WIZARD MAKES MAGICAL RETURN AS PETERSEN STUNS BROWN

 

SIMON WHITLOCK made a stunning return from a broken ankle by storming to a 3-0 win over Dennis Smith at the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship on Wednesday - hitting a 105 average in an amazing display.

The Australian has not competed since the end of October, when he broke a bone in his left ankle, and was still limping as he took to the Alexandra Palace stage.

However, he hit seven 180s and dropped only one leg in defeating Swindon^s experienced Smith, who could only applaud Whitlock^s brilliant performance as he was knocked out of the £1 million tournament.

Whitlock, the 2010 runner-up, will now take on Steve Beaton in the second round after Christmas - with the English star also having undergone minor knee surgery this week - after firing a warning shot to the rest of the field in the World Championship.

"I^m shocked to be honest because my preparation for this has been awful," said Whitlock. "A week ago I couldn^t hit three 20s in a row and I^ve only really had one week^s practice in the last seven.

"Just walking has been hard so it^s an achievement for me to make the stage, and to play like that is amazing. I feel like I did when I first started playing when I was 16.

"I have a lot of determination and desire to do well here because I^m defending £100,000 on the Order of Merit and I want to be in the Premier League again next year, and I also want to be World Champion."

 

The night also featured high drama, with South African number one Devon Petersen winning a dramatic five-set clash with Steve Brown, while debutant Scott Rand and three-time World Champion John Part took 3-0 wins.

Petersen, who played in last year^s World Championship before moving to the UK to compete full-time as a professional, showed his improvement over the last 12 months with a thrilling display.

The 25-year-old from Cape Town, defeated Portugal^s Jose de Sousa 4-3 in the preliminary round and battled back from 1-0 and 2-1 behind against Brown to force a deciding set, in which he found himself 2-0 down before winning four successive legs to claim victory.

"It^s a great feeling to win, unbelievable and just crazy," admitted Petersen. "It^s been a boyhood dream of mine to play in the Ladbrokes World Championship and last year was a new thing for me to be around these great players.

"This year was a bit different because I^m used to playing the other players and I have more experience but it^s a dream come true. I^m sure I have more in me."

Rand, meanwhile, enjoyed a superb World Championship debut by whitewashing under-par Andy Smith 3-0, following up his run to the semi-finals of the Cash Converters Players Championship in Doncaster with another assured display.

The lorry driver from Coventry averaged nearly 95 and finished 64 percent of his chances at a double to see off Smith and set up a second round clash with Colin Lloyd in the second round.

"I really enjoyed playing on the big stage tonight, just as I did in Doncaster," said Rand. "I^m not here to make up the numbers, I^m here to win this World Championship and smash anybody who gets in my way.

"I take the game seriously and want to get to a stage where I can make darts my full-time occupation, and this is another step in the right direction."

2008 World Champion Part^s bid for a fourth title saw him drop only two legs in a 3-0 defeat of Scotland^s John Henderson, who again struggled after recently suffering a nerve problem in his right arm.

Part now meets another former World Champion, Welshman Richie Burnett, in the last 32 after Christmas.

"I^m very happy to be through," said Part. "He struggled and wasn^t himself but I was up there trying hard to close out the win because I know how quickly things can turn around.

"I^m looking forward to playing Richie and it should be a great game. We know what we^ve both got in the locker, and I don^t have anything to prove in my mind - I^m here to cause people a few problems and maybe win another title."

The second round begins on Thursday night, with reigning champion Adrian Lewis playing Robert Thornton, UK Open finalist Wes Newton up against Justin Pipe and Wayne Jones meeting Holland^s Roland Scholten.

 

 

Ladbrokes World Darts Championship
Preliminary (P) and First Round
Wednesday December 21
Andy Smith 0-3 Scott Rand
Devon Petersen 4-3 Jose de Sousa (P)
John Part 3-0 John Henderson
Simon Whitlock 3-0 Dennis Smith
Steve Brown 2-3 Devon Petersen

 

 

Second Round
Thursday December 22 (7pm)
Wayne Jones v Roland Scholten
Adrian Lewis v Robert Thornton
Wes Newton v Justin Pipe
Best of seven sets

 

 

SCOTT RAND 3-0 ANDY SMITH
(3-0, 3-0, 3-0)
SCOTT RAND enjoyed a sensational Ladbrokes World Darts Championship debut, whitewashing Andy Smith 3-0 to storm into the last 32 at Alexandra Palace.

