Women’s Team

After a shaky start against India, in which the first six legs were shared, the USA team relaxed, and won comfortably with only one further loss.  This was followed by a superb 9-1 victory over Romania.  With the USA  and Sweden (also undefeated) already guaranteed places in the knockout stages, these two nations battled it out to decide the group placings.  Despite a small hiccup when nearing the finish line, the USA held on to win 9-4, and emerge as Group Winners.

In the Top 16, they faced Italy.  After five legs, the Italians had still to get on the board, but after getting a couple of legs behind them, it soon became a different game.  A swing in the confidence levels of the two teams (plus  missed doubles) left us struggling to keep our opponents at bay.  Before we knew it, we were just two legs in front at 8-6, but up stepped Cali West to produce some well-timed tons, and we had secured a place in the Quarter-Finals.

England started the match strongly, and roared into a 6-0 lead.  However, a mid-match rally closed the gap to 8-4, before the English were able to grab a semi-final spot.  Yet again, it was missed doubles that did the damage, but we gave it everything we had.

Group 2 / Knockout
USA 9 – 4 India
USA 9 – 1 Romania
USA 9 – 4 Sweden
USA 9 – 6 Italy
USA 4 – 9 England

Men’s Singles

Sadly, Joe Huffman and Jerry Van Loan were early casualties, with Huffman unable to build on a superb first leg.  Van Loan, meanwhile, took David Concannon to a tie-breaker.  Van Loan won the cork, and started with a couple of tons, but the Irishman’s response of 180, 140 gave him the first – and decisive – shot at the double.

Tom Sawyer faced another of the Irish team who put us out of the team event last night – Benny Grace – and exacted revenge in a tight six-legger.  He followed with a 4-1 win against Greece’s Stavros Manasis.

The Bostonian then took on World #1 and reigning World Master, Glen Durrant in the Top 32.  At 2-2, a sweet checkout from 101 put Sawyer one leg from a famous win.  With the throw, a brilliant 13-darter (140, 81, 100, 140, 40) sealed victory!

Unfortunately, Sawyer’s run came to an end at Top 16, slipping to a 4-2 loss against Lithuania’s Darius Labanauskas.  It wasn’t that the American did anything wrong – other than missing a shot at 52, which allowed Labanauskas the opportunity to open up a 2-0 lead.  Sawyer bounced back to level at 2-2, before a nice 12-darter (with a 136 out) gave his opponent the advantage.  It took only one more leg – and a 104 checkout – to end Sawyer’s run.

Larry Butler had a tough opener against Finland’s Asko Niskala, but dropped just a solitary leg, and then followed with a speedy 4-0 triumph against Gibraltar’s Takahashi Shimidzu.  Raul Invernon was Butler’s Top 32 opponent, and the final scoreline of 4-0 does the Catalonian little justice.  In an extremely high-scoring contest, the World Masters runner-up held his nerve to hit the crucial doubles.

Doubles again proved vital next time out, against Wesley Harms.  With Sawyer having beaten the reigning World Master, Butler could claim another scalp for the US by seeing off the challenge of the reigning World Cup Singles Champion.  After three legs, Butler was ahead 2-1.  Harms – who had earlier recorded a perfect 9-darter – started the fourth with three 140’s.  The current US #1 stayed with him though, and when the Dutchman could take out the 81, Butler stepped up and brilliantly finished the required 118!  Now in total control, Butler kept his cool, and wrapped it up by a score of 4 legs to 1.

So, Butler faced Scotland’s Ross Montgomery in the Quarter-Final, and the line-up for the quarters had a decidedly odd look about it; unusually, the Top 8 field included eight different nations!  What’s more, those eight nations did not include England or the Netherlands.

Anyway, back to the US and Scotland…

Throwing first, Montgomery posted a swift 14-darter (140, 81, 100, 100, T20, D10).  He needed to, because after a mediocre 41, Butler threw three 140’s to leave tops after 12.  The American replied with an even swifter 13 (100, 134, 180, 55, D16) to make it 1-1.  Butler had the chance to break the Scot in the third, just missing a shot at 123.  What really hurt, though, was that he had three more at 25, and failed to put it away.  The first three had all gone with the darts, so no real damage done…

One leg on, and the sequence continued, as it did in the fifth leg.  Still a leg down, Butler then produced the best leg of the match; a fine 12-darter with a 121 finish.  Unfortunately, he couldn’t repeat that feat in the seventh, so Montgomery was again one leg to the good.  Throwing to stay in the match, Butler started the leg with six good darts, but Montgomery was destined to finish the leg with six good darts (140, 74 out), and the last American was out of the Men’s Singles.  Not that it was any consolation, but Butler had the greatly superior match average…

Group 1A
Tom Sawyer 4 – 2 Benny Grace (IRE)
Tom Sawyer 4 – 1 Stavros Manasis (GRE)
Tom Sawyer 4 – 2 Glen Durrant (ENG)
Tom Sawyer 2 – 4 Darius Labanauskas (LIT)

Group 2B
Joe Huffman 1 – 4 Zoltan Mester (HUN)

Group 3B
Jerry Van Loan 3 – 4 David Concannon (IRE)

Group 4B
Larry Butler 4 – 1 Asko Niskala (FIN)
Larry Butler 4 – 0 Takahashi Shimidzu (GIB)
Larry Butler 4 – 0 Raul Invernon (CAT)
Larry Butler 4 – 1 Wesley Harms (NL)
Larry Butler 3 – 5 Ross Montgomery (SCO)

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