PDC World Darts Championship Round-Up | Rob Cross reels in the big fish to seal spot in round two while Ryan Searle races past Landman

2018 world champion Rob Cross was back in the winning enclosure after a 3-0 victory over Cor Dekker in the first round of the PDC World Darts Championship.

Cross was the first to settle in the match, much more clinical on the doubles than his Norwegian opponent. He broke the throw in the first leg after Dekker missed chances to hold and extended his lead after going five into the perfect leg. Dekker continued to struggle on the outer ring as ‘Voltage’ sealed the first set, looking back to his old self.

He made it four legs on the spin before Dekker finally found his range on the outer ring, specifically on double 10. He took the lead in the second set after accidentally finding tops to leave double 10 once more. However, he could not wrap up the set after Cross upped the levels. He broke instantly back before a routine 17-darter secured the second set.

It would take an almighty effort from Dekker to reverse his fortunes on debut. After being broken, he had a sole darts on tops to put the match back on throw but failed to take this opportunity. Cross edged ahead before leaving 170 for the match. After finding the two mandatory treble 20's, he pinned the bull to reel in the big fish and seal a spot in the second round of the PDC World Darts Championship.

Ryan Searle was wasting no time in defeating Chris Landman 3-0, as his World Championship hopes get off to the perfect start. The first set was over in record timing. This was partly due to the pace of the event but also because Searle was in a rampant mood. While not at his very best, he was still able to win every leg to propel into the lead.

He left the stage shaking his head, but his level continued to rise after the set. The Englishman took out 87 in two for a fourth leg on the spin. Landman had upped his level and was looking to get himself back into this tie. He could do nothing about Searle getting himself set darts, even if he did not know about it. Searle found the treble 19 to leave double 19, but after missing outside he went back up to the 20’s, thinking that he missed the treble. It would prove costly as Landman drew level for a decider, but an 11-darter from Searle was more than enough for the set.

While there was a drop off in form in the third set, Searle was more than good enough to hold off the Dutchman, who had doubles in every set but was only able to covert one of them. These misses would prove to be costly as Searle ruthlessly punished him, pinning his favourite tops for the match. Searle moves on, but for Landman his hopes of retaining his tour card have been extinguished with this first round exit.

It was a low-quality matchup between two icons of the sport, with Ian White surviving a potential comeback from Mervyn King to win 3-2. A whole heap of experience was on the stage, but that does not mean there would be nerves and sloppiness. This was presented at the end of the first set when after missing the big number, King spurned seven darts to keep him in the set. White, who also missed his chances, eventually secured the lead on double two.

‘Diamond’ would stamp his authority on the match by winning all three legs in the second set. It was not as easy as it may have looked with doubles proving to be challenging for both players. Out of the 33 darts at a double in the first two sets, just seven found their intended target.

The quality would not increase in the third set, but King would not mind as he clawed his way back into the match. From 2-1 down, he took out 64 in three before finding a timely 180 to set himself up on double 12. Two darts later he was in the madhouse but the experience shone as he found the green bit to prolong this clash. His level continued to rise in the fourth set. Despite going 2-0 down, he stuck around with some much-improved finishing to level affairs. This was completed after White missed a solitary match dart at double 12. This, however, would not matter as he took a 2-0 lead in the fifth and deciding set before taking one of his match darts to send him into round two.

Niels Zonneveld proved to be too good for Haupai Puha, winning 3-0. The first two sets were a complete contrast of one another. It would be five holds with them not able to get close to breaking. The highlight was a 12-darter from Puha after a nervy start to force a decider. Tripple Z kept the trend going before letting out a huge cheer as he wrapped up the first set. The second set would be a plethora of breaks. Puha did brilliantly to recover, but sloppy darts at the end saw the Dutchman run away and take a 2-0 set advantage.

‘Hopes’ would not get close to making a comeback. Zonneveld upped the gears, taking out a terrific 158 checkout to close in on a second win on the Ally Pally stage. He completed this by pinning tops with an average of 115 in that third and final set. The Dutchman will face off against Michael Smith in the second round.