Rand, a lorry driver by trade, who has made impressive strides in 2011 and reached his first major semi-final at the Cash Converters Players Championship earlier this month, will now face Colin Lloyd on December 28 for a place in third round.

"I really enjoyed playing on the big stage tonight, just as I did in Doncaster," said a delighted Rand.

"I^m here to win the World Championship, not make up the numbers. I take the game seriously and want to make darts my full-time occupation."

Rand started positively with finishes of 81 and 76 to take first two legs and leave Smith shell-shocked.

The third leg saw Rand hit a second 180, before Smith was off-target with two darts at doubles and the Coventry man landed double five to win the first set.

The second set followed a similar pattern as Rand won the first leg on double 12 and then hit double top after his opponent missed a dart at double 16.

The third leg saw Smith miss a dart at the bullseye, and Rand took his sixth straight leg to increase the lead to 2-0.

Smith missed four darts to take his first leg of the match at the start of the third set, and that allowed Rand to step in and hit double 16.

The 36-year-old then took out 87 to win the second leg and hit a 13-dart-finish to close the match out in impressive fashion.

"I^m devastated," said Smith. "I played really well in practice leading up to this and hit a nine-darter but I came here and it didn^t happen.

"I missed doubles and didn^t score as well as I wanted to and it was a bad day at the office. A lot of players have had them but it was really disappointing and it means I^ve got to put the practice in and make it happen in 2012 because I want to get into the top 16 next year.“

 

 

DEVON PETERSEN 4-3 JOSE DE SOUSA
DEVON PETERSEN defeated Jose de Sousa with a 4-3 victory in the preliminary round of the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship.

The 25-year-old South African, who won a Tour Card to play on the PDC circuit after competing in last year^s World Championship, now faces Steve Brown later on Wedneday for a place in the last 32.

Portuguese debutant de Sousa hit a 180 in the opening leg, but three missed darts at doubles proved costly as Petersen landed double five to take the lead.

De Sousa, who won the West European Qualifier to seal a place in this event, hit a two-dart 83 finish to level before Petersen kicked-off the third with back-to-back maximums.

The South African was unable to land a seventh treble - which extinguished hopes of a nine-dart finish - but the leg was won on double eight as he led for the second time.

Petersen, who lost to Jamie Caven in last year^s competition, hit a third 180 in the fourth leg, but missed five chances to secure a break of throw, allowing de Sousa to square the match.

De Sousa hit double eight to win the fifth leg against the darts but Petersen immediately broke back by taking out 61 to set up a deciding leg.

Petersen hit a fourth maximum to forge ahead in the final leg and an accurate attempt at double 16 secured victory and a place in the first round proper.

 

 

JOHN PART 3-0 JOHN HENDERSON
(3-1, 3-0, 3-1)
JOHN PART enjoyed a comfortable passage into the second round of the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship with a straight-sets victory against John Henderson.

Part, who dropped just two legs in the match, will now face Welshman Richie Burnett for a place in the last 16 of the competition after Christmas.

Part, who won the first World Championship staged at Alexandra Palace in 2008, took the opening two legs of the match before Henderson took the third, with the aid of a 180.

The Scotsman, who was sidelined during November after suffering radial palsy in his throwing arm, also hit a maximum in the fourth leg, but Part hit double top to claim the first set.

The Canadian began the second set by breaking Henderson^s throw with a two-dart 96 finish, before taking the next with a 58 checkout.

That put the three-time World Champion in control of the set, and he took the third leg by landing double ten to lead 2-0 and leave Henderson under immense pressure.

Part missed two darts at doubles to win the opening leg of set three, but Henderson could not land tops for a 120 checkout, and the former Las Vegas Desert Classic winner returned to win his fourth leg in a row.

Henderson stopped the rot by taking out a 67 finish to win the second, but Part hit double four in the next to move within touching distance of victory.

The fourth leg saw Henderson miss a dart at double five to keep the match alive, and Part landed double top to end the contest.

"First round matches in a World Championship are very hard to play in and I^m very happy to get through that," said a victorious Part.

"John struggled and wasn^t himself but I was up there trying hard to close out the win because I know how quickly things can turn around.

"I^m looking forward to playing Richie and it should be a great game. We know what we^ve both got in the locker, and I don^t have anything to prove in my mind - I^m here to cause people a few problems and maybe win another title.“

 

 

SIMON WHITLOCK 3-0 DENNIS SMITH
(3-1, 3-0, 3-0)
SIMON WHITLOCK made a stunning return from a broken ankle by storming to a 3-0 win over Dennis Smith at the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship on Wednesday - hitting a 105.11 average in an amazing display.

