Leonard Gates on his walk on came on to Commodores' track Too Hot Ta Trot and he was just that as he punished an out of sorts, Fallon Sherrock at the US Darts Masters with no Fairytale of New York set for the Queen of the Palace.
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Gates sealed a comprehensive 6-2 win over Sherrock who averaged 71.4 and could not produce her prior brilliance at Madison Square Garden with 'Soldier' the first of the non PDC superstars to make it through and he will play either Peter Wright or good friend, Danny Baggish tomorrow.
To begin the tie, Sherrock was handed a break opportunity at 107 but drifted into treble five only to return with Gates spurning three darts to hold and ‘The Queen of the Palace’ hit double nine.
A 150 set up from 186 saw Gates leave 36 as he looked to break back and despite drifting into double one, he hit double 17 to make it 1-1.
Sherrock was well back and this allowed Gates some nervy darts to hold at 2-1. Sherrock’s darts continued to drift and Gates left double 16 which he pinned for a 3-1 lead.
A 70 checkout saw Gates hold as Sherrock continued to struggle at 4-1 down. She missed two darts to hold but returned as Gates busted and made it 4-2.
Gates left 70 to hold and go one away finally and hit double eight to make it 5-2. Sherrock left 68 with a 138 set up with Gates left on 82 just in case. She drifted into five going for double 20 and Gates went bull-double 16 to seal it.
While Gary Anderson despite playing darting roulette against Matt Campbell was impressive as he sealed a 6-3 win and he will face former protege, Michael Smith again tomorrow.
Campbell missed a break chance to open and Anderson punished him with a superb double double 105 checkout on double 20 to lead.
He continued to miss darts at double and he opened the door for Anderson to take a 2-0 lead with a break. The Canadian broke back but missed darts again from 25 to hold and Anderson picked his pocket with a 57 checkout to make it 3-1.
He then kicked off 180 as he looked to hold for a 4-1 lead. He missed double 10 for it from a 128 but hit double five to claim it.
The switch to Jonny Clayton darts from Peter Wright ones seemed to be working as Anderson got six darts from 168 to go one away and he pinned 94 for a 5-1 lead.
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He had darts from 92 to win missing the second double 18 and Campbell returned for a break back on double 12. He continued to hang in there with a hold. More match darts went from 84 but he returned for double 12 finally to seal it.
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.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
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GATES STUNS SHERROCK! 🇺🇸
There'll be no fairytale of New York for Fallon Sherrock as Leonard Gates completes a comprehensive 6-2 victory!
Up next 👉 Peter Wright v Danny Baggish
Watch LIVE 👉 bit.ly/PDCTVLive
ANDO KO's CAMPBELL! 🏴
Gary Anderson turns up without his own darts but by using two different sets along the way, he sets up a meeting with Michael Smith, completing a 6-3 success!
Up next 👉 Fallon Sherrock v Leonard Gates
Watch LIVE 👉 bit.ly/PDCTVLive