World Matchplay - Matchreports 3rd Day
WHITE-HOT ANDERSON SCORCHES TO VICTORY
During an evening with one sided matches Gary Anderson produced the first whitewash for six years at the StanJames.com World Matchplay with a 10-0 thumping of fellow Scot Robert Thornton on Monday night.Almost as impressive played Simon Whitlock whose opponent Tony Eccles had no chance at all. Terry Jenkins and Mervyn King both seeded players and under the Top Ten of the Order of Merit were just run over by Steve Brown and Jelle Klaasen.
Steve Brown 10-6 Terry Jenkins
Steve Brown enjoyed a dream StanJames.com World Matchplay debut with a 10-6 win over two-time finalist Terry Jenkins at the
Winter Gardens in Blackpool.
The 29-year-old, a plasterer by trade, has made just two previous televised appearances - at the World Championship - but
landed three ton-plus finishes in a fine performance against the world number five.
Brown settled any nerves with a 127 bullseye finish in the game's opening leg, and double top gave him a 2-0 lead as Jenkins struggled to get into the match. Double top got last year's runner-up off the mark in the third, and after Brown hit the same bed to move 3-1 up Jenkins made the Bristol man pay for six missed doubles in leg five, cutting the gap to one leg at the first break.
A 96 finish from Jenkins saw him level in the sixth, and the pair traded the next two against the darts before Brown produced a 180 and a nerveless 83 checkout to move 5-4 up. Brown then produced two moments of magic to move 7-4 up, firstly checking out 116 before bettering that with a 149 finish in the next. Misses at the bull, double top and double ten from Jenkins in leg 12 gave Brown the chance to further extend his lead, which he took on double ten before then landing the bull for a 9-4 lead.
With the finishing line in sight for his first major win, Brown faltered with a miss at double top in the next leg, with Jenkins breaking back and then finishing double 12 to reduce the gap to 9-6. But Brown edged clear in the next leg, and recovered from two further missed match darts to post double six for the win.
"It's awesome - the biggest win of my career," said Brown. "It's a monkey off my back to go on television and win. "Terry's a Premier League veteran and I'm inexperienced but it was always going to be a battle. I was more nervous about my performance rather than Terry, because recently I've been the more consistent player, and from the first leg I felt if I could be consistent throughout the game I'd be hard to break. "The 149 was a nice finish and it was a pivotal leg. I went through the shot in my head before I threw it and to see the double 16 go in was a joy."
He added: "I've come as a fan before to watch Mark Dudbridge and Chris Mason, so to go up there and win a game on stage is immense, absolutely brilliant, and I'm buzzing. "I'll be able to treat the second round as any PDC ProTour match now - I'm here to beat the best players and I'm looking forward to it. I won't shy away from the challenge."
Simon Whitlock 10-1 Tony Eccles
Simon Whitlock dropped just one leg in seeing off Tony Eccles with a superb debut at the StanJames.com World Matchplay. The Australian swept past the world number 34 at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, celebrating his first appearance in the tournament in style and condemning Eccles to a heavy defeat for the second successive year, after he also lost 10-1 to Wayne Mardle last summer.Having taken the game's opening leg, Whitlock hit a 180 and then punished a missed double top from Eccles - for a 118 finish - to hit the same bed in doubling his lead and taking command of the game. He landed another maximum in winning the game's third leg, and even a 180 from Eccles failed to aid his cause as the fourth leg also went to the World Championship finalist, with a 14-dart finish.
Whitlock took out 61 for a 5-0 lead, and a 13-darter saw him win a sixth leg without reply before double 18 put him 7-0 up. Eccles finally got off the mark in the eighth leg, landing double top to finally get off the mark - only for Whitlock to increase his frustration with a tricky double top for an 80 finish. Whitlock then produced a fine 168 score to set up a double nine finish in moving a leg away from the victory, and was swift to seal the win and set up a second round date with Steve Brown.
"I did a good job but it was nothing special," said Whitlock. "I hit some good scores and hit my doubles and I felt good. "I'm struggling a bit with the flu so to win by that scoreline is great for me. Tony had a few chances but didn't take them and I took advantage of that. "I'm looking forward to playing Steve Brown next. He played quite well against Terry and it should be a good match, because both won well on our first games here. "Being in the Premier League has helped me a lot in terms of coping with the stages, TV and crowds and that should help me for my next match, but Steve's a quality player."
Gary Anderson 10-0 Robert Thornton
Gary Anderson produced the first whitewash for six years in the StanJames.com World Matchplay to send fellow Scot Robert Thornton crashing
out of the tournament.
Anderson showed little mercy in sweeping into the last 16 of the £400,000 tournament, with some clinical finishing leaving Thornton trailing.
Anderson made an immediate impression with a break of throw in the opening leg, and punished a missed double top from Thornton to hit the same bed in moving 2-0 up. Thornton missed a further two darts at double top in the third leg, with Anderson following up an earlier 180 with double ten to win another leg. Another maximum helped him to win the fourth leg, and three further misses from Thornton were punished on double 12 as Anderson moved 5-0 up at the first break.
Thornton returned to the stage with a 180, but an 81 finish from Anderson gave him a sixth leg, double ten and double top saw him win a further two legs before he landed a tricky double seven with his third dart to move a leg away from the win. Thornton tried in vain to avoid the whitewash, but double five put Anderson into the second round in commanding fashion.
"Robert's a lot better than that and I felt bad to whitewash him but I could only concentrate on winning," said Anderson. "He had chances in the first four legs but it wasn't like him to miss as many doubles as that. I was hitting my doubles but my high scoring wasn't there. It's usually the other way round but I've spent the last few weeks practising my finishing, and it paid off."
Jelle Klaasen 10-4 Mervyn King
Jelle Klaasen reeled off eight superb legs to sweep to a 10-4 win over number four seed Mervyn King at the StanJames.com World Matchplay in Blackpool.The Dutch youngster produced his best televised performance since reaching the quarter-finals of the World Championship 18 months ago, winning a thriller in under half an hour at the Winter Gardens. King made the early running to lead 4-2 but Klaasen proved unstoppable in taking the next eight to set up a second round clash with Gary Anderson on Thursday.
The pair traded finishes of 80 in breaking each other's throw in the first two legs, before a 13-dart finish from Klaasen nudged him 2-1 up. King levelled on double top and took out 56 in two darts for another break to earn a 3-2 lead at the break. He returned with a 180 and won the sixth leg in 13 darts - only for Klaasen to match that finish in winning the next.
Klaasen then won a key eighth with a 107 finish, as King waited on 60, to level the match, and responded to a 180 from the Englishman with a 177 and double five to move 5-4 up. Klaasen landed a 180 of his own in taking the tenth leg, after King missed doubles for a second successive leg, and double six gave Klaasen a 7-4 cushion. The quick-fire Dutch ace finished 70 for a sixth straight leg, before landing the bull for an 86 checkout in moving 9-4 up and then sealing the win with a superb 121 finish.
"I'm very pleased to have won," said Klaasen, who made his World Matchplay debut last summer. "I was a little bit lucky in some early legs when he missed chances but I think I played pretty well. My doubles have let me down many times in the last couple of years but I've worked hard on that recently and it showed. I have got Gary Anderson next and I'll be focused on him because I have to improve my scoring wasn't consistent enough. He's a quick player like me and it will be a nice match, because he's playing well."