Day 6 Darts: World Championships - Highlights

Good evening from the Lakeside. Another day of memories here. We saw

the men and the women get underway in the quarterfinals. Our afternoon

session live on BBC Two tied up the men's second round. Jan Dekker was

consistent at best but he took enough doubles allowed to see out

Geert De Vos to get through to the quarterfinals. Jan Dekker will be

taken on the winner of the second game this afternoon. Martin Adams

finding form and he just did enough against Ross Montgomery who had real

problems with his doubles so it was England who beat Scotland. The other

quarterfinal in the bottom half of the men's troll, which you can see

tomorrow evening, is James Wilson, the highest ranked player in this

part of the draw, against Alan Norris. Tonight, you are going to

see highlights from both these games. Stephen Bunting against the

Dutchman who did not even get to complete his last 16 encounter after

an injury to Martin Atkins. But first it is Tony Eccles who has

already said it will be his last Lakeside. He faces Robbie Green who

has been bullish and in patches brilliant so far this week. Green

had the best of the opening session. We join it in the fifth.

You can never really tell, can you? But that double 16 really did feel

big. It felt like it could have been a turning point. Robbie was so far

ahead in the leg. A little bit of bad luck with the balance out. He

missed the big 20 to give himself a chance. All of a sudden, Tony was

looking at double 16 to win the leg against the darts. If he had, my

goodness, but he did not. Those are the legs of darts you feel are

crucial. It has not happened very often in this match. We have had 21

legs and they have only been four when both players have had shots at

doubles. That was one of them. Tony missing a crucial dart on what could

be a crucial dart at double 16. Robbie fills it up again. Number

nine of the match for him. That was almost perfect but just a bit too

high. Robbie followed the 165 with a perfect 180. He will stay there

now. Bullseye, he needs. What a way to do it! What a finish from Robbie

Green! Is there any coming back from that? Tony Eccles shows that he is

made of steel. The most remarkable thing about Tony

Eccles's 122 was the context of that check-out and that was another big

one for Robbie Green. A 125 check-out in brilliant fashion. And

it won him the set. Bull, 25, bull. Never a man who betrays his

emotions, but even he had a self-satisfied nod at the way he

finished that off. And still the scoring is so impressive. He is into

double figures in this game itself for maximums. Tony can't quite find

his feet. My goodness. Treble 17 and Bull. Surely not.

Surely not. Treble 18. Leaves the bullseye Faure 164. -- for a. This

is darts from a different planet! Just wind this back in ten minutes

time to make sure we have seen this right. 130, 125, 164 in the space of

five legs for Robbie Green. He has never reached the semifinal but this

performance is certainly worthy at the top table of the last four at

the World Championships. It has been magnificent. 67% finishing.

Magnificent. And how big those that missed double 16 from Tony Eccles

feel now? It was to move to -1 ahead in the fifth set. Since then, Robbie

has calmly taken out 125 and 164, the second highest of the week,

check-out that is. Treble 17. Bullseye! So close. You are just

expecting him to hit. That would have been a third

successive leg where he had won it with a bull. As it is, a mere 25.

44. That felt a little bit rushed. Just

a tiny bit. Can Tony take advantage? Treble 20.

Double 1. We have not seen this. The finishing line is getting closer and

the doubles are getting smaller. Tony Eccles needed that. He gets it.

Robbie Green had missed six starts at doubles in the leg. He had only

missed seven darts at doubles in the first five sets.

Robbie had matched darts -- match darts.

REFEREE: 180! REFEREE: 180!

Both players trading huge scores. This is five darts in a row.

REFEREE: 180! And that is six! He has the chance

of immortality. Some people can't watch. It felt like he was going to

do it. The place was bouncing. Absolutely bouncing. Willing him on.

?52,000, it would have been worth. He does not want to lose this leg,

having missed darts at a double to take a 2-0 lead in this set. And

there is some pressure from Tony Eccles. He is such a fighter. Double

10 to break back. He has missed more darts at a double.

There is the 17. Surely he would miss. Double 10. -- will not miss.

Robbie has another chance. It is all right. It is just a game of darts.

He has missed his last 11 darts at doubles now, Robbie Green. One more

shot. And he has missed a game. And now Tony Eccles looks at double 10.

Double 5. He has gone bust. Robbie Green. 14 missed darts to move a leg

away from the semifinals. He was playing so well.

