Tag: Tennis

Fallon Sherrock makes costly error in defeat as Luke Humphries surges through in style; the World Darts Championship runs all the way until the final on January 3, 2024 – we’re back on Monday at 7pm, live on Sky Sports Darts

Fallon Sherrock suffered a gut-wrenching opening round defeat at the World Darts Championship as red-hot Luke Humphries looked cool as a cucumber as he progressed in style on the Alexandra Palace stage.

Sherrock’s opponent Jermaine Wattimena won nine out of the last 12 legs to send ‘The Queen of the Palace’ crashing out in the first round.

Humphries, who has been on an incredible run of form which has seen him win three televised titles in two months at the World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship Finals, defeated Lee Evans in straight sets.

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Sherrock was delighted after winning the first set against Wattimena

Sherrock made a dream start by edging the opening set in a deciding leg with a cool 50 finish in two darts having levelled up the set at 2-2 with an 80 checkout on tops.

The Dutchman recovered well to seal the second set 3-1 and restore parity much to the annoyance of Sherrock, who missed two darts at tops which would have sent it into a deciding leg.

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It was agony for Sherrock who made a costly error at a crucial moment of her clash against Wattimena

Wattimena soon silenced the rowdy Ally Pally crowd when he blasted his way through the third set without reply to move ahead.

Sherrock’s hopes were ended when she bust when aiming for double 8 with Wattimena sinking a magnificent 110 checkout to level the fourth set at 2-2. He sank double 5 in the deciding leg to claim victory.

“Obviously, I’m gutted with the result,” said Sherrock. “I had spells when I played well tonight but I missed chances at key moments and they cost me.

“Full credit to Jermaine, he was the better player on the night and he punished me when I missed chances.

“The Ally Pally stage is a special place for me and I will be back to hopefully make more positive memories here in the future.”

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Wattimena ended Sherrock’s hopes when he nailed double 5 to claim a fine win

Three-time quarter-finalist Humphries bossed the opening set of his match against Lee Evans, who hit back with the first 170 checkout of the tournament to narrow the gap in set two before the tournament favourite won the deciding leg to stretch his advantage.

Evans pinned a whopping 116 finish to take a 2-0 lead in the third set but he was punished for a total of 19 missed doubles with ‘Cool Hand Luke’ making it through thanks to a neat 70 checkout on double 16.

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Humphries admitted he wasn’t at his best during his win over Evans

“I was not at my best today, the most important thing for me is it felt good,” said the 28-year-old Newbury thrower. “I said in my previous interviews, just get through the first game, it’s always the toughest.

“There will be nothing in that game where I look back and say I’m disappointed in myself because I won the game 3-0 and that’s what I wanted.

“The next game will be tough but I feel I will be a lot lot better than that.

“It’s hard not to get frustrated but this is darts. You can’t always be fantastic and that’s the way it is.”

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Evans reeled in ‘The Big Fish’ during his second round match against Humphries

Dutchman Niels Zonneveld halted ‘The Demolition man’ Darren Webster’s revival to land his very first victory on the World Championship stage.

After easing through the opening two sets, Norfolk ace Webster bounced back by edging the third set in a decider to keep his hopes alive despite 16 missed darts at doubles and an 84 average.

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Niels Zonneveld eventually got over the line against Darren Webster, despite EIGHT missed match darts

However, ‘Triple Z’, who reached the quarter-finals of the 2021 World Series of Darts, booked his spot in the second round against former European Champion Ross Smith thanks to his ninth match dart.

In the opening match of the night, Florian Hempel recovered from a set down to defeat Ireland’s Dylan Slevin 3-1 with five 180s along the way.

Young Irishman Slevin piled in a 167 but former handball star Hempel showed all his experience to make a winning start to his campaign.

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Dylan Slevin hit this sensational 167 checkout during his first round defeat at the Worlds

The German will now renew his rivalry with Dimitri Van den Bergh in a fascinating second round tie on Friday, two years after shocking the Belgian.

‘The Rockstar’ lays down marker in afternoon session

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Joe Cullen was happy with his victory over Darren Penhall

Joe Cullen raced into the third round after easing to a straight-sets victory over Darren Penhall on Sunday afternoon.

