SEEDS tumbled on a day of upsets at the William Hill World Darts Championship on Sunday as Keegan Brown shocked James Wade, Vincent van der Voort dumped out Dave Chisnall and Jamie Lewis ousted Jonny Clayton at Alexandra Palace.
Former World Youth Champion Brown produced his biggest result of the year to confirm his return to form by overcoming number 11 seed Wade in five sets.
Brown like he meant business from the start as he continually moved ahead of Wade before clinching a thrilling 3-2 victory.
It was a ruthlessly clinical opening from Brown as he averaged over 107 when taking all three legs in a total of 42 darts and including a 124 finish as he took the first set.
The chips were down for Wade later in the match and he came out fighting by dominating the fourth set to force a decider, but it was all Brown in that fifth set as he powered away to a famous victory.
"It feels good, words are very hard to describe it at the moment," said a delighted Brown. "James is my hero, along with Phil Taylor, so it's just brilliant.
"I've played well in the last six months to get to this stage and I just thought take your time, don't rush, don't throw hot potatoes, just relax. And I got the job done."
Zoran Lerchbacher is next up for Brown, who could be asking for even more time off from his work as a laboratory technician on the Isle of Wight with the draw now so open.
He added: "I'm going back to work on Tuesday to ask for the rest of the week off as holiday, and then I'll practice; just practice, that's all I've got to do."
Eighth seed Chisnall followed Wade out of the tournament in the evening session's next match as Vincent van der Voort played one of his best matches on the big stage
A year ago Van der Voort had considered his future in the sport due to a long-standing back injury, but reaped the rewards of his physiotherapy programme in a straight sets victory.
The speedy Dutchman hit six 180s and seven 140s to outdo the usually heavy-scoring Chisnall, with Van der Voort also finishing sharply as he took nine of 16 double chances.
Van der Voort, who celebrates his 43rd birthday on Monday, admitted that he had been talked out of quitting the sport by his family after losing in the first round a year ago.
"At one point I thought I better just give up," he added. "I've been practising and doing everything I can, sometimes four or five hours a day doing rehab, being dedicated just to play well.
"I was ready to give up but my wife said give it one more go because in two or three years you'll regret it. I said I'd give it two years, try my hardest and if it's not there pack in, but right now I think I'll stay a little bit longer."
Sunday's afternoon session saw another seeded player exit the event, as Jonny Clayton failed to reproduce the form which saw him finish the Players Championship Finals as runner-up last month in his loss to Jamie Lewis.
Lewis - who came through the PDPA Qualifiers to snatch an Ally Pally spot - started his day off with a preliminary round success over young Belgian Kenny Neyens, before returning later on to win his all-Welsh with Clayton.
"I've been in the PDC now for five years and I've still not really shown what I know I can do," admitted Lewis. "It is about time I do it so hopefully this week might be the chance.
"I've not had a great year on the tour. I thought I'd blown it and I had one chance left at Milton Keynes in the qualifiers so I thought I'd go and give it my best because I know I can play as good as anybody."
Ian White avoided an upset as the 17th seed saw off New Zealand number one Cody Harris with a 3-1 victory.
Harris had earlier come through a preliminary round game with American Willard Bruguier and shared the opening two sets with White before the number 17 seed pulled away for victory.
Kyle Anderson warned his rivals that he is targeting the quarter-finals at least after he earned a gritty 3-1 success over Yorkshire debutant Peter Jacques, with the Australian insisting he's solved his double troubles.
"I don't like to come across as cocky but I've seen the bracket and I've got the confidence in myself to get to at least the quarters to be honest," said the Auckland Darts Masters winner.
Alan Norris beat Kim Viljanen 3-0 in a match that was tougher than the scoreline suggests, but Norris always had the upper hand despite a spot of trouble on his favourite double top, which he solved in the final set.
"Kim's a quality player," said Norris. "I think he's won seven out of the ten Scandanavian tournaments this year, but I'm getting more and more experience.
"I'm up there on ProTour events, I'm up there on the stage nearly every month, with these guys it's still once a year or twice a year."
Monday's play sees number five seed Mensur Suljovic take on 2004 World Championship finalist Kevin Painter, while World Grand Prix champion Daryl Gurney plays Ronny Huybrechts and Mark Webster takes on either Hong Kong's Kai Fan Leung or Singapore's Paul Lim.