But this is what pressure does. Finally! Having finished so well

throughout the match, he starts to wobble. Will that be his only

wobble? And now he is in a position where he has got the darts in his

hand for the match. That final in the Masters in 2009, he missed a

match dart in that for a win against Martin Adams and he lost. Tony

Eccles has shown his resilience in the past. He has got to win the next

two legs to stay alive. Remember, he has said he is going to retire after

this tournament. This could be the last leg of his professional career.

I wonder what is in that phone. Please let it end. It is always

harder when you can't do anything about it. Please let him have a 122

check-out, that is what she will have text.

It is not over yet. 67 points. In fact, Tony has got the darts back,

just about. That treble absolutely crucial. He is on no finish. 162 is

one of those bogey numbers. And Tony Eccles is coiled and ready to

pounce. On 62. To break again. For the match. A great first dart.

It is double 16. Another match dart goes begging.

Double 16 four Tony Eccles. He has got to hit it. He has hated! He

takes this set into a deciding fifth leg. He is a man who never knows

when he is beaten. Wesley Harms was on 40 but did not

get a dart at it in the previous round. Tony took out a big one.

Robbie did get a match dart here. But he missed it. And that is a huge

106 check-out. Where is Robbie scoring? Verities.

-- there it is. He came back from 2-1 and 3-2 down to beat Wesley

Harms 4-3. Surely he cannot come down from 4-1 to take out the number

four seed? Giving himself an outstanding of taking this set.

One step at a time for Tony Eccles is the only way he can go.

Funny how being on the brink of defeat frees up the arm. And being

on the brink of victory makes it almost impossible to release the

dark. -- the dart. No pressure, well, not much. Yes.

A series of big out shots from green but he could not get the job done.

And they split the first two legs of the first set. And that is where we

rejoin the action. Three legs left, potentially in this

set. Tony Eccles has to break the Green throw.

Eccles has to break dream once. Eccles then needs to hold again all

the way through, taking us to eight thrilling ninth set.

But it is only going to take one moment of inspiration from Eccles

and you never know, this game could completely change.

It doesn't look as though that inspiration is likely to come in

this leg. Robbie has hit 164 already in this match. This time, he does

not really need it. Tony is nowhere. Robbie is a leg

away. He is on 41. Having hit the treble.

Tony, just accessing what he needs. He's going to go for it. And he gets

it. Double 16 for Robbie Green. Tension rising. The heat is on. Here

is the chance for Eccles. He needs to break.

Massive darts! At one stage, Robbie Green missed 14 darts in a row, to

move to within a leg, and then he had one dart for a place in the

semifinals, which he missed. Does he go for the double 13? 5444.

-- five four 44. Yes! At the ninth attempt. He is

finishing early in the game with sensational form. But when it looked

as though he could do no wrong, he has frozen as the finishing line

approaches. We say he missed one match dart but

he only had the chance to miss one. I wonder how many more would or

could have been missed in the deciding leg.

He has been able to manoeuvre his way to within one leg of the match.

Eccles has had two tonne 40s. He tried to GE himself up before this

visits to the oche. He is not on the finish. Tony Wilby -- will be.

This is for a place in the semifinals.

Two more match darts nest. Monumental. -- missed.

And the finishing line is in sight again. He gees himself up.

He has missed three more. The missed count rises to six. Tony has a

chance at 44 to level the set. This is absolutely extraordinary. 22

to stay alive for Eccles. It was a leg that he had to win. And Robbie

will throw first. I think Tony thought he had broken their but he

had not. Well, well, well. How are you

feeling, Robbie? Still scoring OK. That is a solid

start. He has the darts in this leg. But those darts, those match darts

will be weighing very heavy on his mind. I wonder if that match against

Martin Adams has gone through his mind. Five years ago. He missed a

match dart for a 73 when in the Masters. -- 7-3 win. He lost the

game and the tension was palpable. It is tropical. The heat is rising.

As his scoring, and it is still holding up, he will be thinking that

it is all about this double. And that is big pressure from Tony

Eccles. Brilliant. 171. This is just

fantastic from both players. But here comes the finishing line.

And Robbie is their first again. He darts for the match. But this time

he finds the double! That is sheer relief on the face of Robbie Green.

He threw some stunning stuff all match. He limped over the line but

the Kong who would be King is two games away from a coronation. Tony

Eccles, credit to him for playing his part in a superb match. What a

match. But Robbie Green is through to the semifinals.

