Whitlock's 94.74 is not enough: Pusey wins Night 05 of the ANZ Premier League
Tim Pusey wins Night 05 of the ANZ Premier League with a 5:3 in the final against Simon Whitlock. All results from the quarter-finals onwards, averages and statistics on the seven matches.
Tim Pusey has won Night 05 of the ANZ Premier League. In the final he came through 5:3 against Simon Whitlock, who had thrown the highest match average of the entire tournament with 94.74 in the semi-final. In the final Whitlock managed only 82.14, his weakest performance of the tournament.
Pusey's route to the final of ANZ Premier League Night 05
Pusey was the only player in the field of eight to come through all three rounds, dropping no more than three legs in any match. Whitlock started with a 5:0 against Mal Cuming and was in a class of his own against Raymond Smith in the semi-final, before dropping off noticeably in the final.
- Tim Pusey: 5:2 against Ben Robb (quarter-final), 5:2 against Brody Klinge (semi-final), 5:3 against Simon Whitlock (final)
- Simon Whitlock: 5:0 against Mal Cuming (quarter-final), 5:2 against Raymond Smith (semi-final), 3:5 in the final
The only close match came from Raymond Smith and Joe Comito: Smith won the quarter-final in the deciding leg 5:4, with 89.64 to 86.67. The two New Zealand starters Ben Robb and Jonny Tata were out after the quarter-finals.
The highlights of Night 05: Whitlock's 94.74 in the semi-final
The gap is clear: Whitlock's 94.74 against Raymond Smith was the only match average above 91 points. 180 and checkout data were not recorded for this night.
| Player | Match average | Round |
|---|---|---|
| Simon Whitlock | 94.74 | Semi-final |
| Tim Pusey | 90.59 | Semi-final |
| Raymond Smith | 89.64 | Quarter-final |
| Tim Pusey | 89.12 | Quarter-final |
| Brody Klinge | 87.74 | Semi-final |
The numbers of ANZ Premier League Night 05
The best averages
| Player | Tournament average | Best match average | Wins/Losses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Pusey | 88.74 | 90.59 | 3 / 0 |
| Raymond Smith | 88.45 | 89.64 | 1 / 1 |
| Simon Whitlock | 87.11 | 94.74 | 2 / 1 |
| Joe Comito | 86.67 | 86.67 | 0 / 1 |
| Brody Klinge | 85.62 | 87.74 | 1 / 1 |
The finalists in numbers
| Category | Tim Pusey | Simon Whitlock |
|---|---|---|
| Tournament average | 88.74 | 87.11 |
| Best match average | 90.59 | 94.74 |
| Average in the final | 86.51 | 82.14 |
| Wins/Losses | 3 / 0 | 2 / 1 |
ANZ Premier League Night 05: all results from the quarter-finals onwards
| Round | Fixture | Result | Averages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarter-final | Raymond Smith – Joe Comito | 5:4 | 89.64 – 86.67 |
| Quarter-final | Mal Cuming – Simon Whitlock | 0:5 | 78.64 – 84.44 |
| Quarter-final | Tim Pusey – Ben Robb | 5:2 | 89.12 – 83.47 |
| Quarter-final | Jonny Tata – Brody Klinge | 0:5 | 77.86 – 83.50 |
| Semi-final | Raymond Smith – Simon Whitlock | 2:5 | 87.26 – 94.74 |
| Semi-final | Tim Pusey – Brody Klinge | 5:2 | 90.59 – 87.74 |
| Final | Simon Whitlock – Tim Pusey | 3:5 | 82.14 – 86.51 |
Seven matches were played, and the field featured players from two nations: six Australians and two New Zealanders.
Conclusion
Pusey wins Night 05 with the highest tournament average in the field (88.74) and was the most consistent thrower across all three rounds. Whitlock produced by far the best performance of the tournament on the board in the semi-final, but stayed more than twelve average points below that in the final. Six of the seven matches ended with a difference of at least two legs.