Bunting blasts past van de Pas, Huybrechts brothers both out

Stephen Bunting's recent resurgence continued as the 'Bullet' defeated Benito van de Pas 6-3 in the Players Championship first round. The 'Bullet' was rarely troubled and averaged 96.73 to the off-colour Dutchman's 84.73. Bunting threw four 180s and had a 60 per cent success rate on the doubles, breaking van de Pas at all the right times to seal victory. Next up for Grand Slam of Darts Group E winner Bunting is a tough second round tie against Mensur Suljovic - should the Austrian beat Andy Boulton.
Another impressive performance came on board two, as Steve Beaton defeated Ronny Huybrechts 6-4. The 'Adonis' hit half of his attempts at the double and struck three 180s as he held off the veteran Dutchman. Beaton, a Players Championship event winner this year, checked out 136 and provided a double-double finish on 86 to seal the win. The former Lakeside champion will face Alan Norris or Jelle Klaasen next in Minehead.
Chris Dobey completed a miserable afternoon for the Huybrechts family as he defeated Kim 6-3 on the main stage. Despite a 110 finish from the much-fancied Belgian, Dobey kept the 15th seed at arm's length. After his victory, Dobey will take on Rob Thornton tomorrow, and will fancy his chances of keeping his Minehead run going.
Steve West set up a second round tie with Michael van Gerwen by overcoming Ryan Searle 6-4 on board two. West did not lead in the tie until the penultimate leg of the match, as Searle surrendered a 3-1 lead. The 27th seed was better at scoring but allowed Searle too many attempts to steal legs with some dodgy finishing. Yet West, who scored four maximums, had the quality to break clear and take the win.
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