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Cullen smashed in this 160 checkout against Penhall

Cullen fired a 93.41 average and posted six maximums during a comfortable 3-0 win over Penhall, with a 160 checkout also helping set up a last-32 meeting with Ryan Searle, Ian White or Tomoya Goto.

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‘Rapid’ Ricky Evans summons the spirit of Christmas for his walk-on against Simon Adams

Ricky Evans brushed aside Simon Adams in straight sets earlier in the session to book a second-round clash with Nathan Aspinall, while Wales’ Jim Williams didn’t drop a leg on his way to defeating qualifier Norman Madhoo by the same scoreline.

The contest of the session came when ‘Ginja Ninja’ Matt Campbell battled back from squandering five match darts in the third set and a two-set lead to defeat Lourence Ilagan in a final-set decider.

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Matt Campbell missed the chance to finish the match before Lourence Ilagan hits tops-tops to win the set

What’s happening on Monday at the World Darts Championship?

Gerwyn Price will be aiming to land a second World title at Ally Pally

Welshman Gerwyn Price begins his bid to lift the Sid Waddell Trophy for a second time on Monday.

The night will also see World Youth Championship finalist Gian van Veen make his World Championship debut.

The sport’s biggest event sees 96 players compete for the Sid Waddell Trophy and £2.5m in prize money at Alexandra Palace. You can watch all the action live on our dedicated Sky Sports Darts channel.

Watch the World Darts Championship all the way until the final on January 3, 2024 – live on Sky Sports Darts. NOW Sports Month Membership: £21 a month for 6 months

Trent Alexander-Arnold fires a low effort just wide as Liverpool push for an opening goal against Manchester United.

Gary Anderson sinks 112 and 116 checkouts as ‘The Flying Scotsman’ demolishes Simon Whitlock for opening win; the World Darts Championship runs all the way until the final on January 3, 2024 – we’re back on Sunday afternoon at 12.30pm, live on Sky Sports Darts

Gary Anderson was back on the Alexandra Palace stage and in relentless form as the 52-year-old crushed Simon Whitlock to cruise through at the World Darts Championship on Saturday.

The two-time World Champion may currently be ranked 21 in the world but he has statistically played better than anyone on the PDC circuit this year.

The legendary Scot, who turns 53 on December 22, will enjoy his Christmas at home after racing through the opening set in 11, 14 and 18 darts with an average close to 105.

Anderson, watched on by tennis star Jamie Murray, then defied a 106 checkout from the Aussie to clinch set two 3-1 and double his lead with three 180s to his name.

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Anderson defeated Whitlock in the second round with this spectacular 116 checkout

He soon wrapped up a 3-0 with a classy 116 finish to end the contest with a neat 98.3 average and five 180s.

“The more I play, the more I get used to it, so fingers crossed. But I still want to be 35 again,” Anderson told Sky Sports.

The flashy Scott Williams left his form on the Tour behind him as he rolled his way past Japan’s former World Cup of Darts semi-finalist Haruki Muramatsu to reach the next round.

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Williams attempted a no-look 180, then followed it up with a 120 checkout in his first leg

‘Shaggy’ opening the match with a 120 checkout and even attempted a blind 180 on his way to claiming an edgy set but he swept his way through the second without reply.

Muramatsu claimed the third set to halve the deficit, but Williams sealed the deal when he nailed a show-stopping 127 on the bullseye to set up a clash against Danny Noppert on Thursday.

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Williams rounded off his win over Muramatsu this sensational 127 on the bull

Jamie Hughes finally tasted success at Ally Pally at the fifth time of asking to reach the second round with a 3-1 victory against David Cameron.

The Tipton ace known as ‘Yozza’ sealed the victory on double eight before showing plenty of emotion on the big stage as he set up a meeting with Krzysztof Ratajski of Poland.

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Jamie Hughes let out all his emotions after his first ever victory on the Ally Pally stage

Keane Barry missed a total of 26 darts at a double, while his Filipino opponent Reynaldo Rivera failed with 22 attempts, but it was the Irishman who pinned a Shanghai 120 checkout on his way to a slow-burner of a win and a clash against three-time champion Michael van Gerwen on Tuesday evening.

