Martin Adams (Eng)
bt Gary Stone (Scot) 4-0
Wolfie gallops into last eight whitewashing Stone 4-0
Defending champ Martin Adams delivered a superclass in
darts, pile-driving Scots fence erector Gary Stone out of the championship 4-0.
It took Adams the joint favourite
44-minutes to dismiss the playoff qualifier and move into the last eight.
Adams is bidding to equal Eric Bristow’s three-in-a-row
success achieved between 1984-86, the only player to record three successive
title wins in the championship.
Wolfie was
steady, consistent ,dependable but pressurised when it was needed. It was the
kind of bullying that Adams had referred to after his opening round victory over
Scott Mitchell.
And it was the same bullying tactics employed by the great
Crafty Cockney in his heyday to flatten his opponents.
Experience has taught the 55-year-old Peterborough
grandfather how to graft , not get flustered and let your opponents do the
worrying.
He bullied his way through the opening set taking the third leg against the
throw and then holding his throw in the next after the Scot missed two attempts
for double 16 to lay out his intention, just as a wolf will mark out its
territory...
Stone hit a 180 in the opening leg of the second set but Adams matched it and
exited on 85, adding second maximum to take the third leg, the Scot taking the
match into a deciding fifth leg after hitting double 20 with his second dart.
Wolfie hit his third maximum of the set to motor ahead and finish on 13 for a
2-0 match lead.
Stone took the opening leg of the third with the throw and unleashed a 180 but
was bullied into submission with a faultless 102 checkout from Adams who
followed up exiting on 76 against the throw. Stoney missed bull for a 161 finish
but recovered to exit on 25 to level.
Bespectacled Stone stepped up the pressure with a 180 in the deciding fifth leg,
missed double tops for 78 and three further attempts for double 10 as Wolfie
screamed in with 74 completed on double 16 to leave the man from Larkhall
pondering on what might have been.