| FIRST ROUND JOYCE ON TOP IN QUICK FIRE ENCOUNTER John Joyce 2 - 0 Pat Kelly John Joyce triumphed over stable mate Pat Kelly in spectacular fashion. The 99 King of Darts threw well but could not match Joyce's big scores and accurate checkouts in a very quick match which some claimed was an anticlimax but in truth was packed with quality. Joyce laid down his credentials as a real threat again but agony for Kelly whose year's preparations were over in minutes. LITTLE AND LARGE HIGH FARCE Johnny Walsh 2 - 0 Ciaran Bryan In contrast to the previous game this one took what seemed like an eternity. Bryan rocked the arena before the tie by announcing his entire preparations for Darts 2001 were on soft tips. Walsh threw some good shots, but intervals between the legs and during the first leg made this a disjointed affair. Walsh took the first on a comical shootout as his opponent failed to score on his first three darts. Bryan fell to pieces in the second leg allowing Walsh to romp home comfortably. Confusion reigned after the tie as Walsh exitted the arena for a recess thinking the game was best of five but the matter was soon cleared up. DOLAN DEFEATS DULL DOHENY Paul Dolan 2 - 0 Dave Doheny Reigning King of Darts Paul Dolan was too good for Dave Doheny without reaching his 2000 standards. Doheny threw gamely but hit few good scores leaving Dolan to check out impressively in the first leg. After that Doheny was always playing catch up leaving Dolan to clinch the tie without breaking sweat. Doheny accepted his first round defeat bravely despite the taunts of his keenest rivals. JOHNSON SILENCES CONROY TAUNTS Barney Johnson 2 - 0 Barry Conroy Barney Johnson put a stop to two years of taunting by fierce rival Barry Conroy by hammering home a convincing victory. Johnson outscored Conroy in both legs and finished well in what was a very tense encounter. Johnson was praised by observers after for refusing to descend into the goading and ridiculing mindset. MINISTER DESTROYS POWERLESS DRUID IN OLD STAGER BATTLE Gary Corcoran 2 - 0 James Henry Gary Corcoran played some fine arrows against a still out of sorts James Henry who failed to even reach a checking out score. Corcoran powered ahead scoring consistenly while Henry struggled in both legs to find a rhythm. Both players were not helped by the feeble arithmetic skills of scorekeeper Neil Corcoran, but it was revenge for his Darts 98 defeat for the Minister. RYAN OVERCOMES HANRATTY MINDGAMES Pa Ryan 2 - 0 Dick Hanratty 0 Both players were criticised before this game for the psychological warfare that was waged. Both Hanratty and Ryan denied any knowledge or recollection of the previous years clash. The result was the same as Ryan beat Hanratty but less convincingly than in 2000, with Hanratty having improved vastly. Ryan still had too much in reserve and checked out for a good win. ROBOT BITES DOG Neil Corcoran 2 - 1 Colm O'Donnell After the first leg of this tie it looked like Colm 'Mad Dog' O'Donnell would be a strong contender for Darts 2001 after some explosive scores and a fine finish. However Super Robot appeared to have added resiliency to his repertoire after his submission to Paul Dolan in the Darts 2001 semis. Corcoran fought back to take the second and started to dominate this thrilling match. O'Donnell was left to rue missed chances as Corcoran clinched the win late in the third leg. QUARTER FINALS SUPER ROBOT BANDWAGON GATHERS MOMENTUM Neil Corcoran 2 - 0 Dan Grennan 0 Despite the 2-0 score line this was a close affair with Grennan impressing in the first leg taking it to a shootout. His lack of match practice showed in the third as Corcoran piled on the scores. Grennan surely cannot be a real contender in future with his current approach. A semi final place two years running for Neil Corcoran, the first man to achieve this feat. REVENGE FOR DARTS 2000 FINAL AS KING IS DETHRONED John Joyce 2 - 1 Paul Dolan The arena was awash with excitement as the 2000 finalists clashed at the quarter final stage. The previous year's result was reversed dramatically. Joyce steamrolled ahead in the first with a string of massive scores but was caught at the death by a trademark Dolan checkout. However there were to be no slip-ups for Dart Vadar in the other legs as his large scores allowed him to checkout quickly ahead of Dolan. A fine match which rocked the arena. FUGITIVE CAPTURED BY AUTHORITIES Gary Corcoran 2 - 0 Johnny Walsh Johnny 'The Fugitive' Walsh, an established star of the tournament came unstuck against the Minister in this intruiging quarter final. Walsh seemed disjointed and incoherent at the stage but was throwing the better darts. His unothodox strategies were causing problems for him in checking out and he was pipped by Corcoran at the end of the first. Corcoran took control of the second and slid home for a place in the semis. BAD NEWS MARCHES ON Barney Johnson 2 - 1 Pa Ryan Johnson overcame the much fancied Pa Ryan despite Ryan taking a 1-0 lead in the tie. Observers noted that Ryan had slimmed down from previous years and this was cited by some as the reason for his defeat. In all truth Johnson deserved the victory as his attitude and darting were spot on despite Ryan ruing some missed chances. A fine game overall. SEMI FINALS JOYCE BACK IN FINAL AFTER EPIC CLASH John Joyce 2 - 1 Gary Corcoran John Joyce came back from the dead against Gary Corcoran in a repeat of their 2000 first round clash. Corcoran stayed ahead of Joyce in all legs and checked out well in the first. Joyce hit back in the second but there was no capitulation by the minister who pressed Joyce all the way. Dart Vadar held his nerve to checkout in the third and secure a place in the final for the second year running. SUPER ROBOT AND BAD NEWS IN EPIC Neil Corcoran 2 - 1 Barney Johnson Those who felt that this was an unlikely semi final line up were silenced as the two big men served up a classic. Corcoran was edging ahead in the first leg before Johnson stepped in with a fine checkout. In the second leg Johnson was poised to clinch the second when Super Robot lifted himself for a 72 checkout to bring the tie to the death in the third. It was Bad News for Johnson as Corcoran pulled another good checkout from the bag to go one better than 2000 FINAL NEIL 'SUPER ROBOT' CORCORAN CROWNED KING OF DARTS Neil Corcoran 3 - 2 John Joyce Neil 'Super Robot' Corcoran was crowned the 2001 King of darts after a gripping victory against the unlucky John Joyce. Joyce, in his second final was pipped by Corcoran at the death in the first leg. In contrast to the 2000 final he fought back to clinch the second and tie up the match. Dart Vadar ominously stepped things up in the third leg to go 2-1 up but Super Robot was never far behind. Despite a 140 in leg four for Joyce, Corcoran took the fourth to leave it on a cliff edge in the deciding leg. Corcoran started stronger but was over taken by Joyce prior to check out attempts. But some accurate shooting by Super Robot upped the stakes and piled on the pressure on John. With an excellent tournament winning checkout in his next throw, a disbelieving Super Robot was crowned King of Darts as both players received rapturous applause after a great final. |