William Hill World Darts Championship
Preliminary & First Rounds
Sunday December 17
Afternoon Session
Kenny Neyens 1-2 Jamie Lewis (P)
Alan Norris 3-0 Kim Viljanen
Kyle Anderson 3-1 Peter Jacques
Jonny Clayton 0-3 Jamie Lewis
Evening Session
Willard Bruguier 1-2 Cody Harris (P)
James Wade 2-3 Keegan Brown
Dave Chisnall 0-3 Vincent van der Voort
Ian White 3-1 Cody Harris
Monday December 18 (7pm)
Kai Fan Leung v Paul Lim (P)
Mensur Suljovic v Kevin Painter
Daryl Gurney v Ronny Huybrechts
Mark Webster v Kai Fan Leung/Paul Lim
Preliminary Round - Best of three sets
First Round - Best of five sets
CLICK HERE FOR MATCH STATS FROM SPORTRADAR
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Match Reports
Afternoon Session
Kenny Neyens 1-2 Jamie Lewis
(2-3, 3-2, 0-3)
JAMIE LEWIS survived a a flying start from Kenny Neyens to win their preliminary round match 2-1 and sett up an all-Welsh clash with Jonny Clayton later on Sunday afternoon.
Belgian debutant Neyens came bursting out of the traps with a 180 on his first throw, and he added a second maximum in a 14-dart opening leg.
He added the second leg as well before Lewis woke up and hit a 'snooker maximum' 147 checkout which kick-started his challenge and prompted a three-leg burst that gave him the set from seemingly nowhere.
A 13-darter made it four on the spin for Lewis but as he charged towards the finish line young Belgian Neyens kept himself in the tournament with gutsy 62 and 74 checkouts to claim the second set in a decider.
Lewis had missed a match dart in the second set, but made no mistake in the next as he took all three legs of the third and finished with a wonderful ten-darter to book his place in the first round.
Alan Norris v Kim Viljanen
(3-0, 3-2, 3-1)
ALAN NORRIS enjoyed a largely comfortable William Hill World Darts Championship first round victory as he beat Kim Viljanen 3-0 at Alexandra Palace.
Former Lakeside Championship finalist Norris had to work harder at times than the whitewash suggests, especially in a tough second set as Finland's Viljanen finally found some form.
Norris raced through the opening set with ease but Viljanen found form in a major way with two great legs, including a 12-darter, putting him 2-0 up.
Norris responded to level and Viljanen then missed five darts for the set allowing Norris to pinch it, and that represented Viljanen's last chance as Norris cleaned up the third set with a flourish.
"Kim's a quality player," said Norris. "I think he's won seven out of the ten Scandinavian (events) this year, but I'm getting more and more experience.
"I'm up there on ProTour events, I'm up there on the stage nearly every month, with these guys it's still once a year or twice a year.
"I know Kim well, he's a great player but he didn't perform to what he can. At 2-0 down in the second set I wasn't at the races but he gifted me one to get me back in the match.
"That was a big turning point because he's got the set in the bag, he had darts to win it 3-0 but I got it back on track so I'm very happy."
Kyle Anderson 3-1 Peter Jacques
(3-1, 3-2, 2-3, 3-0)
AUSTRALIAN Kyle Anderson secured his spot in the second round of the William Hill World Darts Championship with a gritty 3-1 win over Yorkshire's Peter Jacques.
The Auckland Darts Masters winner made his superior finishing count as Jacques had two more shots at double and one more 180 than Anderson, but could not find that consistency on his Alexandra Palace debut.
Anderson made his tournament experience count and that, along with his 53 percent checkout ratio booked him a second round date with either Raymond van Barneveld or Richard North.
Jacques took the opening leg with a 75 outshot but Anderson replied to rattle off the next three legs, including a 109 finish, to take the first set.
Huddersfield's Jacques looked a new man in the second set as he sprinted 2-0 in front but could not take advantage as Anderson hit a 70 checkout followed by a 14-dart leg to double his lead.
Anderson again had to come from behind in the third, hitting a 12-darter when he needed it most to level it up at 2-2, but this time it was Jacques who bagged the decider to get a set on the board.
It was a mere temporary reprieve though for Jacques, who hit 180s in consecutive legs only to lose those legs to Anderson in 17 darts each, before the Australian polished off the match with a second 60 finish of the set.
"As you do you look down the line of your bracket and I have," said Anderson. "I don't like to come across as cocky but I've seen the bracket and I've got the confidence in myself to get to at least the quarters to be honest."
An improvement on hitting the doubles has given Anderson a new-found confidence that he can make a big impact on the event this year.
"I've always know my capabilities and my power scoring, my trouble has always been doubles," he added.
