World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall overcame a major setback in the first round in Blackpool when he fell at the finish line.
Aspinall was still struggling after suffering an elbow injury in a Premier League darts match two months ago. He beat Luke Woodhouse 10-8 on Saturday night.
The 32-year-old, who is scheduled to undergo surgery after the tournament, looked to be outpaced early on by his opponent before going from 3-2 down to take a 6-3 lead.
However, Woodhouse trailed 6-6 before the fourth game began, with both players looking nervous as the quality of play declined.
Woodhouse barely managed to check out at 138 at 8-8, with Aspinall then D20ing him and blocking his throw to continue his title defence.
Asp will face either Danny Knoppert or James Wade in the next round.
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The Winter Gardens crowd at the World Match Play Darts Championship loved every minute of Nathan Aspinall's 'Mr Brightside' walk-on.
Humphreys declares victory
Luke Humphries, who won the World Cup Darts with Michael Smith, showed why he is the man to beat with a 10-4 win over Ricardo. Pietrecko.
The last time the two met was at the World Championships last December, with Humphries having to fight back to beat the German.
But this time, the world number one was at his best, recording an average score of 108.76 – the highest average score in the World Match Play over the past three years.
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Luke Humphries has advanced to the second round of the World Match Play with a 10-4 win over Ricardo Pietrezko.
Pietrecko also averaged over a ton, but failed to turn a 6-3 lead into a quick 10-4 win for Humphries.
“Since the World Cup, my training has been back to normal,” Humphries said.
“I finally got a practice regime where I could practice more. I felt really good during the week preparing for it, but when you feel good on stage, that doesn't always happen. Tonight was fantastic. I felt like I had won a million dollars.
“The double went in, the scoring was good, but I (had to do well) Ricardo was fantastic. A lot of people wrote him off before I played against him. If I hadn't done what I did, we would have lost. So I'm really proud of the way I did it.”
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Johnny Clayton opens up about his mindset heading into the World Match Play at the Winter Gardens after defeating Raymond Van Barneveld in the first round.
Impressive price and Clayton defeat Van Barneveld.
Gerwin Price recorded an impressive 10-4 win over Daryl Gurney in his first televised match since pulling out of the World Cup for health reasons.
Price went 4-1 ahead but was then pushed back 5-4 by Gurney. But the Welshman won six legs in a row and gave the traditional big shout to show that he will be one to watch at Blackpool next week.
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Gerwin Price's impressive 130 score gave him a 4-1 lead in his first round World Match Play match against Daryl Gurney.
“It was great to see Price react like that. We hadn't seen him like that in a while,” he said. Sky Sports' Wayne Madeleine.
“I want to see him play like that and react like that. That's who he is and that's his passion.
“He's a really nice guy, but he doesn't look comfortable right now. But that's the most comfortable I've seen him in a while.”
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Gerwin Price became the first player to reach the second round of the World Match Play Darts after a commanding 10-4 win over Daryl Gurney.
Johnny Clayton defeated Raymond Van Barnevelt in the other match of the season opener at Winter Garden.
Clayton went ahead 7-3 after Van Barneveld failed to capitalise on a chance, but the Dutchman found his rhythm after the second break to pull within 7-6.
Just when it looked like Van Barneveld might make a comeback, Clayton found his momentum again in the doubles match, winning 10-7.
What happens at the World Matchplay on Sunday?
Sunday's session is postponed due to the Euro 2024 final between England and Spain. Moved forward to 12pm and 4.30pm – live on Sky Sports Action
The first session will see 2020 Match Play champion Dimitri van den Berg take on Germany's Martin Schindler.
Danny Napert and James Wade face off in a highly anticipated first-round match, while crowd favourite Stephen Bunting closes out the afternoon against Ryan Joyce.
After a short break, action resumes at 4:30pm with former world champion Rob Cross taking on Gian Van Veen.
Peter Wright takes on Andrew Gilding and Dave Chisnall are also in action in an exciting darts match in Blackpool.
The World Match Play continues on Sunday with two sessions at 12pm and 4:30pm. Sky Sports Action. Get instant access to the entire World Matchplay for just £26 now.
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