Perth Darts Masters 2015: Scores, Results, Updated Schedule After Friday
Phil Taylor was one of seven Professional Darts Corporation stars who made it beyond the first round at the Perth Darts Masters, as the fans Down Under were treated to some exceptional arrows on Friday.
Gary Anderson, Adrian Lewis and Michael van Gerwen also made it through their opening matches, as a clutch of Australian players did their utmost to spring a shock against an illustrious opponent. Kyle Anderson is the only chance of a native winner, as the Aussie shocked Stephen Bunting in a thriller.
Here are the results in full from a fascinating opening day, the upcoming quarter-final schedule and a recap of the best bits from Friday’s action.
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"RESULTS: That's it for night one of the TABtouch Perth Darts Masters! Here are all of today's results. #PerthDarts pic.twitter.com/yJr0dVWhRP
— Perth Darts Masters (@PerthDarts) August 14, 2015"
Results and draw courtesy of the tournament's official Twitter feed.
Big Names Cruise Through, But Bunting Bows Out
It’s always exciting to see some lesser-known players get the chance to go up against some of the biggest names in darts, but at the Perth Masters, the chasm in quality was initially embarrassingly apparent.
James Wade was the first player through to the quarter-finals, as he got the better of Adam Rowe 6-1 in his match. Initially, the Aussie seemed like he was going to make a decent fist of this one, with the scores at 1-1. But a 13-darter from The Machine opened the floodgates, as he won the next five legs in succession.
Sadly for the home crowd, the lopsided encounters kept on coming. Next up was reigning world champion Anderson, who wasted no time in whitewashing Kim Lewis 6-0. Then, Adrian Lewis followed suit, booking his place in the last eight with a 6-1 hammering of Loz Ryder.
Lewis, a two-time world champion, admitted he found it a little tough to get going early on, per the tournament’s official Twitter feed:
Next, it was the turn of Taylor. Given the pedigree of the man from Stoke-on-Trent, it was always unlikely that New Zealand’s Craig Caldwell would be the first player to spring a surprise. He did have a chance to break the throw in the first set, but he was unable to seize his chance.
From that point on, The Power was ruthless, rattling off four legs in succession to get within touching distance of the win. Eventually, he ran out a 6-1 victor and revealed his plans for the rest of the day:
Bunting bounced up to the oche next in his trademark style, with the man from St. Helens looking to continue what has been a prosperous 2015 to date. But in Kyle Anderson, Bunting met his match and finally the home crowd had someone to get behind.
At one point, Anderson did look like he has was going to throw this one away. He relinquished an early 3-0 lead to the PDC star, as Bunting battled back to 4-4. Eventually, this one went to a decider, and it was Anderson who held out, much to the delight of his adoring home fans.
As we can see here, courtesy of Live Darts, Bunting actually played well on the night, so big credit must go to the Aussie for getting over the line:
Peter Wright was tasked with getting the better of the pugnacious Paul Nicholson, and the rainbow-haired Scot showed his quality with a comprehensive 6-2 victory. He delighted the supporters in attendance from the moment he hopped onto the stage right up until he clinched the match, as is evident here:
It was left to two Dutchmen to cap off a fine day, and neither Raymond van Barneveld or Van Gerwen disappointed.
In what looked set to be the match of the evening, Barney tackled former world championship finalist Simon Whitlock. The Australian hasn’t quite been at his best in recent outings, and despite some sparks of brilliance on stage, Van Barneveld had too much for him, taking the tie 6-3.
Van Gerwen seemed set to romp to victory in his match against David Platt, roaring into a 3-0 lead. But credit must go to the underdog, who clung on in the contest and, after breaking the Dutchman’s throw in the ninth leg, was throwing to draw level at 5-4.
But the composure of the former world champion shone through under pressure, as he saw out a 6-4 win. It was a ropey start for Van Gerwen, and he’ll need to up his level as the quality increases throughout this tournament. He relishes these international events, though, and he will move through the gears with the competition's climax in sight.
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