"It's nothing else but the doubles, if you look at all my games I'm scoring brilliantly but I miss doubles and it brings my average down, and if you don't hit doubles you don't win.
"People look at me and think if I don't hit my doubles then they'll be OK, but now I'm starting to hit my doubles and they're starting to think differently and that brings pressure on them."
Jonny Clayton 0-3 Jamie Lewis
(1-3, 1-3, 2-3)
JAMIE LEWIS completed a super Sunday at the William Hill World Darts Championship as he secured a second win of the day with an impressive 3-0 victory over Jonny Clayton in the first round.
Lewis has been talked up as a potential star in recent years, and after a disappointing 2017 will enjoy his Christmas dinner in Cardigan with an eye on his second round tie following a productive day at Alexandra Palace.
Lewis' preliminary round defeat of Kenny Neyens set up an all-Welsh clash with his good friend Clayton, who was well fancied after a runner-up performance at the Players Championship Finals but could just not getting going in this event.
Clayton tried to lay down a marker in the opening leg with his first 180, but Lewis responded with a maximum of his own on the very next throw - and he was the one to build on that by taking out a superb 126 for a 12-darter.
That earlier preliminary round win may have warmed Lewis up nicely, as he then closed out the first set with a brilliant 11-darter after Clayton had to take out 104 just to get off the mark.
Lewis could not keep up his 101 average in the second set, but the result was the same as he doubled his lead despite handing a leg to Clayton with three missed double 16s, as he returned to hit that same double in the next leg to move two sets up.
Clayton managed to bag two legs in the third set, but Lewis always looked the stronger as he hit 180s in all three legs he won - highlighted with a 130 finish and a closing 11-darter to clinch the match.
"I'm over the moon," said Lewis, who will face either Peter Wright or Diogo Portela on December 27. "It's been a tough day, playing the preliminary round and then playing a good friend of mine in Jonny - it's something I was hoping to come here and do.
"I've not had a great year on the tour, I thought I'd blown it and I had one chance left at Milton Keynes in the qualifiers so I thought I'd go and give it my best because I know I can play as good as anybody.
"I'm getting more used to the stage now, I'm getting a bit more confident in myself and my ability.
"I've been in the PDC now for five years and I've still not really shown what I know I can do, so it is about time I do it. Hopefully this week might be the chance."
Evening Session
Willard Bruguier 1-2 Cody Harris (P)
(2-3, 3-2, 0-3)
CODY HARRIS fought off a stern challenge from Willard Bruguier to earn a place in the first round as he kicked off the Sunday evening session at the William HIll World Darts Championship.
It was nip-and-tuck between the two, but the New Zealander finished strongly against the North American Champion to earn a tie with Ian White.
There was only a whisker between the two averages with Harris just slightly over 84, and their checkout percentages were almost identical, but the DPNZ Qualifier's three 180s provided an extra scoring boost that Bruguier couldn't match.
The two swapped breaks of throw in the first set before a nervy ending saw Harris miss a host of chances before finally nailing his double to clinch the opener.
Bruguier responded and emerged with a 3-2 win in the second set with Harris tightening up on his finishes, but the Kiwi regained his composure in the decider to claim all three legs and move into the first round on his Alexandra Palace debut.
James Wade 2-3 Keegan Brown
(0-3, 3-2, 2-3, 3-1, 1-3)
KEEGAN BROWN produced the biggest upset so far of the 2017/2018 William Hill World Darts Championship as he put out 11th seed James Wade in a five-set thriller at Alexandra Palace.
Former World Youth Champion Brown looked like he meant business from the start as he moved ahead of the left-hander, and Wade was continually playing from behind.
It was a ruthlessly clinical opening from Brown, as he averaged over 107 when taking all three legs in a total of 42 darts and including a 124 finish to claim the first set.
The second was tighter, with both men taking out pressure finishes until Brown produced the first minor slip and Wade stepped up to take out 72 in the decider to level the match.
Wade applied more pressure in the opening of the third set, but Brown responded well by taking out 102 for a 12-darter to level up the set, and despite the three-time semi-finalist replying with a 90 checkout on the bull it was Brown who kept his nerve to edge the decider.
The chips were down for Wade and he came out fighting by dominating the fourth set to force a decider, but it was all Brown in that fifth set as he powered away to a famous victory.
"It feels good, words are very hard to describe it at the moment," said a delighted Brown. "James is my hero, along with Phil Taylor, so it's just brilliant.
"I've played well in the last six months to get to this stage and I just thought take your time, don't rush, don't throw hot potatoes, just relax. And I got the job done.
