PDC World Darts Championship 2015: Daily Results and Updated 2nd Round Schedule
After a short break for Christmas, the PDC World Darts Championship resumed on Saturday at London's Alexandra Palace, with 36 players still alive in the second round.
The opening round saw a barrage of upsets, with top seeds like Wes Newton and Simon Whitlock crashing out of the tournament at the first hurdle. Defending champions Michael van Gerwen needed to overcome a slow start on Saturday to beat qualifier Sascha Stein, finding his groove in the second set to beat the German 4-1.
Phil Taylor cruised into the Round of 16 by beating Mark Webster 4-0 on Sunday, and the 16-time champion appears to be right on course for yet another win at the Alexandra Palace.
Full Results for Round 2
1 of 5
Monday, December 29
Afternoon Session
Brendan Dolan 2-4 Michael Smith
Max Hopp 0-4 Vincent van der Voort
Raymond van Barneveld 4-3 Jamie Caven
Evening Session
James Wade 1-4 Stephen Bunting
Sunday, December 28
Afternoon Session
Andy Hamilton 4-2 Kyle Anderson
Cristo Reyes 4-3 Kevin Painter
Ian White 3-4 Kim Huybrechts
Evening Session
Darren Webster 3-4 Dean Winstanley
Phil Taylor 4-0 Mark Webster
Adrian Lewis 4-2 Keegan Brown
Saturday, December 27
Afternoon Session
Robert Thornton 4-0 Ronnie Baxter
Terry Jenkins 4-0 Laurence Ryder
Peter Wright 4-1 Ronny Huybrechts
Evening Session
Dave Chisnall 2-4 Benito van de Pas
Michael van Gerwen 4-1 Sascha Stein
Gary Anderson 4-3 Jelle Klaasen
Updated Draws and Schedule
2 of 5
Monday, December 29
Evening Session
7.10pm James Wade v Stephen Bunting
Monday Recap
3 of 5
Afternoon Session
Brendan Dolan 2-4 Michael Smith
Max Hopp 0-4 Vincent van der Voort
Raymond van Barneveld 4-3 Jamie Caven
Evening Session
James Wade 1-4 Stephen Bunting
Five-time champion of the world Raymond van Barneveld was made to work exceptionally hard for his spot in the Round 3 of this year's competition, overcoming Jamie Caven in an enthralling 4-3 victory.
The popular Dutchman looked in sparkling form during his first round win, but there were worrying signs for Van Barneveld at the Alexandra Palace, as he was unable to shake off the challenge of Caven. And although the Englishman was never able to edge in front of his more illustrious opponent, he created a real tension and subsequently, kept Van Barneveld off his game.
The Dutchman had this to say in the aftermath, per Live Darts:
"Barney: "Jamie is a fantastic player and he never gives up. I'm so pleased, the crowd were brilliant and I'm glad I'm through."
— Live Darts (@livedarts) December 29, 2014"
Indeed, when Caven won the sixth set of the match to level the scores at 3-3, it looked as though he had the momentum to push on to victory. But with the crowd backing Barney, he was just about able to pull through, finishing off on the bull for good measure.
Earlier in the session, Michael Smith—Phil Taylor's conqueror at this stage 12 months ago—recovered from two sets down to topple Brendan Dolan. Smith has made some major improvements in his game so far this year and it's something he discussed in the aftermath of his latest impressive display, per Sky Sports Darts:
"The World Championship has brought out the emotional side of me when I give it large but also the calm side of me when I’m under pressure. I was acting like a spoilt kid and I knew it was ruining my chances.
If I keep quiet and keep calm – like I’ve done in my past two games – I’m satisfied with my performances. I’ll give it large at the right times but also stay calm at the right times.
"
Following that intriguing game, the Ally Pally crowd were excited to see Mervyn King's first round conquerer, teenage sensation Max Hopp. But the youngster couldn't replicate the heights of Round 1, losing out 4-0 to the experienced Vincent van der Voort.
