Dave Whitcombe has vowed to return fitter and stronger for the 2009 Betfred.com League of Legends after admitting his physical condition had contributed to his failure to reach this year’s semi-finals.

 

The Sittingbourne publican will be a spectator at Purfleet’s Circus Tavern this Friday when Bob Anderson, Keith Deller, Peter Evison and Cliff Lazarenko will battle it out for the inaugural title.

 

This is despite a superb start to the competition in which Whitcombe won his first three matches and still sat proudly at the top of the table after the fourth of the seven round-robin events.

 

But things quickly took a downturn for the 54-year-old and a crushing 7-2 defeat by Keith Deller in Stoke last week ended his qualification hopes, leaving Whitcombe to reflect on what had gone wrong.

 

Words of advice from 13-time former world champion Phil Taylor, who was in the crowd at Stoke, convinced Whitcombe he must shape up physically if he is to realise his dream of lifting the coveted Legends trophy in the future.

 

“I’ve noticed throughout the tournament that I’m simply not by any stretch of the imagination fit enough to play at a consistent level under the pressure of competing, as well as the heat,” said the dual former World Masters champion.

 

“It was and is the same, of course, in any televised darts where the lights are powerful. But when I did it on a regular basis, not only do you adapt but I was of course younger and fitter.

 

“I spoke to Phil Taylor about it - and of course he was in the same boat early this year when his form suffered – and he gave me some valuable advice about losing weight, which he has had to do.

 

“I should have known to do this anyway in all fairness, but it only hit home when I started practising again, the long travelling in the car and of course the events themselves.

 

“I have started already by joining a gym and putting together a better eating plan. It will take time but I am looking to show major improvement by Christmas.

 

“Out of every negative you can find a positive. My negative is not qualifying for the semi-finals. To do something about that, the positive is the weight loss and fitness plan.”

 

In Friday’s semi-finals, Anderson, the 2/5 favourite for the title with Betfred, will face Evison over the best of 19 legs before Deller takes on Lazarenko to establish which other player goes through to the best-of-21-legs final.

 

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Keith Deller grabbed the final qualification spot for the Betfred.com League of Legends semi-finals thanks to a 7-2 triumph in Stoke against Dave Whitcombe.The result sent his opponent, the table-topper for the first four weeks, out of the competition.

Whitcombe had won his opening three matches but since then his form has deserted him and he was never in contention against the 1983 world champion.

Only victory would have been enough for Del Boy and from the moment he took out a bullseye finish in leg one it was clear he was in no mood to surrender his chances of glory.

"I was a bit nervous because I had been watching my best mate Cliff struggle to get through and I was wondering what I needed to do to join him," said Deller.

"I was talking to Phil Taylor, who was in the crowd, at the beginning of the night and saying that playing for a draw is alien to us players, but I needed to win and I did.

"I think I played really well. I threw a couple of loose darts when I got ahead, but apart from that my finishing was very good and I'm really pleased to have got through."

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Cliff Lazarenko staged a fantastic fightback to draw 6-6 with Peter Evison and join his opponent in the semi-finals.

The Wellingborough professional trailed 6-3, but launched his recovery with a brilliant 130 checkout on the bullseye as he claimed the point he needed to be sure of a place in the last four who will battle it out for the inaugural title at Purfleet's Circus Tavern.

Evison looked on course to book his own place in the semis and oust his rival when he raced 5-2 ahead and the 'Fen Tiger' also held a three-leg advantage at 6-3.

But Lazarenko thrilled the King's Hall crowd with one of his trademark exuberant celebrations as he hit that superb 130, also took leg 11 and then pinned the decisive double 10 to leave Dave Whitcombe and Keith Deller contesting the final qualification spot in the next match on stage.

"I think it would have been the end for me if I hadn't have taken out that 130 checkout," said Lazarenko. "I went out there to win tonight and I didn't want to leave my fate in anyone else's hands.

"At first he was annihilating me and I was thinking 'what the hell's happening'. Then I steadied myself, took a bit longer going up to the oche and told myself at the interval to dig deep. I dug deeper than Pete and I got away with it."

Evison was concerned that for the second week running he had let a winning lead slip and had to settle for a draw."I'm getting worried that I can't count to seven," said the West Drayton-based thrower. "It's one of those things but fair play to Cliff. He has been around a long time."

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John Lowe completed the round-robin phase of the Betfred.com League of Legends with a crushing 7-1 success against his old rival Eric Bristow.

All that was at stake, apart from bragging rights, was avoiding finishing bottom of the table and Old Stoneface was spared the ignominy as he gained his second win of the series.

"It's always nice to beat Eric because we are mega competitors, we always have been," said the Chesterfield veteran. "Every time we take to the stage it's a personal thing, even though we are good friends. I finished the match with a 91 average and I could have pushed that a bit higher.

"The crowd were incredible. Wherever we have played in the world I've always had more people on my side than Eric has and that's historically worked in his favour - he likes the people to be against him.

"But my form has come too late and what has happened with me and Dave Whitcombe has been a reversal. Dave started really well but has failed to qualify, whereas I began mediocre and I've got going too late."

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Bob Anderson preserved his unbeaten record in the Betfred.com League of Legends with a fine comeback to draw 6-6 with Bobby George on the final night of round-robin action in Stoke.

It had looked like 'Bobby Dazzler' would claim only his second win of the competition when he led 6-4, but the 62-year-old missed four match darts at double top as the 'Limestone Cowboy' hit back.

