UK Open stars clean up at the Cleve

Four of the established order in the UK Open showed no mercy to the regulars at a pub in Wolverhampton on their on their last stop before 'the FA Cup of darts.'

All of 18 local players – drawn at random by raffle tickets - came second best last night to the famous five of Mark Webster, Tony O'Shea, Robert Thornton, Arron Monk and Paul Nicholson.

A leg a piece at the Cleveland Arms, Stowheath Lane, showcased the talents of Webster, Thornton, Monk and Nicholson, who all enter the Open over the next two days, but O'Shea will sit this one out.

'Silverback' will not, as it stands, play in an outright PDC tournament so, with that in mind, heads off to Tenerife on his summer holiday today.

O'Shea, one of the guiding lights of the BDO, did take part in a round robin against his professional contemporaries, playing first to five legs and one set with the winner taking the Nations Cup.

But it was Nicholson who was the man on the night, in emphatic fashion, beating Webster 5-4, O'Shea 5-2 and Thornton 5-0 to claim the exhibition cup on the night.

However, those who think Nicholson is the man in form going into the Open this weekend should take heed of a previous warning.

Current PDC world champion Adrian Lewis hit 180 a remarkable 27 times the first time he competed at the Cleveland in the first Nations Cup in 2009.

Days later, Lewis didn't make it to the last 16 of the Open.

The Open brings together 128 players – an inordinate amount of entries compared to usual tournaments – and your man in the street could be the man on the oche.

Regional heats decide aspiring giant-killers who want to take the scalp of a pro and kick-start their own careers at a higher level.

For an established star, the pitfalls are everywhere – if one of the big guns don't get you first, the men in the shadows could well take you out.

All the stars know it and there's no mercy anywhere these days, as Nicholson points out. The bad-boy Aussie is seeded, as well, and doesn't come in until tomorrow night.

He said: "There's more a couple of banana skins, the great thing about the UK Open is that everyone starts on an even keel, whether you're Phil 'the Power' Taylor or Jack down the pub.

"It seems like, every year, someone has a big run and takes out a couple of the big players."

Webster, a PDC Premier League regular, was the biggest name last night to put his head on the chopping block for the Open.

He said: "That's the beauty of the competition, you will see some upsets, I just hope I am not a victim."

Thornton is a former BDO World Masters champion and knows all about making the journey from the bottom of the ladder.

He said: "I was a pub player and I would probably have finished my career in the pub, but a darts player's form can get him through the ranks and, when you get to the top, it's trying to stay there."

Monk is the PDC's current world under-21 title holder and threatens to break the glass ceiling though to the best in the business, but is still a huge fan of the Open.

He said: "I have got my experience on TV but, when I was younger, this was one of my favourite competitions.

"There's not just the big stage, there's eight boards behind it, there's so many players and it's very entertaining to watch."

By Craig Birch

Follow Craig Birch on Twitter @Craig417