Chizzy makes winning start on Saturday afternoon

Dave Chisnall has struggled for form on the televised stage in 2023, but has picked up three European Tour titles as well as winning two Players Championship events

Dave Chisnall broke the heart of an emotional Cameron Menzies, who missed five darts to force a deciding set with the St Helens thrower eventually coming through a tricky second-round tie 3-1.

Former Lakeside Championship semi-finalist Menzies spent Friday morning plumbing before taking to the biggest stage in world darts to defeat Rusty-Jake Rodriguez in the opening round.

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Cameron Menzies couldn’t hide his emotion after losing to Dave Chisnall and exiting the World Darts Championship in the second round

And he made a good start but ‘Chizzy’ recovered from a set down to reel off three in a row and complete a fine victory over the Scot with six 180s along the way.

Earlier, Connor Scutt was the pick of the players involved in the first-round matches, returning a 95.97 average on his way to a 3-0 whitewash victory over Krzysztof Kciuk of Poland.

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Darren Penhall breezes the first two legs of the third set, taking out a 108 and 120 against Jules van Dongen

Darren Penhall provided some extravagant moments during his 3-1 victory over Jules van Dongen, taking out three ton-plus finishes, while Lee Evans overcame Sandro Eric Sosing 3-0 to book a second-round meeting with the in-form Luke Humphries.

What’s happening on Sunday at the World Darts Championship?

Fallon Sherrock makes her highly-anticipated return to Ally Pally. Can the ‘Queen of the Palace’ cause another seismic tungsten shock?

Luke Humphries – who has won three of the sport’s last four TV ranking titles – will headline the action when he takes on Lee Evans.

Former Masters champion Joe Cullen will also feature, while Fallon Sherrock goes head-to-head with quick-fire Dutchman Jermaine Wattimena on her Alexandra Palace return.

The sport’s biggest event sees 96 players compete for the Sid Waddell Trophy and £2.5m in prize money at Alexandra Palace. You can watch all the action live on our dedicated Sky Sports Darts channel.

Watch the World Darts Championship all the way until the final on January 3, 2024 – live on Sky Sports Darts. NOW Sports Month Membership: £21 a month for 6 months

Michael Smith survives opening-round scare to make it through at Ally Pally; the World Darts Championship runs all the way until the final on January 3, 2024 – we’re back on Saturday afternoon at 12.30pm, live on Sky Sports Darts

Reigning champion Michael Smith began his World Darts Championship title defence with victory but only after surviving a huge scare to defeat Dutch debutant Kevin Doets on opening night at Alexandra Palace.

Smith created global headlines with his sensational triumph in January, producing an incredible nine-darter in a leg dubbed ‘the greatest of all-time’ on his way to a 7-4 success against Michael van Gerwen.

The world No 1 was facing the prospect of becoming the first defending champion to lose their opening match in the sport’s showpiece event since 2009, before he fought back magnificently to keep his hopes alive.

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Michael Smith dug out this huge 142 in the final set to leave his opponent Kevin Doets shaking his head in disbelief

Doets, who reached the fifth round of this year’s UK Open after winning his PDC Tour Card for the first time in January 2022, dumped out Grand Slam of Darts quarter-finalist Stowe Buntz in the opening match of the tournament.

The world No 66 came into the meeting with St Helens star Smith on a high, but it was the reigning champion who made a strong start by sealing the opening set 3-1 with 60 per cent on the doubles.

The talented Dutchman responded by claiming the second set in a deciding leg against the darts for parity with a 100.3 average after Smith failed to hit tops to move clear of his opponent.

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Smith pinned this superb 150 during his 3-2 victory over the Dutchman

Doets, nicknamed ‘Hawk Eye’, continued to find the target and he despite a huge 150 checkout from Smith, he produced winning legs in 12, 14 and 13 darts to move within a set of causing a almighty upset.

However, Smith wrapped up set four 3-1, including a whopping 121 checkout to send the match all the way.

Smith landed a majestic 142 checkout under immense pressure to regain the lead in the decider and despite missing five darts at a double, he eventually claimed victory with a neat 67 finish on tops.

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Wayne Mardle heaped praise on Smith after his close opening win at Ally Pally

“It’s one of them, I managed to fall over the line, no nerves, no pressure, I’ll have a good Christmas now,” Smith told Sky Sports.

