Cash Converters World Cup RD1

SOUTH AFRICA knocked 2010 semi-finalists Spain out of the Cash Converters World Cup of Darts as the tournament began in Hamburg on Friday afternoon, while Canada set up a second round clash with England.

The Spanish pair of Antonio Alcinas and Carlos Rodriguez had been the surprise package of the inaugural World Cup of Darts in December 2010, seeing off both England and Scotland in reaching the last four.

However, they succumbed to a 5-2 defeat as Devon Petersen and Shawn Hogan propelled South Africa into a second round clash with the Scots at the Alsterdorfer Sporthalle in Germany.

Petersen, who faced Scottish number one Gary Anderson when he reached the second round of the World Championship a month ago, was inspired as he hit three 180s, with a 111 finish from Alcinas not enough to aid Spain's challenge.

"They did brilliantly last year but we fancied our chances and the format of this tournament makes it an opportunity for everybody," said Petersen.

"We've done well here to beat Spain and it's a good boost for us, so we'll have a good go against Scotland now, it's another challenge for us both."

The Canadian team of three-time World Champion John Part and Ken MacNeil set up a second round contest with the English duo Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis by defeating Hungary 5-3.

The Hungarian pair of Nandor Bezzeg and Kristian Kaufmann held their own by sharing the first six legs, but MacNeil posted double ten to give Canada a 4-3 lead and Part finished 117 to secure victory.

Part will take on World Champion Lewis in their Singles tie, with MacNeil meeting 15-time World Champion Taylor in the other contest, with the teams then due to meet in Saturday afternoon's decisive Doubles matches.

"This format lends itself to upsets and I'm confident," said Part. "I'll give it my best and between us I'm sure we can give England some trouble.

"There's still lots of pressure but if we lose tonight there's still a chance in the Doubles. I hit my finishes well after a sluggish start and it's good to be through."

Sweden's Magnus Caris and Dennis Nilsson won three successive legs from two-all to defeat Japan's Haruki Muramatsu and Morihiro Hashimoto 5-2, and now play Belgian debutants Kim Huybrechts and Kurt Van De Rijck in the second round.

The Republic of Ireland pair of William O'Connor and Mick McGowan came from 2-1 down to win four successive legs to defeat the Malaysian duo of Lee Choon Peng and Amin Bin Abdul Ghani.

American duo Darin Young and Gary Mawson defeated the Philippines' Christian Perez and Lourence Ilagan 5-3, with Austria's Mensur Suljovic and Dietmar Burger taking out finishes of 112 and 126 in seeing off New Zealand's Warren French and Preston Ridd by the same scoreline.

The first round's final two matches both went to a deciding ninth leg, with Croatia defeating Finland and Denmark seeing off Gibraltar.

Boris Krcmar hit a 135 checkout for Croatia in their narrow win over the Finnish pair of Petri Korte and Marko Kantele, with Tonci Restovic hitting double five to seal their second round game with Welsh duo Mark Webster and Richie Burnett.

Denmark's Per Laursen and Jann Hoffmann, meanwhile, came from 2-0 down to defeat Gibraltar's Dylan Duo and Dyson Parody 5-4, with Duo missing doubles to take victory in the final two legs.

The 24-nation tournament saw the top eight ranked teams, including reigning champions the Netherlands, England, Australia, Wales and Scotland, seeded into the second round.

Raymond van Barneveld will lead the Netherlands against Austria alongside Vincent van der Voort, while German pair Jyhan Artut and Bernd Roith will take on the USA on home soil in their opening contest.

Australia's Simon Whitlock and Paul Nicholson, who reached the semi-finals of the last World Cup of Darts, open their challenge against Ireland, while Northern Ireland's Brendan Dolan and Michael Mansell take on Denmark.

Click here for First Round Photo Gallery

Watch Live!
Coverage of the Cash Converters World Cup will be live on Sky Sports HD and also via Sky Go in the UK & Ireland.
The tournament will also be screened around the world on RTL7 in the Netherlands, Fox Sports in Australia and Orbit Showtime Network in the Middle East.

LIVEPDC.TV
The tournament will be available live to LIVEPDC.TV International Pass subscribers.
Highlights will also be available from every session for all LIVEPDC.TV subscribers.
Click here to visit LIVEPDC.TV

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Cash Converters World Cup of Darts
First Round
Canada (John Part & Ken MacNeil) 5-3 Hungary (Nandor Bezzeg & Kristian Kaufmann)
Republic of Ireland (William O'Connor/Mick McGowan 5-2 Malaysia (Lee Choon Peng/Amin Bin Abdul Ghani)
USA (Darin Young & Gary Mawson) 5-3 Philippines (Christian Perez & Lourence Ilagan)
Austria (Mensur Suljovic & Dietmar Burger) 5-3 New Zealand (Warren French & Preston Ridd)
Sweden (Magnus Caris & Dennis Nilsson) 5-2 Japan (Haruki Muramatsu & Morihiro Hashimoto)
Spain (Antonio Alcinas & Carlos Rodriguez) 2-5 South Africa (Devon Petersen & Shawn Hogan)
Finland (Petri Korte & Marko Kantele) 4-5 Croatia (Boris Krcmar & Tonci Restovic)
Gibraltar (Dylan Duo & Dyson Parody) 4-5 Denmark (Per Laursen & Jann Hoffmann)

