Week five of MODUS Super Series 11 got underway on England’s south coast, and after a competitive opening day, it’s Carl Sneyd who holds a slender advantage at the top of the table.
The Bomber picked up three wins and leads the group on leg difference – but only just – ahead of Dutchman Lorenzo Pronk. Also tied on six points, and separated by just a single leg, are former PDC World Championship finalist Andy Hamilton and Joe Croft.
Trailing slightly but still within touching distance is the second Dutchman in the group, Ricardo Ulrich, who sits on four points. Below him is Canadian David Fatum, who managed just one win by the end of Monday’s action.
The Hammer got off to a flying start, with the Stoke legend throwing it around like Thor at a disco, taking victory in his first three matches. Things were going smoothly until he came unstuck against Loxley arrow-smith, Lorenzo Pronk, who punished a below-par performance.
You could say Andy went under the hammer in that one! To be fair to the 58-year-old, he was excellent in his final match despite a 4–1 loss to Sneyd. In what was comfortably the game of the day, the Oldham man averaged a massive 103.82, compared to Hamilton’s strong 97.61. The difference? Doubles.
All in all, Sneyd had a bit of a yo-yo day, alternating between wins and defeats through his first four games before ending on a high with that outstanding display against Hamilton.
The Hague seems a decent place to be from if you’re a Dutch darts player, and Lorenzo Pronk would love to follow in the footsteps of hometown hero Raymond van Barneveld one day. For now, he sits nicely in second after a bit of a see-saw day himself – but three wins is a very solid start.
Englishman Joe Croft – currently without an official nickname, so we’ll go with Crofty, makes up the quartet tied on six points, sitting fourth on leg difference. The southerner started brightly, taking down Sneyd and Pronk, before suffering a hammer blow. Croft did then bounce back to edge past Fatum in a last-leg decider, but missed the chance to end the day with a fourth win as Ricardo Ulrich had other ideas.
As for Ulrich – another nickname-free zone, so he’s just Ricardo for now – goes in to tomorrow with two wins to his name – the other triumph being over David Fatum.
It was a tough day overall for the experienced Canadian. He currently props up the table, but has the ability to turn it around. It could’ve been worse for The Scorpion, who was winless after four games, but he managed to ease the sting late on with a brilliant 96.99 average to beat Pronk 4–2 in the final game of the session.
With two days still to play and the lads set to face each other a couple more times before Wednesday, it’s all to play for. Who’ll earn that crucial three-day rest until Finals Night? At this stage, it’s anyone’s guess.
——ENDS—–
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