ALAN TABERN battled hard to claim the third PDC Unicorn Challenge Tour event of 2014, following a deciding leg win over Ian McFarlane, at the Rivermead Centre in Reading. The former top ten star - winner of five ranking titles - continued his strong start to the year on the Challenge Tour, by taking the £2,000 first prize on Sunday. The St Helens man, who reached the semi-finals and the final of the first two Challenge Tour events, started his road to the title with wins over Tony Richardson, Jonathan Worsley and Steven Lippett to reach the last 16 stage. From then on Tabern fought hard by recording a trio of 5-4 wins over Daniel Day, Mark Frost and Luke Woodhouse to seal a place in the final. In the decider against McFarlane, Tabern repeated the trick with a fourth consecutive deciding leg win to triumph in a PDC competition for the first time since 2008. McFarlane, who reached the semi-finals of the second Challenge Tour event in Wigan, went one better on Sunday as he reached his first career final. The 43-year-old from Birmingham defeated Hull’s Reece Robinson in the last 32 before edging 5-4 wins over Mark Jones and Richie Howson to secure a last four spot. In the semi-finals McFarlane over local boy Joe Lacey with a 5-2 win to reach the final before agonisingly losing out on a maiden title after losing 5-4 to Tabern – having to settle for £1,000 in prize money. Redditch’s Luke Woodhouse produced his best display since last September thanks to a strong run to the semi-finals on Sunday. The 25 year-old who won a Challenge Tour title in 2013, came through a tough first encounter with a 5-4 over Dirk van Duijvenbode and continued the winning before claiming another notable win over Jamie Robinson in the last eight. That victory put Woodhouse through to his third semi-final in the PDC Unicorn Challenge Tour, but hopes of a second victory were extinguished when he was narrowly defeated by Tabern in a deciding leg. Reading’s Joe Lacey produced his best ever performance to date, taking £500 for his excellent run to the semi-finals which included a trio of 5-2 wins over Gaz Cousins, Dick van Dijk and Stuart Bousfield before his great run was ended by McFarlane. Jamie Robinson, who won the first PDC Unicorn Challenge Tour event of year, produced a good run to the last eight before his hopes of a second title in the space of a month were ended following a 5-3 loss to Woodhouse. Former PDC Pro Tour players Richie Howson and Mark Frost enjoyed excellent runs to the quarter-finals while Cheshire’s Stuart Bousfield matched his quarter-final effort in Wigan four weeks ago, with another solid run on Sunday. The Rivermead Centre will once again play host to the next PDC Unicorn Challenge Tour event on April 6, with £10,000 prize money on offer. PDC Unicorn Challenge Tour Event Three Sunday March 30, Rivermead Centre, Reading Preliminary Round Ron Meulenkamp 5-1 Darren Burksfield Jamie Robinson 5-3 James Bevan Oliver Stell 5-4 Ryan Palmer Ben Davies 5-3 Simon Cassidy First Round Ryan Harrington 5-3 Dan Dean Mike Nott 5-2 Tim Martin Daniel Day 5-2 Martin Carvill Michael Beal 5-1 Ron Meulenkamp Steven Lippett 5-1 Bradon Walsh Jason Wilson 5-1 Jake Patchett Jonathan Worsley 5-4 Vernon Sheppard Alan Tabern 5-2 Tony Richardson Karl Merchant 5-0 Robert Fuller Jack Hill 5-0 Danny Summers Richard Ludlow 5-3 John Brammeld Vince Tipple 5-4 Jay Foreman Prakash Jiwa 5-3 Steve Evans Adrian Gray 5-0 Stephen Rumble Phil Henshaw 5-3 Alex Roy Mark Frost 5-1 Ben Gaiter Nick Fullwell 5-3 Paul Redfern Kurt Parry 5-1 Nathan Derry Dave Kelly 5-1 Michael Blake