Bronzed Adonis rolls back the years to knock out third seed; Peter Wright marches into last 16 with demolition of Steve West
Tuesday 2 October 2018 06:30, UK
World champion Rob Cross became the highest-profile exit at the World Grand Prix, as veteran Steve Beaton beat him in Dublin for the second year in a row.
Cross is yet to win a match at the Citywest Hotel and the Bronzed Adonis proved to be his nemesis this time with a 2-0 win on Monday night on the outskirts of Dublin in his 15th appearance at the Grand Prix.
World Grand Prix Day Two - as it happened
Since Cross lost to Beaton - the 1996 BDO world champion - 12 months ago, he has become a world champion, crowning a memorable debut year on the PDC Tour with a spectacular triumph over Phil Taylor at Alexandra Palace in January.
But it was a different story in Ireland as Cross struggled throughout. Averaging in the mid-70s, he won just a single leg as the 54-year-old Beaton rolled back the years, kicking things off with a clinical 50 check-out.
Having missed two darts at double 12 for a 3-0 sweep of the first set, and then a dart at tops for a 3-1 lead, it looked like Beaton may allow Voltage to rally, but the world champion's doubling let him down and Beaton returned to pin double top for the first set.
A 15-darter got Beaton off to the perfect start in the second set and with Cross losing his way Beaton pinned double 16 for the match to secure a memorable win and a meeting with Gerwyn Price in the next round.
The Iceman continued his comeback from Achilles surgery with a 2-0 win of his own, sending 2017 BDO runner-up Danny Noppert packing in an ill-tempered clash.
Price put a disappointing Premier League campaign behind him by winning the International Darts Open last month and as a former UK Open runner-up fancies his chances of a run in Dublin.
He overcame Dutch debutant Noppert and 12 missed darts in the opening leg of the second set to eventually put his foot down and a brilliant 112, after Noppert's 108, set him on his way to victory.
WORLD GRAND PRIX - DRAW, RESULTS & SCHEDULE
Adrian Lewis outlasted Michael Smith by winning 2-1 in a gruelling contest that finished at nearly midnight.
Lewis had taken the first set but Smith pegged him back, only to fall away in the decider. Lewis will next play James Wilson who completed a comeback 2-1 win over Simon Whitlock.
Whitlock had edged ahead but had a solemn look on his face by the time that Wilson roared back to qualify for the next round.
Peter Wright, runner-up to Gary Anderson in the recent Champions League, has a miserable record at the Citywest Hotel, his quarter-final last year the only time he has gone beyond the second round in six visits.
But he put that behind him with a whitewash of Steve West to fire a warning to the rest of the field that he means business as he chases a second major title to go with his 2017 UK Open crown.
Snakebite was too good for Wright, kicking off with a brilliant bullseye to complete a 124 check-out in the opening leg and he closed out the opener with an average in excess of 100.
It was more of the same in the second set as Wright swept in the second round and a showdown with Jermaine Wattimena, the world no 33 who became the third Dutchman to win on his Grand Prix debut thanks to a 2-0 upset win over a misfiring Mervyn King
Ron Meulenkamp and Jeffrey de Zwaan claimed opening night wins on their Dublin bows and Wattimena followed suit with a dominant display against the 2012 runner-up and world no 20.
The Dutchman rattled in a 16-darter to break throw in the first leg of the match and sauntered to the opening set with the minimum of fuss.
The tide looked to be turning when Wattimena missed nine darts to claim a fourth leg on the bounce, King nipped in to pin double top and get on the board.
But that was as good as it got for King who threw away chances in each of the next two legs and Wattimena was not as wasteful as he wrapped up an impressive victory.
MvG eases past Lennon in Dublin
James Wade's memories of the Grand Prix stage are fading fast. Having twice won the title, he suffered a first-round exit for the fourth successive year as Mensur Suljovic booked a second-round spot.
Suljovic provided yet another clinical performance to advance thanks to a 2-0 win that featured a dominant opening set where The Machine did not even get a dart at a double.
Wade improved to take a 2-0 lead in the second set but the world no 6, who has two semi-finals from his three previous Grand Prix appearances, reeled off three legs in succession for the win and a repeat of last year's first round with Ian White.
The world No 10 is hoping to go beyond the quarter-final of a big TV tournament for the first time after a year that has featured three titles across the Pro and European Tours. He was too strong for Josh Payne with a 2-0 win that featured big scores and wayward doubling from both men.
Coverage of the World Grand Prix continues on Monday with the remaining eight first-round matches - join us from the Citywest Hotel on Sky Sports Action from 7pm.
You can follow the unique double-in double-out format right through to the final on Saturday, October 6 and join in the conversation and go behind the scenes with us @SkySportsDarts
