Alan's News page:

18th nov gsod 9 dart shootout

lost, but rules are rules and andy did what needed to be done, i felt under alot more pressure in this game as most of the crowd where on andys side, but they didnt throw my darts and andy well deserved the game. all said and done i had alot of support from players and fans alike, the fact that i can win 2 group games average over 90 plus for each and still go out does not feel too good, but like i said earlier rules are rules and i would of been more gutted if it had been ranked.

17th nov gsod group game 3

v brian woods, won 5-1 with a 90+ ave, had a dart at bull in this game to win 5-0 which would have put me into the last 16 at the expense of andy, but brian took the leg and it meant i had to have a 9 dart shootout with andy because of his result with simon.

16th nov gsod group game 2

v andy hamilton, lost 5-1 with a 94+ ave, dont believe the scoreline reflects the game, and those missed doubles i believe did come back to haunt me! that said if you cant hit doubles you dont deserve to win, andy was good value for this win and deserved it.

15th nov gsod group game 1

v simon whitlock, won 5-3 had a decent 91+ ave with quite a few missed doubles. i think the break didnt help simon in this game. but would just like to say i think i have found a new friend as simon was an absolute gent.

8th & 9th nov dutch darts trophy

bad weekend at the office unfortunately, so nothing good to report. sat 1st rnd played nick fulwell won 3-1 then lost to wes newton, this went to the last leg and he went up in 12. so no complaints. sunday 1st rnd lost to nick fulwell, who played very well and although i missed doubles early on, nick took full advantage, which is what a good player does. results wise a weekend to forget, just hope i can get my form back for the grand slam next week.

2nd nov european championship quater final

v peter manley lost 9-4 very dissapointed with my performance here and peter didnt play well also.i think it might of been a case of too much respect and its a game i hope i will learn from but quickly forget. no excuses but my preperation for this event wasnt good. was pleased for peter as he is one of my best mates on the circuit and always gives me good advice. he also did a good job on me in this particular match and deserves the win. 

1st nov european championship rnd 2

v jelle klaasen won 9-6 again this was a great game and jelle started like a train and i just had to try and battle a result out of it. i think you learn more about yourself in games like this than in most other games. in this match i had a 94 average which again is a decent standard over 15 legs and during this game had finishes of 141 126 116 which helped me make a comeback attempt after being 6-2 down.i thought jelle was fantastic in this match and very unlucky to have lost this match especially having a 97+ave.

31st oct european championships rnd 1

v chris mason won 5-2, didnt feel brilliant going into this game but got a good result with a 94+ average which is a decent standard.chris wasnt throwing as well as i know he can throw but still had a 90+ average which prooves he threw a decent standard of darts aswell.

25th oct german darts trophy

1st rnd v matheus ziolkowski won 3-0 2nd rnd v michael van gerwin won 3-0 3rd rnd v merv king won 3-2 quarter final v mark dudbridge lost 3-2 this went to last leg of the match after being 2-0 down got it back to 2-2 with darts of 11 13 15 14, then final leg sat on d10 mark checked out! never mind onwards and upwards.

23rd oct championship of darts

had a great day but with too many draws! could possibly have won some of them but hey you get what you deserve! game1 v phil taylor lost 6-2 i feel i let him off the hook and couldnt find a double. 2nd game v mark dudbridge drew 5-5 3rd game v colin osborne drew 5-5 4th game v andy hamilton drew 5-5 5th game v vincent van der voort won 6-0 6th game v merv king drew 5-5 final game v mark walsh, drew 5-5 i new going into this game a draw or a win would put me threw. semi final v phil, played better this time round and with a bit of luck could of won this game. i didnt do much wrong and was on d20 to make it 5-5 with my darts in the last leg, but phil did what phil does best and clinically took out 85 for the match. was happy with my performances. and congrats to phil on yet another tournament win.

19th oct scottish players champ

not much to report here as a bad day at the office! played brilliant all weekend then when i played carlos rodriguez in the 1st rnd just couldnt find it! he struggled as well and it was literally a double that won it for him. was made up carlos then went on to have a good run and get to the quarters. congrats to james on winning the event.