Congratulations, Robbie, through to your first Lakeside semifinal. But

some heart stopping moments there. I've made it difficult to myself but

to be fair, Tony played well on the comeback. I think got caught up in

what he was doing instead of concentrating on myself. That double

seemed to close in very small! How difficult is it to keep your

composure when you have played so well in patches during the match and

then you just cannot hit the critical finish for love nor money?

It is really annoying. That is where the mindset comes in. You have to

keep believing that you are going to hit it. One left the 36, I knew I

was going to nail it. My daughter's birthday is on the 18th and whenever

I say to, give me a double, she always shouts, double 18. In one of

the other matches, I pointed straight at her after a hit the

double 18. That one was for her as well. It was obviously meant to be.

You have made such great progress every year you have come here. What

does it mean to be now down to the last four. Everything. You cannot

put into words. They are such great players, that have stood on those

stage -- that stage. To be amongst them, it is nice to be in the semis

but I have to look further than that. I have to win the semifinal

otherwise it counts for nothing. Two matches to go, very well done. One

match to go. I have to win the next game and that will be a tough one. I

have a feeling you it will be but it is going to be a good Liverpool

ding-dong. Well done tonight. Don't get a head of yourself yet, Robbie.

He is in uncharted territory and the get a head of yourself yet, Robbie.

He is in same could be said for the man he has just witnessed --

referenced, the massive favourites to go through against Rick Hofstra.

But they split the first session, taking two set each. Then Stephen

Bunting fine form in the fifth and it is one leg all in the sixth and

that is where we find the action. Beaten by Robbie Green in the last

32 of the world Masters. You have to go back to January for a German Gold

cup victory. He has just been put under pressure now. Trading

maximums. Bunting with his eighth and Hough struck with his sixth. The

tournaments with its 200th. If you have come from New Zealand to lose

your first round match, having won your preliminary, it is pretty good

in the crowd. Only dart number six that stopped perfection there. There

he is, all the way from Auckland. He has had fun.

Jan Dekker enjoying the fact that tension is on other people.

He will fancy his chances here, Rick Hofstra, not least because Stephen

Bunting has not hit anything like this during the tournament. This is

to hold the throw. He did miss a couple in the last leg. They dent

the confidence. There is another one gone. And another one. He needs

this. And gets it. There you go, he says. That is what

I can do. REFEREE: 180!

But that is what I can do, says Stephen Bunting. 9-6 he leads in

terms of maximums in this game. 97 and 180 in this leg for Stephen

Bunting. A cursory glance at the scoreboard. On a finish.

Again, in a position just to set things up for himself. 76 left.

It is looking for all the world at the moment as if we are going to go

into a crucial, decisive leg. The pressure will really be on Rick

Hofstra. But Stephen Bunting has got to finish this. Double top! He sped

up. He really sped up. Bullseye. Now for the treble 20.

He has missed 40 doubles, almost half of them set darts. But if

Stephen Bunting can break here, he will fancy his chances of romping

away. But Rick Hofstra under pressure has started with a 140.

Still struggling at the top, Stephen Bunting. He has only headed into

attempts out of 14 in this match so far. Not a single set really where

his finishing has been exceptional. Another 144 Rick Hofstra in a leg

that is crucial. Only one leg separating the two men at the

moment. 140 and 140s mighty impressive.

That is pretty good too. A finish of 152 -- 125. Can Bunting claw himself

to a finish? You bet! The pressure on 125. Rick Hofstra. He just

adjusts. He needed the treble for a finish. He has 64 left. Stephen's

first big check-out of the tournament but it is not going to

happen. 64-64. Rick Hofstra with the first crack at it. He missed double

16. That was really wild. He missed it the wrong side of the double.

Surely now, surely now the Bullet has found his way into the

semifinals. The Bullet is hot and it looks as

though things are pretty black and white. Three sets left. Rick Hofstra

has got to win them all. That makes it sound as if he has imploded. But

it has been nicknamed to -- nip and tuck all the way. Going through

Rick's mind now, what happened when he was on 64. Did he just change his

mind made through there? -- made throw. -- made. I wonder if he aimed

at single eight, changed his mind, literally, made throw.

-- during the throw. Maybe he overcompensated under pressure.

Either way, a big moment in this match. Steven already on a finish of

74. -- Stephen Bunting. This would take him within two legs of a place

in the semifinals. He is firing now on all cylinders. Not a vintage

performance from Stephen Bunting but the finishing line is approaching.

It is only the third time he has hit double top all match.