Jamie Robinson 5-3 Danny Pinhorne Shaun Littler 5-0 Mike Harris Philip Wathen 5-3 Darren Whittingham Matthew Dicken 5-1 Martin Perring Darren Weaver 5-2 Michael Burgoine Ewan Hyslop 5-4 Ben Songhurst Hermie van Orsouw 5-3 Doug Thompson Luke Woodhouse 5-4 Dirk van Duijvenbode Paul Carter 5-4 Stuart Holden Lewis McGurn 5-0 Wayne Dunn Jamie Gemmell 5-4 Barry Lynn Dimitri Van Den Bergh 5-2 Kevin Bambrick Dave Weston 5-3 Robert Turner Ian McFarlane 5-2 Paul Palmer John Crossley 5-0 Nick Paenen Reece Robinson 5-2 Colin Fowler Krit Middleton 5-3 Oliver Stell John Ferrell 5-1 Adam Smith-Neale Mark Jones 5-1 Mark Pritchard Wayne Thomas 5-2 Curtis Hammond Philip Milburn 5-4 Martin Homer Brett Claydon 5-1 Mark Flawn Shaun Griffiths 5-2 Barrie Bates Darren Williams 5-1 Peter Evison Richie Howson 5-0 Neville Roberts Kevin Thomas 5-0 Ryan Herrington Paul Rowley 5-2 Jack Tweddell Mark Hylton 5-1 Stephen Gallimore Aden Kirk 5-1 Curtis Bagley Matthew Dennant 5-1 Jon Jukes Gaz Cousins 5-3 John Newland Trevor Burkhill 5-1 Lee Holden Joe Lacey 5-0 Ben Davies Ricky Sudale 5-4 Scott Mackenzie Gary Eastwood 5-3 Sam Hamilton Dick van Dijk 5-2 Geoff Heath Alan James Tabern Jnr 5-4 Richard Denis Stuart Bousfield 5-1 Sam Hill Simon Burt 5-2 John Scott John Burgess 5-1 Darren Mawer Michael Symes 5-2 Nigel Birch Lee Moffatt 5-1 Andrew Howarth Matthew Edgar 5-3 Terry Roach Steve Douglas 5-4 Shane Edwards Andy Pearson 5-3 Dave Honey Second Round Ryan Harrington 5-4 Mike Nott Daniel Day 5-3 Michael Beal Steven Lippett 5-3 Jason Wilson Alan Tabern 5-3 Jonathan Worsley Karl Merchant 5-2 Jack Hill Richard Ludlow 5-4 Vince Tipple Prakash Jiwa 5-2 Adrian Gray Mark Frost 5-4 Phil Henshaw Nick Fullwell 5-4 Kurt Parry Jamie Robinson 5-0 Dave Kelly Shaun Littler 5-3 Philip Wathen Matthew Dicken 5-3 Darren Weaver Ewan Hyslop 5-0 Hermie van Orsouw Luke Woodhouse 5-0 Paul Carter Jamie Gemmell 5-3 Lewis McGurn Dave Weston 5-2 Dimitri Van Den Bergh Ian McFarlane 5-2 John Crossley Reece Robinson 5-2 Krit Middleton Mark Jones 5-1 John Ferrell Philip Milburn 5-4 Wayne Thomas Brett Claydon 5-3 Shaun Griffiths Richie Howson 5-3 Darren Williams Kevin Thomas 5-4 Paul Rowley Mark Hylton 5-4 Aden Kirk Gaz Cousins 5-2 Matthew Dennant Joe Lacey 5-4 Trevor Burkhill Ricky Sudale 5-2 Gary Eastwood Dick van Dijk 5-2 Alan James Tabern Jnr Stuart Bousfield 5-0 Simon Burt Michael Symes 5-2 John Burgess Matthew Edgar 5-2 Lee Moffat Steve Douglas 5-3 Andy Pearson Losers £50 Third Round Daniel Day 5-3 Ryan Harrington Alan Tabern 5-0 Steven Lippett Karl Merchant 5-2 Richard Ludow Mark Frost 5-2 Prakash Jiwa Jamie Robinson 5-4 Nick Fullwell Matthew Dicken 5-3 Shaun Littler Luke Woodhouse 5-4 Ewan Hyslop Jamie Gemmell 5-2 Dave Weston Ian McFarlane 5-2 Reece Robinson Mark Jones 5-3 Philip Milburn Richie Howson 5-4 Brett Claydon Kevin Thomas 5-2 Mark Hylton Joe Lacey 5-2 Gaz Cousins Dick van Dijk 5-4 Ricky Sudale Stuart Bousfield 5-3 Michael Symes Steve Douglas 5-4 Matthew Edgar Losers £100 Fourth Round Alan Tabern 5-4 Daniel Day Mark Frost 5-4 Karl Merchant Jamie Robinson 5-0 Matthew Dicken Luke Woodhouse 5-2 Jamie Gemmell Ian McFarlane 5-4 Mark Jones Richie Howson 5-0 Kevin Thomas Joe Lacey 5-2 Dick van Dijk Stuart Bousfield 5-3 Steve Douglas Losers £200 Quarter-Finals Alan Tabern 5-4 Mark Frost Luke Woodhouse 5-3 Jamie Robinson Ian McFarlane 5-4 Richie Howson Joe Lacey 5-2 Stuart Bousfield Losers £300 Semi-Finals Alan Tabern 5-4 Luke Woodhouse Ian McFarlane 5-2 Joe Lacey Losers £500 Final Alan Tabern 5-4 Ian McFarlane Winner £2,000 Runner-Up £1,000
Posted on: Sun, 30 Mar 2014 16:50:27 +0000