The duo traded blows in the early stages but George made the breakthrough when he won leg seven against the throw and then took out double top to lead 5-3.

After the next two legs were shared, George missed tops for the match in the penultimate game to give his opponent his first reprieve and then spurned three more darts to close it out in the decider, allowing Anderson to snatch a draw on double eight.

The result confirmed that Anderson ends the round-robin phase top of the table - he needed to win four legs to secure that position - while George was assured anyway of avoiding finishing bottom.

George knew he had thrown away a glorious opportunity of victory and said: "I had my chances, having four darts to win it, but I wasn't good enough on the double top. If they don't go in, they don't go in.

"That's the way it goes. I've been playing darts for 30-odd years and you accept that.

"I've not played well in the Legends. I've been a bit, how do you say it, spasmodic."

Anderson admitted it had been the most difficult test he had encountered so far in the event.

"In a lot of ways that was the toughest match I've had," said the Clevedon professional. "Basically that was because my mindset wasn't right because I knew I had qualified last week.

"It's therefore very difficult to lift your game and motivate yourself and I couldn't do that against Bobby. Maybe that's a weakness, maybe not.

"Bobby failed to take his chance but darts is hit and miss. This time I missed more than I hit."

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Dave Whitcombe hopes to rediscover his early Betfred.com League of Legends form in time to secure a place in the semi-finals when the round-robin phase concludes in Stoke tomorrow.

 

The Kent publican sat proudly on top of the table at the halfway stage only a month ago but is now scrambling to qualify after an alarming slump in form.

 

A defeat and a tie in his last two contests have meant Whitcombe cannot afford to lose his final league match to Keith Deller, for if that occurred the 54-year-old would be eliminated if Peter Evison and Cliff Lazarenko were to draw.

 

The scenario has left Whitcombe fearing for his prospects and he knows he will have to reverse the current trend to be sure of securing his slot on finals night at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet next week.

 

“I’ve gone from playing quite well to playing absolutely abysmally,” said Whitcombe. “I really thought I would be much better last week against Peter from the way I had played against Cliff the previous week but it didn’t happen.

 

“Hopefully it will happen this time. Keith will have to be on his toes because I’m going for him. I can’t play any worse than the last two weeks and my game has to come back again sooner or later so hopefully it will do so in Stoke.”

 

Four players are vying for the three places alongside already-qualified Bob Anderson in Purfleet and each of them know that if they win in Stoke, it will be enough to put them through.

 

A draw in their respective matches would do the job for both Whitcombe and Lazarenko, but the standings are so close that no player can afford to take it easy at the King’s Hall.

 

Three players are already eliminated and one of them, Bobby George, faces Anderson in the night’s opening clash.

 

The other highlight is between the two great rivals of the 1980s, Eric Bristow and John Lowe, who instead of fighting it out for a World Championship title are now battling to avoid the ignominy of finishing bottom of the inaugural league table.

 

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Bob Anderson became the first man to qualify for the semi-finals of the Betfred.com League of Legends with a 7-2 win against Eric Bristow at The Spa, Bridlington.

In the process, the 'Limestone Cowboy' also ended his opponent's hopes of being among the last four who will battle it out for the inaugural title at Purfleet's Circus Tavern on August 22.

Bristow, who had the darts, took the first leg but Anderson made the breakthrough in leg three when he seized a 2-1 lead by checking out on 42 after his rival had missed the bull.

It soon became 5-1 as both players struggled badly on their doubles, the 'Crafty Cockney' finally taking leg seven in the 'madhouse' to trail 5-2 in a leg full of scrappy finishing.

The crowd were, as usual, firmly on Bristow's side and he urged them to get behind them as his chance slipped away, but a double 16 in leg nine clinched victory for Anderson.

"I'm very proud to have qualified first," said the Clevedon professional. "I had to come through a really tough game in order to do that, much tougher than people would think.

"Although I went into the match top of the table and Eric was at the bottom, he is the opponent nobody wants to play. He is an absolute foundation stone of darts popularity.

"He is still a super player and I made a big mistake by playing Eric in the first two legs instead of the board. Once I played the board I was OK, but he is a hard man to beat."

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Peter Evison and Dave Whitcombe fought out only the third draw of the competition to leave both players sweating on a semi-final place.

The 'Fen Tiger' squandered a 4-1 lead and also looked poised to clinch victory at 6-5 up only for Whitcombe to snatch a point.

Four consecutive legs went the way of the Sittingbourne publican as he fought back from 4-1 down to 5-4 up, the last of those legs against the darts, before Evison drew level on double one.

Then it was the turn of the man from West Drayton to edge ahead on double eight as Whitcombe failed to check out and Evison also spurned a great chance to secure a win in the last leg, letting in his opponent to share the spoils on double five.

Asked how the match had gone from his perspective, Whitcombe replied: "Terrible, right from the word go. I've been practising all the time and done everything right only to get it wrong on the stage.

"Now I'm stuck because I don't know what's going on. I played well to win my opening three games but badly in the last two weeks and I was lucky to get a draw against Peter.

"I've no idea what's going on with my darts at the moment. It's so tight and now neither myself nor Peter are guaranteed to get through."

Evison admitted he had let a win escape from his grasp and said: "I should have won, without a doubt. Dave was struggling and I was cruising at 4-1 but I don't know what happened.

"I think it's the pressure of trying to qualify. At the end I was happy with 6-6 and I'll take the good with the bad.