"I just had to relax and enjoy the moment in front of this brilliant crowd."
Zoran Lerchbacher is next up for Brown, who could be asking for even more time off from his work as a laboratory technician on the Isle of Wight with the draw now so open.
He added: "I'm going back to work on Tuesday to ask for the rest of the week off as holiday, and then I'll practice; just practice, that's all I've got to do."
Dave Chisnall 0-3 Vincent van der Voort
(2-3, 2-3, 0-3)
VINCENT VAN DER VOORT produced one of his finest William Hill World Darts Championship performances as he ousted eighth seed Dave Chisnall with a brilliant straight sets victory in their first round encounter.
The speedy Dutchman hit six 180s and seven 140s to outdo the usually heavy-scoring Chisnall, and Van der Voort was also finishing sharply as he took nine of 16 double chances.
Van der Voort has struggled with his well-publicised back problems, but he has rarely played any better on the Alexandra Palace stage and he came within a couple of darts of posting his first winning 100 average at the tournament.
It was the usual Van der Voort rapid-fire from the start, but Chisnall is no slouch himself and he pushed his rival all the way in the first two sets only to come unstuck in the fifth leg of both.
Chisnall only got six shots at a double in the 13 legs played in the match, and Van der Voort capitalised in the third set by claiming all three legs - including a crowd-pleasing 130 outshot - on the way to a commanding win which sets up a tie with Steve Beaton.
Van der Voort, who celebrates his 43rd birthday on Monday, had considered quitting the sport after a first round exit 12 months ago, but admitted that his hard work to recover from his back problem was paying off.
"At one point I thought I better just give up," he added. "I've been practising and doing everything I can, sometimes four or five hours a day doing rehab, being dedicated just to play well.
"I was ready to give up but my wife said give it one more go because in two or three years you'll regret it. She got in my brain a bit. We opened up a darts shop in Holland and she said to go and practice there.
"I said I'd give it two years, try my hardest and if it's not there pack in, but right now I think I'll stay a little bit longer.
"I've done a lot of really, really hard work getting my back sorted. I did everything I could to come back and my wish was to come back here to this stage and play well again."
Ian White 3-1 Cody Harris
(3-1, 1-3, 3-1, 3-0)
IAN WHITE avoided a potential upset at the William Hill World Darts Championship as he overcame New Zealand's Cody Harris 3-1 in the first round.
The 17th seed averaged 96.89, hit four 180s and took out ten of his 18 shots at double, but had a job on to shake off the dogged Harris, who had come through the preliminary round earlier in the night.
White threatened a nine-darter in the second leg with a 180 and 177 start, but settled for a 12-darter on the way to a comfortable first set.
New Zealand number one Harris came into the match in the second set, as he claimed three straight legs to level the tie against a bewildered White, who was 11 points ahead in the averages but level in sets.
Harris then made it four legs in a row to start the third set, but two 180s helped White claim three straight legs himself to regain the advantage.
The stubborn resistance of Harris was broken in set four, and White reeled off the final three legs as he booked a second round clash with Gerwyn Price.
"I knew Cody can play but it was a long day for him - he'd played in the preliminary round earlier and maybe that took its toll in the end," said White.
"I'd seen a few seeded players go out earlier in the night and I've not necessarily had the luck this year.
"My form's been there but I've not had the results, and I was hoping that my luck might change and that's starting to happen. I wanted to get through tonight and I can get myself ready for what should be a good game on Friday."
TV Coverage
The William Hill World Darts Championship will be broadcast live worldwide through the following broadcast partners:
PDCTV-HD - PDC Website for Rest of the World Subscribers
Sky Sports - UK & Ireland – dedicated “Sky Sports Darts” channel
RTL7 - Netherlands
Sport1 - Germany
DAZN - Germany, Austria, Switzerland Japan, Canada
Fox Sports - Australia
Sky - New Zealand
Nova - Czech Republic
Viasat - Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Bulgaria, Baltic States
Pragosport - Hungary
OSN - Middle East & North Africa
Kwese - South Africa & Sub-Saharan Africa
Eleven Sports - Belgium
BBC America - North America (excluding Canada)
Fox - Italy, Greece, Turkey, Malta, Israel
TVP - Poland
CCTV - China
RTL - Croatia (Dec 28 onwards)
Eurosport - France, Romania, Spain
Eurosport Player - Andorra, Estonia, France & Monaco, Georgie, Israel, Latvia, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Turkey & CIS (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan)