World Darts Championship: Andy Hamilton suffers first round defeat at Alexandra Palace

Andy Hamilton suffered an early exit at the World Darts Championship after losing a marathon match with Joe Murnan.

The 48-year-old former finalist had never before suffered a first-round defeat in the tournament, but Murnan ruined that record as he closed out a 3-2 win by two clear legs in the tie-breaker.

Jamie Caven and Mensur Suljovic had no such problems, coming through their opening matches with comfortable wins at Alexandra Palace.

Hamilton narrowly missed 170 for a match-winning checkout, dragging his dart away from the bull, and Murnan seized his reprieve and the set with double 10.

As the match moved into a tie-break situation, Murnan momentarily forgot the rules and celebrated wildly after edging one-leg ahead, only to be reminded that he needed two clear legs for the win.

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But the red-faced Bolton man did complete the victory on double eight and sheepishly shook the hand of the departing Hamilton.

Suljovic dropped the opening set to Jermaine Wattimena, but quickly gained a grip on the match and ended his 3-1 win with a 99.44 average.

In the closing clash, Caven took on Rob Szabo, who had earlier won the preliminary match, and 'Jabba' proved a class above during his 3-0 victory.

World Darts Championship day four results:

Michael Rasztovits 0-2 Rob Szabo (P)

Andy Hamilton 2-3 Joe Murnan

Mensur Suljovic 3-1 Jermaine Wattimena

Jamie Caven 3-0 Rob Szabo