PDC William Hill World Darts Championship 2016: Friday Results, Updated Schedule
Top seed Michael van Gerwen survived a scare to make it through to Round 2 of the 2016 World Darts Championships, holding off a stunning late rally from underdog Rene Eidams to win 3-2.
There were a couple of shocks to accompany the former champion's thrilling win, with seeded players Kim Huybrechts and Brendan Dolan dumped out by David Pallett and Kyle Anderson, respectively.
Mark Webster was the star of the afternoon session, as the 2008 runner-up beat Mick McGowan 3-0 in his first round match. Earlier in the day, there were comfortable wins for Darren Webster over John Henderson and Christian Kist against Justin Pipe.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Here’s a recap of the best of the action from Day 2 of the competition, the clashes to come and a look in full at Friday’s results from Alexandra Palace.
| Afternoon Session | ||
| John Henderson | 1-3 | Darren Webster |
| Justin Pipe | 0-3 | Christian Kist |
| Mark Webster | 0-3 | Mick McGowan |
| Evening Session | ||
| Brendan Dolan | 0-3 | Kyle Anderson |
| Kim Huybrechts | 2-3 | David Pallett |
| Michael van Gerwen | 3-2 | Rene Eidams |
Van Gerwen Holds Off Underdog Eidams
The early rounds of this competition can be tough for the established elite players, with up-and-comers seeking to gain a significant scalp.
Eidams had earned his shot at the 2014 champion with a win in qualifying earlier in the day and will have just been happy to share the stage with such an illustrious competitor. Initially, it seemed likely to be a brief time up there, as Van Gerwen won the first two sets without giving his opponent a shot at a finish.
The Dutchman seemed to take his foot off the gas a little in the third set, though, allowing Eidams a route back into the contest, reducing the deficit to just one. Suddenly the underdog was emboldened, producing inventive finishes and heavy scoring; he took his chances with gumption too and suddenly, the match was level.
As we can see here, the iconic venue was bouncing when Eidams levelled the match up and the ex-champion rattled, per the PDC account:
The decider was full of more twists and turns, with both men showing the signs of pressure. Eidams kept his cool with the match in a precarious position and forced a tiebreak to add to the tension. But Van Gerwen eventually showed his quality to win the fifth set by two clear legs and just make it through.
One man who did take his chance on the big stage was Pallett, edging past 12th seed Huybrechts in the standout match of the tournament so far. Here’s the moment the 25-year-old sealed victory against the former quarter-finalist, per Sky Sports Darts:
It was a tremendous showing from Pallett who is still seeking to make his way in the game. This was his first ever outing on the Ally Pally stage and to revel under the bright lights like he did was testament to his steely mentality.
“I've beaten him before, but up on the Ally Pally stage I did not think I would do it,” admitted Pallett afterwards, per Sky Sports. “There is not a lot I can say, I'm absolutely speechless, I'm over the moon.”
Sky Sports’ Laure James paid tribute to the Shropshire-born thrower in the aftermath of this huge upset on Twitter:
The evening session’s other match was also a shock, although far less thrilling, as Aussie player Anderson dominated Dolan, who was seeded 18th for this competition.
Anderson was magnificent in his throwing throughout the night and although he’d have been wary of the quality which his opponent undoubtedly possess, he kept Dolan at arm’s length throughout this one. An eventual 3-0 victory was a fair reflection of a lopsided match and the man from Down Under will fancy his chances against either Loz Ryder or Vincent van der Voort in Round 2.
The afternoon session saw 2008 runner-up Mark Webster take on McGowan, and the former was able to exert his quality throughout this one with another accomplished showing at Alexandra Palace.
It was clear the Welshman was going to be a tough prospect from the early stages. As we can see, having competed on this stage many times before, Webster had no problem settling into a rhythm, per Sky Sports Darts:
That 126 allowed Webster to move through the gears for the remainder of the match, and he eventually ran out a 3-0 winner. He'll face the winner of the tie between Terry Jenkins and Darin Young in the second round.
Before him were a couple of matches containing players who are rank outsiders for this year’s title but who built up some momentum with strong displays.
Darren Webster made his way past the dangerous Henderson in his opening match, although it wasn’t quite as easy as the 3-1 scoreline may suggest.
Indeed, Henderson actually took the first set to give himself a 1-0 lead. His opponent did seem shocked on the big stage in the opening exchanges, but once he settled down, there was a clear gulf in class between the two players. It meant Webster rattled off three sets in a row, which included a trio of 180s.
Pipe was powerless to prevent Kist progressing at his expense, as the Dutchman dominated this match. Despite being seeded an impressive 20th for this tournament, Pipe was never in the contest after losing a tight opening set.
By comparison, his opponent was in wonderful form and made a big impression on the Alexandra Palace crowd, eventually running out an easy 3-0 victor.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
