Ladbrokes World Championship Day Five

DEAN WINSTANLEY enjoyed a thrilling debut victory at the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship as he edged out Mervyn King in a tie-break at Alexandra Palace on Tuesday night, as Wes Newton, Steve Beaton and Colin Osborne enjoyed straight sets first round wins.

Winstanley, who joined the PDC circuit in January and was a semi-finalist in the Grand Slam of Darts last month, continued his emergence with an impressive first win on the Alexandra Palace stage.

The former Lakeside Championship finalist hit ten 180s and came from 2-1 down in sets to firstly force a decider before taking a 6-4 victory in a tie-break to end a see-saw fifth set.

"I never make it easy for myself but I'm one of those battlers who won't give in," said Winstanley, who now plays either Vincent van der Voort or Stuart Kellett in the second round.

"Both myself and Mervyn wanted to go up there and give the fans a good exhibition, but it always seems to be me going the distance in matches and I'm just glad I came out top.

"It means everything for me to get through that and it's a big thing for me. It was a battle and it was very good entertainment, and we'll see what happens now in the second round."

King, October's World Grand Prix runner-up, had one dart himself to take victory, but admitted: "Dean played much better than me in the overall scheme of things.

"For the last week leading up to this, I've been on fire in practice and I didn't find the happy medium on stage today."

Earlier in the night, number six seed Wes Newton overcame debutant Johnny Haines in straight sets, although he had to endure some nervous moments in the first set before edging ahead 3-2.

Newton then won six of the next seven legs to wrap up the win, and will now play either Kim Huybrechts of Scott Rand in the second round on Saturday evening.

"I rode my luck a bit to be honest," said Newton. "Johnny missed a lot of doubles and I took my chances, but once I got a set up I knew I had enough in my locker to win the match.

"I'm happy because I've won and I'm in the next round, and I know I've got a lot more to give than that. I'm trying not to put too much pressure on myself and just taking one game at a time, and hopefully I can do really well."

Former Lakeside Champion Steve Beaton was also pushed early on in his first round win over Australia's Kyle Anderson, the Oceanic Masters winner who took both of the first two sets to a deciding leg before the Englishman prevailed to set up a clash with number three seed James Wade.

"I'm glad to get through and I can settle down and get on with things in the second round," said Beaton.

"All my plans went out of the window when I got on stage tonight, and to be fair to Kyle he could have been 2-0 up too but he missed chances and I made the most of it."

Colin Osborne was the night's other winner as he defeated the Philippines' number one Lourence Ilagan 3-0 to progress to the last 32, hitting a 164 checkout amongst three ton-plus finishes

Ilagan had come from 3-1 down to take a 4-3 win in his preliminary round game with Welsh debutant Jamie Lewis earlier in the evening, but was unable to repeat the feat against Osborne despite giving the Derby ace some nervous moments.

"On the whole I did a good job there," said Osborne. "Lourence took a couple of good finishes out but I'm delighted to have finished him off and to be through to the second round.

"You don't know what to expect playing a qualifier, but I've come through it in the end and I'm happy with that."

The first round continues on Wednesday evening with the sixth day of action, with 2010 World Championship finalist Simon Whitlock opening his challenge against either Japan's Haruki Muramatsu or New Zealand's Dave Harrington.

Dennis Priestley, the PDC's first World Champion in 1994 who has qualified at the age of 62, will play Ronnie Baxter on his return to the Alexandra Palace stage, while former world number one Colin Lloyd meets Darin Young and Justin Pipe faces Andy Jenkins.

Watch Live!
The Ladbrokes World Darts Championship will be live in its entirety on Sky Sports HD, with the semi-finals and final also on Sky 3D.

Fans can also watch live coverage through the following international broadcasters:
RTL7 Netherlands
Sport1 Germany
Fox Sports Australia
Sky New Zealand
OSN across Middle East
Sport1 Czech Republic, Slovakia & Hungary
LIVEPDC.TV - fans outside of the UK, Ireland and Holland can watch the entire tournament live through LIVEPDC.TV with an International Pass subscription - and there's currently a special two-for-one offer for fans to sign up to LIVEPDC.TV !