He arrived at the Lakeside saying things are looking bubbly for the

Bullet, but back to the practice board. 16 out of 56. 29% is simply

not good enough. That is not championship winning form. If he had

a bit of an order about him before this match, he has lost it. Even if

he does go on to win 5-2. It is easy to build up an aura when he retained

his world Masters title without dropping a single set all the way

through. That is not bad, is it? It is easy to build up that kind of

aura if you can do that. REFEREE: 180!

Looking ominous now for Rick Hofstra. Part of a big Dutch

contingent. It will be swelled over the next couple of months.

Just going back to his aura, they take awhile to create but very quick

to dissipate. Just ask Manchester United.

A little nod of self appreciation. 158 here for Stephen Bunting. The

biggest finish of the tournament by a street for Stephen Bunting! It

moves him within a leg of his first ever World Championship semifinal. A

magnificent 158 against the throw. He is nearly there.

The finishing line very much in focus for Stephen Bunting. Has Rick

Hofstra got any fight left in him, having seen Stephen Bunting take out

158? That would break the hearts of lesser men. ?7 out in this game --

seven pounds -- seven times the darts have not stayed in the board.

Wesley Harms is one for watching the DVDs and analysing way things went

wrong. It looks pretty clear for Rick Hofstra. Only one leg of darts

he needs to watch. The last one of set number four. He missed set

darts, lost the leg, and instead of being 3-1 at the break, it was

level. From that point, it very rapidly went south.

REFEREE: 180! He is on his way now. Isn't it

extraordinary that a match can turn on to missed darts. Stephen Bunting

has missed 19 set darts. Rick Hofstra has missed just two. This is

for the match. He missed the big 14 there. Well,

well, well. He has got to take 97 out, no two

ways about it. This is massive. Treble 8 team. Some way away, truth

be told. This is it for Stephen Bunting. The man long seen as a

world champion elect. He has never got past the quarterfinals until

now! He wins five - two. Rick Hofstra looks stunned. Stephen

Bunting elated. He makes his first World Championship semifinal. A

thrilling victory that was closer than the scoreline suggests. And the

Bullet marches on. Were you concerned in the early

stages? Definitely. A lost the darts in my two other games and won the

first set. When a lost the first set, I was under a bit of pressure

but I'm managed to get through. It was great composure, that he did not

start to panic in that situation, especially with the prize of your

first Lakeside semifinal hovering. There was definitely a tiny bit of

panic. I was really nervous tonight, I don't know why. Obviously, I was

on in the afternoon and then this evening, so there has been a bit of

preparation difference, but I got the win, so that is all that

matters. And Robbie Green in the semifinal. Did you catch his water

final? Of course edit, there is good to be some space in the final, a

scarcer in the final, it will be really good for either one of us. It

is going to be a real ding-dong. You have earned it. Enjoy it and

congratulations. Thank you. And all Scouts a fair in one of our men's

semifinals, but earlier today we saw some amazing darts in the ladies

draw. Aileen de Graaf won her first set with an average north of 91. But

Lisa Ashton came back to win it in a sudden-death leg. A real thriller.

Appreciated at the Lakeside crowd. Let's look at the ladies draw.

Fallon Sherrock, the 19-year-old against the defending champion,

Anastasia Dobromyslova. I do not want to miss that tomorrow evening.

We will also see the conqueror of Trina Gulliver, Tamara Schuur, going

up against a Lisa Ashton. The other half of the draw tonight, Irina

Armstrong, whose chequered percentages has been great. And it

is Julie Gore, finally winning the league side in the quarterfinal

against Ann-Louise Peters. And here is what happened. It was the Danish

girl who brought the bacon home. Louise Peters, a fairly easy day at

the office. And Peter Hedman, the number one

seed, but too often a bridesmaid at the Lakes might -- Lakeside, eight

to two nil win. -- a two nil win. An interesting evening to say the

least. We are left with six in the menstrual and six in the ladies

least. We are left with six in the menstrual and draw. We will get that

down to four tomorrow with two more finals for the ladies and the men.

That will be from 5:30pm tomorrow evening. We will see James Wilson

taking on Alan Norris, the closest of the quarterfinal draws. And as we

know from the second round, we will see Martin Adams against Jan Dekker.

But will the experience show through? Up next, we have darts

Ekstrand tomorrow afternoon, it is just me and Bobby, looking back at

the tournaments of all. Good night. -- of the tournament so far.