"It worries me that I let a winning position slip. We all want to qualify so we'll just have to see what happens in Stoke next week."

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Cliff Lazarenko ensured the battle for semi-final places will be wide open on the final round-robin night at Stoke as he ended John Lowe's brief revival with a 7-3 success.

The Wellingborough veteran is the man with the momentum after three consecutive victories and the margin of his triumph means he only needs to draw with Peter Evison in his final match to progress.

Lowe, meanwhile, is now out of contention and the result also ended the hopes of Bobby George before he met Keith Deller in the last contest at the East Yorkshire seaside resort.

"I'm elated to have won again," said Lazarenko. "And I noticed on one of the TV screens as I was leaving the stage that they had me in second spot in the table ahead of the match between Keith and Bobby.

"There's four spots available in the semi-finals and five of us going for them in the last week, and I think that means the League of Legends is working so well.

"I have a reputation for never lying down and I'm delighted with this win. I struggled to get over the line but let's bring Stoke on."

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Bobby George recovered from 6-3 down to snatch a 6-6 draw with Keith Deller which left the 'Milky Bar Kid' needing to beat Dave Whitcombe in Stoke to seal a place in the semi-finals.

Deller looked to be cruising, but his finishing let him down at exactly the wrong time and 'Bobby Dazzler', buoyed by a fervent crowd, dug in brilliantly to avoid a fifth defeat in six Betfred.com League of Legends appearances.

Yet it was scant consolation for the 'King of Bling', who is unhappy with the way he has performed during the League of Legends after being one of the pre-event favourites.

"When I got to 6-6 I thought there was another leg to go," said George, who still has a sole victory in the tournament, over Peter Evison in Birmingham.

"I haven't played very well all the way through to be honest. It's been real Micky Mouse darts. But that's the way it goes I suppose.

"Sometimes you miss nothing for a few months and then you don't play very well for the next few. The other guys have just been better than me and it's annoying."

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John Lowe believes he still has a chance of snatching an unlikely Betfred.com League of Legends semi-final place after belatedly opening his winning account in the competition last week.

 

The 63-year-old from Chesterfield ended a run of four straight defeats with a 7-2 success against Bobby George in Reading and will arrive at the penultimate round-robin event at Bridlington on Friday with his hopes of qualifying still mathematically alive.

 

Results in other matches will have to go Lowe’s way if he is to be part of the main action on finals night at the Circus Tavern, Purfleet on August 22, but ‘Old Stoneface’ is convinced he can keep up the momentum when he faces ‘Big’ Cliff Lazarenko in the East Yorkshire seaside resort.

 

“I’m up and kicking now, even though I’m still joint bottom of the table,” said Lowe, whose final match of the league phase will be against his big 1980s rival Eric Bristow in Stoke on August 15.

 

“I’m really up for it against Big Cliff, who is my very best mate, and if I can win my last two matches I may just sneak into the last four with six points.”

 

The Betfred.com League of Legends is the first darts tournament being held at the famous Spa venue in Bridlington since it reopened in May following redevelopment, with the prestigious Winmau World Masters due to return there later in the year.

 

All eight players retain a chance of reaching the semi-finals but Lazarenko, currently fifth in the table, is capable of eliminating Lowe, Eric Bristow and Bobby George in one fell swoop by avoiding defeat on Friday.

 

Yet despite back-to-back victories, the Wellingborough professional is taking nothing for granted when he comes up against Lowe.

 

“We all know John Lowe isn’t the sort of player to lie down,” said Lazarenko. “I think the other seven players all expected that somewhere along the line John would do the business and he did a number on Bobby last week. I think his pride had been hurting.

 

“Bob Anderson is top of the table and should be fairly safe to qualify, but it’s far from over for the other three spots and nobody knows who will get through. That’s healthy for the tournament.”

 

Anderson can clinch his semi-final spot by beating Bristow in the opening match, while either Peter Evison, Dave Whitcombe or even both of them could find themselves sweating on their qualification prospects depending on the outcome of their clash.

 

Lazarenko and Keith Deller hold the keys to whether any of the three big names at the bottom of the pile can progress and if that duo lose both their remaining contests, it could open the door for a late surge by one of Bristow, George and Lowe.

 

Schedule of play on night six of the Betfred.com League of Legends at The Spa, Bridlington (all matches to be screened live on Setanta Sports, TV coverage begins at 7pm):

 

Bob Anderson v Eric Bristow

 

Peter Evison v Dave Whitcombe

 

Cliff Lazarenko v John Lowe

 

Keith Deller v Bobby George

 

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Cliff Lazarenko inflicted the first Betfred.com League of Legends defeat on Dave Whitcombe with a 7-4 win at the Rivermead Leisure Complex in Reading.

Whitcombe, successful in his opening three contests, had lost his 100% record in Batley two weeks earlier and was leapfrogged by Bob Anderson at the top of the table as he met with this reverse.

After the opening two legs were shared, 'Big Cliff' was the one who moved into overdrive and stormed into a 5-3 advantage.

The Kent publican pulled one back, but then the Wellingborough professional took out a superb 114 checkout on double top to restore his two-leg cushion and clinched his win on double 10.

"We both got bogged down at times but neither of us gave up," said Lazarenko. "I'm well chuffed to have ground out a result after not the greatest game.

"In the 10th leg Dave hit a 180 to leave a small shot out and then I hit the 114 finish and that was the crunch. You will have seen the way I reacted on stage and that was a little bit special.