Highlights from every game are also available in LIVEPDC.TV on a 24-hour delay basis.

Get Involved!
Join the conversation on Twitter throughout the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship by using #Ladbrokesdarts.

Don't forget to follow the PDC's @OfficialPDC Twitter page and our OfficialPDC Facebook page , as well as see video interviews throughout the event on our YouTube channel .

Live Stats
Follow the action at http://live.dartsdata.com/Default.aspx and follow @PDCResults  and  @SportStat_Live on Twitter.

Schedule of Play
Tuesday December 18 (7pm)
1x Preliminary Round, 4x First Round
Steve Beaton 3-0 Kyle Anderson
Lourence Ilagan 4-3 Jamie Lewis (P)
Wes Newton 3-0 Johnny Haines
Mervyn King 2-3 Dean Winstanley
Colin Osborne 3-0 Lourence Ilagan

Match Reports
Steve Beaton 3-0 Kyle Anderson
(3-2 , 3-2, 3-0)
STEVE BEATON secured a place in the second round of the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship thanks to a 3-0 victory over Australia's Kyle Anderson.

The former Lakeside Champion was pushed all the way in the first two sets by the Oceanic Masters champion, who missed doubles to win both as Beaton took command.

He then took the third set without reply to complete the victory and set up an eye-catching last 32 encounter against number three seed James Wade.

"I got away with it a bit tonight," admitted Beaton. "I kept giving Kyle chances but thankfully he didn't take them.

"Winning the first set was probably the key to my win, but I didn’t really settle until I edged the second set. Once I got that in the bag I felt far more comfortable and produced some good stuff.

"I'll be up for playing James in the next round. I know what to expect from him and I'll prepare properly for that."

Beaton hit a 180 in the process of taking the first leg of the match before the Australian, who won October's DPA Oceanic Masters, sealed the next two legs with successful attempts at double eight.

Anderson missed a dart at the bullseye to win the set in the fourth leg, and Beaton hit double top to force a decider, only to initially miss five darts to win the set himself.

Anderson, though, missed another chance to take the lead and the 1996 World Champion accepted the reprieve by landing double four.

Beaton hit his third maximum of the game at the start of the second set, but four missed doubles proved costly as Anderson hit double ten to hold throw.

Beaton hit another 180 in the process of taking the second leg, but Anderson regained the lead on double eight after Beaton wasted more opportunities at doubles.

Beaton, who lost to Simon Whitlock in the second round 12 months ago and has never reached a PDC World Championship quarter-final, hit double 16 in leg four to send a second set into a deciding leg, which Anderson kicked off with his first 180 of the contest.

Beaton followed that with a 180 of his own and went on to win the leg with a 13-dart finish, although only after Anderson had let another chance to win the set go begging.

The third set proved to be a far more comfortable one for Beaton, as he won it without reply to end the contest, landing a 174 score to lead 36 as he took the first before producing legs of 15 and 14 darts to end Anderson's hopes.

Match Stats

Lourence Ilagan 4-3 Jamie Lewis
PHILLIPINES number one Lourence Ilagan came from 3-1 down to edge out Jamie Lewis 4-3 in a highly entertaining preliminary round contest at the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship.

Welsh ace Lewis, who qualified through his standing on the PDC Unicorn Youth Tour Order of Merit, started the better of the two players and built a 3-1 advantage.

However, Ilagan - aided by a 121 finish in the fifth leg - produced a timely run of three straight legs to set up a first round clash against Colin Osborne.

"To come back from 3-1 down and win the match at the World Championship is a very special moment for me," said a thrilled Ilagan, making his second Alexandra Palace appearance.

"When I played here back in 2009, I lost to Marko Kantele. I was so nervous that night and I didn’t do myself justice, so to come back and do this is great."

