In darts very own version of ‘The Great Escape’ Gary Anderson won one of the most amazing 1st Round matches in the history of the World Championship.
In what is turning into a history-making tournament for darting drama, the Unicorn star came back from the brink several times to beat German Jyhan Artut in a last leg sudden death shoot-out.
Wow!
To be honest, Anderson looked down and out several times but he kept coming back, and after the German ace missed four darts at D16 to win 6-4 in a final set tie-break, the Scot stepped in and after winning the bull in that deciding leg, hit an 8th 180 and won it on D8.
But missed doubles so nearly cost him…..can you believe that during the course of the match, he blew 34 darts at doubles!
It really was a darting classic!
“It’s never boring with me, is it?!” he joked.
“I thought I was out. He hardly missed a think until the end and my finishing was awful but I showed a lot of bottle in the end and it is a great feeling to get over the winning line.”
But it was nearly a darting disaster as Anderson fell two sets down after hitting only two doubles from 15 attempts.
Somehow though, he found something special from somewhere.
He raced through the third set and in one leg checked out 300 in six darts after a fourth 180 and 120 finish.
But Anderson was still making life difficult for himself.
More missed doubles in the fourth set and the nerves were jangling again….but he edged it with a 68 check-out and we were into the decider.
But the fun was only just starting!
It 1-0, 1-1 and then 2-1 to Anderson and it looked like being all over as he left ‘tops’ to win it…..unfortunately he doesn’t do things the easy way and he missed three darts for the match to allow Artut back in.
So we were into the tie-break and after Anderson missed a dart at the bull to win it, the German took out 102! It was amazing stuff,
At 4-4 in the tie-break, Artut hit 180, 140 and broke the Scot. He threw for the match and it was match point as he left D16 but he missed! Anderson reduced the deficit but could only stand and watch and hope!
It was sensational drama…..the pressure finally got to Artut and he missed three more darts at D16 for the match to allow the Unicorn man to pinch it and we were into sudden death shoot-out territory!
They threw for the bull….Artut hit the bull, but so did Anderson and he repeated the dose to win the all important throw.
He banged in a 14 darter to win it with a two-dart 76 and there was relief all around.
Talk about snatching victory from the jaws of defeat!
What odds now for a big Anderson tilt at this World Title?!
Well, elsewhere on day six at the Ally Pally, Terry Jenkins was a convincing 3-0 winner in the all Unicorn clash with Joe Cullen.
Cullen was impressive in beating Serbia’s Oliver Ferenc in the preliminary round, but couldn’t handle a terrific Jenkins display.
‘The Bull’ will now take on Co Stompe in round two as he outscored the 21-year-old and there is no doubt that experience won the day.
Cullen showed enough to once again suggest that he will be a force in the sport in the years to come but Jenkins had too much.
The youngster won only three legs in the match….Jenkins hit 89 on the bull to win the opening leg, 106 to win the second set and rounded it all off with a 116 finish to win the match.
But there was huge disappointment for Colin Osborne as he crashed out of the World Championship at the hands of Michael van Gerwen….
The Unicorn man just couldn’t find the consistency to deal with the young Dutchman and couldn’t really have any complaints at the outcome.
It is the fourth time in five years that Osborne has lost to a Dutchman at the World Championship and in truth, he was outscored by Van Gerwen throughout.
The opening two sets both went the distance and Van Gerwen took them both, as seven out of the ten legs were won against the throw!
Van Gerwen took out 108 and a brilliant 135 to go with two 180s and a 177…..fair play to Osborne, who appeared to be throwing a little quicker, as he raced through the third set with some fine darts, including an 84 bull finish, a 13 darter followed by a 14 darter to win it.
But any hopes he had of coming back into the match were soon extinguished by some inspired darts from the 21-year-old….another 177 and two 174s and it was game, set and match to Van Gerwen, who now plays Mervyn King in the 2nd Round.
Tuesday 1st Round results:
Colin Lloyd 3-1 Darin Young
Colin Osborne 1-3 Michael van Gerwen
Gary Anderson 3-2 Jyhan Artut
Terry Jenkins 3-0 Joe Cullen
Wednesday 1st Round schedule:
Andy Smith v Scott Rand
John Part v John Henderson
Simon Whitlock v Dennis Smith
Steve Brown v Devon Petersen/Jose de Sousa
By STUART PYKE in London
Photos courtesy Lawrence Lustig / PDC