Gray run ended by world champ

Adrian Gray’s splendid run at the Speedy Services UK Darts Open was ended by world champion Phil Taylor yesterday (Saturday) afternoon.
Adrian GrayAdrian Gray
Adrian Gray

The St Leonards thrower had come through three rounds at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton before losing 9-2 to the great Taylor in a fourth round match televised live on Sky Sports.

Taylor won the first three legs and had two darts at double 16 for a 4-0 lead, but failed to convert and Gray stepped in to check out 94 - only the second leg Taylor had lost in the tournament.

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Gray began the fifth leg with a 180 and had two darts at a double to make it 3-2, yet this time he couldn’t finish and Taylor punished him to lead 4-1. Gray hit another maximum in the sixth leg only for Taylor to clinch it.

Carpet fitter Gray, who is 77th on the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) order of merit, closed to 5-2 with a double 16, but it was all Taylor thereafter. An 11-darter put him 7-2 up, a 12-darter followed in the next and he finished the match with a 105 average.

Four-time champion Taylor survived a massive scare to edge out Brendan Dolan 9-8 in the last 16 later yesterday and will take on Michael van Gerwen in a mouthwatering quarter-final later today.