JOHN PART began his bid to win a second successive European Tour title with a superb 6-1 demolition of Vincent van der Voort as the European Darts Trophy began on Saturday, with Michael Smith knocking out number one seed Dave Chisnall.
Part began the year's £100,000 European Tour series with victory in the UK Masters at the Butlins Minehead Resort earlier in March, and was in ominous form against van der Voort.
The Canadian averaged 108.35 in a fine performance as he dropped just one leg, and had five winning legs of between 11 and 14 darts.
"I'm really happy with that," admitted Part. "The main thing was that my doubles were good today but I scored well too. I'm liking these events so far this year, and hopefully I can do well for the rest of the weekend."
Part will now play Robert Thornton in the second round on Sunday, after the in-form UK Open champion overcame European Tour debutant Ricky Sudale 6-2.
Youngster Smith, meanwhile, followed up his achievement last weekend in qualifying for the PDC Unicorn World Youth Championship final by powering past top seed Dave Chisnall in Sindelfingen.
Smith averaged 103.13, hitting three 13-dart finishes before completing a 12-darter by sealing victory with a 136 checkout.
World number three Michael van Gerwen began his challenge in Germany with a 6-1 defeat of European Qualifier Leo Hendriks, and he will now play Darren Webster in round two, after the Norfolk thrower saw off Belgium's Kurt Van De Rijck 6-5.
German teenager Max Hopp delighted the home crowd at the Glaspalast in Sindelfingen with a superb 6-1 win over Croatian qualifier Dragutin Horvath.
The 16-year-old will now meet Dean Winstanley in the second round, following the English ace's 6-4 win over John Henderson.
Ian White, who was the runner-up to Adrian Lewis at the Glaspalast in the German Masters event at the venue last September, opened his account this time with a whitewash of James Richardson, setting up a second round game against Ross Smith, who swept aside World Youth Champion James Hubbard 6-1.
Number four seed Justin Pipe dropped only one leg against Co Stompe as he set up a second round game with Joe Cullen, who came from 5-3 down to defeat Mark Hylton 6-5.
McCoy's Premier League Darts star Wes Newton was a 6-3 winner against Germany's Tomas Seyler, and he now plays former World Youth Champion Arron Monk, who eliminated Alex Roy 6-3 with a strong display.
Belgium's Kim Huybrechts enjoyed a narrow 6-5 win over Steve Hine to set up a second round date with Jamie Caven, who hit back from 2-0 down to see off Andrew Johnson 6-3 in their clash.
Huybrechts' older brother Ronny, though, was eliminated with a 6-5 defeat to Paul Nicholson, who now meets Colin Lloyd after the former World Matchplay winner overcame qualifier Davyd Venken.
Andy Hamilton's 6-1 win over Gareth Pass - which included a 153 checkout - set up a second round clash with Mark Webster, who had defeated Steve Maish by the same scoreline in the day's opening fixture.
Kevin Painter swept past European Tour debutant Mario Gaisbauer with a whitewash victory, handing him a second round meeting with Nick Fullwell, who was a 6-2 winner against another German, Jyhan Artut.
Mervyn King's whitewash of Leon De Geus sets up a second round clash with Andy Smith, who was a 6-2 winner against Magnus Caris, while Austrian Mensur Suljovic's 6-5 win over Scott Rand means he now meets Michael Smith on Sunday.
Terry Jenkins edged out Tony West 6-5 in another tight came as he moved into the last 32, where he will meet York's Terry Temple, who came from 4-3 down to defeat Mark Walsh 6-4.
Essex's Jamie Robinson stunned former World Champion Richie Burnett with a 6-5 win in their clash, as the Welshman missed match darts in the final two legs, as he set up a second round game with Brendan Dolan, who saw off John Bowles 6-4.
Ireland's Connie Finnan also knocked out a seeded player as he defeated Steve Beaton 6-4, hitting a 155 checkout, and he now plays Ronnie Baxter after the Blackpool ace saw off Kevin Dowling 6-3.
Colin Osborne came from 3-0 down to win 6-5 against Gareth Cousins, and he now plays Peter Wright after the colourful star saw off Germany's Michael Kiebel 6-2.
The second round will be played across two sessions at the Glaspalast on Sunday, with Monday seeing the last 16 held in the afternoon session and the quarter-finals, semi-final and final in the evening session.
