Mervyn King stunned on World Seniors Darts Championship debut by inspired Derek Coulson

Following the early exit of darts icon Simon Whitlock, Mervyn King has also failed to progress past the first round of the World Seniors Darts Championship. ‘The King’ was defeated 3-1 in sets by Derek Coulson, despite putting in a strong performance on his Seniors debut.

Heading into the tournament, much of the focus was on three big names making their first appearance in the Circus Tavern: Whitlock, King, and Steve Beaton. However, with the event only just underway, two of the three have already been eliminated. Beaton is now the last of the trio left standing, set to play on Thursday evening.

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But while Whitlock’s loss came with a disappointing 83 average, the same cannot be said for King, who put in a solid performance with a 95.28 average. Unfortunately for him, he ran into an inspired Coulson, who stunned the former PDC star with an impressive 96 average.

King started strong, taking an early 1-0 lead in the opening set. However, Coulson responded brilliantly, reeling off three consecutive legs with a 15-darter and back-to-back 13-darters to claim the set. The Welshman then moved 2-1 ahead in the second set, but King showed his class with two 14-darters to level the match at 1-1 in sets.

In the third set, King regained the lead with a 68 checkout, but Coulson hit back with a 16-darter and a sensational 153 finish to move ahead. King forced a deciding leg with an 11-darter, but a crucial miss in his own throw proved costly. Coulson, showing nerves of steel, capitalized with a 14-darter to edge ahead 2-1 in sets.

The fourth set saw both players hold their throw early on. But Coulson, sensing a huge victory, stepped up when it mattered most. He closed out the match with a 56 finish and a 16-darter, sealing a 3-1 win and sending King crashing out.

Elsewhere in the first round, Ross Montgomery comfortably dispatched Trina Gulliver in straight sets. Averaging 92.93, ‘The Boss’ secured a 3-0 victory over the ten-time women's world champion. Graham Usher also impressed, dropping no sets as he eased past Richard Eirig-Rowlands with another 3-0 win.

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