book his space in the second round where he was to be joined by James
Wade who needed a deciding leg to overcome Christian Kist.
Reigning Lakeside champion Stephen Bunting defeated Germany’s
Michael Hurtz 6-2, whilst Kevin Painter made light work of defeating
Keegan Brown 6-0 to book his spot in the last 32.
In what some would consider a shock result Benito van de Pas defeated
Ronny Huybrechts 6-0 and there was a big home nation win for Michael
Rosenauer who overcame Mensur Suljovic in a deciding leg.
Michael Smith won his encounter with Dean Winstanley 6-2, whilst a
resurgent Darren Webster continued the good form that had seen him
qualify for the upcoming World Matchplay in Blackpool as he claimed
the scalp of Ronnie Baxter in a thrilling encounter that went all the
way to the last leg.
There were also opening round victories for Rowby John Rodriguez,
Gerwyn Price, Dennis Smith, Darren Johnson, Jamie Lewis, Ryan de
Vreede, Andy Smith and Mark Dudbridge.
Second Round
Round two saw the so-called big names enter the tournament, although
Phil Taylor was a notabl