18th oct scottish players champ

1st rnd v jamie harvey won 3-0, 2nd rnd v erwin extercatte won 3-0, 3rd rnd v jelle klaasen won 3-1 in what was arguably my best performance of the weekend, he missed nothing and i had to dig deep, but managed to win a very very difficult game. 4th rnd v wayne jones lost 3-2 in another top game, it went to the wire we both played well, but wayne deserved to win, and as he is a good friend was made up for him even though i was gutted at losing. congrats to alex roy on winning the event, he played superb all day.

17th oct grand slam playoffs

prelim v geoff harvey won 4-0, 1st rnd v jim young won 4-1, 2nd rnd v kevin hill won 4-1 lost the 1st leg in this, kevin did a brilliant 13 darter, he is a really good friend but had to keep focused, and played really well to win the next 4 legs. 3rd rnd v john magowan won 4-2 finishing was the key in this game i did a 160 and 140 during this match and that was the only difference to be fair. 4th rnd v mark walsh won 4-1, was on top of my game here, mark did nothing wrong i could of closed my eyes and they would of gone in! this was 1 game that the scoreline does not reflect the game. quarter final v dave smith won 4-2, i always have great games v dave and in this game i just had the edge, there was very little in it. semi final v wes newton lost 4-1! couldnt believe it, i had threw great all night and had 1 bad game at the wrong time. but to be fair wes kept the pressure on and did a good job, so congrats to him and well deserved. then i had to play jamie caven for 3rd place, i kept up my good form and won 5-3. its now fingers crossed time to see if i get in the grand slam.

6th oct skypoker world grand prix

v raymond van barneveld. woke up this morning gutted! but philosophical, felt i had a chance and the game may well have hinged on the 167, giving me an edge, but not to be. the amount of people that said to me after the game "anyone else" and you would of won, but my philosophy is you have to beat whoever is in front of you! had the highest average of the night except for barney, my play was good and i feel more and more comfortable on the big stage, these are all the positives i must take from the game. barney played brilliant and deserved the victory and i wish him all the best for the remainder of the tournament.

5th oct irish players champ

1st rnd v michael van gerwin won 3-0, the score does not reflect the game! it was extremely high quality as my games with michael always are, and this was no exception. 2nd rnd v matt clark won 3-1 this again i played very well and won a hard fought game, won the 2nd set with a 167 outshot. board final and de ja vu, v andy jenkins, i was determined lightning wouldnt strike twice and played really well, i won 3-1, it should of been 3-0, but couple of slack throws let andy in for a set. next v colin lloyd for a place in the quarters, didnt play as well as i had done all day but still got to 2-2 in sets, but colin threw a great final set and deserved the victory. big congratulations to dennis for winning the event, he keeps being an inspiration to me all the time.

4th oct irish players champ

1st rnd v gary storey won 3-0 2nd rnd v felix mcbrearty won 3-2 very close game this, felix took every finish out whenever given the chance. board final v andy jenkins lost 3-0, no complaints here, i played very well, but andy was on fire! he thoroughly deserved the victory. big well done to phil, the guy is pure class.

21st sept newport players champ

1st rnd v danny pinhorne won 3-0 2nd rnd v brendon dolan won 3-2 could of won this game sooner but everytime i was on a double for the match brendon came up with 2 top class finishes on the bull! 3rd rnd v robert thornton won 3-0 i was on the top of my game for this as i new i had to be and luckily enough prevailed. 4th rnd v mick savvery won 3-0 again i threw great darts and seemed to be getting better! quarter final v vincent won 3-0 kept up my form which i knew i had to, have loads of respect for vincent and he didnt do much wrong. semi final v merv king won 3-0 lost just 1 leg in this game again i knew i had to be on my metal, and did just that, very good result. final v colin osbourne what a game! the leg stats 8 for me and 5 for colin dont tell the story to this game, it genuinely could of gone either way. if colin hit a 180 i would follow and if i hit one he would follow! but it went down to the final leg (which i believe was fitting) colin started with a 180, i did 3x140 to leave 81, colin had 82, i had first crack, s19 s12 wired the bull! i honestly thought the way the game went i had blew it. colin then hit bull and wired d16. luckily enough kept my composure and hit s9 d8 in 2 darts. i have so much respect for colin and his ability i felt very proud at winning this tournament and playing him in the final.

