Peter Wright almost pulls off epic comeback but departs Swiss Darts Trophy 2024 as Nathan Aspinall & Michael Smith complete 2nd round lineup

Peter Wright almost pulled off an epic comeback to keep his hopes alive at the 2024 Swiss Darts Trophy. Ultimately however, Snakebite had left himself too much work to do, with Richard Veenstra moving through to the second round 6-4.

After a disastrous start to the season for Wright, the Scot has shown signs of a resurgence in recent months. There was none of that on show early on in this contest however as the Dutchman Veenstra, came out of the blocks on fire, racing into a 5-0 lead with his average well over the 100 mark and Wright allowed just a single shot at a double to that point.

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That wasn't the end of the story however. Showing all the fighting capabilities that made him a two time world champion, Wright began to claw his way back. A ton plus checkout in leg 6 got him on the board, before he punished a missed match dart from Veenstra in leg 8. An 11 darter then saw Wright back within one, but after all his hard work, Snakebite missed three clear darts a level game, allowing Veenstra to scramble over the line a 6-4 winner.

Nathan Aspinall is also through to round 2. Against Marcel Walpen, who averaged just 79.01, Aspinall was in control throughout despite not being at his brilliant best. With two 180s, a ton plus checkout and a very impressive 6 out of 8 on the doubles though, the former World Matchplay secured the 6-3 win and a spot in the second round.

Finally, completing the second round lineup in Switzerland is Michael Smith. Initially, Ian White came flying out of the blocks, taking an early 3-0 lead thanks to legs of 12, 12 and 16. Smith came back into things though, and despite White hitting a trio on ton plus checkouts, the former world champion managed to force the contest into a deciding leg. In that 11th and final leg, it was BullyBoy who had the advantage of throw and in the end, that proved key, sealing the win in 15 darts.

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