Lewis, who has won two titles on the PDC Unicorn Youth Tour in 2012, won the first leg with a confident 118 finish before Ilagan hit back with a 96 checkout to level the match.

The highly-rated Welsh youngster, who won a Tour Card in January, broke his opponent's throw for a second time to regain the lead in leg three and then posted tops to move a leg away from victory.

Ilagan, though, hit the bullseye to complete an excellent 121 checkout to win the fifth leg and keep his hopes alive.

He then hit double ten with a pressure third dart to force a deciding leg, which he won on double two to complete a fine comeback.

Match Stats

Wes Newton 3-0 Johnny Haines
(3-2, 3-1, 3-0)

WES NEWTON moved into the last 32 of the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship with a straight sets victory over debutant Johnny Haines at Alexandra Palace on Tuesday night.

Number six seed Newton, who reached September's European Championship final, will now face Kim Huybrechts or Scott Rand in the second round as he continues his challenge for a maiden major title.

Swindon's Haines, making his first World Championship appearance to cap his opening year on the professional circuit, started in fine style as he won the first leg against the darts with an excellent 95 finish.

Newton levelled on double four, making his opponent pay for five missed darts at doubles, before the Swindon ace hit double ten to win the third leg against the darts.

However, Newton broke throw once again on double 16 to force a deciding leg, which he won with a solid 15-darter to take an early lead.

Newton won his third leg in a row at the start of the second set thanks to an accurate dart at double two, after Haines was off-target with a dart at tops.

Newton dominated the next leg but saw eight darts at doubles go begging, only for Haines to miss with four darts of his own as the Fleetwood thrower eventually posted double one.

Both players missed a dart at tops in the third leg before Haines edged ahead on double ten, but Newton landed double ten in the next to establish a two-set lead.

The number six seed landed double four to make a positive start to the third set before converting a 73 finish to take the second leg, after Haines missed one dart at double 12.

That put Newton a leg away from victory, and he crossed the finishing line in superb fashion thanks to a fantastic 135 checkout, comprising a bullseye, treble 15 and double top combination.

"I rode my luck a bit to be honest," said Newton. "Johnny missed a lot of doubles and I took my chances, but once I got a set up I knew I had enough in my locker to win the match.

"I'm happy because I've won and I'm in the next round, and I know I've got a lot more to give than that. I'm trying not to put too much pressure on myself and just taking one game at a time, and hopefully I can do really well."

Match Stats

Dean Winstanley 3-2 Mervyn King
(3-2, 2-3, 0-3, 3-1, 6-4)
DEAN WINSTANLEY came out on top against Mervyn King in a classic first round encounter at the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship on Tuesday evening, edging a tie-break victory in the deciding set of their contest.

Yorkshireman Winstanley, making his Alexandra Palace debut, started the better of the two, claiming the opening set but let seven opportunities to take the second slip away as King took the next two sets to move ahead.

However, Winstanley showed great determination to take the fourth set before winning a dramatic decider 6-4 to move into the last 32.

"That was a really tough battle and I'm delighted to win on my PDC World Championship debut," said Winstanley, the former Lakeside Championship finalist who will play Vincent van der Voort or Stuart Kellett next.

"I started the game really well but the seven missed darts to take the second set really rocked me for a while, and it became incredibly tough from then on."

King held throw to claim the game's opening leg before Winstanley hit a 180 in the next, which he won with a 98 finish.

King, who reached the final of October's World Grand Prix hit double top to win the third leg before Winstanley won the fourth by taking out 83.

King threw first in the deciding leg, but the Yorkshireman kicked off with scores of 180 and 140 before hitting double 16 to complete an excellent 13-dart finish and move ahead.

Winstanley, who has impressed during his first year on the PDC circuit, took out a 106 finish to make a good start to the second set but let three chances to win the second leg go begging, allowing King to level on double ten.

Winstanley hit a 70 finish to win the third leg and was in command in the fourth, but he wasted five chances to take the set and King landed double nine to level.