20th sept newport players champ

1st rnd v mike herold won 3-0 2nd rnd v owen caffrey won 3-1 3rd rnd v alex roy won 3-0 this game i literally never missed a double. 4th rnd v peter manley lost 3-1 good game this missed a few doubles that turned out to be costly but in fairness to peter when he needed something good he came up with the goods. have no complaints and the best man won. congrats to ronnie, and especially jamie on his run to the final.

14th sept windy city open

unfortunately the weekend started badly, as in atlanta the airline left my luggage at manchester, so had no bag for 2 days! but luckily enough got my darts in time for sundays play.started well beat david fatum 3-0 2nd rnd v ray carver, was dissapointed with myself here, i had 6 darts at double to be 2-1 up in sets with my darts in next set! but if you miss against a quality opponent like ray, he will make you pay. he took out some great finishes with me on a double, and deserves the result. big well done to colin lloyd the guy is class.

6th sept ireland open classic

1st rnd v ben burton won 3-1 2nd rnd v steve maish won 3-0 scoreline does not reflect the game steve did nothing wrong whatsoever and was very unlucky to lose a high standard match. 3rd rnd v chris mason lost 3-2 lost a very close encounter and was playing some good stuff, was maybe not mentally up for this game and chris threw some very high quality darts, was made up for him reaching the final and i am sure a win is just around the corner.

3rd sept group2 championship of darts

again another tough day but with my experience from group 1 decided to try and pace myself, luckily enough it worked. my best game of the day i believe was v "the hammer" what a fantastic tussle with me just edging the last leg. against kevin in the final i started badly and kevin took advantage, but luckily for me he was to miss a few doubles and let me in, at i think 4-3 up i never went behind, but have to say this match could of easily gone either way.

2nd sept group1 championship of darts

this is a very surreal and gruelling tournament, i started well and by the time it came to my last game it was between me and james wade for who got to the semis, luckily for me i did in a great tussle and won 6-3, in my semi final v colin lloyd i think i just ran out of steam, and colin well deserved the win, even though i missed 156 on d18 for the match!

31st aug players champ holland

1st rnd v jim leighton won 3-0, 2nd rnd v jamie caven won 3-1, 3rd rnd v alex roy won 3-0, these last 2 matches the scoreline most certainly doesnt reflect the scoreline, very high standard matches, 4th rnd v ronnie baxter lost 3-1, again another high performing match very close, but ronnie deserved the win.

30th aug players champ holland

1st rnd v dick van dijk, won 3-1 2nd rnd v lionel sams won 3-2, 3rd rnd v john magowan lost 3-2, what can i say great victory for john he played awesome darts all day, i missed 100 checkout for a 3-1 victory but then the match went all the way to the last leg and john did a great job on me, no complaints.

24th august atlanta players champ

1st rnd  v dieter schutsch won 3-0 dieter played very well he just struggled on doubles or a very different scoreline would be had. 2nd rnd v co stompe won 3-2, very close game won deciding set 2-0 finished on 61 in 1st leg of decider but hit bull then 3 then d4, this broke the throw and i think won me the match. 1st time i have played co he is very very good. 3rd rnd v kevin painter won 3-2 this was extremely close and a 116 checkout in the decider from me was the only difference between us. quarter final v roger carter, after being 2-0 up roger seemed to find another gear! at 2-2 and 1-1 i luckily enough went up in 12 darts to win the match. semi final v chris white, chris played brilliant and was 2-1 up in sets, luckily i dug deep and won the final 2 sets 2-0 to reach the final. the final v andy hamilton, won 3-1, i played well to win this and andy didnt play as well as i know he can, he is without doubt top class so was abit worried going into it, but i just think it was my day thats all.

24th july quarter final world matchplay v "the menace"

a well deserved win for dennis here, i didnt play badly, dennis just had the edge on me, and 90plus averages over 30 legs isnt a bad standard. he is without doubt one of the games true gents, and this was a good honest game of darts that he well deserved to win. i have to be happy reaching my 3rd quarter final on the trot in major tv events, with the added bonus of being comfortable with my new darts.

23rd july 2nd rnd world matchplay v john part.

again won a great contest, i started well and kept it going, john didnt play like we know he can and luckily enough i took advantage. again a decent average 94plus, but the win is always more important.

22nd july 1st rnd world matchplay v vincent van der voort.

won a great contest hear, but early on vincent started to run away with it, luckily enough i kept plugging away and got the result. i had a good 95plus average, which was pleasing.

