Whitlock Just Short of Title + 9 Darter!

Simon Whitlock hit his first ever TV 9 darter last Friday on Premier League Finals night (morning for Aussies!). The feat was achieved against the throw in his semi with Andy Hamilton, after Whitlock lost his first leg with the throw.

See the 9 darter

From there Whitlock lost his next 2 legs, and was down 3-1, but was able to claw back and defeat Hamilton 8-6.

Whitlock started the grand final against Phil Taylor is in a disappointingly typical fashion. He had a prime opportunity to break Taylor in the first leg of the game, but the Wizard’s double 16 demons surfaced and he was unable to checkout.

Had he broke in that first leg the match could have been very different. Taylor was not at his best, but the disappointment of losing that first leg seemed to affect Whitlock as he went down 7-2. Amazingly he rallied and produced a fantastic comeback, bringing the score back to 7-7.

Taylor then woke up and completed the defeat 10-7. It was a gallant effort by Whitlock, who is surely not too far away from his first major title. See him in action next at the UK open from the 7th to the 10th of June.