Anderson Eases into Round Three

FLYING SCOTSMAN BREEZES TO VICTORY OVER WHITLOCK

It wasn’t long before the Flying Scotsman had the North London crowd on the edge of their seats, going 5 darts into a perfect leg, Whitlock way behind and the leg beyond him. After sealing the game, leg 2 followed in similar quick fashion, as did number 3, the Aussie failing to respond to the onslaught.

Already a set down, it was imperative for Whitlock to get going, but he could not match Anderson’s levels. A 15 darter on double 8 left the former World finalist even further behind. Chances would come down the track after some missed doubles from Ando, but a 107 was fluffed and the 53-year-old tidied up. Whitlock would gain his first leg after that, dismissing any idea of a whitewash, a 106 out the best of the match so far. Little consolation however, as Anderson sealed the set in leg 4 on double 11.

‘The Wizard’ may have needed to muster a miracle to get through this one, but a strong first leg in set 3 certainly helped, a maximum and a 13 darter helping him on his way. Anderson would level after more opportunities came and went for Whitlock, before a 112 put him just one leg from victory. An opening 180 from Anderson may have made others buckle, but Whitlock kept in the match, holding throw to leave Anderson’s fate with the throw. A timely maximum from 356 for Anderson put him a good position, put Whitlock refused to down tools, narrowly missing bullseye for a 130 out. But it was to be Anderson’s day, a 116 carrying him over the line.

“The first set I played well, but Simon was struggling up there,” Gary told Sky’s Abigail Davies. “The more I play, the more I am going to get used to it, but I still want to be 35 again!”

Earlier on in the evening, it was fifth time lucky for Jamie Hughes as he got the better of Canada’s David Cameron 3-1 in the opening game of Saturday night.

The Canadian started calmly with a 13 dart leg and looked like he might have followed it with another when a 140 set up 68. An out of 52 was taken by Hughes however, who then nearly took leg 3 from what looked like an impossible position. Double 5 saved Cameron, who took a 2-1 lead. A first ton plus out of 115 then took the match to a deciding leg, one which Hughes seized despite Cameron looking comfortable.

A hold made it three legs on the spin for ‘Yozza’, before Cameron followed it with a steadying hold. A comfortable leg with the throw from Hughes put him only four legs from the finishing line, but after 2 darts missed at double top in the following leg, Cameron clung on for the set. The expectant Ally Pally crowd had been waiting for a 180, and it struck for the Canuck to leave 45. Hughes nearly raised the roof with a 167 out but missed the bull, with Cameron then taking the set.

The pair shared the first 2 legs of set three, before a perfectly placed bullseye for Hughes in an 89 out broke throw to lead 2-1. Leg 4 was shaky from Hughes and Cameron managed to break back. Another deciding leg and this time the second 180 of the affair, as Hughes this time broke his duck. It nearly looked as if it wouldn’t be enough, but he managed to get over the line in the end as Cameron rued more missed doubles.

Now just one set away from a first victory, a hold of throw ensured Yozza got off on the right foot. He missed a chance for a break, but more rued doubles from Cameron left Hughes with 5 closed out in 2 darts. The Canadian seemed a little checked out at this point, the match now firmly in Hughes’s grasp. A missed match dart at bull for a 161 was perhaps fitting given the duo’s doubling problems, but a visit later he got there with a double 8, visibly choked up given the enormity of the achievement.

“I think I summed it up on camera!” Hughes told the PDC after the match about his reaction.

“There has been a lot of frustration over the years and I am probably playing the worst I have played in my life. It is a real mix of emotions but I am just so happy to get a win on that stage.”

Elsewhere, ‘Shaggy’ Scott Williams held off a late surge from Japan’s Haruki Muramatsu to seal his place in the second round with a 3-1 victory.

It is fair to say Williams made a splash on debut last year, averaging over 100 against Ryan Joyce on victory in the first round, but this match-up would offer a different challenge.

Scott established an early break of throw with the opening leg, but some underwhelming scoring from Williams allowed Muramatsu reentry. A 13 darter followed for Williams, before the man from Japan took the first set to a decider with double 16. A largely fuss-free closer from Williams would be more than enough, despite an average some 25 below that of his first set in 2023.

