World Matchplay - Match Reports Second Day
Paul Nicholson 12:10 Colin Osborne
Paul Nicholson erased his Winter Gardens demons with a narrow 12-10 Sky Bet Mobile World Matchplay first round victory over Colin Osborne on Sunday
evening.
Nicholson had endured a nightmare on his Blackpool debut last summer when he lost 10-3 to Steve Beaton, but showed his quality with a gritty display against the former UK Open finalist.
Osborne took Nicholson all the way as his opponent missed five match darts, but the Chorley-based thrower held his nerve to eventually claim the win and a last 16 spot.
Osborne actually held the early advantage with two breaks of throw in the opening three legs, as he took out 126 on the bull in the opener and 85 in leg three. Nicholson had replied with a 100 finish in leg two to break back, and he also levelled in the fourth after hitting a 180 before holding throw for the first time in the fifth. That leg included two maximums from Nicholson and one from Osborne, who missed the bull for a 121 finish before his opponent took out double ten.
Osborne levelled in the sixth leg, but Nicholson took the next two to hold a 5-3 lead - only for the Derby ace to respond by hitting a pair of 180s and a brace of double tops finishes to square the match, hitting an 11-dart leg along the way. However, he could not lead as the next six legs all went with the throw, with Osborne finishing a 115 checkout in one, as the pair remained locked at eight-all. Nicholson hit another 180 in a 13-dart leg to lead 9-8, but then missed tops for a 120 finish and three further match darts as Osborne scrambled double ten to save the game.
Osborne then missed his chance to break as Nicholson punished him with a 76 finish for a 10-9 lead, only to miss tops once again for a 120 finish and victory as double six pulled the Derby ace level. Nicholson, though, showed no nerves as he hit his seventh 180 and a 76 checkout to edge back in front at 11-10, and after landing another maximum he finally closed out a high-quality win on double ten.
"I think it would have been a wonderful game to watch and I enjoyed it," said Nicholson. "I missed a few match darts and I've got to learn from that, but I gave myself another chance. "I've not played my best game so far on TV this year but this was a venue which held a few nightmares for me after last year. I lost 10-3 and had doubts at the back of my mind. "But this year it's different for me. I've turned up and I want to scrap, even if I'm not playing my best darts."
Mark Walsh 10:3 Dave Chisnall
Mark Walsh ensured a miserable Sky Bet Mobile World Matchplay debut for Dave Chisnall with a 10-3 victory over the PDC newcomer at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool.Chisnall has made a big impact since joining the PDC circuit this year, reaching the Speedy Hire UK Open quarter-finals in June and hitting two nine-dart finishes.
But he endured a nightmare on his doubles in Blackpool, with Walsh punishing 15 misses from his opponent in taking a 9-1 lead, and defied a brief rally from the St Helens ace to secure safe passage to the last 16.
Walsh made a confident start, taking the first two legs with double five and double top before defying a 180 from Chisnall to move three legs clear on double 12, after his opponent failed to take his chances in a scrappy third. A 66 finish from Walsh gave him the fourth, before Chisnall kicked off the fifth with back-to-back 180s to threaten a magical nine-darter - aiming to match John Part's achievement of Saturday evening. However, he missed the treble 19 of a 141 finish, and having hit seven perfect darts then contrived to miss nine doubles to win the leg as Walsh took out double five to extend his lead further.
Walsh then took out 88 to lead 6-0 and double 18 to win the seventh leg, although Chisnall had hit a 180 to leave 41 as he threatened to get off the mark. Chisnall finally did that in leg eight, initially missing four darts at double top before landing the fifth - his first double in 16 attempts - as he got off the mark. Walsh, though, hit a 180 in restoring his cushion and moved a leg away from the win with a 116 checkout to lead 9-1.
Chisnall returned from the break to give himself a glimmer of a fightback with superb legs of 11 and 12 darts, hitting a 180 and an 86 finish in the first and a 121 checkout in the latter. But Walsh replied with a 13-dart finish to wrap up victory on double 12 and a spot in the last 16 - as he aims to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in his career.
