 46 to square it up again. That's the easy

part. Now double 16. Not a bad marker. Oh, just too much. Stuttered

on the walk to the board. He thought that was in. Double 12 then for

Norris for the set. One more dart at it. Hits it. He's 2-1 up.

APPLAUSE He is feeding off the crowd. Get ing

the adrenaline rush from the support. First to four. The unseeded

Norris, 2-1 up now. I can't remember the last time that

Alan had three darts, and scored less than 60. Peppering the trebles

with wonderful high scoring. REFEREE: 117.

COMMENTATOR: Look at these figures. This is after just three sets of the

match so far. Checkouts have been pretty handy as

well. Norris, in his first match, average 47% checkouts, now he has a

53% checkout rate. Didn't get the treble that he

needed. As you can see, Alan, after a poor leg by the standards he set

himself in this match, is not in a position to capitalise here. Not

yet, anyway. 16s when he comes back. He will be

back. Surely well. All Norris can do is try and put a little bit of

pressure on, but not with darts like this. Blocked his route to the

treble 20. Comes down. Norris, 32. Double eight now. Fours. That's

unlucky. REFEREE: Game on.

COMMENTATOR: That is why Alan was frustrated, he left himself on 162.

Academic in the end, Glen hits the double four.

Alan had one major final so far. There was a Bullet with his name on

it, Stephen Bunting beat him in the final. He came close to a

nine-darter here a couple of years ago, lost to Christian Kist in the

quarter-final. Christian the eventualal Champion, almost on the

wrong end of a nine-darter, Alan missing a dart at double 12 for

that. He has certainly had some moments. It's good to see him

playing with such fantastic consistency. He will be feeling that

he is doing himself justice this week so far, with some excellent

darts. Treble 14 would leave tops. Just the

wrong side of the wire. This would be a decent time to do it.

Double top, for Alan. To level up this set. Beautifully done. Nine

darts out of 17. That makes it one a piece, Norris with the 2-1

advantage, remember, in sets. That's great consistency around the

doubles. In the first match he had against Waites, further improvement

from what was a pretty impressive return anyway.

Anybody clocks at that sort of checkout rate, assuming they are

scoring decently, makes them mighty hard to beat.

Superb darts again. More underlining the checkout statistics from Norris,

really good. 50% overall for the tournament, Jim. Will this be number

nine? Yes, it is. Anything you can do.

REFEREE: 180. I can do better. No check out for Durrant. There is one

for Norris. Really important he gets a decent score here. It's not

coming. That is an important last dart. Norris can hurt him there.

Excellent first dart. Bull's-eye. For a 127, against the darts,

brilliant finish from Alan Norris! APPLAUSE

122 is impressive in the second set, now a 127, and even he... Back

down-to-earth, composes himself, looks to build on it, and does so

beautifully, and with a second. Oh, wonderful! Maximum number seven for

Norris. APPLAUSE.

We are going to get 11 day, you know. Not this time, though.

Just a reaction to this support. Just waited half a second before

going to take the dart out of the bull and pursed his lips. Always

that little bit of special reaction, isn't it, with a bull's-eye

checkout? One thing which is very evident

tonight, also evident in that match, Chuck is really enjoying it.

He's had as injuries which should not help last at all. With the

defeat to Wesley Harms, he didn't use it as an excuse but he was

having shoulder problems. Three of those now, and he's really relishing

what's happening here. He lost his interest, to an extent. We just lost

his momentum. Lost his sparkle for the game, Alan Norris, and it seems

to be back and there is now could put him 3-1 ahead, and that would

look very good. Tops now. Oh, yes! He takes the set 3-1 and he is 3-1

ahead. Only one more needed. STUDIO: There were no surprises,

one-way traffic in the third set as he banged out three legs in a row.

An average of 93.85. He is through to the quarterfinals. Norris, after

his win was speaking to Rob Walker. It's been a long time for you to

wait since that last win against Scott Waites, and you are into the

quarterfinals again. Yes, it's been a funny old week. First the lights

go out, and then, yeah, another Yorkshireman goes out. Late, the

first game. Just got to keep your head on. Stick to the plan, practice

every day. Get up there and do your stuff. In the past, people perhaps

have underestimated your ability and your personality on the big stage.

But they are not doing that any more. Well, to be honest, a lot of

my friends say you have got the talent but maybe sometimes you are

too nice. I'm the Bombay bad by the sweet, so keep it going. Do you

really feel you can do something very, very special this week? Does

this feel different to previous years at Lakeside for you? I've had

a lot of experience here before and I've changed a few things around

this year. Yet, why not, you know? It's time. Just keep it going.

There's another three or four points in the average at least on this type

of format, so let's get it on. You have got to be in it to win it and

you are still going so best of luck in the quarters. Thank you. He will

be getting it on the winner this game the quarterfinals. James Wilson

sparkling in a first round took on Scott Mitchell, who then took out

this to make it 2-2. In the first four sets, they spread them but then

he turned the screw and on the final 2000 and dropped only one leg, and

average of 92.5, and Wilson goes through to the quarters.

In fact, let's bring you up to date with where we are in the men's draw

at the moment. Tony Eccles would not give up over

Wesley Harms and one seventh set and will take on Robbie Green. He has

got the On BBC Two from 1pm tomorrow with

Bobby George, we will take care of the outstanding round to matches. We

have the guy from Belgium against a man from the Netherlands, Jan

Dekker, that is too close to call. And Scotland against England. Ross

Montgomery against Martin Adams. Martin has really found his form. He

will be favourite. We already know our first quarter-final. Wilson

against Norris. They will have to wait a couple of days before they

play that. Round one of the women's championship and an impressive

performance from Armstrong, who had a 75% checkout percentage. She will

now face Hedman, averaging over 80 in the quarters. Coming up next is

Darts Extra with Rob Walker, it has been quite the day, so we need room

for extended highlights. We will be back tomorrow. The culmination of

the second round. Then tomorrow evening, the quarter-finals of the

men's. Today belonged to Stephen Bunting, who entered 100 club.