World Grand Prix of Darts 2016: Scores, Results, Updated Schedule After Monday
Phil Taylor was shockingly eliminated in Round 1 of the World Grand Prix of Darts on Monday, as Steve West came from behind to beat the 11-time champion 2-1 in Dublin.
A power outage at the Citywest Hotel delayed the evening's play, although the clash between West and Taylor proved to be worth the wait. The latter looked to be in cruise control early, but sloppy finishing gave his opponent a route back into the match.
Meanwhile, top seed Michael van Gerwen also had a scarce but eventually came back from a set down to beat Steve Beaton 2-1.
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Here is a look at the best of the action from the Irish capital, including the results from Monday’s play.
| Dave Chisnall | 2-1 | Robbie Green |
| James Wilson | 2-1 | Mick McGowan |
| Mensur Suljovic | 1-2 | Daryl Gurney |
| Michael Smith | 1-2 | Alan Norris |
| Joe Cullen | 1-2 | Simon Whitlock |
| Phil Taylor | 1-2 | Steve West |
| Michael van Gerwen | 2-1 | Steve Beaton |
| Peter Wright | 0-2 | Brendan Dolan |
| Terry Jenkins | vs. | Benito van de Pas |
| Stephen Bunting | vs. | Kim Huybrechts |
| Gary Anderson | vs. | Kyle Anderson |
| Adrian Lewis | vs. | Raymond van Barneveld |
Monday Recap
Spectators who flocked to Dublin for a jam-packed night of darts were concerned early in the evening, as the Citywest Hotel's power went out during the match between Robbie Green and Dave Chisnall.
While the loss of electricity delayed play, Taylor, who had yet to arrive at the venue ahead of his match, saw the funny side:
As a result, Taylor didn’t step up to the oche until after 11 p.m. IST.
When he did get up there, the 56-year-old started brilliantly. While his finishing was erratic in the opener, West was unable to get close to competing with the fourth seed.
Taylor rattled off seven perfect darts in a row in the second set, whipping the crowd into a frenzy. The 11-time champion couldn’t clinch a perfect nine-dart leg, but he was in the groove.
However, West battled on and eventually levelled the match.
That emboldened the underdog, who was playing with freedom at the start of the deciding set. When he won the first leg against the throw, the upset was on. Although Taylor forced a last-leg shootout, West, ranked 65th in the world, kept his composure to eliminate the Power.
Here's the moment when West secured one of the biggest victories of his career, via PDC Darts:
After that upset, perhaps Beaton was inspired as he walked out to face the world No. 1. A 135 checkout on his way to winning the opening set seemed to suggest so. Could the punters in Dublin be set for the second massive surprise of the evening?
Van Gerwen flew out of the traps in the second set, though, leaving Beaton floundering with some sensational scoring. After three successive legs, the Dutchman was level again in the blink of an eye.
The world No. 1 was marching around the oche in trademark style after equalising, and after a flurry of fantastic darts to start the decider, Beaton was looking a little dazed. Eventually, Van Gerwen coasted to a 2-1 triumph, with six legs won in succession.
Simon Whitlock had to draw on all of his experience to make it through to the next round, overcoming Joe Cullen in a fascinating tie. The Aussie was one set down and playing poorly before this remarkable finish prompted him into life, via PDC Darts:
From there, the former World Championship finalist took over, with Cullen struggling to find his best on the crucial points late in the match.
In the disrupted match at the top of the fixture list, Chisnall was able to come back from a set down to get the better of Green. Two more fascinating fixtures followed, with James Wilson and Daryl Gurney both winning the odd leg in three to secure their place in Round 2.
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