"If we had both played well I would have taken a draw and considered it a great result. But I'm very pleased with the way it's turned out."

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Bob Anderson's 7-3 victory against Keith Deller ensured each of the eight players still has a mathematical chance of qualifying for the finals night at Purfleet's Circus Tavern on August 22.

The 'Limestone Cowboy' was riding high again following his 6-6 draw with Dave Whitcombe last time out in Batley which left him frustrated with the way he had played.

This time, however, the West Country professional raised his game and again demonstrated why he is the odds-on favourite with the sponsors for the title.

"What I didn't do in Batley I did tonight," said the 60-year-old from Clevedon. "I took my chances this time and that was the only difference. For the last two weeks I've been doing some real knuckle-bleeding practice on the doubles.

"Keith had chances and he missed them and you can't do that in this game. You have to kill or be killed. He certainly could have won the first leg.

"I know what you have to do to win in this game. I've been at it for 30 years and I think I showed that tonight."

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John Lowe finally struck top form in the Betfred.com League of Legends as he recorded a crushing 7-2 triumph against Bobby George.

'Old Stoneface' had lost his first four matches and was rock bottom of the league, but salvaged his reputation with easily his best performance in the event so far.

It was a showing that would have beaten all but a handful of players in any organisation as Lowe recorded three 180s and finally found his fluency on the doubles that had eluded  him before turning up in Reading.

"The difference tonight was probably pride," said the Chesterfield veteran. "I knew the only way I could keep alive my hopes in the competition was to win.

"I've been playing brilliantly in exhibitions and maybe I've been making too many excuses in the League of Legends instead of just telling myself to play the game like I know I can do.

"Bobby let me play well and I was actually a bit disappointed in the end because I thought I could play even better! I hit a few 41s and but for that my average would have been a lot higher."

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Peter Evison just got the better of a revitalised Eric Bristow to win 7-5 at Reading's Rivermead Leisure Complex and close in on a Betfred.com League of Legends semi-final place.

The 'Fen Tiger' recovered from 2-0 down after Bristow showed some of the old magic, scoring two 140s in the opening leg and checking out on 82 before Evison took out 100 to reduce his deficit.

At 3-3 Bristow gave the crowd even more to cheer by hitting a 180 and although he lost that leg and the next, there was still fight left in the 'Crafty Cockney' as he hit double

10 to make it 5-4 and another maximum in leg 11 as he stayed in it at 6-5.

But Evison scored heavier in the decider and a 64 checkout secured his success.

"Something told me it would be a hard game tonight," said the 44-year-old former World Masters champion from West Drayton. "Eric came up trumps, he played very well and that's why I had been apprehensive all day.

"You should never write Eric off, that's why he is a legend. I was always worried and he could have got a draw out of it. There was a lot of pressure on me as it's my local venue and I looked around and saw a lot of people I know.

"But in terms of qualification the job is never done until it's done. When someone tells me I've qualified then the job's done. I want to win my next two matches and if I do, Im there."

Bristow was encouraged by his improved display and said: "I'm gutted to have lost, but I enjoyed it tonight and played some of my best darts. I just wish I could have gone 4-2 up and really I should have."

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Cliff Lazarenko believes he has the momentum to push for glory during the second half of the Betfred.com League of Legends after getting his campaign back on track in Batley.

 

The 56-year-old from Wellingborough boosted his chance of qualifying for finals night at the Circus Tavern, Purfleet on August 22 when he won 7-3 against Bobby George at the West Yorkshire venue last time out.

 

That made it two wins and two defeats for ‘Big Cliff’, who sits fifth in the table and poised to snatch a coveted top-four place if any of the rivals above him slip up.

 

Next opponent for the four-time World Championship semi-finalist when the event resumes in Reading this Friday is table-topper Dave Whitcombe, on whom Lazarenko is keen to inflict his first defeat of the competition.

 

“It’s wide open now and I’m really looking forward to playing Dave in Reading,” said Lazarenko, who had been refreshed during the three-week break before Batley by performing exhibitions on a cruise ship.

 

“I think it will be another fantastic match and another fabulous occasion for the spectators. But as well as that, we all want to be in the top four who qualify for the semi-finals.

 

“I’m determined to claim a spot for myself but I know how hard it will be against Dave. He played a great match in Batley against Bob Anderson, which finished 6-6, and a few of the other players watching it backstage predicted it would end in a draw.”

 

Lazarenko’s main rival at this stage for a place in the last four looks to be Peter Evison, who was also a winner two weeks ago when he recorded a crushing 7-1 success over John Lowe.

 

Evison faces Eric Bristow at the Rivermead Leisure Complex and would have every right to feel confident given that the ‘Crafty Cockney’ has won only seven legs in three matches since his opening win over George.

 

Victory for the ‘Fen Tiger’ and for Lazarenko would kill off any mathematical possibility of John Lowe staging a late recovery to grab a qualification place, with ‘Old Stoneface’ hoping to end a run of four consecutive losses when he meets ‘Bobby Dazzler’.

 

The other match on the fifth night of action see a clash of the men in second and third places with Bob Anderson taking on Keith Deller.

 

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Keith Deller repeated his victory over Eric Bristow in the 1983 World Championship final to make it three wins out of four in the Betfred.com League of Legends - but this time the scoreline was much more convincing.

