Auckland Darts Masters: Day One Review

Simon Whitlock was the only unseeded player to make it through to the quarter-finals as Gary Anderson survived a huge scare on the opening night of the first Auckland Darts Masters.

Adrian Lewis was the first man to book his place in the quarter-finals with a 6-2 win over David Platt. The Kiwi matched ‘Jackpot’ for four legs and levelled at 2-2 before Lewis won four straight legs to win the match.

A below-par Peter Wright won his match against Mark Cleaver 6-1. ‘Snakebite’ was far from his best with new darts, despite landing a 12-darter in the first leg, in the end convincingly beating Cleaver.

James Wade saw off ‘The Asset’ Paul Nicholson, who hopes he can build on his performances in the World Series to make the World Championship in December. Wade went 3-0 up before Nicholson pegged him back to 3-3. However, that didn’t stop ‘The Machine’ from claiming a 6-3 win.

Phil Taylor was at his best yet again, averaging 104.86 in a 6-0 whitewash of Craig Caldwell, who was the last to qualify for the Auckland Darts Masters. ‘The Power’ hit 75% of his doubles in a clinical win.

Raymond van Barneveld recorded the second whitewash of the evening against Loz Ryder. The five-time Champion of the World beat the Australian number one in just 14 minutes as he booked his place in the last eight.

Simon Whitlock was the only unseeded player to make it through the first round, beating Stephen Bunting 6-4. ‘The Wizard’ raced into a 5-1 lead, but Bunting reeled off three consecutive legs to pull himself back in the contest. However, Whitlock hit a 171 followed by a 94 checkout to win the match.

World Number one Michael van Gerwen booked his place in the quarter-finals after a 6-3 win over Rob Szabo. The Matchplay Champion opened up a 4-1 cushion after five legs, and was cruising, eventually closing out the match for a 6-3 victory.

Gary Anderson avoided a huge upset in the final match of the night, beating Rob Modra in a last-leg decider. Checkouts of 100, 126 and 120 helped Modra into a 5-4 lead, but Anderson forced an eleventh leg decider, and landed D19 to win the match.