World Cup - First Day

KIWIS SCARE SCOTLAND IN BETWAY WORLD CUP OF DARTS OPENERS
SCOTLAND overcame a scare against New Zealand in the Betway World Cup of Darts before claiming a 5-3 win to begin their challenge in Germany as pre-tournament favourites Netherlands edged past Russia.

The 32-nation tournament opened at the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt with the opening eight first round games on Thursday night, with World Champion Gary Anderson and World Grand Prix champion Robert Thornton having to work hard to seal their last 16 place.
New Zealand's Warren Parry and Cody Harris impressed as they took a 3-1 lead, with the latter producing a superb 125 checkout in the opening leg as they threatened a major upset. The Scots, though, showed their class as Thornton took out 124 on the bull to win the fifth leg in 12 darts before Anderson finished 95 to level, and they also took the next two legs to move into the second round.


"Once the draw came out we knew we were in for a tough game because Warren and Cody are very good darts players," said Anderson. "Pairs is a different format for us and it's a hard game to get into because you only get one throw in three so you've no rhythm. It was a hard battle and at 3-1 down they were on a finish and the 124 for us back into the game. It was a sweet shot from Robert but he's back playing well and we can look forward to the rest of the weekend now."
Scotland will now meet Norway in Saturday's second round, after debutant Cor Dekker hit the winning double in all five legs as he partnered Robert Wagner to a 5-2 win over Gibraltar.

The Netherlands, who were sponsors Betway's pre-tournament favourites, were also pushed before sealing their second round place with a 5-3 win over Russia.
After Boris Koltsov had given Russia the opening leg, Dutch pair Michael van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld took the next three to open up a 3-1 lead. Both Koltsov and Aleksandr Oreshkin won legs as the Russians stayed in touch at 4-3, but van Barneveld - a two-time World Cup winner - landed double ten to seal their place against the Philippines in round two.

"The Russians were good and Boris Koltsov played really well but we didn't play as well as we can," said van Gerwen. "It's a bit strange for us as it's the only Pairs event each year, but we won and we're into the next round on Saturday. We want to win but we want to play a little bit better than this and it will come."

Philippines pair Gilbert Ulang and Alex Tagarao defied the pre-tournament loss of Lourence Ilagan through illness to overcome America's experienced pair Darin Young and Larry Butler 5-3, coming from 3-2 down to win the final three legs without reply.

Australia's Simon Whitlock and debutant Kyle Anderson knocked out host nation Germany as Max Hopp and Jyhan Artut were unable to progress after reaching last year's quarter-finals. World Youth Champion Hopp put the Germans 1-0 up and Artut gave them the third leg, but Whitlock hit the winning double in the next three to move the Australians clear before Anderson eventually sealed the win.

"It was tough playing against the Germans and the crowd but I'm proud of Kyle," said Whitlock. "It was his first time and he was nervous but he did the job. We can improve a bit because we threw a lot of loose darts and missed a few doubles here and there, but it was a good performance I think for the first round. It's a great start for us two together - I felt good with Kyle and I feel as though we can go deep in this tournament."
Australia now face Denmark in the second round, with the pairing of Per Laursen and 20-year-old debutant Daniel Jensen hitting five doubles from as many attempts in their 5-2 win over Scandinavian rivals Sweden.

2013 finalists Belgium moved through to the second round in style as Kim Huybrechts landed the winning double in all five legs alongside elder brother Ronny in their 5-1 win over Poland. Belgium will now meet Hungary, who won through to the round two for the second successive year as Nandor Bezzeg and youngster Patrik Kovacs came from 3-2 down to defeat Thailand's Thanawat Gaweenuntawong and Attapol Eupakaree 5-3.

The first round concludes on Friday evening with the remaining eight games, including reigning champions England - represented by Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis - up against Spain's Cristo Reyes and Antonio Alcinas.


Statistics, First Round
Ave180sFinishingCountryvCountryAve180sFinishing
72.5105/19Hungary 5:3Thailand69.5113/22
72.5203/28USA 3:5Philippines77.3602/9
76.3605/10Norway 5:2Gibraltar71.4902/9
84.6705/5Denmark 5:2Sweden79.9012/13
91.7825/14Belgium 5:1Poland79.4411/5
93.5015/16Scotland 5:3New Zealand90.8003/7
82.5205/13Netherlands 5:3Russia80.0103/10
85.4035/15Australia 5:3Germany80.2413/11








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