Mike plays Monk in final

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    Dutch hot-shot Michael van Gerwen will play Arron Monk in the PDC Unicorn Under-21 World Championship final in the New Year after they came thorough qualifying in Barnsley – also earning both men a place in this month’s Grand Slam of Darts.

    Van Gerwen has been on the scene for years and has a televised nine-darter to his name, but he is still only 21 having initially burst onto the scene as a 16-year-old.

    Monk, the 20-year-old son of veteran professional Colin, will fight it out for the £10,000 Under-21 title with van Gerwen on the big stage at the Alexandra Palace during the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship in the New Year.

    By winning through to the final, both players also earned a spot in the Daily Mirror Grand Slam of Darts, which begins at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall next weekend, and are guaranteed a PDC ProTour card in 2011.

    While van Gerwen has plenty of experience on the big stage, Monk’s only previous appearances in front of the television cameras have come at the UK Open, but he has to 83rd in the PDC Order of Merit, earning him the number three seeding for the Under-21 World Championship.
    Big game

    “That was probably the biggest game of my career and I pulled through,” said Monk afterwards. “My scoring wasn’t quite there but my doubles, apart from one leg, shone through for me.

    “I can’t believe it. I’ve come up through the Andover darts academy and got a sponsorship with Unicorn through that and they’ve played a part in getting me where I am now.

    “I’ll look forward to playing Michael. I’ve played him three times and he’s beaten me once but it will be different at Alexandra Palace. I know I’m good enough, but I just need to take my chances.”

    Van Gerwen, meanwhile, defeated fellow Dutchman Benito van de Pas in his semi-final game with a 4-1 win, having earlier defeated Manchester’s top young talent Shaun Griffiths in a deciding leg in the quarter-finals.

    The PDC Unicorn Under-21 World Championship saw the leading eight PDPA members aged between 16 and 21 seeded and joined by a series of international qualifiers and 50 players who won through free-to-enter knockouts held in Rileys Darts Zones across the UK.

    Canada’s Bryce Book reached the last 16 before losing to McGivney, but there was disappointment for Australia’s former Oceanic Masters champion Mitchell Clegg, who lost 4-2 to Ryan Hitchens in round one.