The Australian has not competed since the end of October, when he broke a bone in his left ankle, and was still limping as he took to the Alexandra Palace stage.

However, he hit seven 180s and dropped only one leg in defeating Swindon^s experienced Smith, who could only applaud Whitlock^s brilliant performance as he was knocked out of the £1 million tournament.

Whitlock, the 2010 runner-up, will now take on Steve Beaton in the second round after Christmas - with the English star also having undergone minor knee surgery this week - after firing a warning shot to the rest of the field in the World Championship.

"I^m shocked to be honest because my preparation for this has been awful," said Whitlock. "A week ago I couldn^t hit three 20s in a row and I^ve only really had one week^s practice in the last seven.

"Just walking has been hard so it^s an achievement for me to make the stage, and to play like that is amazing. I feel like I did when I first started playing when I was 16.

Whitlock hit double eight to win the first leg of the game before hitting back-to-back 180s at the start of the second.

The fifth seed missed the seventh treble 20 to end hopes of a nine-darter, but the leg was won double five as he moved 2-0 up.

Whitlock hit a 14-dart finish to win the first set before taking out a superb 11-darter to make a positive start to the second.

Smith was guilty of missing seven darts at doubles to take the next leg, allowing Whitlock to break throw, before converting a 15-dart finish to win the set without reply.

The 2010 World Championship runner-up hit a 125 checkout to win the first leg of the third set, and then produced a fantastic 11-dart finish, which included two maximums, to move a leg away from the match.

He then sealed victory with a 13-darter, completing a superb display which saw him produce the tournament^s highest average so far.

 

 

DEVON PETERSEN 3-2 STEVE BROWN
(0-3, 3-2, 2-3, 3-1, 4-2)
DEVON PETERSEN secured a memorable victory in the first round of the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship with a five-set triumph against Steve Brown.

The South African ace, appearing in his second World Championship, produced the performance of his career to follow up a 4-3 preliminary round win over Portugal^s Jose de Sousa earlier on Wednesday with victory over the number 29 seed.

Bristol^s Brown was 2-0 up in the deciding set and missed one match dart at the bullseye before Petersen won the match in dramatic style with four straight legs to set up a last 32 clash against Gary Anderson.

Brown made a good start to the match by breaking his opponent^s throw to take the first leg before hitting double top at the first attempt to win the second.

The Bristol man then won the third leg to take an early lead before Petersen hit double ten to win his first leg of the match at the start of the set two.

Brown, who lost to Terry Jenkins in last year^s tournament, hit double two to take the next leg and landed double top to take the third.

The South African hit double three with a pressure last dart to take the fourth leg and then produced an excellent 13-dart finish to take the set and level the match.

Brown hit double 12 to win the first leg of set three against the darts but Petersen hit back immediately with a clinical 120 finish.

The South African took out 76 to win the third leg before Brown hit an impressive 13-darter to take the fourth.

Petersen held advantage of throw in the deciding leg and, with the aid of a 180, left 54 after 15 darts only to see Brown finish a 130 checkout on the bullseye to snatch the set.

Petersen put that disappointment behind him to break throw at the start of the fourth set, before landing double 16 to take the second leg.

The South African then missed a dart at bullseye for the set in the third leg, and Brown hit double top at the first attempt to hit back.

Brown, though, missed double 16 for a 131 checkout in the fourth leg and Petersen hit double 17 to send the match into a fifth set.

The Bristol player made a good start in the first leg by hitting double top at the first time of asking, and the second soon followed as he moved a leg away from victory.

Petersen hit tops to claim the third leg, and hit a superb 80 finish to win the fourth after Brown missed a dart at the bullseye to take the match.

Petersen then won his third successive leg by hitting double top with his first dart, and secured victory in the next by landing a pressure double nine with his third dart.

"It^s a great feeling to win, unbelievable and just crazy," admitted Petersen. "It^s been a boyhood dream of mine to play in the Ladbrokes World Championship and last year was a new thing for me to be around these great players.

"This year was a bit different because I^m used to playing the other players and I have more experience but it^s a dream come true. I^m sure I have more in me

"I^m buzzing for the second round. Gary is an awesome player and the Premier League champion but it^s a game of two warriors battling it out, and whoever^s sword is the sharpest and who moves the quickest wins.

"On reputation, he^s brilliant but on stage that counts for nothing. If your doubles don^t go in you can go out and I could be through to the last 16."