It seemed to set Shaggy off on the right footing, who eased to set 2 in an unshowy but solid fashion, Muramatsu unable to keep up with his consistent finishing and ruthless checkout percentage of 60.

On return from the break, it was time to shore up legs for Muramatsu, and an opening leg victory ensured Williams would have to wait a little longer yet. With Shaggy slightly off the boil, the seasoned Japanese player pounced again, a double 9 taking him a leg from his first set at a World Championship since 2015. A maxi from Williams in leg 3 ensured the set would not be lost without a fight, but a classy 108 out halved the deficit for Muramatsu.

Set play can produce strange trends however, and a fourth leg on the spin but Muramatsu a leg from the set and facing up a decider. A 49 checkout from Williams would however disrupt Haruki’s momentum, followed by an impressive 16 darter. The hold of throw followed for Muramatsu. Time for Williams to redouble his efforts? No problem. The deciding leg produced a superb 127 out to take the 33-year-old into a tasty second-round match-up vs. Danny Noppert.

“It was okay,” Williams suggested of his performance to the PDC post-match. “Haruki was always going to be a tough opponent and I am just glad to come out of the other end of it as the winner.”

Finally, Keane Barry edged past Filipino debutant Reynaldo Rivera 3-1, in a close though unimpressive encounter.

The speed and ferocity of the Ally Pally atmosphere may have seemed unsuited to Rivera, certainly on the slower-paced side of the scale, but an opening leg win helped ease the nerves. Keane Barry matched it with a break of his own in leg 2, despite having been in excess of 200 points behind the man from the Philippines. In the space of only a few minutes, the third and fourth legs would go Barry’s way however, a Shanghai out of 120 to win the set the sign of a young man increasingly in control.

A 66 finish from Rivera helped to hold off Barry, who himself seemed slightly short of confidence. More opportunities came for leg 2, but they went amiss, with Rivera having missed 16 of his 18 attempts at double by that point. Barry’s level had not picked up significantly, but a break of throw in leg 3 helped put further clear water between him and Rivera. A 49 out would prevent the set falling there and then, and he nearly took the decider, before more comfortably missed darts did the damage.

Leg 1 of set 3 would see a turn in fortunes, with Barry leaping ahead in scoring but Rivera showing a touch more cutting edge. 1-0 would become 2-0 in what was easily Rey’s most assured leg yet, a back-to-basics approach on doubles helping to swing the game back in his favour.

It was time to regroup for Barry, who dug in to take the opening leg. A subsequent chance at a ton-plus out went amiss for the Irishman in leg 2, but Rivera couldn’t clean up with 83. A pinned double 4 followed for Barry to take him within a leg, before Rivera clung on with the next leg to keep his already faint hopes alive. The throw may have been Keane’s, but it was up to him to make sure it was taken. A 62 out did the job, a match to forget for both perhaps but one to take many lessons from.

“I never got into my own rhythm but the main thing is getting the win and going into the next round,” Barry said to the PDC after the match.

“I stuck to the task and grinded out the win, and sometimes these are the harder games to win.”

Sunday’s action will see former Masters champion Joe Cullen kick off his campaign in the afternoon session, whilst bookies’ favourite Luke Humphries leads the evening’s play.

The tournament is being broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK, through the PDC’s worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV (excluding UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria & Switzerland based subscribers).

2023/24 Paddy Power World Darts Championship
Saturday December 16
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Jamie Hughes 3-1 David Cameron (3-2, 2-3, 3-2, 3-0) (R1)
Keane Barry 3-1 Reynaldo Rivera (3-1, 3-2, 0-3, 3-1) (R1)
Scott Williams 3-1 Haruki Muramatsu (3-2, 3-0, 0-3, 3-2) (R1)
Gary Anderson 3-0 Simon Whitlock (3-0, 3-1, 3-2) (R2)

Sunday December 17
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Ricky Evans v Simon Adams (R1)
Jim Williams v Norman Madhoo (R1)
Matt Campbell v Lourence Ilagan (R1)
Joe Cullen v Darren Penhall (R2)

Evening Session (1900 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Dylan Slevin v Florian Hempel (R1)
Niels Zonneveld v Darren Webster (R1)
Jermaine Wattimena v Fallon Sherrock (R1)
Luke Humphries v Lee Evans (R2)

=====ENDS=====

Images: PDC