Simon Whitlock, the 2010 runner-up, missed five darts before winning a slow-burner of a contest against former PDC Asian Championship finalist Paolo Nebrida to set up a showdown with two-time champion Gary Anderson on Saturday evening.

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Paolo Nebrida found checkouts of 116 and 121 but eventually lost out to Simon Whitlock in a nervy contest

‘The Wizard’ was forced to dig deep to battle past Nebrida, using all of his experience to avoid a shock exit.

“I’ve just been messing around with my darts too much. I’ve been like Peter Wright,” Whitlock admitted.

And on facing Anderson next, he replied: “I’m a big 180 hitter and they weren’t there today, but tomorrow is a different day. Maybe they will turn, maybe I will turn up and me and Gary will have a great game.”

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Whitlock credited his experience for getting him through a razor-thin opening-round contest

Cameron Menzies came through a fiery encounter against Rusty-Jake Rodriguez to reach the second round.

The Scot, who is the partner of Fallon Sherrock, closed out a 3-0 success over Austria’s Rodriguez with four 180s and 50 per cent on the doubles to move through.

“I was so nervous today, because I knew that game meant a lot,” revealed Menzies, who prepared for his opening round clash with a plumbing shift this morning.

“Winning that game meant the world to me, and I think going to work today helped me relax, because it made me realise that darts is a hobby for me.

“Obviously I would like to be in a situation in the future where I can give up work, because I know in spells I can score as well as the best, but it’s still my finishing that separates the top ten from a player like me.”

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Rusty-Jake Rodriguez threw his darts off the table after going down two sets to Cameron Menzies

What’s happening on Saturday at the World Darts Championship?

Dave ‘Chizzy’ Chisnall headlines he action on Saturday afternoon at Alexandra Palace

The first double session at this year’s tournament will take place, as two-time world champion Gary Anderson opens his title challenge with a clash against Simon Whitlock.

Dave Chisnall, a 2021 semi-finalist, takes centre stage in the afternoon when he faces Cameron Menzies, while American No 1 Jules van Dongen makes his debut against DPA qualifier Darren Penhall.

The sport’s biggest event sees 96 players compete for the Sid Waddell Trophy and £2.5m in prize money at Alexandra Palace. You can watch all the action live on our dedicated Sky Sports Darts channel.

Watch the World Darts Championship all the way until the final on January 3, 2024 – live on Sky Sports Darts. NOW Sports Month Membership: £21 a month for 6 months

Gary Neville says if Dejan Kulusevski continues starring in the number 10 role for Tottenham Hotspur, he could end up being worth between £80 million and £100 million.

We take a look behind the scenes at what goes into preparing the World Darts Championship at the Alexandra Palace; The World Darts Championship runs from December 15, 2023 to January 3, 2024 – live on Sky Sports Darts

The calm before the storm – the final preparations are well under way at Alexandra Palace.

The seats are all set out, the fan area has beer and food aplenty, and the stage is looking as special as ever in luminous green.

The long green carpet to the fan area leads you into a mix of games, fun, and charity.

A chance to play darts against the best, food and drink galore, and most excitingly, your chance to recreate Wayne Mardle and Stuart Pyke’s iconic commentary from the 2023 final greet you in the space that will soon be packed out by thousands.

Come 5.30pm, when fans are all set with their pitchers of beer, they can head into the arena which is dominating in its proximity to the stage.

The rows of tables are all dutifully lined up and the flashing lights are ready to put on a show with the fans up close and personal with the players they have come to watch.

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Watch how Wayne Mardle and Stuart Pyke reacted to the sensational leg between Michael van Gerwen and Michael Smith in the World Championship final that culminated in a nine-darter for Bully Boy

The former winners adorn the walls in a constant reminder of how big this tournament is and the walk on area, although shorter in person, is as intimidating as ever – never mind when 1,000s of fans are watching on.

“Stand up if you love the darts” is the message that is on the walls alongside “it is the most wonderful time of the year” and for most who will visit the Ally Pally over the next six weeks, it is wonderful because of the darting show they will witness.

