Martin Lukeman has his first major TV win seeing off James Wade in a repeat of their tie at the World Matchplay with a dream debut at the World Grand Prix.
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Lukeman sealed a 2-1 sudden death sets win over Wade who was poor on his doubles throughout the tie unlike the two-time champion.
Wade finally got away after six darts while Lukeman had a superb start with a 152 start finalised on double eight for 1-0.
A 180 and double five saw ‘Smash’ break to continue the sloppy start for Wade as he looked towards the opening set which he sealed on double 10.
A 122 checkout was missed by Wade but two darts went begging for Lukeman. Wade continued to be sloppy though and Lukeman hit double five to lead.
Wade missed three darts at doubles but Lukeman missed 120 and the former finally hit a double to make it 1-1 and break back.
A 68 checkout on double 10 saw Wade go 2-1 up and he sealed the set on double four. Lukeman began the decider on double 20.
He missed 110 on the wire and Wade hit double 10 to make it 1-1. Lukeman missed another ton plus checkout in 119 but pinned double 10 for 2-1. A 121 checkout was pinned by Wade to force a decider. Lukeman missed two match darts but Wade missed one and the former finally got over the line on double eight.
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While 2017 champion Daryl Gurney sealed his first win in the tournament in four years by seeing off Rob Cross 2-1 with a tie against Madars Razma to come in a real opportunity for 'Superchin'.
Both started superbly with a great standard but it was Cross who went 2-1 up. An 88 checkout on double seven saw Gurney send it all the way at 2-2.
He missed a set dart from 60 but returned with Cross unable to get a dart from 133 and it was a one set lead for Gurney.
An 89 checkout saw Cross begin set two with a break and consolidated on double 16 to go one away from leveling up which he sealed on double 20. But in the decider, it was one way traffic for Gurney who pinned double eight to claim the win.
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Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
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