Peter ‘Snakebite’ Wright put in a solid display on Saturday night to regain the German Darts Masters, and land a 9/1 winner for our followers. Here’s how the action unfolded on a busy two nights in Cologne …
Round One
The action in Cologne got underway on Friday night, with Peter Wright drawn to face Robert Marijanovic. The Scot started the tournament well, dominating the early stages of the match and soon led 4-0 and then 5-1 in the first to six encounter. Marijanovic then started a mini fightback, taking three legs on the spin, before Wright coolly took out double-18 for a 6-4 win. However, it was some of the other results on the opening night that took the eye, with both Gary Anderson and Michael van Gerwen suffering shock defeats, all adding to the confidence Wright could claim his first title of the year.
Quarter-final
In the quarter-finals Wright faced Nico Kurz, the conqueror of Anderson. The 22 year old German once again out-performed his lowly ranking, starting well enough to hold Wright at 2-2 in the first to eight match. ‘Snakebite’ started to go through the gears in the next six legs and soon held a commanding 7-3 lead, just one from victory. But like in his first round match, the young German started to fight back, winning the next three legs, to make the end of the match a nervous watch. However, Kurz’s scoring let him down in leg 14, and although it took Wright five darts to find the double, he eventually did, to secure an 8-6 win.
Semi-final
Onto the semi-final, and Englishman James Wade was the opponent, fresh from whitewashing Daryl Gurney in the quarter-finals. The first five legs all went with throw, but Wright took out a crucial 46 in leg six to lead 4-2 at the interval. After the break, ‘The Machine’ came out firing and leveled the match at 4-4 before Wright raised his game once more. Finishes of 50, 96 and 121 saw ‘Snakebite’ move to within one of victory, and some good scoring in leg 12 helped him over the line with an 8-4 win.
The Final
In the final Wright unexpectedly faced the German Gabriel Clemens, a 50/1 shot before the tournament got underway. Clemens had battled his way past Raymond van Barneveld, Rob Cross and Mensur Suljovic, and fully deserved his crack at the title in the final. Wright is a popular figure in Germany, but the partisan crowd showed its allegiances to Clemens early on, and helped the German to a 2-0 early lead in the first to eight contest. Wright battled back, and although not playing his best darts, was relieved to get to the interval at 3-3. The next two legs went with throw, but Wright put in an impressive 11-darter to claim the ninth leg and lead for the first time in the match. The next four legs again all went with throw, but it was a tight contest, with both players averaging in the low nineties. At 7-6, Wright was throwing for the match, and started the crucial leg with a 180, with Clemens only managing 39 in response. Some consistent scoring allowed Wright to get to the double first, and although he missed his first three darts for the match, made no mistake on double-4 on his next visit to take home the title – and land a 9/1 winner for us.
Free Darts Predictions
The big darts tournament of the summer, the World Matchplay, gets underway next weekend, so remember to follow our Free Darts Predictions page of the website for all of our tips throughout the tournament!
