Wednesday 4 October 2017 17:03, UK
Raymond van Barneveld coasted past Steve Beaton to continue his World Grand Prix progression on Tuesday.
Barney won 3-0 in the second round in Dublin to stay active despite the raft of big-names to have already exited, including the eliminated Michael van Gerwen and Adrian Lewis and the withdrawn Phil Taylor and Gary Anderson.
Beaton took the opening leg but, when he missed a dart for the second leg, it was quickly downhill for the 2004 semi-finalist.
Van Barneveld pinched the opening set but flew into a 2-0 lead with some accurate doubling. He missed three match darts but it only delayed the inevitable.
Van Barneveld will next face John Henderson who built upon his shock win over Michael van Gerwen with a 3-1 victory against Alan Norris. Henderson persevered through a scrappy contest to further extend his surprise run.
Robert Thornton stole a 3-2 win from Dave Chisnall, who missed five darts to win the match himself.
The most entertaining and back-and-forth contest of the tournament so far came down to the final leg, which Thornton strolled through, after Chisnall had missed five glorious chances to seal progression in the prior leg.
Thornton, the 2015 Grand Prix champion, is the only former winner left in this tournament but was kept honest by Chisnall's frequent high finishes - he took out 130 and 116, but faltered when it mattered most.
Thornton will next play Daryl Gurney who impressed in his 3-1 victory over Joe Cullen to the delight of the Dublin crowd who remained fully behind the Northern Ireland representative.
Gurney briefly wobbled to allow Cullen four consecutive legs, carrying him to the third set, but he otherwise flew through the contest with vigour.
