Alan Norris throws nine-darter at Players Championship Finals
Monday 28 November 2016 07:33, UK
Alan Norris threw the first nine-darter in the history of the Players Championship Finals on his way to a first-round win on Friday.
Norris' perfect leg cost organisers £35,000 and came in a 6-4 win over Michael Smith that saw him average more than 106 and nail seven maximums.
The 44-year-old's performance lit up the evening session in Minehead and earned him a second-round tie with Mick McGowan.
Qualification for the tournament is decided on performances across the year's Players Championship events which means seedings do not necessarily correspond to rankings.
And there was an opening-day exit for No 2 seed Benito van de Pas as he was beaten 6-5 by Brendan Dolan in the evening.
Third seed Ian White had earlier survived a scare of his own before coming through 6-5 against Keegan Brown.
Michael van Gerwen came into the tournament top-ranked, top-seeded and as defending champion, and the Dutchman lived up to the billing on his way to a 6-1 success against Andy Hamilton.
Compatriot Vincent van der Voort will be his second-round opponent on Saturday.
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