COREY CADBY gained revenge for his defeat in Melbourne a week ago as he beat fellow countryman Simon Whitlock 6-5 on the opening day of the inaugural Brisbane Darts Masters.
The opening night at the BCEC also saw Raymond Smith cause a shock as he defeated Michael Smith 6-1 as the other six PDC representatives qualified for Saturday's quarter-finals.
The night belonged to former World Youth Champion Cadby, though, as he secured a vital win against Australia’s number one player.
A week earlier, Whitlock had been victorious over the Tasmanian but spoke of his admiration for the young ace, stating he believed he was the most talented darts player to ever come out of Australia.
This time around, it was Cadby who secured the victory in a last leg decider which thrilled the Brisbane crowd.
Whitlock started the brighter of the pair taking a 2-0 lead before being clawed back by Cadby, who levelled after four legs.
The former European Champion then opened up another two-leg lead to take a 4-2 advantage but this seemed to fire up the young Australian.
A run of three legs on the spin gave the UK Open finalist the chance to throw for the match, but a clutch double ten saw Whitlock level and take the tie to a decider.
Scores of 140 and 137 in the final leg gave Cadby the advantage and he eventually sealed the win on double ten.
“It’s great to be back in the winners circle, it’s been too long," said Cadby. “My dad always taught me to never get beaten twice and learn from your mistakes.
“I needed to get angry to get my game going and when I missed a few chances that got me fired up.”
Cadby also spoke of his admiration for his opponent after their match.
“Simon is still the daddy of Australian darts, we owe him so much, the sport wouldn’t be the way it is over here if it wasn’t for him," he added.
“He said some lovely things about me last week and hopefully I prove him right but for now he is still the boss.”
Cadby will now face Rob Cross in the last eight after the World Champion defeated Tim Pusey 6-2 on night one of the Brisbane Darts Masters.
Pusey, who has impressed during the World Series' tour of New Zealand and Australia ,wasn’t able to contend with the world number three, who believes he needs to up his level to win in Brisbane.
“That was a bit lazy from me tonight," said Cross. "I broke in the first leg and in typical Rob Cross style at the moment I let him back in.
“I need to find that consistency again and get the 100 averages back. I’ll need to improve but one thing I’ve learned in the last few weeks is that I hate losing.”
Brisbane's Raymond Smith caused a shock as the Australian defeated Michael Smith 6-1 to book his place in the quarter-finals.
The 38-year-old averaged almost 100 to comfortably beat the Shanghai Darts Masters champion and set up a last eight encounter with Peter Wright.
The Australian began the match in style taking out 125 on tops to set the tone for the match.
Smith, who is likely to make his debut at the World Championship in December courtesy of leading the DPA Order of Merit, raced in to a 5-0 before the Premier League finalist managed to register his only leg.
Local star Smith then delighted the crowd by pinning double ten to seal the win.
“For me that’s massive," said Smith. "To be the first Queenslander to walk out on that stage and play as well as I did, I am happy as I can be.
“Michael missed doubles, I got lucky but at the same time. I played the darts and put myself in that position. When I got the shot I took it.”
Peter Wright will be the Australian’s quarter-final opponent after the Melbourne Darts Master overcame Justin Thompson in a 6-2 victory.
The Scot average 100, hit three 180s and struck over 50% of his attempts at doubles but still wasn’t overly happy with his performance.
“I felt so nervous tonight, I don’t know why but I didn’t feel right all day," admitted Wright. “It’s a new venue, a new stage and a new place and I just didn’t wake up right today.
“I’m still in the tournament and still have a chance, so that’s all that matters.”
World number one Michael van Gerwen produced a solid performance as he defeated Mark Cleaver 6-2 with an average of 99.15.
The two-time World Champion, who suffered a semi-final defeat at the hands of Wright in Melbourne, looked comfortable throughout as he cruised in to the last eight.
New Zealand's Cleaver, who was making his third appearance on the World Series stage, gave a good amount of himself but ultimately couldn’t contest with Van Gerwen, who pinned finishes of 112 and 121 on his way to the win.
“Tonight was about getting the win and I didn’t make too many mistakes," said the Dutchman. "It’s not a perfect performance but I am still in and my goal is to win the tournament."
Van Gerwen set up a quarter-final contest with Kyle Anderson, who returned to form in style by beating Barry Gardner 6-2 with an average of almost 100 and hitting six maximums along the way.
Gardner, who was making his World Series debut, did manage to stick with Anderson during the opening exchanges but an 11-dart break in the fifth saw the 2017 Auckland Darts Master take control of the game.
Anderson then strung together a further three consecutive legs to seal the win, including another 11-darter in the final leg.
"I was told before the game by my mates, just go up there and enjoy it," said Anderson, a first round casualty in Melbourne last week.
"You could see that in my last couple of events I have been struggling and it’s been getting to me,” said the 30-year-old.
“I just wanted to go up there and enjoy the game and start to relax again, I felt good tonight and it showed.”
Raymond van Barneveld will return for the quarter-finals in Brisbane after a comfortable 6-1 win over Gordon Mathers.
The Dutchman needed an average of just 92 to see off his opponent and will play Gary Anderson in the last eight after the Scot secured a scrappy 6-5 win over Damon Heta.
In a repeat of their Melbourne quarter-final clash a week earlier, Anderson was pushed all the way by his Australian opponent but eventually came out on top.
Anderson did lead 3-0 before being pegged back, with Heta getting to within one leg.
A 121 finish gave Anderson a two leg lead once more but a stunning 152 finish saw Heta close the gap again.
The match eventually made its way to a deciding leg but Anderson was too strong as he closed out the win on double 16.
The Brisbane Darts Masters continues on Saturday at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre with four the quarter-finals taking place ahead of Sunday's semi-finals and final.
The Brisbane Darts Masters will be broadcast live on Fox Sports across Australia and worldwide through the PDC's international broadcast partners, as well as through PDCTV-HD for Rest of the World Subscribers (outside of the UK, Ireland & Netherlands).
UK TV coverage on ITV4 will be from 7pm BST on each night.
2018 Brisbane Darts Masters
Friday August 17
First Round
Raymond Smith 6-1 Michael Smith
Raymond van Barneveld 6-1 Gordon Mathers
Kyle Anderson 6-2 Barry Gardner
Peter Wright 6-2 Justin Thompson
Rob Cross 6-2 Tim Pusey
Michael van Gerwen 6-2 Mark Cleaver
Simon Whitlock 5-6 Corey Cadby
Gary Anderson 6-5 Damon Heta
Best of 11 legs
Saturday August 18 (7pm)
Quarter-Finals
Gary Anderson v Raymond van Barneveld
Rob Cross v Corey Cadby
Michael van Gerwen v Kyle Anderson
Peter Wright v Raymond Smith
Best of 19 legs
Sunday August 19 (7pm)
Semi-Finals
Best of 21 legs
Final
Best of 21 legs
The Brisbane Darts Masters will be held from August 17-19 at the BCEC. For tickets, visit www.ticketek.com.au.