Sunday morning saw 79 players in attendance at the Warilla Bowls and Recreation Club to play event number 3 on the Winmau Pro Tour.
The first quarter final went the way of Mal Cuming who defeated a resurgent Dave Hanel by five legs to two. The second quarter final saw Mick Lacey win threw the deciding leg after Brandon Weening just missed tops to check out a 118 and Lacey stepped out to win on his next visit with his 14th dart. The third quarter final saw Harley Kemp whitewash Brenton Lloyd 5-0 and GG Mathers defeated Mike Bonser 5-3 in a clash played plenty of times in Australia down the years.
In the first semi final Mal Cuming opened with a hold of throw which was matched by Mick Lacey at his first attempt. Lacey then had a shot at 107 for a break but failed to take it and Cuming threw tops to go back into the lead. A 140 and 180 start from Cuming saw him with a huge chance of taking a break and he took it with his 15th dart to lead by two legs. He then held throw before taking another break to secure a position in the final with his 5-1 victory.
The second semi final Mathers broke Kemp immediately and then held throw to quickly jump to a 2-0 lead. An opening of 140 in the next leg gave him an early lead against the throw in the third leg but he left 32 when chasing 84. Eventually Kemp took his first leg of the match. Mathers then opened with a 180 on throw and although it took him a while Mathers eventually returned to a two-leg lead. The fifth leg was a close affair but it was Kemp who got to a check out attempt first. Both players missed chances at a check out before Mathers secured the break. Against the throw Kemp threw 140 and 180 and threw double 8 with his 13th dart to move the match to 4-2. Mathers legs 7 chasing 86 and Kemp pounced to move to within a leg at 4-3. Mathers opened with 121 and then 100 in the eighth leg and in his fourth visit 140 left him needing 84. He missed out but returned to throw double 12 for the 5-3 win.
The final saw two previous finalists over the weekend go head-to-head. Mal Cuming and GG Mathers held throw on their opening attempts and then both players opened with 180s in the third leg. It would be Cuming who made the most of it to lead 2-1. A 140 opening from Mathers was responded with a 125 from Cuming who then threw 140 on his third visit. A follow up ton left needing 76 and with Mathers unable to convert 148 Cuming pounced to take a 3-1 lead. On throw he opened with consecutive tons and a 123 to pile the pressure on his opponent. Mathers responded with a 140 but 84 left Cuming needing 94. He left tops with Mathers well behind and collected it with last dart in hand on his next visit. Mathers then opened with 93 knowing that only four consecutive legs would hand him the match. Both players threw 140s in the middle of the leg but a 140 on his fourth visit left Mathers requiring 87. He took it out with last dart in hand on his next visit. Cuming then opened on throw with a 96 but it was Mathers who took a good lead after mid leg visits of 134 and 140. Cuming missed the bull for a 164 check out and Mathers hit the required 72 to move a leg away from his opponent. On throw Mathers opened with a ton but a 135 on his second visit put Cuming back into the leg. A maximum from Mathers left him needing 132 and eight darts later the match was pushed into a last leg decider. That leg would be on the throw of Cuming and he opened with a maximum but visits of 100 and 121 got Mathers back into the leg. A 125 from Cuming left him needing 68 as Mathers moved to 105 with a visit of 130. Cuming left 20 as he missed a match dart but Mathers did not leave a chance at a match dart of his own. Three more missed darts from Cuming and GG needed 66 but he left 20 after missing tops. Cuming pounced with double 5 for the win.
“I feel a bit lucky today as I thought I had handed the final to GG at some points during the match. I have learnt a lot over the last 12 months from my experiences to get me through tough spots and I have had a few today. The quality of the field is great and it helps my game to play such good players. I am pleased to have picked up the win today.”
About Author