'Del Boy' prevailed 7-1 at Batley Frontier Club and is closing in on a place in the semi-finals, with the result doing his leg difference a power of good should qualification come down to that.

Again five-time former world champion Bristow failed to sparkle and he now faces an uphill battle to still be involved in the action at the Circus Tavern, Purfleet, on August 22 when the inaugural title will be decided.

"Without being disrespectful, it wasn't hard for me to win tonight," admitted Deller, 48, from Suffolk. "I wasn't on my top game but it's very hard when you know you will get chances and Eric was pulling a lot of darts.

"It could have been 7-0 but, saying that, Eric only just missed a 160 finish that would have made it 1-1. If that had gone in he could have come back and played good darts.

"But Eric is the greatest champion we have in the Betfred.com League of Legends and but for him the tournament probably wouldn't even exist."

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Cliff Lazarenko put himself back in contention for a semi-final place with a 7-3 triumph over Bobby George.

The Wellingborough man had been the outsider of the duo with the sponsors before the match but repeated the form he had produced in his Blackburn success against Eric Bristow.

That was evident just before the interval when Lazarenko just missed a 160 checkout, shifting the wire of the double top bed, but he still importantly edged 3-2 ahead.

From then on it was almost all Lazarenko and he closed the match out on double five to open some daylight on himself and the bottom three in the table.

"I'm totally delighted. I've had a couple of weeks away and I'm really pleased to be back on form tonight," said 'Big Cliff'. "I knew Bobby wasn't on song like he was last time out in Birmingham and there were some iffy legs, but that's part and parcel of darts."

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Dave Whitcombe and Bob Anderson maintained their unbeaten records in the Betfred.com League of Legends with a 6-6 draw.

The duo entered week four in first and second places in the table but for Whitcombe the result meant the end of his 100% start to the competition.

Anderson, meanwhile, has now been involved in the only two draws to have occurred having also fought out a stalemate with Peter Evison in week one.

Whitcombe led 2-0 and 4-2, but the Limestone Cowboy battled back to win the next three legs even though his finishing was off-key.

However, it was then the turn of the Sittingbourne publican to turn the match in his favour and Whitcombe was on course to take two points when he held his throw to lead 6-5.

In the final leg though, Anderson scored heavier and ensured he remained undefeated as he hit double top at the second attempt.

The players had contrasting views of how the match had gone, Anderson saying: "I'm delighted to have got a draw because

Dave performed better than I did. He didn't miss anywhere near as many doubles as me. He scored better and was consistent whereas I was in and out. When I came good I came very good, but in between I was less than good."

But Whitcombe, on hearing Anderson's remarks, said: "I must have been playing a different game. I think it was pretty even because we both had good and bad legs and missed doubles. But it was a good game.

"Hopefully we will be playing each other again on finals night."

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Peter Evison boosted his chances of qualifying for the Betfred.com League of Legends finals night with an emphatic 7-1 victory over John Lowe.

Lowe had been playing superbly when he had made a personal appearance at a Betfred shop in Wakefield earlier in the day, but again failed to produce his form on the Legends stage.

The three-time former world champion has now lost all his four matches and his chances of reaching the last four at the Circus Tavern, Purfleet, on August 22 look slim.

After the first two legs were shared, Evison, nicknamed the 'Fen Tiger', pulled away to win his second match in four League of Legends outings.

He wrapped up his win with a 98 checkout on double 12, having extended his advantage to 5-1 just after the break with a terrific 14-dart leg.

"I was quite shocked at the way John played," said Middlesex-based Evison. "I thought it would be a much harder game.

"John threw away the first leg but when he won the second I thought it was going to be a real contest. After that he didn't play very well and that was a bit disappointing.

"But I'll take any win because I've had some hard games so far. Now I'm looking forward to playing Eric Bristow on August 1 in Reading and hopefully getting through to finals night after that."

Lowe admitted his prospects are now bleak.

"It's very hard when someone plays so well against you," said the Chesterfield veteran. "I'm bottom of the table and things are looking dire."

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Former world champion Keith Deller is unafraid to admit that winning the Betfred.com League of Legends is uppermost in his thoughts.

 

Deller, 48, from Suffolk, does not subscribe to the ‘one match at a time’ mentality adopted by so many sports stars and is already looking ahead to finals night of this inaugural seniors’ tournament on August 22.

 

Two wins in his first three matches have put ‘The Milky Bar Kid’ well on course to reach the last four, yet he is still a potentially generous 6/1 with the sponsors to lift the trophy at the Circus Tavern, Purfleet next month.

 

A place on finals night will be all but secured if Deller can beat his old friend and rival Eric Bristow – the man he conquered to capture the 1983 world title – in Batley on Friday. But Deller is looking further ahead, although he knows his form will have to improve.

 

“I’m pleased to have two wins out of three on the board and Eric is next on my hit list,” said ‘Del Boy’, third in the table behind Dave Whitcombe and Bob Anderson who clash in Batley. 

 

“In my opinion Eric and John Lowe are the two best darts players ever. I beat John in Birmingham last time out and now I’m turning my attention to Eric.

 

“I’m playing pretty well at the moment but I will get better. Scoring-wise I’m not bad but my doubles are letting me down.

 

“I’ve not really got going yet in the tournament but when I do start motoring I know I can go on to win it. At the moment it’s all about qualifying for the last four but I’m not just thinking about that. I want to win it, though I can’t do that the way I’m playing at the moment.”