The final match of the night between James Wade and Stephen Bunting was a game everyone was looking forward to, but it was a big surprise to see some royalty in the crowd enjoying the action, per Live Darts:
"True royalty at the Alexandra Palace! #PrinceHarry #WorldDarts pic.twitter.com/FLuD9p2gJe
— Live Darts (@livedarts) December 29, 2014"
After his triumph at Lakeside, the were plenty keen to see how Bunting was going to fare at the Alexandra Palace, and he showed no signs of nerves on the big stage against "The Machine". His 144 checkout to move 3-1 up in the match was a major marker from Bunting, as noted here by Sky Sports Darts:
"WOW! @sbunting180 checks out a 144 to take a two set lead: http://t.co/taXqXoLf5L #lovethedarts pic.twitter.com/mNLkncCCjQ
— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) December 29, 2014"
Wade was really struggling to find his rhythm after that stellar finish from his opponent. So it was little surprise to see Bunting win the fifth leg and take a comfortable 4-1 win; the man dubbed "The Bullet" is certainly a player that the top men in the draw will be looking avoid in Round 3.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Sunday Recap
4 of 5
Afternoon Session
Andy Hamilton 4-2 Kyle Anderson
Cristo Reyes 4-3 Kevin Painter
Ian White 3-4 Kim Huybrechts
Evening Session
Darren Webster 3-4 Dean Winstanley
Phil Taylor 4-0 Mark Webster
Adrian Lewis 4-2 Keegan Brown
Cristo Reyes made history on Sunday, becoming just the second player in PDC history to qualify for the third round of the World Championship after surviving the preliminary round.
The Spaniard scored a dramatic upset of Wes Newton in the first round and repeated his heroics on Sunday, beating Kevin Painter in a deciding set.
An upset seemed unlikely after Painter made it 3-1 in dominant fashion, taking out 141 on his way to what seemed to be a comfortable lead. Reyes fought back in the fifth and sixth set, however, twice surviving a deciding leg, like he did against Newton in the first round.
Fans couldn't believe what they were seeing when Reyes took charge in the decider, sweeping the set and taking out 72 in two darts to grab the win. Speaking to PDC.tv, he could hardly describe what he was feeling after another massive upset:
"It's incredible, I'm speechless really. I will always fight right until the end, even though I was 3-1 down I was always going to fight until the last dart.
"
Until the referee calls the final shot I always think I can win, and until the last dart goes in I will always keep going until the end, that's the way I always play and that won't change.
We have flights booked for tonight so we'll have to go and try to change them now and try and book the hotel for an extra few days so I can stay here and prepare for the next match in a few days, but that's a happy thing for me to do.
Andy Hamilton didn't have it easy against Kyle Anderson, needing six sets and a comeback to book his spot in the next round. Anderson led 2-1 after the third, but the Hammer kicked into gear in the fourth and never looked back.
His average of 90.06 was on the low side, but superior play on the doubles made the difference. His Australian opponent struggled checking out from start to finish, while Hamilton ended the match with a percentage of 42.8.
Belgium's Kim Huybrechts took revenge for last year's second-round loss against Ian White, winning 4-3 to advance to the round of 16.
White appeared to be in control up 3-1 but couldn't do anything right in the final two sets, winning just a single leg against an unleashed Huybrechts.
Phil Taylor easily dispatched of Mark Webster during the evening session, winning 4-0 while averaging triple digits once again. The 16-time champion only hit three 180s and had a high checkout of 96, but his proficiency on the doubles shone against the former Lakeside champion.
The Power did an excellent job of scoring big early in each leg and only ever seemed rattled once, midway through the second set. He soon recovered and only gave up a single leg in the final two sets, setting up a round-of-16 date with Huybrechts.
Dean Winstanley needed all seven sets to get past Darren Webster, nearly blowing a 2-0 lead before winning the tiebreaker.
Winstanley started on fire with a 180 and had an impressive finish of 113 in the second set, but he soon started making mistakes, allowing his opponent to claw his way back into the match. Webster took three consecutive sets before Winstanley recovered, hitting a 101 and 79 finish in the final set.
Adrian Lewis shot himself in the foot with poor work on the doubles on several occasions, beating Keegan Brown 4-2 in a match that took far longer than it should have.
Jackpot averaged in triple digits but made crucial errors on the doubles in the first and third set, losing both. He kicked into gear at just the right time, but similar struggles in the next round could bring his bid to win this year's title to a swift end.
