2012 Championship League Darts


The 2012 Championship League Darts was the fifth edition of a darts competition — the Championship League Darts. The competition was organised and held by the Professional Darts Corporation, with the 2012 edition having a prize fund over £175,000.
The format of the tournament is similar to the Premier League Darts tournament, also organized by the PDC, except it is contested by a larger pool of players who were divided into a number of groups.
Every match could be watched on one of the fifty-three bookmaker websites who broadcast the competition. The tournament was available globally through the internet, except in the United States of America where it could not be shown for legal reasons.
Phil Taylor won his third Championship League title be defeating Simon Whitlock 6–4 in the final.

Format

The first group consisted of the top eight players from the PDC Order of Merit who were available for the competition. These eight players played each other over the course of a day, receiving two points for each win. All matches were contested over a maximum of 11 legs with a player winning the match on reaching 6 legs. After all players had played each other, the four players with the most points progressed to the semi-finals with the winners of those matches progressing into the final.
The winner of the final progressed to the winners group which took place at the end of the competition. The runner-up, losing semi-finalists and the players finishing fifth and sixth moved into group two, where they were joined by the next three players in the Order of Merit. The format of the second group was the same as the first group with players moving into the third group. In total there were 8 groups before the final group took place.
This format ensures that all players who do not win the group or finish in the last two positions have another chance to qualify for the winners group.

Prize money

The Championship League Darts awards prize money per leg won, as well as to the eventual winner, runner-up and semi-finalists of the entire tournament.
The amount of prize money awarded per leg won is:
StageMatchPrize money
per leg won
Group stageGroup matches£50
Group stageSemi-finals & final£100
Winners groupGroup matches£100
Winners groupSemi-finals & final£200



The amount of prize money awarded to the winner, runner-up and semi-finalists of the tournament is:
StagePrize money
Winner£10,000
Runner-up£5,000
Semi-finalists£2,500

Tournament dates

The tournament took place over nine days throughout September, October and November 2012. One group was played on each day. The dates were as follows:
  • Group 1 – Tuesday 25 September
  • Group 2 – Wednesday 26 September
  • Group 3 – Thursday September 27
  • Group 4 – Tuesday 16 October
  • Group 5 – Wednesday 17 October
  • Group 6 – Thursday 18 October
  • Group 7 – Tuesday 30 October
  • Group 8 – Wednesday 31 October
  • Winners Group – Thursday 1 November
The tournament took place at the Crondon Park Golf Club in Essex.
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4Phil Taylor
Group 5Simon Whitlock
Group 6Terry JenkinsDave Chisnall
Group 7
Group 8Mark WalshPaul NicholsonRobert ThorntonMichael van GerwenBrendan DolanDenis OvensPeter WrightSteve Beaton
Note: Raymond van Barneveld chose not to compete in the tournament. Vincent van der Voort withdrew due to medical issues, Andy Smith will take his place in group 4 with Steve Beaton taking up the new final spot in group 8.
Winners Group

Group stage

Group 1

Group 1 was played on Tuesday 25 September. It was won by Wes Newton who qualified for the winners group. Andy Hamilton and James Wade were knocked out.

Group 2

Group 2 was played on Wednesday 26 September. It was won by Justin Pipe who qualified for the winners group. Mark Webster and Kevin Painter were knocked out.

Group 3

Group 3 was played on Thursday 27 September. It was won by Ronnie Baxter who qualified for the winners group. Adrian Lewis and Gary Anderson were knocked out.

Group 4

Group 4 was played on Tuesday 16 October. It was won by Phil Taylor who qualified for the winners group. Andy Smith and Mervyn King were knocked out.

Group 5

Played Wednesday October 17, was won by Simon Whitlock who qualifies for the winners group. Colin Lloyd and Wayne Jones were knocked out.

Group 6

Group 6 was played on Thursday 18 October. It was won by Dave Chisnall who qualified for the winners group. John Part and Terry Jenkins were knocked out.

Group 7

Group 7 was played on Tuesday 30 October. It was won by Jamie Caven who qualified for the winners group. Richie Burnett and Colin Osborne were knocked out.

Group 8

Group 8 was played on Wednesday 31 October. It was won by Mark Walsh who qualified for the winners group.

Winners group

The winners group was played on Thursday 1 November. It was won by Phil Taylor.