 

While the Deller-Bristow contest will be one highlight at the West Yorkshire venue as the Betfred.com League of Legends reaches the halfway stage, the other mouthwatering match-up is between Whitcombe and Anderson.

 

Whitcombe has been the surprise package of the event having won all three of his games so far, while Anderson, the pre-tournament favourite, is now odds-on as a result of back-to-back 7-2 victories following an initial draw.

 

Bobby George, who got off the mark with a win in Birmingham last time out, faces ‘Big’ Cliff Lazarenko and the other battle pits Peter Evison against John Lowe, who is still seeking his first win of the competition.

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John Lowe is the man nobody wants to meet in the Betfred.com League of Legends – even though he has lost all three of his matches so far.

‘Old Stoneface’ is bottom of the table after being hit by double trouble, with problems on the checkouts having left him with a mountain to climb to reach the top four who will contest the semi-finals.

But his rivals are keen to avoid the 62-year-old from Chesterfield, for they believe it is only a matter of time before Lowe shows his true colours and takes out his frustration on one of them with an emphatic victory.

Peter Evison is next up for him when the competition resumes in Batley on July 18 and both Bob Anderson and Keith Deller expect the real John Lowe to turn up at the West Yorkshire venue.

Anderson, who won 7-2 against Lowe on night two in Blackburn, said: “John is a true legend of the game and I’m glad I’m not playing him next time because he is so capable and such a wonderful player.

“His pride won’t allow him to be the only player without a win for much longer. Someone will pay for that big time and I’m really glad it’s not me because I’ve already played him!”

Deller inflicted Lowe’s third consecutive loss in Birmingham last week when prevailing 7-4. He added: “I think John could have won two of his three matches. I don’t think his record is a fair reflection of how he has been playing. When you have lost your first two matches and then you start missing doubles, those doubles start to look very small.”

Both Anderson and Deller are on course to reach the last four having won two of their three contests so far and are being tipped by some shrewd judges to battle it out in the final, even though Dave Whitcombe tops the table with a 100% record.

Anderson, the 1988 world champion, has dropped only four legs since his opening 6-6 draw with Evison, and now has the chance of ending Whitcombe’s perfect start when they go head to head in Batley.

“I’m playing well and growing in confidence,” said the 60-year-old ‘Limestone Cowboy’. “Those who play me know they will have to play better than they have played already or else they will be walking out to the car park kicking stones.”

Deller is also feeling upbeat and, in a repeat of his classic 1983 World Championship final triumph, he aims to make it three out of four against his close friend but fierce rival Eric Bristow.

“Eric is next on my hit list and if I beat him I should be pretty close to qualifying,” said the 48-year-old from Suffolk.

“But I’m not just looking at qualifying, I want to win the title. I’ve still not hit my top game yet but when that happens, and it will do, I will really fancy my chances.”

 

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Dave Whitcombe's 100% start to the Betfred.com League of Legends is still intact after the table-topper made it three out of three against Eric Bristow at the Hilton Metropole Hotel, Birmingham.

On his 54th birthday, the Sittingbourne publican celebrated with a 7-3 triumph that kept him on top of the standings by one point from Bob Anderson.

It was revenge for two World Championship final defeats in the 1980s against the 'Crafty Cockney', who now has only his opening-night win against Bobby George to his credit in this event.

A double 10 against the throw gave Whitcombe a 3-1 lead and in the next leg his first five darts found the treble 20, a double 16 putting him 4-1 ahead.

Another 180 helped to make it 5-1 and when Whitcombe also won the next, it looked like the birthday party would start early.

But Bristow thrilled the crowd by hitting double four - the same double at which Whitcombe had missed three darts - to make it 6-2 and a 180 helped the five-time former world champion reduce his deficit to three.

That was where the comeback ended, however, for Whitcombe landed double three to sustain his perfect beginning to the tournament.

"All the pressure was on me tonight because everyone was telling me I would win and I was very nervous up there," said Whitcombe.

"That was probably because of our past records. He was always my nemesis and the pressure probably showed in a few of the legs.

"But I just told myself to get it done and dusted and I'm well over the moon to have beaten Eric and be three out of three."

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Bob Anderson maintained his unbeaten record in the Betfred.com League of Legends when reeling off six legs on the spin to register a 7-2 thrashing of Cliff Lazarenko.

The 'Limestone Cowboy' now has two wins and a draw from his three matches and is showing why he was still capable of competing at the highest level before signing up for this event.

'Big Cliff' led 2-1 but from then on it was all Anderson as his opponent struggled to cope with the noise produced by the boisterous Birmingham crowd.

"I'm very happy to win because Cliff is a very hard man to beat," said the 1988 world champion from Clevedon.

"He let me in to go 3-2 up against the throw and from that moment on I didn't let go."

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Bobby George produced a superb display to record his first Betfred.com League of Legends victory, 7-3 against Peter Evison.

The Essex showman had been disappointing in losing his first two matches but scored brilliantly to turn over the in-form 'Fen Tiger'.

Evison got himself back into it when he won the two legs either side of the interval to draw level at 3-3, but any thoughts that he could get on top were quickly dispelled.

George was hitting 140s for fun and went 4-3 up after starting leg seven with 140, 180 and 125, and from then on there was no way back for his opponent.

When he went 6-3 up the 62-year-old punched the air in celebration and although his final checkout was unconventional - double one and double 19 when needing 40 - it clinched a much-needed win.

"I don't know what has been the matter with me in the tournament so far and this time I just told myself to keep going," said George.