Grand Slam of Darts semi-finalist Winstanley then landed a third 180 in the set's deciding leg, but two more misses proved costly as King levelled the game on double 12.

King then raced through the third set as he took three legs without reply to move ahead in the match, finishing 62 in the first leg and landing a 180 in the second before punishing two misses from Winstanley in the next with a sublime 140 checkout of treble 20, trebl 16 and double 16.

Winstanley stopped King's momentum as he hit double four to make a winning start to the fourth set before King hit a clinical 68 finish to take the second leg.

Winstanley then hit double four for the second time in the set to win the third leg and took won the fourth against the darts with an accomplished 14-dart finish to force a deciding set.

The final set's opener saw Winstanley fire in another 180, only for a missed dart at double 19 for a 155 checkout to allow King a shot at double ten, which he duly took.

King then broke throw in the second leg with an excellent 102 finish to move a leg away from victory, but Winstanley showed great character to win the third in 14 darts.

Winstanley then hit double top with a pressure third dart to win the fourth leg before taking the next with a confident dart at double 19 to lead 3-2.

King hit back-to-back 140s to begin the sixth leg, but a missed dart at double 16 saw Winstanley have a chance at the bullseye to win the match - only for his miss to allow the Norfolk thrower back in on double 16 to keep an enthralling contest alive.

King then hit double top at the first time of asking to move ahead for the second time in the set at 4-3, but Winstanley took out 70 in two darts to level.

The Yorkshireman the hit a superb 14-dart finish to win the ninth leg against the darts before both players produced superb 180s in the next.

As the tension rose, Winstanley missed one dart at double top for the match, on a 142 finish, but King missed two crucial attempts to force a sudden-death shoot-out and Winstanley returned to hit tops to end a classic.

Winstanley had travelled to Holland ahead of the tournament to practice with five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld, and he added: "It was an amazing experience and I feel it's sharpened my game up.

"It means everything for me to get through that and it's a big thing for me. It was a battle and it was very good entertainment, and we'll see what happens now in the second round."

King said: "Dean played much better than me in the overall scheme of things. For the last week leading up to this, I've been on fire in practice and I didn't find the happy medium on stage today.

Match Stats

Colin Osborne 3-0 Lourence Ilagan
(3-1, 3-2, 3-2)
COLIN OSBORNE ended Lourence Ilagan's challenge with a gutsy straight-sets victory in the first round of the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace.

Philippines number one Ilagan had impressed in coming back to win his preliminary round game against Jamie Lewis earlier in the evening and had chances to win two sets against Osborne.

However, the former UK Open finalist landed three ton-plus finishes and was too strong as he progressed.

Ilagan opened the game with a fine 82 finish to start the game confidently before Osborne hit double 16 to level and then take out 90 to break throw in leg three before hitting double ten to wrap up the set.

Ilagan took out finishes of 76 and 92 to make an excellent start to the second set, but missed double 14 to win the set as Osborne hit a fantastic 164 checkout to reply.

Osborne continued the fine finishing as he took out 106 to win the fourth leg before landing tops for a 78 checkout to move two sets up.

Ilagan, who previously played at Alexandra Palace in 2009, began the third set by converting a 99 finish but let a host of chances go begging in the second leg before Osborne landed double ten.

Ilagan recovered from that disappointment to win the third leg on double four but Osborne hit back with a clinical two-dart 100 finish to take the fourth and level.

That moved Osborne to within touching distance of victory, and scores of 140, 180, 140 from the former UK Open finalist pushed him clear, and after initially missing double 16 for the match, a miss from Ilagan for a 101 finish allowed him back in to complete a 13-darter for the win.

"You never know what to expect when you draw an international qualifier, but I'm glad to get the win," said Osborne, who could face Simon Whitlock in the last 32.

"Lourence took out a couple of good finishes to keep me on my toes and he could have made it a much tougher battle if he landed those chances to win sets."

Match Stats