Defending World Masters champion Stephen Bunting managed to pull off an almighty comeback to clinch a 3-2 victory over William Borland as Rob Cross suffered a shock loss to William O’Connor.
Borland got off to an electric start and with it took out a sensational 140 checkout to break the throw and move into a 1-0 lead, a 130 checkout from Bunting then being nullified as the Scotsman took out 88 on the bullseye and then reeled in the Big Fish to move 2-0 up.
Despite falling so far behind, the world No 5 managed to battle back with some strong doubling and with the score level at 2-2, ‘The Bullet’ held his throw under pressure to go into the deciding leg with the throw.
From there, Bunting upped his scoring and with 65 needed, he pinned tops to keep alive his dreams of going back-to-back.
Bunting will play Peter Wright in the second round after the Scotsman won 3-2 in a battle against Kevin Doets, the two-time world champion taking out tops to clinch the deciding-leg victory.
Doets got off to a brilliant start with a 127 checkout to move 1-0 ahead but Wright managed to steady the ship and despite a 140 finish for the Dutchman, ‘Snakenite’ hit back with a 121 checkout on the bull to bring the match level at 2-2.
From there, Wright held his throw and then broke Doets in the deciding leg of the deciding set to keep his World Masters hopes alive.
In the biggest shock of the night, qualifier William O’Connor stunned Dutch Darts Masters champion Rob Cross as he fought back from 1-0 down to battle to a 3-1 win.
William O’Connor put in a stunning performance to shock Rob Cross in the opening round
‘Voltage’ took the opening three legs of the encounter and averaged 103.19 for the match but O’Connor showed spirit to take control.
The Irishman won five legs on the spin before pinning a sensational 151 checkout on tops to seal a dominant performance and dump out the world No 4.
O’Connor will face Danny Noppert after he put in a comprehensive performance to beat former world champion Michael Smith 3-1 in their first-round contest.
After Noppert quickly raced into a 1-0 lead in the contest, Smith recovered from a slow start with a stunning 160 checkout under pressure which levelled the game at 1-1.
However, Smith was left to rue missed opportunities in the third set, problems on the doubles giving the Dutchman opportunities which he took to regain the advantage and from there he used his superior doubling to send the St Helens man out of the tournament.
Humphries, Rock, Price, and Heta also progress
Luke Humphries came out on top in a tough first-round match with Joe Cullen
Luke Humphries put in a classy display to secure a 3-1 victory over Joe Cullen.
As Cullen faltered early on despite having the throw, world No 1 Humphries took advantage to move 1-0 ahead, four legs on the spin then increasing his advantage to 2-0.
Cullen, who had just returned from climbing Kilimanjaro, could not keep up with Humphries’ scoring power and although he fought back to bring the tie to 2-1, Humphries overcame six missed match darts to finally pin D5 and move into the second round.
Humphries will now play Josh Rock in the second round after the Northern Irishman came away with a 3-1 victory over Jermaine Wattimena, a crucial break of throw in the fourth set, five 180s and 43 per cent on the doubles getting him over the line.
Meanwhile, Gerwyn Price showed his class as he hammered Florian Hempel 3-0.
It was all Price from the outset, the Welshman getting the match going with a brilliant 127 checkout, and from there, he won five legs in a row to cruise into a 2-0 lead before sealing the domination on tops.
He will now face Damon Heta, who booked his spot in the second round with a 3-1 win over Ross Smith, ‘The Heat’ taking two sets in a row with a 105 checkout on the way to wrapping up the victory.
What is the format?
- Preliminary Rounds – Best of three sets, best of three legs per set
- First Round – Best of five sets, best of three legs per set
- Second Round – Best of seven sets, best of three legs per set
- Quarter-Finals – Best of seven sets, best of three legs per set
- Semi-Finals – Best of nine sets, best of three legs per set
- Final – Best of 11 sets, best of three legs per set
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