"Dave's an up-and-coming player, he's hit two nine-darters this year and has been doing really well in the Players Championships, but luckily for me I think the occasion got to him," said Walsh. "He didn't play anything like he can play and I'm happy to get the win. He'd beaten me twice already this year but he didn't turn up tonight. I took my chances when I had them, and when I got to 9-1 up, I knew it was a big hurdle and I don't think any player can throw that sort of lead away. It's Dave's first time in Blackpool and he'll learn from it, but it's my tenth year and I want to get past the second round because I've never done that before. The second round has been a bit of a brick wall for me, but if I play the darts that I know I can play, there's no reason why I can't win on Wednesday."
James Wade 10:0 Jamie Caven
James Wade signalled his intent to win a second Sky Bet Mobile World Matchplay title with a whitewash defeat of Jamie Caven at the Winter Gardens
on Sunday night.
The 2007 champion made the perfect start to his challenge in the £400,000 event, making the Derby ace pay for a nightmare showing.
Caven failed to produce the free-flowing scoring which has aided his rise to 18th in the world rankings, and missed all of his nine attempts at a double in the game as he suffered a third round loss for a third successive year in Blackpool.
The opening leg set the tone for the contest, as Caven missed three darts to break throw immediately as Wade returned from four earlier misses at double 16 to hit the bed and lead. Wade hit a 180 and double two to break in the second leg, after Caven missed the bull for an 89 finish, and double five gave the left-hander a three-leg cushion. Finishes of double top and double ten saw Wade move five legs clear, and three further misses from Caven in the sixth allowed him back from earlier misses to land double five and edge away.
After finishing double ten in the seventh leg, he took out 86 on double seven for an 8-0 lead before Caven opened the ninth with a maximum in his bid to get off the mark. However, he missed darts at double 18 and nine as Wade punished those with a classy 96 finish of single 20, double 18 and double top before going on to wrap up the victory with a brilliant 136 checkout.
"Jamie's a much better player than that," said Wade. "It was awful for him and the more he tried, the worst it got for him. It's not nice to play a player when he's not playing well, and we've all been there, and I just had to do my job and finish him off. This tournament has been good to me and I've been fortunate enough to play well here and play some great darts at times. There's something special about the Winter Gardens."
Raymond van Barneveld 10:3 Steve Brown
Raymond van Barneveld recovered from arriving at the Sky Bet Mobile World Matchplay without his darts to defeat Steve Brown 10-3 in his first
round contest at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool.
The Dutchman, last year's runner-up at the Winter Gardens, flew to Blackpool on Saturday but discovered - only hours before his game - that his darts were missing, and likely to still be in his car in Holland following a practice session with Co Stompe before he left for the UK.
Having had a set of his darts brought up from a darts store in St Helens who stock his Unicorn darts, van Barneveld shrugged off the disrupted preparation to see off Brown with a classy display.
He averaged over 100 for most of the match, and won five straight legs in taking a 6-1 advantage before moving into the second round, where he faces Paul Nicholson on Wednesday.
"It's your worst nightmare!" admitted van Barneveld. "I practised against Co Stompe on Friday and I think I forgot to put my darts in my suitcase when I got home. Luckily for me I was able to get some more darts, which are the same as the ones I use after dropping to using 22 gram darts recently, and Gary Anderson helped me by giving me some stems! I've practised well for the last six weeks with lighter darts and have been finishing well, but I will keep using these darts against Paul Nicholson!"
After Brown won the pre-match bull, he handed van Barneveld the chance to throw first but saw his chance to break throw in the opening leg slip away, as he followed a 180 only to miss three darts at a double before the Dutchman finished double 18. Brown replied well with a 121 finish for a 12-dart leg in the second, but van Barneveld took command of the match with back-to-back 13-dart legs in the next two as he moved 3-1 up. Brown hit 180s in the next two, but a brace of double top finishes from van Barneveld put him 5-1 up before an 11-dart leg, featuring a 180 and a 90 finish, moved him five legs clear.
/ He added a second maximum in the eighth leg, but Brown posted double top to win his first leg in six, only to miss two darts at double top as van Barneveld posted double eight to lead 8-2. Brown missed his chance to cut the gap in the 11th leg, failing to hit the single 14 which would have left the bull, as van Barneveld won his ninth leg with double ten. Brown did pick up his third leg courtesy of double ten, but failed to pressure van Barneveld's throw in the next as the Dutchman missed five match darts before eventually sealing the win on double eight.