Danny Noppert 10-8 Martin Schindler
Danny Noppert convincingly qualified for the eighth finals on the first of eight matches on this double Sunday. The eighth-placed Dutchman started the match very strongly scoring, but got the jitters in sight as Schindler approached. His second 100+ finish of the match (112) in the crucial seventeenth game, dealt the final blow.
In the eighteenth game, Noppert (94.73 average) was allowed to start by himself and made no mistake, throwing his fourth 180 of the match en passant. He then matched for a throw out on the bullseye and used one dart the next turn for double tops and the match. In that, he will be back in action on Tuesday night in Blackpool.
Dirk van Duijvenbode 12-10 Kim Huybrechts
Dirk van Duijvenbode, together with Belgian Kim Huijbrechts, made it a tremendously exciting pot, with both players getting darts for the match. In the early stages of the match, both players broke each other plenty. Trailing 3-2, Van Duijvenbode held his turn twice, but on the cusp of the second break it was tied again (5-5).
In the crucial 17th game Dirk popped another break, but in the next - for him - decisive game Aubergenious missed a matchdart on double-14. The Belgian came back and extended his lead to 10-9 in the tie-break, only to miss two darts for the match in the 20th game. Dirk then picked up the pace and broke his opponent for the fourth time to strike in the 22nd game via double-12: 12-10.
Damon Heta 10-5 Josh Rock
The third match of Sunday afternoon was a pretty one-sided affair in favour of Australian Damon Heta after Josh Rock's initial break. The number 14 seed ran out to 3-1 and 8-3 and then the two players split the last four games.
In each of these, the player who got to throw the first darts won. In the next round, Heta will face the winner of reigning champion Michael van Gerwen against Brendan Dolan, who play each other on Sunday night.
James Wade 8-10 Chris Dobey
In the English clash between James Wade and Chris Dobey, the phenomenon that has occurred several times in the first round of this tournament occurred. As many as four of the first six games were lost by the starter, giving Chris Dobey a sizeable 6-1 lead.
Wade broke back and ran in to 4-6 and 8-9, before Dobey delivered the final blow in the 18th leg with his fourth break of the match. With more 180s (8-4), but a lower ejection rate (30% to 36%) and lower average (96.22 to 97.42), Dobey can now prepare for the next round, where he will meet the winner of Michael Smith-Steve Beaton on Tuesday night in Blackpool.
Evening session:
Nathan Aspinall 10-7 Krysztof Ratajski
In the first Sunday evening match, a break in the very last and very last leg ultimately proved decisive for a spot in the next round. Englishman Nathan Aspinall popped out an average of close to 100 and ended up accounting for 48% doubles. Poland's Ratajski was able to stay on the rack each time by breaking back after another leg 'against the darts'.
So it was 3-1, 7-5 and 9-7 before Aspinall put a thick point on the match in the 17th game and so the #9 seed is Danny Noppert's next opponent on Tuesday night, who won against German Schindler earlier in the afternoon.
Luke Humphries 10-2 Jose de Sousa
Luke Humphries had a delightful walk-in-the-park against Portuguese Jose de Sousa. In no time the Englishman was in a 3-0 lead and after two more breaks it was even 8-1 for the sixth-placed Englishman. De Sousa reduced the deficit to 8-2, but in the closing stages of the match saw him broken for the fourth time, ending his Blackpool adventure after just one game.
Humphries (101.78 average and 43% on his ejections) can get ready for a tough opponent in the second round. Then 11th-seeded Dirk van Duijvenbode will be the next opponent.
Michael van Gerwen 7-10 Brendan Dolan
Michael van Gerwen has been dethroned as title holder at the World Matchplay in Blackpool. The bald wrecking ball from Vlijmen soon found himself trailing 3-0 in his match against Northern Irishman Brendan Dolan, but fought his way back to a 5-5 interval towards the second break.
In the 14th leg, however, Van Gerwen was broken again and the reigning champion could not recover. As a result, the Dutchman is out of the tournament after just one match, despite a 98.98 average. Dolan countered with 95.50 and will meet 14th-seeded Australian Damon Heta in the second round.
Michael Smith 10-2 Steve Beaton
Michael Smith had no trouble beating his compatriot Steve Beaton. Smith could even afford a low average of 88.96 per turn as Beaton could not put his 'A-game' on the board (81.54). Smith broke Beaton no less than five out of six innings and had to acknowledge his superiority to the unseeded 'Bronze Adonis' in the third leg itself. Bully Boy did not let his opponent get beyond 4-2 and then won six legs in a row.
In the next round, Smith will face Chris Dobey, who beat James Wade earlier in the day. Monday evening, Peter Wright and Raymond van Barneveld, among others, will be in action in the last session of four duels in the first round.