"I kept hitting the treble 20 and that gives you so much confidence. I'm so pleased I won because I don't like making myself look a fool.

"I know that if I can finish as well as I scored tonight the others will have to play really well to beat me."

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Keith Deller piled on the misery for John Lowe in the Betfred.com League of Legends by inflicting a third consecutive defeat on the three-time former world champion at the Hilton Metropole Hotel, Birmingham.

The Suffolk professional won 7-4 to take his own record to two victories in three matches and he is now in great shape to qualify for the semi-finals.

It was again a case of missed doubles for Lowe, whose failure to check out from a great position in leg four meant he slipped 3-1 behind.

An impressive Deller leg made it 4-2 as he went on a burst of three successive wins for a 6-2 advantage, culminating with his first 180 of the tournament.

Lowe made a brief recovery to pull back to 6-4, aided by a 165 that left a finish of 36, but a first dart at double five in leg 11 clinched success for the 1983 world champion.

"I'm back on track now," said Deller. "My confidence was knocked a bit last week by losing to Peter Evison and my doubles weren't as good as they could be against John.

"But I'm scoring pretty well and I'm pleased to have two wins out of three. I've not really got going yet but when I do, I think I can go on to win it."

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Surprise early table-topper Dave Whitcombe has a double incentive to defend the only 100% record in the Betfred.com League of Legends when night three of the competition takes place in Birmingham on Friday.

 

The Kent publican sits proudly at the head of the standings after convincing victories over John Lowe and Bobby George and is now the 7/2 second favourite to lift the trophy at the Circus Tavern on August 22.

 

And the next round of action will be a big one for Whitcombe, for not only is it being staged on his 54^th birthday but he comes up against the man he faced in two World Championship finals, Eric Bristow.

 

Whitcombe did not produce his best darts in those showdowns, losing 7-1 in 1984 and 6-0 two years later, but warns that the inaugural Betfred.com League of Legends is “a different kettle of fish”.

 

“This is a whole new scenario,” says the man from Sittingbourne. “It’s a league format and really there are no winners and losers until the semi-finalists are decided at the end of the round-robin phase.

 

“But it’s not really a case of seeking revenge for those defeats against Eric. At the time I felt I was his equal because I had beaten him in other tournaments, but in the World Championship finals the big stigma of competing for the game’s biggest prize played its part.

 

“I wasn’t totally confident going into those finals. On reflection, looking back with an older head, I should have won one of them even though the scorelines suggest otherwise. I didn’t put Eric under pressure and I was just hanging on for the whole of both matches.”

 

Whitcombe admits he, like some other people, is a little surprised to find he is the only player to have won both his matches in the Betfred.com League of Legends so far but points out there is still a long way to go.

 

“I didn’t really expect to be top of the table at this stage,” he confesses. “But someone has to be top and someone has to be bottom. I’ve not played the tournament favourite Bob Anderson yet though.

 

“However, if you are happy with your game it doesn’t really matter who you play. It’s all about producing the goods yourself.”

 

 

Two of the highest-profile competitors have still to get off the mark in the event, with Bobby George and John Lowe having lost on both their appearances to date.

 

‘Bobby Dazzler’ bids to open his account at the Hilton Metropole Hotel next to the NEC against Peter Evison, while Lowe meets Keith Deller, who has one victory and one loss to his name so far.

 

Anderson, who is Betfred’s 5/4 favourite for the title, faces ‘Big’ Cliff Lazarenko, a winner against Bristow in Blackburn last week.

 

The other highlight will be provided by comedian Duncan Norvelle, who follows original Big Brother winner Craig Phillips in throwing nine darts for charity.

 

Phillips recorded a total of 133 at King George’s Hall, a score that was multiplied by 10 and converted into pounds for a donation of £1,330 by Betfred to UCARE, a urological cancer charity supported by the Legends.

 

Schedule of play on night three of the Betfred.com League of Legends at the Hilton Metropole Hotel, Birmingham (all matches to be screened live on Setanta Sports):

 

Keith Deller v John Lowe

 

Peter Evison v Bobby George

 

Bob Anderson v Cliff Lazarenko

 

Eric Bristow v Dave Whitcombe

 

For further information on the Betfred.com League of Legends and how to purchase tickets for the events, please visit www.leagueoflegends.tv

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Bob Anderson displayed why he is favourite for the Betfred.com League of Legends title with a convincing 7-2 success against John Lowe.

The 'Limestone Cowboy' had only drawn with Peter Evison on the opening night in Purfleet but made amends by crushing the man he had beaten to claim the world title in 1988.

Lowe's fate was already sealed when he took out a 92 finish to reduce his arrears to 6-2, sparking a huge cheer from the Lancashire crowd.

But one leg later it was all over as Anderson's renowned accuracy on double top was evident and he put his rival to the sword.

"John let me in and I took my chances," said the West Country thrower. "I actually consider myself very fortunate to have won so comfortably.

"I didn't want to head to Birmingham next week with fewer points than Eric Bristow and now I won't do that!

"This result will help me to grow in confidence."

Lowe, who has now lost both his mathes by sizeable margins, said: "I'm not playing bad darts but I'm letting people bully me.

"I've not said who I am so far and I'm being too nice. I just need to find something to get me going."

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Peter Evison proved he will be a major force in the Betfred.com League of Legends by gaining his first success, 7-5 against Keith Deller.

