It wasn’t pretty and he was way off the pace, but Andy Hamilton has won through to the 2nd Round of the World Championship.
The Team Unicorn ace beat Dennis Smith 3-0 but it was a poor quality match, with Hamilton strangely subdued.
“I just didn’t feel under any pressure and I just couldn’t get going,” he said. “I have been practicing really well but that wasn’t great, was it?”
Hamilton added: “At the end of the day, all that matters is the win. I thought Dennis would push me harder. For me, the tournament starts now and I will get better.”
Hamilton will face either Robert Thornton or Nigel Heydon in the 2nd Round.
Hamilton’s end average was a meagre 79.42 but it was enough against an opponent who missed 26 darts at doubles in those three sets of darts.
It was just a case of getting over the finishing line….after losing the opening leg of the match, Hamilton then reeled off six on the spin to open up a two set lead.
Smith came back in the third set and actually missed five darts to win it, before Hamilton produced the one moment of real class in the match – a 106 finish to clinch the win.
On an awful day, when snow brought much of London to a standstill, 1500 darts fans found their way to the Alexandra Palace and it was a great credit to them to beat the bad weather and get to the venue.
And they were rewarded with some terrific darts.
Mark Dudbridge won his first match on TV for a year, coming from a set down to take out Alex Roy 3-1 with a 93 average and six 180s.
Gary Anderson laid down a marker in his 3-0 victory over Japan’s Morihiro Hashimoto, winning nine straight legs with an average of over 103.
And last year’s beaten finalist Simon Whitlock was a comfortable 3-0 winner over Steve Evans.
The Team Unicorn trio of John Part, Wes Newton and Kirk Shepherd enter the fray on Sunday night.
The three-times World Champion returns to the scene of his 2008 triumph and will face either Denmark’s Per Laursen or Boris Krcmar of Croatia…..Part of course is desperate for the win to set up a 2nd Round showdown with Phil Taylor!
Newton takes on top American Darin Young, while Shepherd will be hoping to cash in on his huge slice of luck at the Ally Pally….remember, Shepherd only got a spot at the Wlorld Championship this week, after Australian Rob Modra was forced to withdraw because he couldn’t get a visa……Shepherd takes on Wayne Jones.
Saturday results:
Preliminary Round (best of 7 legs):
Matt Padgett 2-4 Morihiro Hashimoto (Japan)
1st Round (best of 5 sets):
Andy Hamilton 3-0 Dennis Smith
Mark Dudbridge 3-1 Alex Roy
Simon Whitlock 3-0 Steve Evans
Gary Anderson 3-0 Morihiro Hashimoto
Sunday schedule:
Wayne Jones v Kirk Shepherd
Robert Thornton v Nigel Heydon
Wes Newton v Darin Young
John Part v Per Laursen/Boris Krcmar
By STUART PYKE at the Alexandra Palace
Photo courtesy Chris Sargeant