World Darts Championship: Day One




Ritchie Edhouse, giving defending champion Price a scare on the last match of the night
(photo from PDC)


The William Hill World Darts Championship kicked off last night from its home of Alexandra Palace in London. Even before the first players toed the oche, the atmosphere was already alive, as fans returned to Ally Pally after last year’s tournament was forced to go behind closed doors. With plenty of Santa hats, ‘180’ signs, and chants ('Stand up, if you love the darts!'), it was clear that the jovial, boisterous atmosphere of the darts was back. And how we’ve missed it!

First on the stage was Ritchie Edhouse, qualifying via the Pro Tour, against Peter Hudson, who, having been third reserve, only received the call-up a day before after China’s Lihao Wen was forced to withdraw due to visa issues. The game proved to be a tale of missed doubles for Edhouse, who, although taking the first set, soon found himself 2-1 down as he faced difficulties checking out. This left Hudson, who recorded the first 180 of the tournament, within a set of the match. At this point, however, Edhouse was able to step up, and took six legs in succession to bring the game back and win 3-2.

Up next was ‘Rapid’ Ricky Evans against the Indian qualifier Nitin Kumar. As is usually the case with Evans, it was a fast-paced game with quick-fire scoring. Highlights of the match were a 167 checkout from Evans to take the first set and then a 130 checkout (treble 20, single 20, bull) to win the match 3-0. Following on was Adrian Lewis vs Matt Campbell. In the commentary box, this was billed as an important game for Lewis – a two-time world champion, ‘Jackpot’ entered the tournament this year unseeded for the first time in his career. And the match would prove to be a close one, closer than the final scoreline of 3-1 would suggest, with all sets bar the second going to a fifth leg. Ultimately, it was Lewis who took victory, setting up a second round clash with Gary Anderson, a repeat of the 2011 and 2016 world finals.

The final match marked the beginning of Gerwyn Price’s title defence, as he faced Edhouse. Between his first match and his clash with Price, it appeared as though Edhouse had resolved his earlier problems. Far from struggling on finishes, he was now hitting doubles with ease and, capitalising on mistakes by the ‘Iceman’, took the first set. Returning from the break, Price looked to respond but again Edhouse was able to apply pressure, forcing the second set to a decider. Price took this, but the third set would also go to a fifth leg. With Edhouse waiting on a double, the defending champion had to take out 130, which he did – treble 20, single 20, bull. This would prove to be the turning point, as Price picked up the pace, winning the fourth and final set to close the game 3-1 with an average of over a ton. Nonetheless, this was a great effort from Edhouse, who showed significant improvement from his first game and can at least enjoy the biggest pay day of his career to date.

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