19th july bobby bourne players champ blackpool

decided to try my new darts that i had only just got from red dragon darts, it would be their 1st professional outing! 1st rnd won 3-0 v nigel peden.2nd round won 3-0 v paul cooper, this was a very good game and i missed nothing. board final and after a great tussle with chris mason just managed to pip him 3-2 and it could of easily gone either way. last 16 john part, i played well but missed doubles early on, john took advantage (and rightfully so!) but he would later repay me by missing a few himself. the match went to the deciding leg, johns darts, he needed 41, me 148, 2xt20`s then wired the d14! i could of cried. but john clinicaly finished, so well done to john.

5th july LVDC quarter final

Peter Manley- Oh if i could of hit a double early on, i could of got a great early lead that i believe would of relaxed me. but i didnt and peter well deserved the victory 11-8. to be fair to peter he missed doubles later in the game and he did a brilliant 161 out after i had just hit 180 177 to leave a double, this i believe won him the match. i regard peter as 1 of my best friends on the circuit and the guy is quality through and through, and his run to the semis was well deseved.

4th july LVDC 2nd round

Raymond van Barneveld- although i had beat barney "on the floor" to beat him on tv is very satisfying, i played better than my round 1 game and cut out some silly mistakes, barney is without doubt 1 of the best in the world and i believe he will bounce back better and stronger.

3rd july LVDC 1st round

played a very good larry butler, i won 6-4 i didnt feel like i was playing my best darts but won a hard fought game, larry is without doubt a class competitor.

1st july the classic qualifier day 2

1st round beat danny llanes 5-0, then steve hine 5-2, then micheal van gerwin 5-2, then the final v steve beaton won 5-2. i played really well all day and was very determined.

30th june the classic qualifier day 1

1st round beat eddie lawrence 5-0, then danny king 5-0, then john rutherford 5-3, then lost to steve maish 5-3 in the final! had played well all day but steve was just that bit better and deserved the win. i was genuinely made up for him, i couldnt of got beat by a nicer guy! (although i hated him at the time!)

29th june las vegas players champ.

reached the 4th round and played well all day with wins over nick rivera 3-0, alan matthews 3-2, dave honey 3-0. then after being 2 sets down got james wade back to 2-2 only for him to win the match with an 11 dart leg! but thats why he is who he is!

15th june players champ bristol

again started well had a good 3-0 win over lee white who didnt play aswell as i know he can, then another 3-0 win v steve evans, again i was startingto throw really well, next up merv king again and this was a different game to the one saturday, this went all the way to a deciding leg, mervs darts he went off 140 i followed 180, he then went 140, me 180,i hit the 7th t20 but missed the t19 and left 52 after 9. but i missed the chance luckily enough i earned another shot and took it. then had to play adie lewis on stage, i am afraid i think i just ran out of energy and adie did a good job in beating me it was alot closer than the 3-0 scoreline but i always say you get what you deserve in this game! and i got what i deserved! big congratulations to dennis for winning he is without doubt a class act and an inspiration to us all. next up las vegas and fingers crossed i can keep up my good form.

14th june players champ bristol

started well beat ian walters 3-0, then had a great game v nigel birch won 3-1, then board final v merv king, this was a great game i won 3-0 but the scoreline does not reflect the game. then 4th round played mark walsh won 3-0 and again it was alot closer than the scoreline suggests, into the quarter finals and beat brendan dolan 3-2 in a very close game, everytime i thought i had it won brendan took out some great outshots. semi final and denis ovens who is without doubt one of the hardest players on the circuit to beat, i always have hard games with denis and this was no exception, it was some good outshots that was the only difference and i won 3-1. now the final and although i lost 3-0 each of the first 2 sets went to the decider, i missed 3 darts at tops to win the 2nd set. then phil did what phil does best and take out a great 136 with me handily placed! he deserved the win but felt i played well overall. he came up to me the following day and said thanks for letting him win! you could sometimes throw hedgehogs against him and still lose, he is that good!