Click here for First Round Photo Gallery

Second Round Draw Bracket
Play split across Friday night & Saturday afternoon sessions
Draw Bracket - to be used from Second Round onwards
England (1) v Canada
Germany (8) v USA
Wales (5) v Croatia
Scotland (4) v South Africa
Australia (2) v Republic of Ireland
Belgium (7) v Sweden
Northern Ireland (6) v Denmark
Netherlands (3) v Austria

First Round Match Information
Canada v Hungary
John Part & Ken MacNeil v Nandor Bezzeg & Kristian Kaufmann
1-0 - A nervy opening sees both countries miss a host of darts at a double before John Part holds his nerve to hit double one.
1-1 - Hungary get iff the mark as Kristian Kaufmann, on his TV debut, finishes 86 in two darts to level.
2-1 - Part finds the double again to edge Canada back ahead, hitting double eight.
2-2 - Part misses double 16 for a 101 finish, and Kaufmann lands double top with his first dart to square the game again.
3-2 - Part finishes 50 on double eight to win Canada's third leg.
3-3 - Kaufmann is on target again at double top to level with an 80 finish.
4-3 - Part misses two darts at tops, but MacNeil weighs in to post double ten and give Canada the edge.
5-3 - Hungary can only watch on as Part shows his class with a 117 checkout to seal victory.

Match Stats

Canada	5-3	Hungary
6	100+	9
3	140+	4
0	180	0
22.62	Ave1	23.41
67.85	Ave3	70.23
117	High Finish	86
2	Breaks of Throw	0
5/19 - 26%	Finishing %	3/16 - 19%

Republic of Ireland v Malaysia
William O'Connor & Mick McGowan v Lee Choon Peng & Amin Bin Abdul Ghani
0-1 - Amin Bin Abdul Ghani hits two 140s in his opening throws on the big stage, and Lee Choon Peng finishes 120 to give Malaysia the first leg.
1-1 - Mick McGowan finishes double top to level for Ireland.
1-2 - Abdul Ghani hits a 180 and a 140, with William O'Connor replying with a maximum of his own for Ireland, but Choon Peng wins the leg on double four.
2-2 - McGowan posts tops again to square the match.
3-2 - O'Connor takes out 104 on double 13 to break throw for Ireland and move them ahead.
4-2 - O'Connor posts double 16 to move Ireland a leg away from victory.
5-2 - O'Connor wins a third successive leg for Ireland as a double ten finish puts him and McGowan into the second round.

Match Stats

Republic of Ireland	5-2	Malaysia
12	100+	4
1	140+	6
1	180	1
29.45	Ave1	25.58
88.35	Ave3	76.75
104	High Finish	120
3	Breaks of Throw	1
5/7 - 71%	Finishing %	2/4 - 50%

USA v Philippines
Darin Young & Gary Mawson v Christian Perez & Lourence Ilagan
1-0 - America make an ideal start, with Darin Young hitting scores of 134, 140 and taking out double top for a 14-darter.
1-1 - USA leave 40 but Christian Perez finishes double eight to level the game.
2-1 - Gary Mawson misses tops for a 103 finish and Young wastes three further darts at a double, but Perez is unable to convert chances at double 16 and eight, and Mawson returns to hit double five.
2-2 - Perez hits a fine 171 to leave 36, which Lourence Ilagan hits at the first time of asking.
3-2 - Young edges America back in front with double 16.
4-2 - Mawson lands double ten to move the USA a leg away from victory.
4-3 - Ilagan takes out 74 on double 16 to win the seventh leg for the Philippines.
5-3 - Perez misses tops for a 120 finish, and Mawson hits the same bed to give America the win.

Match Stats

USA	5-3	Philippines
11	100+	11
7	140+	3
0	180	0
29.25	Ave1	22.75
87.79	Ave3	77.24
57	High Finish	74
2	Breaks of Throw	0
5/12 - 42%	Finishing %	3/7 - 43%

Austria v New Zealand
Mensur Suljovic & Dietmar Burger v Warren French & Preston Ridd
0-1 - Austria miss four darts to take the lead and Warren French gives New Zealand the lead with double five on his third dart to edge a nervy opener.
1-1 - Austria are first to a finish but continue to miss doubles before Mensur Suljovic hits double one with his third dart to level.
2-1 - Austria hit their stride, with Burger hitting a 180 and Suljovic taking out 112 to give them the lead.
3-1 - Suljovic lands double 18 to move the Austrians two legs clear.
3-2 - French finishes double top to pull New Zealand back into the game.
4-2 - Burger produces a brilliant 126 checkout on double six to move Austria a leg away from victory.
4-3 - French takes out double top again to pull the Kiwis back into the match.
5-3 - Suljovic hits a 180 to leave Austria 81 after nine darts, and returns to hit double 16 as they progress to round two with a 14-darter.

