Luke Littler beat Zoran Lerchbacher 6-2 to reach the second round; Martin Schindler knocked out James Wade and Raymond van Barneveld saw off Mike De Decker in a final-leg decider; Watch the Premier League Darts every Thursday night live on Sky Sports
Friday 26 April 2024 23:06, UK
Martin Schindler produced a stunning display to take centre stage on the opening day of the NEO.bet Austrian Darts Open, as Luke Littler also celebrated victory in Graz.
Schindler - a winner at the International Darts Open a fortnight ago - produced the performance of Friday's first round at the Steiermarkhalle, averaging 111.37 to deny James Wade in a captivating contest.
The 27-year-old crashed in six 180s and pinned six of his ten attempts at double, registering winning legs of 13, 18, 11, 14, 13 and 13 darts to record the highest ever European Tour average by a German player.
Wade averaged 99.76 and hit all four of his attempts at double, but he was worn down by a relentless Schindler, who will take on Ricardo Pietreczko in an all-German affair tomorrow night.
Teenage sensation Littler will renew his rivalry with second seed Damon Heta on Saturday evening, after putting in a professional performance to see off the returning Zoran Lerchbacher in his opener.
Chris Dobey also impressed on the opening day in Austria, booking a clash against reigning champion Jonny Clayton after averaging 106 to wrap up a 6-2 demolition of Graham Hall.
Gian van Veen thrashed a struggling Jose de Sousa to extend the Portuguese star's winless run on the big stage, and the young Dutchman will now face Ryan Searle for a place in the last 16.
Dutch icon Raymond van Barneveld will play European Darts Grand Prix runner-up Ross Smith in the second round, after conjuring up crucial 136 and 96 finishes in the latter stages of his deciding-leg win over Mike De Decker.
UK Open champion Dimitri Van den Bergh also prevailed in a last-leg shoot-out, landing an inspired 152 checkout to stun Gabriel Clemens and reach round two, where last year's runner-up Josh Rock awaits.
Northern Irish duo Brendan Dolan and Daryl Gurney also sealed their spot in Saturday's second round, closing out hard-fought 6-3 wins against Hannes Schnier and Martin Lukeman in their openers.
Richard Veenstra produced a trio of ton-plus checkouts to deny Ricky Evans in a rollercoaster contest, following up 141 and 151 checkouts with a 104 kill in the decider, after Evans had spurned three darts for victory.
Wessel Nijman posted six 180s to edge out Croatia's Romeo Grbavac on his European Tour return, while Nijman's compatriot Jeffrey de Zwaan averaged 99 to account for Karel Sedlacek.
Earlier in the afternoon, Danny Lauby and Dom Taylor tasted victory on their European Tour debuts, overcoming Ryan Joyce and Christian Goedl respectively.
American star Lauby converted 100, 105 and 121 finishes to create a tussle against two-time World Champion Peter Wright, with Taylor posting a ton-plus average to whitewash Host Nation Qualifier Goedl.
Darius Labanauskas ran out a 6-4 winner against his Nordic & Baltic counterpart Madars Razma, while Ritchie Edhouse defeated Arron Monk by the same scoreline to continue his eye-catching form.
Elsewhere, Andrew Gilding snapped his losing streak with a 6-2 victory against Dominik Haberl, and he will now play Germany's Daniel Klose, who replaces the injured Gerwyn Price in the tournament.
Littler and Heta's showdown will headline a bumper second round on Saturday, with Clayton and three-time winner Michael van Gerwen amongst the other seeded stars poised to enter the fray.
The Premier League continues with Night 14 in Aberdeen on Thursday May 2 at the P&J Live, as Peter Wright takes on Michael Smith before Littler faces Nathan Aspinall. Van Gerwen then takes on Rob Cross before Price clashes with Luke Humphries.
Stream Sky Sports live with no contract on a Month or Day membership on NOW. Instant access to live action from the Premier League and EFL, plus darts, cricket, tennis, golf and so much more.
You can now receive messages and alerts for the latest breaking sports news, analysis, in-depth features and videos from our dedicated WhatsApp channel. Find out more here...
Premier League Darts continues on Sky Sports on Thursday May 2 at the P&J Live, Aberdeen, the next stop on the 17-week extravaganza all the way through to the Play-Offs at The O2 arena in London on Thursday May 23. Stream the darts and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership. No contract, cancel anytime.
