Nathan Aspinall stuns Gerwyn Price at World Darts Championship
Saturday 22 December 2018 09:09, UK
Gerwyn Price's bid for a maiden World Championship title came to an abrupt end after the Welshman suffered a shock second-round defeat against Nathan Aspinall.
The Grand Slam of Darts champion became the latest high-profile exit at the Alexandra Palace, throwing away a two-set lead to lose 3-2 against the unseeded Englishman.
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Aspinall's reward is a last-32 meeting with Australia's Kyle Anderson, with Price one of four seeds to be eliminated on Friday evening in an eventful conclusion to the last 64.
Devon Petersen came back from two sets down to beat Ian White and Keegan Brown knocked out Jelle Klaasen with a 3-1, while Dimitri Van den Bergh saw off 15th seed Jonny Clayton by the same margin.
Gerwyn Price v Nathan Aspinall
Tipped as a pre-tournament contender after winning his first TV title in Wolverhampton last month, Price only managed an 89.08 and missed 21 doubles on his way to a surprise defeat.
Price claimed the opening set in a final-leg decider and won the second by the same margin after Aspinall wasted four set darts to level the contest.
Aspinall took out a 91 finish to win the third set and broke Price three times during the fourth to take the match to a final-set decider.
With the majority of the crowd supporting Aspinall, the 27-year-old broke Price's throw again in the second leg with a 15-darter before taking out D16 in the next to complete the biggest win of his career to date.
Jonny Clayton v Dimitri Van den Bergh
Dimitri Van den Bergh produced the highest average of the tournament so far to see off Jonny Clayton and book his place in the third round.
The Belgian, who reached the quarter-finals last year, fired eight 180s and made 50 per cent of his doubles to claim a 3-1 victory in the final match of the evening.
Van den Bergh started with three consecutive 13-dart legs to clean-sweep the opening set, only for Clayton to open the second with an 11-dart leg on his way to levelling the contest.
Clayton was beaten 3-1 in the third set but broke early in the fourth to hold a two-leg advantage, only for Van den Bergh to post a 12-darter and a 14-darter before completing his win with a 72 checkout.
Jelle Klaasen v Keegan Brown
Keegan Brown booked a third-round tie with ninth seed James Wade after coming from behind to beat former Ally Pally semi-finalist Jelle Klaasen.
Both players struggled on their doubles during a low-scoring contest, with Klaasen only converting five of his 22 checkout attempts and Brown progressing with an 82.55 average.
Klaasen opened with an 11-darter on his way to claiming the first set, only for Brown to break the Dutchman with a 108 checkout to help win the second in straight legs.
The Englishman opened the third set with a 111 finish and made the most of some poor finishing from Klaasen to take it 3-1, before completing his victory by taking the next by the same margin.
Ian White v Devon Petersen
Devon Petersen fought back from two sets down to beat the 11th seed Ian White in a thrilling tie-break and reach the last 16 for the first time in five years.
White broke the South African early and sealed the first set with an 11-darter, with the Englishman's average up to 109 after taking out 116 to win the second in straight legs.
Petersen responded to win the first two legs of the next and bounced back from a 121 finish from White to take the set, before winning the fourth set and forcing the decider into a tie-break.
With the fifth set tied at 3-3, Petersen broke throw after capitalising on two missed double attempts from White and threw a 16-darter in the next to book a third-round meeting with Steve West.
Henderson and Van de Pas survive
All four seeded players survived scares in a marathon afternoon session at Alexandra Palace, with John Henderson winning a high-quality affair against Gabriel Clemens to set up a third-round showdown against 10th seed Michael Smith.
Henderson won the opening set with a clinical 88 finish on the bull, after Clemens had earlier taken out a spectacular 125 (Bull, 25, Bull) checkout. However, the German took out a sublime 141 finish en route to levelling up proceedings.
Clemens edged a nervy third set to lead 2-1, but Henderson landed a crucial 141 checkout of his own to win the deciding leg in set five, before winning the final set 3-1, which he sealed with a 120 finish.
Benito van de Pas edged out Jim Long in a dramatic five-set tussle, taking out 150 to triumph in a tie-break after surviving one match dart from the Canadian, while Kyle Anderson produced an impressive display to defeat Filipino qualifier Noel Malicdem in a high-quality contest.
Elsewhere, Steve West booked his place in round three with a 3-1 victory over Richard North. North averaged 95.96 to West's 89.49, but North missed 29 darts at double, with West taking out wonderful 164 and 124 checkouts en route to victory.
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