Second Round
The second round got underway on Wednesday night with four clashes
that got closer and closer as the night went on.
“It’s a good win and anything can happen now,” said Waites. “I felt a
bit nervous tonight because I find it tough playing a mate like Mark,
and that showed on stage - I didn’t have that really bad killer instinct
that you need.”
“Neither of us could hold throw early on and it was quite a strange
game, so I’m glad to get through it.”
“I said after the group stage that I was going to go and practice my
scoring, but I didn’t seem to practice my doubles, so I need to get
some sort of balance between my scoring and doubles for the quarterfinals.”
“If I can score like I did tonight and finish like I did through the group
stages then I’ve got a great chance.”
Photo: PDC/Lawrence Lustig
In the first match of the night current Lakeside World Champion Scott
Waites defeated former champion Mark Webster 10-6. The match was
close in the early stages, with the players being level at 6-6 before a
barrage of high quality play saw Waites run away with the victory and
claim a spot in the quarter finals.
“It was a great
game and a close
game and I’m so
chuffed to have
won that”
Tony O’Shea
Tony O’Shea ended a slightly below par Andy Hamilton’s run with a 10-7
victory. The Lakeside runner-up was never behind in the match after
he opened up an early 2-0 lead. Hamilton kept in touch throughout the
match but after being level at 3-3 he never really looked like claiming
the ultimate victory.
The pair both scored exceptionally and landed fifteen 180s between
them during the match, both ending with averages in the mid 90s.
“It was a great game and a close game and I’m so chuffed to have won
that,” said O’Shea. “We’re very similar characters as well as similar
darts players; he’s a great player and to win against him is fantastic.”
Photo: PDC/Lawrence Lustig
“The 180s are brilliant and they look great on TV, but 140s are the
groundwork and if you hit plenty of them then you’re not going to be
far off - and when I had the throw it felt like I was hitting two 140s in
every leg.”
The next match between Robert Thornton and Mervyn King was even
closer still, with Thornton initially opening up a 4-1 lead before being
pegged back to 8-8 by an excellent fightback from King.
Thornton then held throw to move 9-8 up before producing a 161
checkout to seal victory in the most spectacular of fashions.
“It was a battle and I’m delighted to have won,” said Thornton. “I won
the first session 4-1 but Mervyn came back out and caught fire!”
“I went into the second break trying to figure out what had happened
because I wasn’t playing badly, but Mervyn didn’t miss a thing.”
In