Saturday Recap
5 of 5
Saturday De,cember 27
Afternoon Session
Robert Thornton 4-0 Ronnie Baxter
Terry Jenkins 4-0 Laurence Ryder
Peter Wright 4-1 Ronny Huybrechts
Evening Session
Dave Chisnall 2-4 Benito van de Pas
Michael van Gerwen 4-1 Sascha Stein
Gary Anderson 4-3 Jelle Klaasen
Saturday's afternoon session didn't produce any surprises, as Robert Thornton, Terry Jenkins and Peter Wright all booked comfortable wins, surrendering just a single set between them.
The Bull averaged an impressive 96.45 on his way to a clean sweep of Laurence Ryder, who eliminated Justin Pipe in the first round. Ryder managed a fantastic finish of 164 and played fairly well on Friday, but there was simply no stopping Jenkins.
The fifth leg nearly saw him hit a nine-darter, with the final dart just landing on the wrong side of double 12. Jenkins didn't let the disappointment get to him, however, continuing to put together big scores and only marginally struggling on his doubles.
Speaking to PDC.tv, he couldn't let go of the missed opportunity for his second nine-darter in two years at the World Championship:
"It was close wasn't it. I looked at it first and thought it might have gone in but it was close.
"
After hitting a nine-darter here last year I really thought I could do it again.
Michael's an awesome player and I'll have to play like I did today to stand a chance of beating Michael.
But I've played well today so I'll keep practising as normal and fingers crossed I can play that way again.
You can watch footage of the close call by clicking here.
Jenkins looked great on Saturday, but a handful of mistakes on the doubles are cause for worry. Ryder missed all six of his opportunities, making life easy on Jenkins, but with Michael van Gerwen waiting in the third round, the Bull will have to do better.
Thornton didn't struggle in his second-round match, either, beating Ronnie Baxter 4-0. The Thorn averaged 93.78, almost 10 higher than his opponent, and hit seven 180s to win all but four legs.
Baxter didn't help himself by hitting just four of 24 doubles, but Thornton looked in control of the match regardless, booking his spot in the next round.
Wright was the only favourite to drop a set on Saturday, beating Belgium's Ronny Huybrechts 4-1. Snakebite's average was solid, but he really shone on the doubles, hitting on 46 percent of his attempts.
A slight dip in the second set reminded fans the Scot can still suffer from bouts of inconsistency at times, and he'll have to keep those dips to a minimum to have a chance against the big favourites later in the tournament.
Defending champion Van Gerwen struggled early against Sascha Stein but kicked into gear in the second set, pulling his average up to an impressive 99.9 to beat the German qualifier 4-1.
Stein took advantage of Mighty Mike's inability to hit the checkout to grab a surprise lead after the first set, but the inexperienced qualifier couldn't hold his nerves in the second and third, winning just one leg out of seven and missing pivotal darts on the doubles.
A 14-darter seemed to signal the end for his opponent, and while Stein was able to force a decider, Mighty Mike's proficiency under pressure surfaced at just the right time.
Gary Anderson showed his experience in similar fashion, coming back from a 3-1 deficit against Jelle Klaasen to book his ticket to the next round with a 4-3 win.
The Flying Scotsman swept the first set and appeared to be cruising to an easy win, but Klaasen refused to go down easy, bagging a 180 and finishing 45 in the deciding leg of the second set.
Anderson had a 14-darter in the third but still lost out, and his Dutch challenger rode the wave to momentum to a dominant showing in the fourth, hitting an 11-darter and moving within one set of a massive upset.
But just as it looked Klaasen would run away with the win, the Flying Scotsman recovered and took the match by the horns, winning the final two sets to complete the comeback.
Klaasen fell just short of the upset, but compatriot Benito van de Pas more than made up for it against Dave Chisnall, beating one of the favourites for this year's world title in a fantastic performance.
Chizzy swept the first set and looked to be cruising in the second, until a miss on double 18 gave life to Van de Pas. Another sweep and a 12-darter gave Chisnall the lead back, but an impressive checkout of 127 seemed to swing momentum in favour of the Dutchman heading into the fifth set.
Van de Pas took his first lead of the match with a series of impressive doubles and grabbed the set on his fifth dart, before conceding two legs in the sixth. Fans started getting ready for a deciding set, but a tops finish from Van de Pas and missed darts for the set from Chizzy completed the upset, with the Dutchman finishing things off on double eight.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
