Brilliant Whitlock beats Anderson at Melbourne Darts Masters

Auckland Masters champion Kyle Anderson was toppled by a classy Simon Whitlock in the final game of the first round, whilst namesake Gary cruised past TV Debutant Justin Thompson.
It wasn’t to be for the Original as Kyle Anderson lost 6-1 to Whitlock in the battle of the world cup pairing. The duo have met in each of the last 3 TV events now, with Whitlock taking the spoils today and overall. Anderson started strongly against the throw in leg 1, scoring well, but missing the bull for a 124 finish before Whitlock pounced with a Bull finish himself, 122 the total out shot. That seemed to set the tone for the rest of encounter, Whitlock seemingly recapturing the form that took him to a World Championship final. The Aussie number 1 averaged 107 and was 60% on the doubles. The match nearly finished in wild scenes, Whitlock throwing back to back maximums to open the 7th leg, but was unable to find the 141 finish, settling for a 12-dart leg instead.
Two time time world champion Gary Anderson was clinical in his victory over Justin Thompson. The Scot, missed doubles to allow Thompson to still be in the game at 2-2, but kicked into gear with a 170 out in the 5th leg. Thompson never really had a look in for the rest of the game from there, The Flying Scotsman ensuring Barney was the only seeded casualty of the day, and making up for last week’s first round loss to eventual champion Kyle Anderson. Anderson will now take on Daryl Gurney in the quarter finals as he attempts to reel in the absent Michael van Gerwen at the top of the World Series Order of Merit.
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