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European Tour Event Two - European Darts Trophy
Saturday March 30
First Round
Afternoon Session
Main Stage
Mark Webster 6-1 Steve Maish
Richie Burnett 5-6 Jamie Robinson
Kim Huybrechts 6-5 Steve Hine
Justin Pipe 6-1 Co Stompe
Mervyn King 6-0 Leon De Geus
Ronnie Baxter 6-3 Kevin Dowling
Steve Beaton 4-6 Connie Finnan
Terry Jenkins 6-5 Tony West
Colin Lloyd 6-3 Davyd Venken
Paul Nicholson 6-5 Ronny Huybrechts
Second Stage
Arron Monk 6-3 Alex Roy
James Hubbard 1-6 Ross Smith
Scott Rand 5-6 Mensur Suljovic
Andy Smith 6-2 Magnus Caris
Jamie Caven 6-3 Andrew Johnson
Darren Webster 6-5 Kurt Van De Rijck
Evening Session
Main Stage
Dragutin Horvath 1-6 Max Hopp
Dave Chisnall 1-6 Michael Smith
Andy Hamilton 6-1 Gareth Pass
Robert Thornton 6-2 Ricky Sudale
Peter Wright 6-2 Michael Kiebel
Vincent van der Voort 1-6 John Part
Michael van Gerwen 6-1 Leo Hendriks
Jyhan Artut 2-6 Nick Fullwell
Wes Newton 6-3 Tomas Seyler
Kevin Painter 6-0 Mario Gaisbauer
Second Stage
Brendan Dolan 6-4 John Bowles
Joe Cullen 6-5 Mark Hylton
Colin Osborne 6-5 Gaz Cousins
Mark Walsh 4-6 Terry Temple
Ian White 6-0 James Richardson
Dean Winstanley 6-4 John Henderson
Match Information
Afternoon Session
Mark Webster made a flying start to the European Darts Trophy with a 6-1 win over Steve Maish, with the Welshman taking five successive legs to sweep into the second round.
Former World Youth Champion Arron Monk won the opening game on stage two with a 6-3 win over Alex Roy in a high-quality match which saw both players averaging over 100 for most of the contest.
Qualifier Jamie Robinson caused an upset by coming from 5-2 down to defeat Richie Burnett 6-5, with the Welshman being punished for missing match darts in the game's final two legs.
Ross Smith produced an impressive performance to see off World Youth Champion James Hubbard 6-1, taking the game's first four legs without reply as he moved into the second round.
Kim Huybrechts edged out Steve Hine 6-5 in a thriller to book his second round spot, coming from 3-1 down to level before taking the deciding leg.
"I've not had too many good results recently and these are the types of games which I have been losing so it's a massive win for my confidence," said Huybrechts. "It was a great game and
I'm really pleased to be through."
Austrian qualifier Mensur Suljovic was another 6-5 winner as he came from 3-1 down against Scott Rand to edge through.
Justin Pipe dropped just one leg as he saw off Co Stompe 6-1, with the Taunton ace winning the first five legs before the Dutch ace took out 110 to get off the mark, but he was unable to continue the fightback.
Andy Smith was a 6-2 winner against Swedish qualifier Magnus Caris, winning the game's final three legs without reply to progress.
Mervyn King swept past Dutch qualifier Leon De Geus with the day's first whitewash as he set up a second round clash with Andy Smith.
Jamie Caven came from 2-0 down against Andy Johnson to win his place in Sunday's second round with a 6-3 triumph.
Ronnie Baxter hit five 180s in a fine display as he defeated Kevin Dowling 6-3 to move into the last 32.
Darren Webster edged out Kurt Van De Rijck in a deciding leg to book his place in the second round, following up an earlier 116 checkout with a 102 game shot in the final leg.
Connie Finnan set up a second round clash with Ronnie Baxter by defeating Steve Beaton 6-4. The Irishman took out 155 as he won the first four legs, with Beaton hitting back to trail only 5-4 at one stage - hitting a 145 checkout to save the game - before Finnan landed tops for the win.
Terry Jenkins edged out Tony West in the deciding leg of a close battle, with neither player ever able to move more than one leg ahead as the lead changed hands twice, with the seven-time major finalist hitting a 130 finish early in the contest but suffering with missed doubles before pinning tops at the first attempt to win the final leg.
Colin Lloyd moved into the second round with a 6-3 win over Belgian Davyd Venken, who shared the first four legs before the former world number one took the next three to lead 5-2. Venken won the eighth, but Lloyd pinned double top to complete the win.