Match Stats

Austria	5-3	New Zealand
12	100+	8
5	140+	3
2	180	0
26.74	Ave1	22.68
80.21	Ave3	68.03
126,112	High Finish	100
2	Breaks of Throw	0
5/18 - 28%	Finishing %	3/9 - 33%

Sweden v Japan
Magnus Caris & Dennis Nilsson v Haruki Muramatsu & Morihiro Hashimoto
1-0 - Magnus Caris opens with a 180 and takes the first leg on double eight.
1-1 - Haruki Muramatsu kicks off the second leg with a 180, but Sweden are unable to capitalise on five misses from Japan when Dennis Nilsson misses two darts at double 19 on a 98 finish, and Muramatsu finishes the leg on double two.
2-1 - Muramatsu hits a 177 to leave 24, but Nilsson takes out 48 on double 16 to edge Sweden back ahead.
2-2 - Hashimoto lands double 12 to level.
3-2 - Caris finishes 55 on tops to push Sweden back ahead.
4-2 - Sweden capitalise to break, with Nilsson posting double eight putting them a leg away from victory.
5-2 - Caris takes out 82 on tops to complete the win for Sweden.

Match Stats

Sweden	5-2	Japan
17	100+	7
3	140+	5
1	180	1
29.82	Ave1	26.63
89.47	Ave3	79.88
82	High Finish	24
2	Breaks of Throw	0
5/11 - 45%	Finishing %	2/9 - 22%

Spain v South Africa
Antonio Alcinas & Carlos Rodriguez v Devon Petersen & Shawn Hogan
0-1 - Devon Petersen opens with a 180 and also finishes double eight to give South Africa the first leg in 14 darts.
1-1 - Antonio Alcinas lands double 16 to level the game.
1-2 - Petersen and Alcinas open the leg with 180s, and Petersen hits tops to move the South Africans ahead.
2-2 - Alcinas takes out a classy 111 on tops to square the match again.
2-3 - Petersen hits double one to give South Africa the fifth leg.
2-4 - Petersen lands his third 180 of the game, and double ten from Shawn Hogan puts the South Africans a leg away from the win.
2-5 - Petersen hits double eight to send the 2010 semi-finalist crashing out.

Match Stats

Spain	2-6	South Africa
10	100+	7
2	140+	4
1	180	3
25.95	Ave1	28.99
77.85	Ave3	86.97
111	High Finish	65
0	Breaks of Throw	2
2/4 - 50%	Finishing %	5/15 - 33%

Finland v Croatia
Petri Korte & Marko Kantele v Boris Krcmar & Tonci Restovic
0-1 - Petri Korte misses three darts to win the opening leg and Boris Krcmar finishes 135 on the bull to open with a win.
1-1 - Marko Kantele finishes 70 on double 16 to get Finland onto the scoreboard.
1-2 - Kantele is unable to finish double top and ten and Krcmar steps in on double five.
1-3 - Krcmar hits a 180 and finishes 74 in two darts on double 16 to move the Croatians two legs up.
2-3 - Kantele lands another 180 as Finland hit back.
3-3 - Kantele eventually hits double five to win a scrappy leg, as each country sees both players miss doubles in two visits to the oche before the Finnish side level.
3-4 - Krcmar misses double 14 for a 148 finish, with his dart ending in double nine, but Restovic recovers the situation by hitting double five at the first time of asking.
4-4 - Kantele posts double four to send the match into a deciding leg.
4-5 - Croatia are first to a finish, with Restovic missing a dart at double top and double ten and Krcmar missing three of his own for victory, but Korte is unable to finish 100 and Restovic takes out double five for victory.

Match Stats

Finland	4-5	Croatia
6	100+	8
5	140+	6
1	180	1
25.98	Ave1	25.93
77.93	Ave3	77.78
108	High Finish	135
2	Breaks of Throw	2
4/23 - 17%	Finishing %	5/24 - 21%

Gibraltar v Denmark
Dylan Duo & Dyson Parody v Per Laursen & Jann Hoffmann
1-0 - Dylan Duo misses double 12 for a 141 finish, but Dyson Parody steps up to finish 24 with an improvised double nine, double three combination.
2-0 - Parody finishes 52 on tops to move the Gibraltar team 2-0 up.
2-1 - Veteran Jann Hoffmann lands double ten to get Denmark into the contest.
2-2 - Per Laursen finishes 74 on tops to level the match for Denmark.
3-2 - Parody finishes 108 on double 16 to edge Gibraltar ahead.
3-3 - Hoffmann posts double 16 with his third dart to level.
4-3 - Parody misses tops for a 72 finish, but Duo steps up to hit double five and put Gibraltar a leg away from the win.
4-4 - The tension mounts, with Duo missing tops for a 142 finish to take victory and Hoffmann takes out 76 on tops to send the match into a decider.
4-5 - Gibraltar are first to a finish, but Duo misses double 16 and Laursen steps in to hit tops and complete Denmark's comeback.

Match Stats