Wolverhampton is to play host to one of a handful of UK darts world ranking events in 2017, with an expected prize pot of several thousand pounds.
Organisers have awarded the competition to WICS (Wolverhampton Indoor Community Sports) after a series of successful events at the popular venue, culminating in this year’s Wolverhampton Open and a British Disabled Darts Association tournament.
Next year’s Winmau BDO ranking event will attract the UK’s top darts professionals, along with West Midlands amateurs hoping to win prize money. It will be staged over two days, Saturday and Sunday, July 15 and16.
WICS manager Dharam Jagpal commented: “This will be our most prestigious darts event to date and we’re hoping to bring forward our plans for the new Winmau Darts Centre, currently being designed as part of a major update of the whole WICS complex”.
The Wolverhampton Indoor Community Sports Arena is in Racecourse Road, Wolverhampton WV6 0QU. Further information on 01902 420827, www.wics.org.uk and info@wics.org.uk
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Congratulations to Mick Baker who has retained his Winmau Centre Thursday Night Champions League title together with the £300 league prize money and another twelve months sponsorship deal from Winmau. Baker who had rearranged fixtures to play caught up and ended the season from a field of 22 players with 22 wins from 24 games and a total of 224 points to overtake Louis Burley who has topped the table for a good part of the season, Burley ending the campaign with 217 points seven short of Baker but collecting a nice pre Christmas pot of £250. Another former leader Kevin Harris finished third with 214 points and picked up £200. There was top prize money paid out from first to last as Rhys Langford, who finished at the bottom of the table picked up £40.
Throughout the season there were 924 games which included 6,468 legs,
With the season now completed plans are already in place for the fourth season which will get underway in January at the Winmau Darts Centre in the Wolverhampton Indoor Community Sports Stadium, Racecourse Road, WV6 0QU.
With a limited entry confirm your interest now at www.wics.org.uk or for further information contact the centre on 01902-420827.
Who will be the player to stop Mick Baker making it three in a row? Could it be you? Are you good enough? Why not sign up and find out.
| Final Table | |||||||
| P | W | L | F | A | Pts | Prize | |
| Mick Baker | 42 | 40 | 2 | 224 | 70 | 224 | 300 |
| Louis Burley | 42 | 37 | 5 | 217 | 77 | 217 | 250 |
| Kevin Harris | 42 | 33 | 9 | 214 | 80 | 214 | 200 |
| Jay Hough | 42 | 34 | 8 | 203 | 91 | 203 | 150 |
| Paul Boddison | 42 | 30 | 12 | 191 | 103 | 191 | 100 |
| Les Marson | 42 | 28 | 14 | 188 | 106 | 188 | 100 |
| Robert Pierce | 42 | 31 | 11 | 185 | 109 | 185 | 100 |
| Devinder Singh | 42 | 26 | 16 | 179 | 115 | 179 | 80 |
| Ken West | 42 | 25 | 17 | 174 | 120 | 174 | 100 |
| Chris Manoila | 42 | 24 | 18 | 171 | 123 | 171 | 80 |
| Mark Bayliss | 42 | 21 | 21 | 154 | 140 | 154 | 80 |
| Chris Fox | 42 | 21 | 21 | 151 | 143 | 151 | 80 |
| Mick O’Neill | 42 | 21 | 21 | 146 | 148 | 146 | 80 |
| Rob Harris | 42 | 19 | 23 | 137 | 157 | 137 | 60 |
| Martin East | 42 | 17 | 25 | 130 | 164 | 130 | 60 |
| Craig Capewell | 42 | 13 | 29 | 124 | 170 | 124 | 60 |
| Liam Baker | 42 | 11 | 31 | 107 | 187 | 107 | 60 |
| Baz Pearce | 42 | 11 | 31 | 93 | 201 | 93 | 60 |
| Paul Walters | 42 | 9 | 33 | 87 | 207 | 87 | 40 |
| Tam Singh | 42 | 8 | 34 | 82 | 212 | 82 | 40 |
| Phil Summers | 42 | 2 | 40 | 48 | 246 | 48 | 40 |
| Rhys Langford | 42 | 1 | 41 | 29 | 265 | 29 | 40 |
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With the Winmau Centre Thursday Night Champions League taking a break until January the centre is laying on a couple of knockouts the first of which saw West Midlands player Sam Guest take the top prize with a final 6-2 win over Robert Pierce.
In the last sixteen round Guest beat Shropshire player Rob Harris 4-0 and with a similar scoreline accounted for Jason Gayle in the quarter finals, then booking his final spot with a 5-2 win over Matt Padgett. From the other half of the draw Pierce had 4-2 wins against Chris Fox and Mark Bayliss and reached the final with a 5-1 win against Chris Williams.
Results:Last Sixteen:- Adam Quinton 4 Paddy Thomas 1, Matt Padgett 4 Devinder Singh 1, Jason Gayle – bye, Rob Harris 0 Sam Guest 4, Chris Fox 2 Robert Pierce 4, Sam Aitkins 1 Mark Bayliss 4, Chris Manoila 0 Chris Williams 4, Shane Watters – bye, Quarter Finals:- Adam Quinton 0 Matt Padgett 4, Jason Gayle 0 Sam Guest 4, Robert Pierce 4 Mark Bayliss 2, Chris Williams 4 Shane Watters 0, Semi Finals:- Matt Padgett 2 Sam Guest 5, Robert Pierce 5 Chris Williams 1, Final:- Sam Guest 6 Robert Pierce 2.
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