PDC World Darts Championship 2017: Friday Scores, Results and Updated Schedule
Third seed Peter Wright is safely through to Round 2 of the 2017 PDC World Darts Championship, as he secured a routine 3-0 win over Jerry Hendriks on Friday.
Earlier in the session, former BDO champion Steve Beaton made his way past Devon Petersen by a 3-1 score, while there was also a shock too, with 19th seed Gerwyn Price knocked out by Jonny Clayton in a 3-1 defeat in an all-Welsh clash.
Here is a look at how things played out on another brilliant night at the Alexandra Palace and a glance ahead to what will be a much busier schedule on Saturday.
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| Jerry Hendriks | 2-0* | Warren Parry |
| Gerwyn Price (19) | 1-3 | Jonny Clayton |
| Steve Beaton (27) | 3-1 | Devon Petersen |
| Peter Wright (3) | 2-0 | Jerry Hendriks |
| Tengku Shah | vs.* | Masumi Chino |
| Terry Jenkins (18) | vs. | Josh Payne |
| John Henderson (31) | vs. | Andrew Gilding |
| Benito van de Pas (15) | vs. | Shah/Chino |
| Ross Snook | vs* | Kim Viljanen |
| Cristo Reyes (32) | vs. | Dimitri Van den Bergh |
| Stephen Bunting (16) | vs. | Darren Webster |
| Michael van Gerwen (1) | vs. | Snook/Viljanen |
*Preliminary tournament matches
Friday Recap
After getting the better of Warren Parry in his preliminary match earlier in the day, Hendriks was handed the chance to take a shot at Wright, a finalist at this event in 2014.
There was a lot of expectation on Wright, the man known as Snakebite, ahead of this one after an excellent year and subsequent third seeding. His young opponent, as we can see courtesy of the PDC's Twitter feed, seemed to be keen to make the most of the occasion:
Wright showcased just as much panache in his play in the early stages of the match, as Hendriks looked a little edgy against such a high-calibre opponent. The 2014 runner-up whitewashed the qualifier in the first set, and things were looking ominous for the Dutchman.
Hendriks responded superbly in the second set, taking the first leg with a stunning 156 checkout, and he fashioned three set points at one stage to level things up. However, they were all spurned, and when Wright was left with 141 in the deciding leg, he showed his quality under pressure to take advantage and a 2-0 lead.
From that point on, Hendriks cut the figure of a man who knew the match was over, and Wright was able to complete the whitewash with ease.
One of the biggest surprises of the tournament so far saw Price eliminated after a fascinating match with Clayton.
There was little between the two men early on in this one, as they were tied at one set apiece to begin with. But it was the unseeded man who seized the initiative in the second half of the match, scoring well and then taking his chances on doubles to win 3-1 overall.
Here's the moment Clayton clinched victory at the expense of his compatriot, courtesy of PDC Darts:
The other match from the main draw on Friday saw Beaton, known as the Bronze Adonis, get the better of a struggling Petersen, 3-1.
As we can see here, as Petersen entered the stage, he looked to be in a confident mood, showing off some silky dance moves to the spectators in attendance, via PDC Darts:
However, it was Beaton who was stronger in the early stages, as his opponent seemed to struggle with the grip on his darts. It meant Petersen fell behind quickly, and he immediately had a mountain to climb in the match.
After an interval, Petersen returned to the stage looking more comfortable and was able to battle his way to the second set.
However, Beaton retained the greater composure as the contest continued, pinching a tight third set that seemed to derail his opponent's momentum. The last set saw the 1996 world champion dominate and eventually cruise into Round 2.
Those in attendance at this iconic venue on Saturday will be in for a treat, as favourite and top seed Michael van Gerwen gets his bid for a second world title underway. Stephen Bunting and Terry Jenkins will also be in action.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
