comfortable 6-2 victory over Michael Smith, and Raymond van Barneveld
edged through a close encounter with his good friend Mervyn King, the
Dutchman eventually prevailing in the deciding leg.
The second round line-up was completed by Terry Jenkins who
unceremoniously dumped 2012 runner-up Kim Huybrechts out of the
tournament with a 6-2 victory.
“This performance
showed that I’m
back to my best”
Michael van Gerwen
Second Round
The second round encounter between Michael van Gerwen and Adrian
Lewis lived up to it’s promise. Lewis, who landed seven 180s in the
game put himself in pole position as he moved into a 6-3 lead only for
van Gerwen to find top gear and seal a thrilling 9-6 victory with finishes
of 124 and 112 in the matches final two legs.
“It was a great game to play in and it was fantastic for the crowd, but
it was also very important for me to win this match,” admitted van
Gerwen.
“This performance showed that I’m back to my best and I needed this
after the last couple of months, so it’s good for my confidence.”
“Adrian played really well but the tenth leg was massive because to be
7-3 or 6-4 behind is a big difference, and from there I played really well
and hit some great finishes.”
Photo: PDC/Lawrence Lustig
Raymond van Barneveld was taken to a deciding leg for the second time
in as many matches as Robert Thornton came from 6-3 and then 8-6
down to force the pivitol decider. Barneveld had missed three match
darts to secure a 9-6 victory but in the end he clung on to secure the
9-8 win after a spirited fightback from Thornton.
“It always seems to be exciting with me,” admitted van Barneveld.
“Last night it was 6-5 with Mervyn King and tonight was 9-8 with Robert
- I’d love to have a comfortable win but I never make it easy for myself.”
“I got the win and that’s what you want, even though I wasn’t at my
best again tonight. I thought I’d lost my chance in the final leg but I was
so determined to win and I’m glad I did.”
“I love it here and
the venue’s being
pretty good to
me”
Justin Pipe
Reigning champion Phil Taylor’s defence continued well as he overcame
Peter Wright 9-3 in a dominant
performance that saw the sixteentime World Champion average
107.85.
“I’m really pleased with
that and I’m happy
with my average and
my performance but I had no choice
but to do that
because
Peter’s
a tough cookie to
beat and playing
really well at the
moment,”
said
Photo: PDC/Lawrence Lustig
Photo: PDC/Lawrence Lustig