PDC William Hill World Darts Championship 2015: Sunday Scores and Results
Top seed Michael van Gerwen is safely through to the last 16 of the 2016 World Darts Championships after a masterful 4-0 win over Darren Webster at the Alexandra Palace, London, on Sunday.
Van Gerwen’s compatriot Raymond van Barneveld also progressed, as he beat Stephen Bunting, 4-3, in a thrilling encounter. Seventh seed James Wade was another comfortable winner in the evening session, coasting past Wes Newton, 4-0, in a lopsided match.
In the afternoon stanza, Vincent van der Voort continued his excellent form at the competition, coming back from two sets down to eliminate Kyle Anderson, 4-2. There were also wins for Michael Smith and Benito van de Pas, who were too strong for Steve Beaton and Dimitri van den Bergh, respectively.
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Here’s a recap of the action from the Ally Pally on what was another gripping day of darts.
| Michael Smith | 4-2 | Steve Beaton |
| Benito van de Pas | 4-2 | Dimitri van den Bergh |
| Vincent van der Voort | 4-2 | Kyle Anderson |
| Raymond van Barneveld | 4-3 | Stephen Bunting |
| James Wade | 4-0 | Wes Newton |
| Michael van Gerwen | 4-0 | Darren Webster |
Van Gerwen, Van Barneveld Progress
Van Gerwen was given a scare in his opening-round match, and all eyes were on him again on Sunday as he took on a testing opponent in Webster. However, the top seed turned in a darting clinic to ensure he'd be in Round 3.
Sky Sports Darts broke down the numbers behind a quite incredible showing from Van Gerwen, as he raced to a 4-0 win:
The former champion has been in magnificent form throughout the year and, in what is a quality field, is the favourite for this title in the eyes of the majority of fans. This was a showing worthy of that kind of tag, with Webster, a very decent player himself, simply unable to cope with the heavy scoring and ruthless finishing the Dutchman displayed on the night.
Afterwards, Van Gerwen was in boisterous mood, admitting he feels as though he's sent a message to the rest of the field, per Live Darts:
The most exciting match of the evening was between Van Barneveld and Bunting, with the former edging into the third round in a deciding set, setting up what should be a gripping all-Dutch Round 3 match with Van Gerwen.
Having both played numerous times at the highest level, these two brought their very best form to the Ally Pally stage, and those packed into the illustrious venue were treated to arguably the tussle of the tournament so far.
Here’s the moment a delighted Van Barneveld finally got over the line, per Sky Sports Darts:
It was a match which swayed one way then another, as Bunting drew first blood. However, Van Barneveld showed exactly why he’s a five-time world champion, taking out some tremendous finishes and eventually moving into a 3-2 lead.
Bunting clung on, though, taking the match into a deciding set. Although the tension was almost tangible among the spectators, you wouldn’t have known it looking at Barney, who seemed at ease as the crucial seventh set was played out. So perhaps it was little surprise to see the Dutchman eventually prosper and breathe a huge sigh of relief.
Afterwards, both players, who were noticeably drained, had positive words for the other, per Live Darts:
There were no such fireworks in the Wade-Newton match, as the former was ruthless in capitalising on his below-par opponent.
Despite his obvious talent, this is a tournament which Wade has never been able to win in all his years at the elite level of the sport. But he seems in fine form again this year, giving Newton absolutely nothing in a professional 4-0 win.
In the afternoon session, we saw an absorbing match between Anderson and Van der Voort.
Anderson is a colourful character up on stage, but he's not showcased the quality to back up his brashness in previous years. This season, there have been signs of real progress from the Australian, though, with Van der Voort unable to cope with him in the early stages of this contest.
As noted by Sky Sports' Laure James, Anderson was on hand to capitalise on some initially slack play from his opponent, who missed darts to win both of the opening sets:
But Van de Voort has proved himself to be a very handy player on many occasions, and drawing on the experience of his run to the quarter-finals last year, he began to mount a fightback.
The Dutchman's finishing became more ruthless as the match rumbled on. Van der Voort is a player who can be devastating with momentum behind him too, and as he started to find the doubles, Anderson was powerless to stop the 40-year-old from taking control. Suddenly, much to the delight of the assembled crowd, Van der Voort was 3-2 up.
From that point, there was only going to be one winner. It took Van der Voort little time to wrap up the decisive sixth set and a 4-2 victory. Darts expert Dan Dawson praised the Dutchman's swagger up on stage:
Prior to the main event of the afternoon session, there were two intriguing matches, with the winners of each contest knowing they would go on to face each other in Round 3.
Smith, who is seeded an impressive eighth for this tournament, showed he has the class to potentially go all the way, making light work of the dangerous Beaton.
As we can see, courtesy of the Sky Sports Darts account, Smith was delighted to get through his second-round match and is already looking ahead:
The man from St. Helens has made impressive progress over the last couple of years and has got himself into the last 16 for the third successive year with this triumph. Beaton is capable of troubling the top players on his day, having won the BDO World Darts Championship 19 years ago, but Smith had an edge throughout, running out a 4-2 winner.
He’ll face Van de Pas, who was an easy victor over Belgian player Van den Bergh. The 22-year-old Dutchman has been touted as one of the most exiting young players on the tour for a while, and he showed he can produce his best on the biggest stage in darts; his 4-2 triumph suggested he’ll be capable of pushing Smith close in the last 16.
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