Paul Nicholson came from 3-0 down to win 6-5 against Ronny Huybrechts in a see-saw game. Nicholson took five straight legs to move 5-3 up - hitting a 116 finish to move a leg away from victory before the Belgian hit back to level with a 106 finish, but Nicholson posted a 180 as he edged the decider.
Evening Session
Max Hopp kicked off Saturday's evening session with a hugely popular 6-1 win over Croatian qualifier Dragutin Horvath, a European Tour debutant. German 16-year-old won the first five legs without reply before Horvath hit back, but double ten put the home favourite into Sunday's second round.
Brendan Dolan set up a second round clash with Jamie Robinson courtesy of a 6-4 win against John Bowles. Dolan came from a leg down to lead 3-1, hitting a 117 finish in the process, before Bowles hit back to level, but with the pair tied at four-all it was the Northern Irish ace who took the next two legs for victory.
Michael Smith sent number one seed Dave Chisnall crashing out of the event with a brilliant 6-1 victory, averaging 103.13. After Smith took the opener, Chisnall finished 104 to level but he had no answer to five successive legs from the in-form PDC Unicorn World Youth Championship finalist, who hit three 13-darters as he moved 5-1 up before sealing the win with a 136 checkout for a 12-darter.
Joe Cullen came from 5-3 down to edge out Mark Hylton in their first round contest. Hylton finished 124 in holding an early 2-1 lead, and though Cullen hit back to level at three-all, the left-hander took out 157 as he moved to the brink of victory at 5-3, only for the youngster to win the final three legs.
Andy Hamilton moved through to the second round with a 6-1 win over Gareth Pass, who took the game's opening leg but was unable to stop the Stoke ace taking the next six without reply. The game's key leg was the fourth, as Hamilton followed a 180 with a 153 finish to lead 3-1.
Colin Osborne came from 3-0 down before defeating Gareth Cousins 6-5 to win through to the second round. Cousins took out 133 in the opening leg and also won the next two, only for Osborne to take five in a row and move to the brink of victory. Cousins hit back to level, but Osborne edged the decider to progress.
Robert Thornton moved into the last 32 with a 6-2 win over European Tour debutant Ricky Sudale, with Thornton sweeping into a 5-1 lead before completing victory.
Peter Wright set up a second round clash with Colin Osborne with a 6-2 win over Home Nation Qualifier Michael Kiebel. Wright took out a 161 finish as he moved 5-1 up, and although Kiebel won a second leg, he completed a strong win.
Terry Temple defeated Mark Walsh 6-4 in a see-saw encounter, which saw the Hertfordshire ace move 3-2 and 4-3 up before the Yorkshireman took the next three to sweep through and set up a second round tie with Terry Jenkins.
UK Masters champion John Part produced a sensational display to defeat Vincent van der Voort 6-1, averaging 108.35 in the process. Part took the first two legs before the Dutchman got off the mark, but the Canadian was irresistable as he swept through the next four, hitting four 180s and a 136 finish in a fine display which featured winning legs of 13, 14, 14, 12, 11 and 17 darts.
Ian White, the runner-up in last year's German Masters at the Glaspalast in Sindelfingen, swept aside James Richardson with a 6-0 whitewash, averaging 97 in a strong start to his
challenge this time around.
Number two seed Michael van Gerwen dropped only one leg as he defeated Leo Hendriks 6-1. Hendriks shared the opening two legs, but the world number three powered through the next five to set up a second round clash with Darren Webster.
Dean Winstanley set up a second round clash with German youngster Max Hopp with a 6-4 win over John Henderson. The Yorkshireman took the opening leg and hit two 180s in the
second, and though Henderson hit back with two legs of his own it was Winstanley who moved 5-2 up. The Scot hit back to 5-4, but Winstanley was too strong to seal the win.
Nick Fullwell came from 2-1 down to win five successive legs and defeat German favourite Jyhan Artut 6-2, putting himself into the last 32.
Wes Newton ended the hopes of another Home Nation Qualifier, Tomas Seyler, with a 6-3 win. Newton started superbly with legs of 11 and 14 darts before taking out 89 for a 3-0 lead, and though the German hit back to trail just 4-3, the Fleetwood ace was too strong.
Kevin Painter completed the first round action with a 6-0 whitewash of debutant Mario Gaisbauer in the day's final game.