2012 Premier League Darts
The 2012 McCoy's Premier League Darts was a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation; the eighth edition of the tournament. The event began at the Manchester Arena in Manchester on 9 February, and ended at The O Arena in London on 17 May. The format was a double round robin tournament with the top 4 finishers moving on to the play-offs. Each league match was played best of 14 legs. If a player won his eighth leg before the 14th leg, no further legs were played after this point. Two points were  awarded for a win and one point awarded for a draw. Phil Taylor won his sixth and final Premier League title by defeating Simon Whitlock 10–7 in the final. The two men who contested the final were also the players to throw nine-dart finishes during the tournament. Taylor's came in week 2 against Kevin Painter and Whitlock threw his during his semi-final win against Andy Hamilton. The 2012 Premier League final between Phil Taylor and Simon Whitlock, which took place on 17 May 2012, was the last darts match that Sid Waddell commentated on before his death  of bowel cancer on 11 August 2012. Qualification. The PDC's top four players following the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship on 3 January qualified by right to compete in the Premier League Darts 2012, and were joined by four wild card selections. Two being chosen by the PDC and two being chosen by broadcasters Sky Sports. The line-up was confirmed on 3 January 2012. Andy Hamilton and Kevin Painter made their debut Premier League appearances as wildcard entries. Venues. Fifteen venues were used for the 2012 Premier League, with the only change being Dublin becoming the first venue from  outside the United Kingdom to host a night of the Premier League. Prize money. The prize money was increased to £450,000 from £410,000 in 2011, but the highest checkout bonus was withdrawn, and the third place play-off was removed as well. Results. League stage. The fixtures were announced on 16 January 2012. 9 February – Week 1. MEN Arena, Manchester 16 February – Week 2. AECC, Aberdeen 23 February – Week 3. Odyssey Arena, Belfast 1 March – Week 4. Westpoint Arena, Exeter 8 March – Week 5. Brighton Centre, Brighton 15 March – Week 6. SECC, Glasgow 22 March – Week 7. The  O, Dublin 29 March – Week 8. Cardiff International Arena, Cardiff 5 April – Week 9. Capital FM Arena, Nottingham 12 April – Week 10. Motorpoint Arena, Sheffield 19 April – Week 11. Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth 26 April – Week 12. Echo Arena, Liverpool 3 May – Week 13. National Indoor Arena, Birmingham 10 May – Week 14. Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle upon Tyne Play-offs – 17 May. The O Arena, London Player statistics. The following statistics are for the league stage only. Playoffs are not included. Charity single. The 2012 Premier League Darts players teamed up with the singer Chas Hodges and his band to  record a charity single written by Chas called "Got My Tickets for the Darts". The video features Chas, his band, the 2012 Premier League Darts players and walk-on girl Jacqui Adams. The song was released exclusively on iTunes on Friday 18 May, the night after the play-offs at the O2 in London, where it was premiered. Proceeds from the single was donated to the Haven House Children's Hospice.