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WRIGHT KICKS OFF BETVICTOR WORLD MATCHPLAY IN STYLE WITH SUPER-SHOW

PETER WRIGHT lit up the BetVictor World Matchplay with a 108 average as he defeated Kim Huybrechts on Saturday, as Michael van Gerwen, Adrian Lewis and Simon Whitlock also enjoyed victories on the tournament's opening night in Blackpool.

World number five Wright was the stand-out performer in front of a capacity crowd at the Winter Gardens as the 450,000 pound tournament kicked off in entertaining fashion.
Wright condemned Belgium's Kim Huybrechts to a fifth successive first round defeat in the World Matchplay with a 10-5 victory, and was in sparkling form as he began his bid to claim his maiden major title. The Scot took the game's first six legs without reply and, after Huybrechts won the next three, took out an 11-darter to move 7-3 up. The Belgian finished 101 as he reduced the gap to 8-5, but Wright was clinical in sealing victory with checkouts of 136 and 161 in successive legs to complete an impressive display.

"I wasn't as consistent throughout the match as I wanted to be but there were patches of brilliance," said Wright, whose tournament odds with sponsors BetVictor were slashed from 33/1 to 18/1 following the win. "Kim's been playing really well recently but I've got a good record against him and it's great to continue that. In the past here I've not necessarily had the right preparation for this tournament but I started working towards this event back in January. I've put in the right work to go a long way and I want to make an impact."

World number one Michael van Gerwen, who lost out to Phil Taylor in last year's final in Blackpool, swept aside debutant Benito van de Pas 10-4 as he began his challenge to take the 100,000 pound title with a strong performance.
Van Gerwen led 2-0 before the youngster got off the mark, but it was the top seed who pulled clear with seven straight legs - including a 116 checkout - to take a commanding 9-1 cushion. Van de Pas showed his class by taking the next three to threaten a fightback, but a 100 checkout from van Gerwen sealed his spot against either Justin Pipe or Jamie Lewis in round two.

"I'm happy with my performance and it's a good win for me," said van Gerwen. "Benito is a fantastic player and is someone to look for in the future. At the beginning it was anybody's game but I took the lead and I took advantage of his mistakes. I didn't miss doubles and then it was 9-1, and even though he came back at me I knew that he wouldn't win nine legs in a row. I've got a lot to improve but it's a good win. Three years ago I was in the quarter-finals, two years ago I was in the semi-finals and last year I was in the final, so I want to win this year and go a step better."

2013 runner-up Adrian Lewis began his challenge to go one better with a 10-7 win over gutsy debutant Joe Murnan.
The Bolton ace - who won his first ranking event at a Players Championship to seal his spot in the World Matchplay - led 2-1 early on before Lewis took the next six legs to establish a 7-2 cushion. Murnan won the next four to reduce the gap to 7-6 as the number four seed wobbled, but Lewis regained his composure to take three of the next four to complete a hard-fought win.

"This was Joe's first time on TV and I thought he was fantastic - some of his finishing was immaculate," said Lewis. "The first round games are always tough but especially when you're playing against a relative unknown, and Joe kept coming back at me. I was steady but I know that my form's good and I can build on this now. I've been putting in the hours of hard work and I feel like I'm building towards something special, and I think I'm in the form to win this tournament."

Two-time Blackpool semi-finalist Simon Whitlock was the night's other winner as he returned to top form with a 10-4 win over Jelle Klaasen.
The Dutch ace had won his first ranking title for over seven years in the build-up to the World Matchplay, but never recovered from seeing Whitlock take the opening five legs without reply, including key finishes of 70, 72 and 78. Klaasen took out 108 as he hit back to 6-3 at one stage, only for Whitlock to produce legs of 14 and 13 darts as he pulled away again to claim the win and move into the last 16.

"I'm so happy to have won, especially against such a class player," said Whitlock. "Jelle has been playing some really good darts recently but I've been working really hard in the build-up to this event and it's great to be back winning. I know I've got better than this in the tank, but my finishing was good and my whole game was pretty consistent. I was very solid and all the practice I've done paid dividends today. This place has been fantastic for me in the last two years with reaching the semis and the quarter-finals and I've got some good memories here."

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