8th june uk open quarter final

great start no work to go to! so could concentrate on darts! played james wade and feel it is a question of what could of been, i felt i lost the game, too many missed doubles, i must of threw away at lest 4 legs and at this level that is suicide. james showed what class is all about by finishing everything so deserves the win 100%. i lost 10-6, interestingly my stats where higher but i still lost! but on the plus side it was a good damage limitation excersise as i was defending £7500 from when i reached the semi final 2 years ago. on the down side i feel by the time you get to the quarters you need to have played on the tv stage to acclimatise as it feels different to the side boards. but you have to take the rough with the smooth i suppose. a big congratulations to james who was a deserved winner and a true gent.

7th june uk open 4th round

again not ideal preparation as i was in work for 8:30am then when i got home it was a mad rush to bolton.played robert thornton, i felt we showed each other too much respect in this game, i did some great outshots 3xton plus finishes on the run to get up a lead, but robert was a very tough opponent who didnt give in, i ended up winning 9-6 with a 122 checkout on bullseye. i really do think he will do well at the pdc and he is a gentleman to boot.

6th june uk open 3rd round

not ideal preparation for my friday night match, i am up at 6am for work. unfortunately i cant get the time off. but sometimes you do well in adversity. travelled to reebok to play paul cooper, i knew it was going to be tough because he had beat carlos rodriguez 6-1 in his opening game. this turned out to be a real battle. everytime i saw daylight paul came fighting back and finished numerous legs with his last dart (shows he has bottle!) luckily enough i got through 9-7

16th may 08 us open

had a good trip to connecticut but the darts didnt go as planned! i lost in the 2nd round having won my 1st round 3-0, i didnt play too badly but missed doubles turned out to be costly. i played chris thompson and was 2 sets and 1 leg down having missed crucial doubles, started to fight back and got it to the final leg. i missed 120 on tops to win and then chris took out a great 82 to win the match. so its back on the practise board ready for reebok.

26th april 08 open holland

i think this is one of the few times i was happy with my play even though i lost in my first round against carlos rodriguez. a very high standard game with 11 and 12 darters for fun. unfortunately i missed 2 darts at 16 to go 2-1 up in sets and then 3 darts at tops to go 2-2 carlos took a great 80 out on d5. i lost 3-1 but was very happy with my performance.

sunday was another open but not ranked, i played well all day and out of approx 500 players lost in the quarter final against peter manley, i played very well he just played better. had a good game with vincent in the last 16 and i had to hit an 11 dart leg to win at 3-3 180 81 180 61 in 2. next for me is the us open in connecticut.

19th april 08 scottish players champs

nothing good to report on this venture im afraid. played dave ladley in board semi won 3-0 in a tighter game than the scoreline suggests. in board final played kevin mcdine, another very tight game and he edged me 3-2 i missed a 64 finish and kevin took out a great 93 on bull 3 tops to win the match. big well done to merv, i marked his game with phil and afterwards thought to myself that his name was on it. next week open holland in rotterdam.

12th april 08 antwerp darts trophy

not abad weekend considering my preparation was not up to its usual high standards.decided to travel on the morning of the competition as work commitments wouldnt let me travel friday. nontheless was up at 4am travelled manchester and met up with alan warriner, from thier to brussels then to antwerp. played ron meulenkamp in 1st round, won 3-1, then stijn boffel, won 3-0, then vincent van der voort in the board final. had a great game won 3-1. then played dave askew to get into the quarters, he played very well and deservedley won 3-1. still last 16 is a decent result with the standard of competition.on sunday played in the antwerp open and got to quarter final losing to "the hammer" well done to him. a big well done to one of my best mates on the circuit andy "pieman" the run to the final was just reward. also big well done to phil. next week travel to glasgow.

29th march 08 midland players champs.

had another good weekend 1st game beat sean dowling 3-0, then jim leighton 3-0, then had a tussle with andy smith won 3-0, then played adrian gray won 3-1, then had a fantastic game v wayne jones, had a dart at bull to win 3-1 but then wayne pegged it back. at 1-1 in final set with waynes darts he went off 180 137 left 52 after 9 i had 180 left and hit 140 to leave tops, luckily enough for me wayne missed and i hit d10. but what a game! played colin lloyd in semi, he was fantastic, i did nothing wrong was handily placed in every set but colin played superb and deserved to win. congrats to phil on another good result.

