Simon Whitlock refused to let his broken ankle derail his chances of winning the Ladbrokes World Championship with the performance of the tournament so far.
The Wizard may have limped onto the stage but hit the ground running at the Alexandra Palace with a three nil demolition of Dennis Smith.
The wounded Wizard put on a real magic show as he hit a 105 average to book his place in round two, dropping just one leg en route.
Whitlock began with a break, this time in darting terms, when he won the opening leg against the throw. He opened the second leg with back to back 180s on his way to doubling his early lead. Smiffy pulled a leg back with a twelve darter before Whitlock hit double top to wrap up the set.
The Wizard opened the second set with a fabulous eleven dart leg before breaking the throw to take control. He hit another maximum and almost took out a spectacular 164 finish on his way to winning the leg that claimed a second set.
Whitlock hit his fourth maximum before producing a stunning 125 checkout to break Smith’s throw in the first leg of set three. Another two maximums helped leave the Australian a leg away from victory as he hit a brilliant eleven darter. The Wizard hit three treble 19’s to set up a finish before hitting double top to break again, winning the set and the match in sensational style.
Whitlock’s performance, which included seven 180s and an incredible sixty percent checkout success rate, is sure to have put paid to any suggestion that he wasn’t ready for the tournament. He will face Steve Beaton on Wednesday 28th December.
Blog - Masonry Boxed
James Wade and Mervyn King powered through to the second round of the Ladbrokes World Championship on Monday evening, but Arron Monk was eliminated despite a fine performance.
MODUS put on a show at the Alexandra Palace as King lead the charge with a ruthless performance against Geoff Kime. The world number 16 got his campaign off to a perfect start, winning every single leg to claim victory over the Australian.
Wade brushed aside a gallant challenge from Petri Korte to keep alive his hopes of being crowned World Champion. The Machine produced a sequence of fine finishing to progress to round two in a confident and comfortable manner.
Monk showed why big things are expected of him in the future as he took a set off newly crowned Players Championship winner Kevin Painter. The 21 year old provided tough opposition for The Artist and produced moments of sheer class, including an audacious double-double finish. Monkey can consider himself unfortunate to have run into an in-form opponent, who is ninth in the rankings, but showed he is ready to mix it with the world’s best players.
King will return to the oche on December 28th with Wade in action the following day.
By Chris Murphy
James Wade began his campaign to claim an eighth major, and first Ladbrokes World Championship title, with a convincing win over Petri Korte at the Ally Pally.
Wade produced a string of clinical finishes and looked comfortable throughout, despite his opponent’s valiant performance.
The Machine wasted no time in winning the first set. He hit double top with his first attempt in the opening leg, and quickly doubled his lead by hitting double ten to break the throw. He then produced a nice 88 finish to go a set in front in what seemed like the blink of an eye.
Korte got a leg on the board before Wade hit back with another successful shot at double top. He then hit the bull for a stunning 95 finish to break his opponent again. The Machine continued to finish brilliantly as he took out 70 in two darts to double his lead.
Korte, who had won a preliminary round match earlier in the evening, took out 71 to break Wade’s throw and take the lead in the third set. He then hit the bull to leave himself a leg away from taking a set off the UK Open winner. Wade was as deadly as ever on double ten, hitting that bed to take the next leg. He then hit his first 180 but his Finnish opponent did win the set by holding is throw with a 94 check out.
Wade went two legs behind in the fourth set thanks to a 112 and a 106 checkout from Korte. The Machine avoided a deciding set though, as he won the next three legs to book his place in round two. He hit double five to break the throw before hitting double top to level the set. Wade fittingly ended with another fabulous finish, this time 115, to break again and win the match.
Wade will be in second round action on December 29th.
By Chris Murphy
