Former champion Colin Lloyd dug deep to come through the opening round of the SkyBet World Grand Prix in Dublin.
Former champion Lloyd through Dublin opener
Former champion Colin Lloyd dug deep to come through the opening round of the SkyBet World Grand Prix in Dublin.
Lloyd, who won the title in 2004, was handed a tough looking draw after being paired with two-time world champion Dennis Priestley.
And the match didn't disappoint, as neither player gave an inch - however it was the 34-year-old from Essex who held his nerve to record a 2-0 victory and book a place in the next round.
Both sets went the distance, however Priestley was ultimately made to pay as he missed a shot at the bull to take a 1-0 lead.
Lloyd, known as Jaws, will now face Alan Tabern in the next round after the St Helens thrower recorded a 2-1 victory over Barrie Bates.
Enthralling
Roland Scholten is also through to the next stage having just edged out Kevin Painter 2-1 in an enthralling contest.
Scholten is joined by fellow Dutchman Raymond van Barneveld after he edged past Vincent van der Voort 2-1.
Barney had looked at his dominant best as he one the first set, only for van der Voort to hang on gamely to set up a deciding rubber.
However, Barney made no mistake as he secured second round clash with Mervyn King.
Earlier King had overcome a slow start to knock out qualifier John Elder 2-0. King needed 13 darts to hit the opening double required to start scoring, however he recovered in fine fashion to power past the Irishman.
James Wade continues to impress as he stormed to a 2-0 win over Denis Ovens. The 24-year-old had a 94.8 average as he outplayed his rival.
Another of the sport's talented tyros, Adrian Lewis, was made to fight all the way before he saw off the challenge of the last of the Irish qualifiers. Lewis was given a couple of scares before he beat James Keogh 2-0.
In a thrilling last match of the night, Alex Roy snatched a 2-1 win over Wes Newton, with the tie going down to the final leg.
Newton was made to pay for a miscount with his final throw, allowing Roy to checkout with 50.
First round results