sunday, started slow but gradually got better and better beat sean dowling 5-1 but he missed doubles to make it alot closer, then played merv king in a good game that went to the wire, at 4-4 with mervs darts i finished 161 to take the match. then played alex roy, i played my a game and threw some of my best darts of the weekend and beat him 5-0, alex said to me after the game "i hit 140 140 140 left a double after the 81 left and couldnt believe they was wiping the board clean" then played phil to get into the quarter final, was 3-0 down but played some good stuff to get it to 3-3, then missed a big finish to go 4-3 up. at 4-3 down with phil on 98 i had 121 to go 4-4, hit the t20 went for t11 and hit 8! aaaarrggghhh, hit 13 to leave tops. phil then hit t20 d19. was gutted but ran him very very close. nevertheless good weekend all round. next tournament antwerp.

22nd March 08- German Players Championship Weekend

Had avery good weekend but what could of been! was sharing room for the weekend with tony eccles. saturday had great wins over jan van der rassel 3-1 alan caves 3-0 andy smith 3-0 carlos rodrigeuz 3-2 then played wayne jones in the quarter final won 3-1 in a very close encounter. played the semi final v barney on stage, was leading 2 sets 1 playing well and with 136 left for the match missed the d8! 2-2 and final leg of the match with barney on 88 i had 140, hit t20 t20 then a t20 fell out! i could of screamed. stood back and hit t20 to leave d10. barney missed bull, but it was not meant to be, i wired d10 then d5! barney then finished. still a very good day but had nightmares over it.

SUNDAY, started in the same form as the day before, got to the last 16 playing some good stuff but unfortunately came a cropper against adie lewis. was 2 sets up but adie clung on and managed to get it to 2 sets apiece. deciding leg he left 32 after 9 darts i had 105, hit t20 s5 then just missed d20. he finished with his last dart, but thats why he is so good.

got to say a big well done to one of my best mates on the circuit wayne jones for a fantastic run, and this now will hopefully set him up for the rest of the season. obviously a big well done to phil, the guy is sheer class. also to tony eccles who as i said i roomed with, he had a great weekend, our room was called the semi final room! next week travel to telford.

18th March 2008 -

Hello everyone. "what a wait" 2yrs literally to the day when i last won a pro tour event,but that makes it feel all the better. had a great saturday, played well all day. but i might not of envisaged would transpire when i played my 1st game against john quantock, he was fantastic and i found myself 2-0 down, luckily enough managed to get it back and did a good last set. my run then continued i played owen caffrey i won 3-0 but as always the scoreline doesnt reflect the game. the same again v kirk shepherd 3-0. then terry jenkins 3-2 and what a game this was, terry was gracious in defeat and said he threw everything at me but it was my day, in 1 leg he hit 180 100 180 and didnt get a shot (i went 100 100 180 121game shot) then played merv king won 3-1 he took out a great 137 in that match. then i played wayne mardle and won 3-1, wayne didnt play like we all know he can, or the scoreline would of been alot different. in the final played a good freind in chris mason, he had beat me the last 3 times we had played, so knew it was going to be tough. i won 3-0 but that definately doesnt tell the story, a 161 outshot with chris on 24 for the 2nd set, put me 2-0, and that also gave me the darts in the final set, which i won in 12 13 darts.
sunday was still a good day played well but lost in the last 16 to chris thompson, who i was very impressed with. at 3-3 i missed 3 darts at d20 to go 4-3 up but maybe i missed because chris had me under so much pressure. at 4-4 chris with the darts played brilliant and won in 13darts.
overall crackin weekend met some old freinds and the crowd were great.
its germany next weekend, and i just hope my form continues. regards alan

7th March 2008 - Last weekend I travelled down to Brentwood in Essex for the South Players Championship. I progressed through to the last 16 seeing off Simon Whatley 3-2, Michael Barnard 3-0 and Carlos Rodriguez 3-2 before finally being stopped by Kevin Mcdine 3-2 (Sets). On Sunday was the Blue Square UK Open regional finals were i met Steve Cusick who went on to win 5-3 (legs). Despite Sundays glitch I have moved up the PDC order of merit from 16 to 14 in the world so im hoping i can maintain this progress. Next PDC event will be the Northwest Players Championship and UK Open in Wigan in 2 weeks time.

7th March 2008 - I have been booked for an exhibition in Liverpool 9th May 2008. Once more details are known i will post here.