The 'Fen Tiger', who had drawn with Bob Anderson at the Circus Tavern, got the better of a match that featured some crisp finishing.

On paper there looked little to choose between the duo and that was the case in the first half of the contest as they divided equally the opening six legs.

But from that point on Evison was never behind and a 69 checkout put him 4-3 ahead and a 97 again gave him the advantage at 5-4.

It then became 6-4 but Deller responded with a superb 105 before Evison secured his triumph on double top.

"That was a great relief," said the man from Middlesex. "I've had to play two really tough players in the first two weeks of the event."

 

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Cliff Lazarenko produced a second-half surge to open his Betfred.com League of Legends account with a 7-3 win against Eric Bristow.

'Big Cliff' had opened with a defeat to Keith Deller while Bristow had beaten Bobby George, but this time the roles were reversed.

It was nip and tuck in the early stages as the first six legs were shared equally, but then Lazarenko turned on the style.

After going 4-3 up, a 52 finish made it 5-3 and when the Wellingborough man put himself one leg from victory, it sparked a typically exuberant 'Big Cliff' celebration.

By this stage it was looking one-way traffic and despite a few jitters on the doubles in leg 10, Lazarenko closed it out on double two.

"It wasn't the most fantastic game," admitted Lazarenko. "The first half was a bit ugly and Eric commanded it a bit, but I'm chuffed to get the win.

"I didn't want to go to Birmingham next week without a win on the board. But I know I have to buck my ideas up.

"I definitely want to be in the top four at the end of August and I'm looking forward to playing Bob Anderson next week."

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Dave Whitcombe made it two wins out of two in the Betfred.com League of Legends with a commanding 7-4 victory over Bobby George at Blackburn's King George Hall.

The Kent publican had opened the tournament when upsetting the odds on John Lowe and again showed he will be a real force to reckon with for the rest of the event.

The two-time former World Championship runner-up raced into a 3-0 lead thanks to some impressive scoring, including a 150 that set up a one-dart 32 finish in the opener and a 140 that left 95 in leg two.

Back-to-back tons boosted Whitcombe in leg three and although he lost the next despite hitting his first 180, he regained his cushion of three just before the interval.

A 61 finish made it 5-1 before a brief rally from 'Bobby Dazzler'. But a second maximum from Whitcombe helped to make it 6-3 and a fluent 51 checkout in two darts wrapped up the win.

"It's been a great start to the event for me," said Whitcombe. "Now I'm looking forward to playing Eric on my birthday next Friday.

"But there's a long way to go yet. Someone has to be top of the table and someone has to be bottom, so it can all change round in a couple of weeks.

"I think we are all thinking the same - we all want to qualify for the finals night but that's a long way off yet."

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 Eric Bristow has revealed the key to his stunning success over Bobby George on the opening night of the Betfred.com League of Legends.

 

The five-time former world champion upset the odds with a 7-5 victory over his long-time rival at Purfleet’s Circus Tavern and will aim to maintain his perfect start against ‘Big’ Cliff Lazarenko when the competition resumes in Blackburn on Friday.

 

It was a superb return to the big time for the ‘Crafty Cockney’, who was more clinical on the all-important doubles than ‘Bobby Dazzler’ as he gave his quest to qualify for finals night on August 22 a major boost.

 

“I prepared for the tournament by practising my finishing,” said 51-year-old Bristow. “It has been the old routine on the checkouts between 80 and 130. I’ve always said it’s the finishing that counts.

 

“We can all score 140s and 100s, but there will always be a few missed doubles that cost people matches and the 80-130 finishes when your opponent is ready to check out are the ones you have to clean up.

 

“I knew that if I prepared the right way I would be competitive. All the players in the League of Legends have beaten each other lots of times but nobody wants to lose on TV.”

 

Bristow’s opponent this week, Lazarenko, began with a 7-5 loss to Keith Deller in the first ever Betfred.com League of Legends match but it was one of the higher-quality contests on the inaugural night of action.

 

The 56-year-old Northamptonshire heavyweight finds himself as the rank outsider for the title but admits he is driven on by the memory of some painful losses against his rivals.

 

“Sometimes when you are on stage against a particular player, something kicks in and you recall a defeat from the past and think ‘I remember that day and it hurt…it’s not going to hurt today’,” warned Lazarenko.

 

“We all get on well away from the oche, but once we get up there we go into our own little world of playing the game hard, fair and with the aim of coming out on top.

 

“There is a lot of determination among us all and although some might be a bit sharper than others towards the end of matches because they have been competing more recently, we are all very experienced and we are all trying our hardest.”

 

 

A clash of two former world champions is another highlight of this week’s Betfred.com League of Legends schedule. Bob Anderson, the 1988 world champion, takes on the only man to have captured the game’s most prized title in three different decades, John Lowe.

 

Early table-topper Dave Whitcombe, a 7-3 winner against Lowe on night one, faces Bobby George, while Keith Deller bids to preserve his 100% record when he meets Peter Evison.

 

There will also be a celebrity angle to the night as Craig Phillips, winner of the first series of Big Brother, is to go on stage to throw nine darts on a pounds-for-points basis with proceeds donated to UCARE, a urological cancer charity supported by the Legends.

 

Schedule of play on night two of the Betfred.com League of Legends at King George Hall, Blackburn (all matches to be screened live on Setanta Sports):

 

Bobby George v Dave Whitcombe

 

Eric Bristow v Cliff Lazarenko

 

Keith Deller v Peter Evison