Ross Smith pounces as Mike de Decker lets lead slip at Flanders Darts Trophy
PDCSaturday, 07 September 2024 at 17:04
Ross Smith pounced on a slip from Mike de Decker who did not survive the second round of the Flanders Darts Trophy in Antwerp. 'The Real Deal' had a big lead in his match against Ross Smith, but was unable to capitalize on the advantage.
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De Decker had an excellent start to the match. He broke Smith immediately in the first leg with a 15-darter, after 'Smudger' missed one arrow on the bullseye. De Decker then doubled the margin with a 105 finish.
That was then followed by a 152 finish in the third leg, and a 100 finish in the fourth leg, giving De Decker a comfortable 4-0 lead after four legs. Smith grew into the match after that, however.
With a 13-darter and a 12-darter, Smith quickly halved the deficit to 4-2. Decker then failed to take advantage of Smith's failure to finish in five innings, leaving Smith with a 16-darter to make it 4-3. De Decker then retained the lead by hitting a 13-darter to make it 5-3.
Smith cut the deficit to 5-4 with a 14-darter. Decker then started the tenth leg, but could not create any matchdarts in six innings. Smith then levelled the score with an 18-darter and started the last leg himself. Smith did a fantastic job with a 180 and 140 score and finished the match with a 14-darter.
Dave Chisnall also secured a spot in the last sixteen of the Euro Tour tournament in Antwerp. 'Chizzy' did so convincingly by beating James Wade thanks to an average of 102. Chisnall won the first four legs of the match and eventually triumphed 6-2.
In the final match of the afternoon session, Ryan Searle advanced to the last sixteen at the expense of Joe Cullen. 'Heavy Metal' managed to pull the English showdown his way 6-4 with a very nice 164 finish in the tenth leg.
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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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