Five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld is through to round three of the PDC World Championship after a hard-fought 3-1 win over Ryan Meikle. The Dutch giant has set up a mouthwatering round three clash with Gerwyn Price, a man who has beaten three times in recent years.
Meikle missed the chance for an early break but would stun the five-time champion in the first set as he instantly looked at home on stage. He took the first set 3-1, having averaged over a ton and nailed his doubles to put the Dutchman under pressure. It was his unflappable composure that was so impressive, as he nailed D12 to seal the opener.
RVB came out in the second with a point to prove and his clinical nature, as well as starting with 180s saw him into a two leg lead. In the third leg, he hit back to back 180s to put himself in control and although he missed the nine darter, it was enough to give him the breathing space needed to secure the second set.
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Meikle didn’t wilt in the second, but instead RVB raised his average to above 115 to blow his opponent away. It seemed to rattle Meikle who couldn’t finish in the first leg of the third as Van Barneveld broke him, but the Barber instantly replied with a break of his own. They traded two more legs as we entered the crucial decider, and even though Meikle threw first, RVB was in control.
He was so cool as he took the third set with ease and then, he continued his flying form to win the fourth. He nailed a D8 to break in the second leg and then cruised to victory as Meikle, despite his promising start, simply couldn’t keep up.
The round three clash everybody wanted has now been set up. RVB will take on Gerwyn Price again. It was a wonderful finish, but here’s how the rest of the night unfolded.
Round One: Ricky Evans 3-1 Fallon Sherrock
The Queen of the Palace was in the mood to make an instant impact against Rapid Ricky and despite his name, he was slow out of the blocks. Sherrock was broken in the first leg, but roared back to take the first set 3-1, to the delight of the crowd.
Her finishing was exemplary as she nailed D18 to take the first leg of the second, but Evans came back to take a 2-1 lead as Sherrock missed the chance to break. She would be made to pay as Evans took the second set 3-2 as momentum swung.
They traded breaks at the start of the third before we approached another deciding fifth leg. The increase in quality from these two compared to Williams v Bialecki was stark as they were so difficult to split, regularly trading 140+ visits.
Sherrock wasted three set darts before Ricky wasted two of his own. Then Sherrock blew the chance to win the set for a second time before Evans landed D20 to go 2-1 in front. It could have rocked the Queen of the Palace, but instead it galvanised her.
She won the first two legs of the fourth, before Rapid Ricky brought the deficit down to 2-1. Sherrock then missed D19 and D8 when she could have won the set, and all of a sudden it was 2-2, and Evans was throwing first, for the win.
Sherrock fell apart in the finale and it was left to Evans to produce a wonderful 107 finish to seal the win. It was a missed opportunity for Sherrock, who averaged slightly higher than her opponent, but couldn’t make the doubles count.
Rapid Ricky Evans silences the Ally Pally crowd, eliminating Fallon Sherrock after sealing a 3-1 success in STYLE! 💥
Up next 👉 Raymond van Barneveld v Ryan Meikle
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Round One: Jamie Hughes 1-3 Jimmy Hendriks
Several missed darts from both players in one of the worst legs you will ever see saw Hughes miss 12 shots at a double over the first two legs to go 2-0 down, before Hendriks missed his own opportunity to secure the set.
Then Hughes got himself back to 2-2 despite hitting just two doubles from 19, and the Dutchman went on to miss his fourth set dart, as Hughes nailed D20 to take the first set. It looked like Hendriks was cursed like a Voodoo Child after throwing away that opener, but he broke his opponent in the first leg of the second.
More efficient finishing gave him the Fire to go 2-0 up before Hughes clawed a leg back, but it wasn’t enough to repeat his comeback trick of the first set. The quality simply hasn’t been up to scratch in too many of these first round games, and this was right up there with the worst.
The third set was more of the same, as Hendricks missed three set darts, before finally landing D4 to put himself in front. That 3-2 seemed to inspire the Dutchman, who got himself ahead in the fourth and then finally, after a marathon, hit the D8 that ended the game. Certainly not a classic.
Round One: Jim Williams 3-2 Sebastian Bialecki
Jim Williams reached round two with a comeback win over teenage sensation Sebastian Bialecki. The Pole made an instant impact at Ally Pally on his debut as he won the first set in style, 3-0 and the Welshman struggled to deal with Bialecki’s consistency as he lost the first, but he found his feet to win the first leg of the second.
It took just 11 darts for the 19-year-old to level things, but Williams found the darts to break his opponent and secure the second set, 3-1. He needed to find his form and began to find his confidence on stage, only for Bialecki to fight back in a thrilling third.
With the score 2-1, Williams needed to produce. And he did. He blitzed through the fourth set hitting several 180s to level the scores with a 3-0 success in that set. Then he broke Bialecki in the first leg of the decider and got himself 2-1 up. In the deciding leg, on Williams’ throw, Bialecki landed a 180 but it wasn’t enough as the Welshman checked out with double top to secure a vital win.
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