Richie Burnett held off a spirited fightback from young debutant James Hubbard before edging into the second round of the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship yesterday afternoon, as Jerry Hendriks and Daryl Gurney enjoyed dream introductions to the Alexandra Palace stage.
Welsh star Burnett looked set to cruise into the last 32 when he won the first six legs of their first round clash without reply as the World Youth Champion struggled to adapt to his new surroundings.
Norfolk’s Hubbard won the third set 3-1 to keep his hopes alive before edging a dramatic fourth set as Burnett failed to kill off the game, hitting a pair of 101 checkouts to send the match all the way.
The deciding set was also tied at two-all to create the tournament’s first tie-break, and it was Burnett who held his nerve to take the next two legs to move through to the second round.
“I should have got through far more easily,” admitted Burnett. “My knees were knocking and my head was spinning at the end there, but I still believed I would win.
“It was really comfortable for me early on, probably a bit too comfortable and that’s when things started to go wrong, but I still believed I would win and I can take something good from this having come out of it on the right side.”
Dutch newcomer Jerry Hendriks was one of two debutants to win through to the last 32 as he defeated former World Championship semi-finalist Wayne Jones in straight sets.
The 24-year-old from Venlo edged all three sets 3-2 to knock out Jones, with finishes of 116 and 156 in the game’s last two legs helping to power him into a second round clash with either Phil Taylor or Michael Mansell.
“I’m so happy to have won against such a good player as Wayne,” said Hendriks. “I was a little edgy as it’s my first time on such a big stage as this, but I took my chances very well.”
Northern Ireland’s Daryl Gurney also impressed as he won both his preliminary round clash with Croatian Robert Marijanovic 4-3 before then picking up a first round victory over Andy Smith, the number 21 seed.
Gurney, who won the Irish Matchplay event earlier this year to win a debut at Alexandra Palace, will now play either Dave Chisnall or Shane Tichowitsch in the last 32 next Friday, and admitted: “It’s a dream.
“My goal at the start of the day was to get through the preliminary round game, so to win and get a plac in the second round is a huge bonus.
“I was close to losing against Marijanovic, so when I was walking out to play Andy I wanted to enjoy the experience but I took my chances.”
Number nine seed Terry Jenkins, a semi-finalist two years ago, was the afternoon’s other winner as he picked up a 3-0 victory against Bristol’s Steve Brown.
“Once I gained an early advantage I was determined not to let it slip and I managed to do that,” said Jenkins.