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We take a look inside the St Helen’s darts club that produced Michael Smith, Luke Littler and others to see how they inspire young players

Last year brought the greatest leg of darts ever seen, and now it is time to find out what from this tournament will live on in darting history…

Watch the World Darts Championship from December 15, 2023 to January 3, 2024 – live on Sky Sports Darts. Stream your favourite sports and more with NOW

West Indies 1st innings

Yet to bat

Fall of Wickets

• Kyle Mayers at 43 for 1, from 5.4 overs43-1 (Kyle Mayers, 5.4 ov)
• Nicholas Pooran at 48 for 2, from 6.3 overs48-2 (Nicholas Pooran, 6.3 ov)
• Shai Hope at 51 for 3, from 7.2 overs51-3 (Shai Hope, 7.2 ov)
• Shimron Hetmyer at 54 for 4, from 8.2 overs54-4 (Shimron Hetmyer, 8.2 ov)
• Rovman Powell at 134 for 5, from 15.6 overs134-5 (Rovman Powell, 15.6 ov)
• Andre Russell at 176 for 6, from 19.5 overs176-6 (Andre Russell, 19.5 ov)
• Jason Holder at 176 for 7, from 19.6 overs176-7 (Jason Holder, 19.6 ov)

Eddie Jones says he doesn’t feel guilty at all about his process of joining Japan after it was rumoured he was in talks with the Japanese Rugby Football Union while coaching Australia at the World Cup.

India Women 1st innings

Yet to bat

• Kaur
• Rodrigues
• Sharma
• Bhatia
• Rana
• Vastrakar
• Renuka Singh Thakur
• Gayakwad

Fall of Wickets

• Smriti Mandhana at 25 for 1, from 5.1 overs25-1 (Smriti Mandhana, 5.1 ov)

England’s Beau Greaves, 19, picks up her second consecutive WDF World Championship title, beating Dutch player Aileen de Graaf 4-1 in the final of a dominant tournament performance and success at Lakeside

Beau Greaves beat Aileen de Graaf 4-1 to clinch the second WDF World Championship title of her darting career at Lakeside.

Defending world champion Greaves produced one of the highest averages in the history of the Women’s World Championship as she beat Rhian O’Sullivan 3-0 in the semi-finals on Saturday, with the 19-year-old finishing on a 90.77 average, and it was much of the same from her in the final.

Greaves’ imperious form continued to take the first set of the final, winning successive legs in 17 and 18 darts to take it 3-1.

Greaves swept the second set 3-0 to double her lead going into the break, before also winning the third set despite De Graaf breaking Greaves’ throw to get one on the board – the latter instead took it it 3-2 to move within three legs of a second World Championship title.

De Graaf then won three legs on the spin to take the fourth set – the first Greaves dropped all tournament – and force the final past the second break. Yet, Greaves showed her class to comfortably close out the match 3-0 in the fifth set.

Greaves’ run to the trophy

Round 2 – Beau Greaves 2-0 Lorraine Hyde

Quarter-final – Beau Greaves 2-0 Paula Murphy

Semi-final – Beau Greaves 3-0 Rhian O’Sullivan

Final – Beau Greaves 4-1 Aileen de Graaf

The Vitality Roses welcome South Africa in their first home series since winning a Netball World Cup silver medal this summer; the three-match tournament concludes on Sunday December 10 at 1.45pm, live on Sky Sports Mix and YouTube

Watch England take on South Africa in the third game of their three-match Vitality Netball International Series via our free live stream.

The Vitality Roses welcome South Africa in their first home series since winning a Netball World Cup silver medal this summer. The three-match tournament started in Manchester, as England won Game 1 before South Africa sent the series to a decider by winning Game 2.

Watch the Game 3 deciding clash by clicking play on the video at the top of this page – live coverage gets under way from 1.45pm.

You can watch England take on South Africa in their home series between December 5-10, live on Sky Sports. Stream the netball and more with NOW.

India Women 1st innings

Yet to bat

• Vastrakar
• Patil
• Sadhu
• Renuka Singh Thakur
• Ishaque

Fall of Wickets

• Shafali Verma at 0 for 1, from 0.2 overs0-1 (Shafali Verma, 0.2 ov)
• Smriti Mandhana at 17 for 2, from 3.2 overs17-2 (Smriti Mandhana, 3.2 ov)
• Harmanpreet Kaur at 28 for 3, from 4.5 overs28-3 (Harmanpreet Kaur, 4.5 ov)
• Deepti Sharma at 29 for 4, from 5.2 overs29-4 (Deepti Sharma, 5.2 ov)