Nick Kenny continues winning run on return to Euro Tour at German Darts Championship

After his victory at the Champion of Champions last weekend, Nick Kenny has continued his winning run in the first round of the German Darts Championship on Friday afternoon.

Kenny was facing Jelle Klaasen, for whom it was his first Euro Tour tournament of the season. Klaasen had a fairly solid spring in which he amassed 6,000 pounds in six Players Championship tournaments, but since the summer things have been slow for the former Lakeside champion. In each of the last seven Players Championship tournaments he was eliminated in the first round.

In the match itself, Klaasen managed to hold throw in his first three legs. He won the first leg with a 21-darter, and in the third and fifth leg Klaasen collected his legs with a 16-darter and a 120 finish. Kenny though, kept his three legs of throw with two 16-darters and a 13-darter.

A poor seventh leg led the defeat for Klaasen. After six visits, the Dutchman was on a score of just 198, after which Kenny broke him with an 18-darter. The Welshman then held his own leg with a 14-darter before Kenny decided the match with a 17-darter.

Andrew Gilding also secured a spot in the second round of the German Darts Championship. 'Goldfinger' dealt with Nordic & Baltic qualifier Johan Engstrom in his opening match. Gilding bookended an 0-2 deficit into a 4-2 lead, then made it 5-3 with a 76 finish. Engstrom then narrowed the deficit to 5-4 with a 19-darter, before Gilding set the final score at 6-4 with a 15-darter.

Robert Owen advanced to the last 32 in Hildesheim at the expense of Krzysztof Kciuk. Kciuk won the first leg with a 17-darter, after which Owen took a 3-1 lead with an 11-darter and a 13-darter. Kciuk then fought his way back to 3-3 before Owen broke him again with a 14-darter. He then put a 6-3 result on the scoreboard via a 17-darter and a 75 check-out.

In disappointing match, Mickey Mansell settled with Matthias Ehlers. In a match in which both players threw a low 80 average, Mansell won 6-2. After four legs the score was still 2-2, before 'Clonoe Cyclone' took four legs in a row.