Saturday 3 January
A week ago 48 players lined up, now just four remained. Matches in the Semi-Finals had been extended to the best of 11 sets, however neither match went close.
In the first match, it was the end of the road for the 56 year old Bob Anderson. Kevin Painter took nine of the first 10 legs in opening up a three set lead against the man drained after impressive wins over Jenkins, Smith and Manley. Anderson recovered to 2-2 in both the 4th and 5th sets however he was unable to convert them into victories as Painter moved 5-0 up and within one of a place in the final Painter took the sixth set by 3-1 to go through to the final a 6-0 winner. Painter averaged 96.72 but Anderson could be proud of his run which had seen him eliminate three seeds and get within one match of a second world final an average of 87.69 for the tournament for the elder statesman of the game.
In the second semi-final Phil Taylor took control early on against Wayne Mardle who played well. After 4 sets Taylor was 4-0 up, however he had been fortunate as two sets had been won in deciders. Mardle got on the board in the fifth set by 3-2 and at 2-2 in the 6th was close to closing the gap to two sets. Taylor pinched the 6th however to go 5-1 up. Mardle replied by taking the 7th set but it delayed the inevitable, Taylor taking the match 6-2 with a 100.02 average.
Read more about this topic: 2004 PDC World Darts Championship, Day 8
Famous quotes containing the words saturday and/or january:
“The return of the asymmetrical Saturday was one of those small events that were interior, local, almost civic and which, in tranquil lives and closed societies, create a sort of national bond and become the favorite theme of conversation, of jokes and of stories exaggerated with pleasure: it would have been a ready- made seed for a legendary cycle, had any of us leanings toward the epic.”
—Marcel Proust (1871–1922)
“Here lies interred in the eternity of the past, from whence there is no resurrection for the days—whatever there may be for the dust—the thirty-third year of an ill-spent life, which, after a lingering disease of many months sank into a lethargy, and expired, January 22d, 1821, A.D. leaving a successor inconsolable for the very loss which occasioned its existence.”
—George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)