Former champion Neil Duff fought off a brave challenge and Beau Greaves kicked off her title defence with a straight-sets victory as this year’s favourite Jimmy van Schie and living legend Paul Lim also picked up wins.
Neil Duff had to work hard for it but he’s through to the Last 16 after defeating Reece Colley 3-2 in a great five-set tussle that featured 13 maximums.
Colley started well, breaking Duff in the opening leg, and eventually closed out the first set 3-2 with his eighth set dart.
Colley had more set darts in the second but this time was unable to convert, Duff pinning a 15-darter to level the set before finding a 17-dart break to win the set.
Set three also went Colley’s way, the young Englishman taking it 3-1 with back-to-back finishes of 78 and 82, and that gave him throw for the fourth set.
He held throw the first two times but couldn’t on the third, with Duff taking out 40 to level the match. Duff then won the opening leg of the fifth to lead for the first time and from there it was plain sailing, with the 2022 champion taking out 120 before sealing victory with an 18-darter.
Duff finished with a 90.91 average and will return on Thursday evening to take on friend Barry Copeland or Aaron Turner.
Glorious Greaves
Beau Greaves has now won all nine of her matches on the Lakeside, having kicked off her 2024 campaign with a victory over Kirsi Viinikainen.
Greaves opened the match with a 17-darter and promptly secured the first set 3-1 with two breaks of the Viinikainen throw.
The Finn, who won her debut match against Amanda Loch on Saturday, got seven darts into a nine at the start of the second set, eventually taking it out in 12.
She was unable to build on that though, with Greaves winning three on the spin to take the match 2-0 with an 82.89 average.
Van Schie dazzles on debut
Jimmy van Schie underlined his credentials as title favourite, thrashing Bjorn Lejon 3-0 with a 98.98 average.
Sweden’s Lejon started well by pinning a 17-darter but van Schie then ran away with the first set, pinning back-to-back 15 darters and then a 14-darter to take it 3-1.
The second set followed a similar pattern, with van Schie again winning it 3-1 with a 15-darter to start followed by a 13-darter and a 106 finish.
The third set was then even more one-way traffic, with van Schie coming out of the break on fire with legs in 14, 17 and 15 darts.
Van Schie will be back in action on Thursday evening to face fellow Dutchman Jarno Bottenberg.
Lim edges out former teammate Leung to make Last 16
Paul Lim’s legend at Lakeside continues after the 70-year-old icon defeated former Hong Kong teammate Kai-Fan Leung 3-2.
Leung opened the match with an 83 finish but it was Lim that pinned the first set, taking out 64 for a 15-darter. Lim then raced into a 2-0 lead at the break, winning the second set 3-0.
Leung stopped the rot with legs in 19 and 11 darts and halved the deficit by winning the third set with a 12-darter. ‘Fatbeauty’ took it all the way to a decider, opening the fourth set with a 96 finish and ultimately winning it 3-0.
Momentum swung back in Lim’s favour in the fifth, the ‘Singapore Slinger’ moving 2-0 up with legs in 16 and 15 darts before hitting double five with his fifth match dart to win 3-2.
Lim finished with an 85.5 average and will face either Gary Stone or Dennis Nilsson.
—–ENDS—–
Images: Chris Sargeant/Tip Top Pics and WDF
