Reigning Speedy Services UK Open champion Robert Thornton took victory in the fourth Qualifier for this year’s event with a 6-4 defeat of Jamie Caven in yesterday’s final in Wigan.
In-form Thornton started his run to the £6,000 winners prize by defeating former World Championship runner-up Mark Dudbridge 6-1, and followed that with victories over Mark Hylton and Ian White.
The Scotsman edged out Peter Hudson 6-5 in the last 32 before defeating in-form Canadian John Part by a 6-3 margin to confirm his place in the last eight.
Thornton, who has enjoyed good success so far in his debut year in the McCoy’s Premier League, saw off Peter Wright 6-2 in the last eight before defeating the superb Michael van Gerwen in the semi-finals thanks to a 6-3 victory.
Thornton fell 2-1 down to Jamie Caven in the early stages of the final before levelling the game for a second time in the fourth leg with the aid of a 14-dart finish, which included a 180.
Caven moved ahead for a third time by taking the fifth leg only for Thornton to level and then win the seventh with an impressive 11-darter, which he began with back-to-back maximums.
Thornton won his third leg in a row to move closer to victory only for Caven to keep his hopes alive by taking the ninth, but the Scotsman ended the contest with an excellent 15-darter.
Caven produced his best performance on the PDC ProTour since defeating Adrian Lewis to win a Players Championship in Derby back in February 2011 as he reached the decider.
The Derby professional began the day with a tough 6-5 victory over Chris Mason before thrashing James Wade with a superb 6-1 triumph.
Caven whitewashed Joey Palfreyman 6-0 and then reached the last 16 thanks to a 6-3 victory over Saturday’s Qualifier Three runner-up, Michael Smith.
Caven went on to defeat Paul Amos to reach the last eight and recorded a brace of 6-2 victories against Magnus Caris and Gary Anderson to reach the final, before having the settle for the £3,000 runners-up prize.
Michael van Gerwen, who won Saturday’s third of eight UK Open Qualifiers, began the day with victories over David Pallett and Aden Kirk before defeating two-time World Champion Adrian Lewis, with a 6-3 victory.
The Dutch superstar remained on course for a brace of back-to-back triumphs when he overcame Richie Burnett and Joe Cullen in a deciding leg, but his hopes of completing that achievement were ended when he fell at the hands of Thornton in the last four.
However, the £2,000 prize money van Gerwen picked up on the day took his tally to £8,000 for the weekend as he regained third place in the PDC Order of Merit ahead of James Wade.
Scotland’s Gary Anderson, who hit a nine-dart finish on Saturday, was the other Qualifier Four semi-finalist in Wigan after beginning his day strongly with two whitewash victories in his opening three matches.
The former Premier League champion then brushed aside Steve Beaton and Brendan Dolan in the last eight before falling to a 6-2 defeat at the hands of Caven.
Peter Wright reached the quarter-finals for a second successive day to complete a good weekend, and he was joined by Bradford youngster Joe Cullen, Sweden’s Magnus Caris and Paul Nicholson.