Gary Anderson dispatches Dave Chisnall in World Matchplay opener as Price brushes aside Bunting

Gerwyn Price began his quest for World Matchplay glory with a 10-3 rout of Stephen Bunting on opening night in Blackpool, as Gary Anderson dumped out Dave Chisnall.

Day One of the sport’s summer show-piece saw Price launch bid for a maiden Matchplay crown in emphatic style, reeling off seven straight legs to sail into the Second Round.

Price took centre stage on an entertaining evening at the Winter Gardens, winning ten of the last 11 legs to set up a show-down with Joe Cullen.

Bunting punished a sluggish start from the Welshman to win the opening two legs, but Price soon found his range, firing in seven perfect darts in leg five on his way to a 3-2 lead.

The 38-year-old continued his charge with a majestic tops-tops 100 checkout to stretch his advantage to 7-3, and he reeled off the last seven legs without reply to cap off a dominant display.

“I got the job done, and that’s all I wanted to do tonight,” reflected Price, who was beaten by Bunting at the same stage of the 2019 World Matchplay.

“I haven’t played in many ranking events over the last month, but my confidence is there, and I believe I’ll get better round-by-round, so hopefully my A-game will come out.

“Tuesday is a new day and it will be a tough game against Joe Cullen. Joe is a great player so I need to put him under pressure, but I’m looking forward to it.”

Meanwhile, Anderson – competing as an unseeded player at this event for the first time since 2010 – won through a scrappy affair against Chisnall to set up an intriguing tie against Daryl Gurney.

Chisnall led 3-2 following an inauspicious start to proceedings, but Anderson stole a march in the second session, reeling off five consecutive legs to open up a commanding four-leg cushion.

The Scottish legend wasn’t at his blistering best, but he capitalised on Chizzy’s errors throughout, and a nerveless 115 combination from Anderson in leg 13 guided him to a 10-6 triumph.

“I was a bit nervous, but I’ll take the win,” said the two-time World Champion, making his 15th consecutive appearance in the event.

“Daryl played well tonight, and if I play like I did tonight, I will be going home very quickly, so I need to improve.

“I’m enjoying the game again, and it’s been a long time since I have enjoyed it, and I’m looking forward to Tuesday now.”

Earlier in the night, Gurney condemned Rob Cross to his first opening round exit at the Winter Gardens with a dramatic 12-10 victory, avenging his astonishing Semi-Final defeat to Cross four years ago.

Cross fought back from 15-9 down to stun Gurney on that occasion, and history appeared to be repeating itself when the fifth seed recovered from 4-0, 6-3 and 9-7 adrift to lead 10-9.

Gurney had produced back-to-back 110 and 111 finishes to lead 4-0, but a three-leg burst of 13, 14 and 13 darts from Cross – followed by a 170 checkout in leg 14 – saw him level at seven apiece.

The pendulum continued to swing as Cross recovered from a 9-7 deficit to lead for the first time, but Gurney regained his poise in the closing stages, winning the last three legs to triumph in a thriller.

“It’s payback for a couple of years ago!” quipped Gurney, a two-time semi-finalist in Blackpool.

“It’s tough because I’m lower down in the rankings, but it just shows that every dog has their day and I can still play this game.

“There’s nobody working harder than me. I’m working so hard to try and get back to where I was, but the standard now is ridiculous, and to beat Rob on this stage, it means a lot.”

Cullen raised the curtain on the tournament with an impressive 10-7 victory over debutant Mike De Decker, averaging almost 101, landing eight 180s and converting three ton-plus finishes.

The Yorkshireman – aided by a superb 143 checkout in leg two – raced into an early 4-1 lead, before defying a spectacular 164 checkout from De Decker in leg seven to extend his buffer to 7-3.

Cullen added a brilliant 126 on the bull to his highlights reel in leg 11, and then fended off a late rally from the Belgian to seal his progress with an unorthodox 120 checkout on double ten.

“I wanted to win that first session, and from there I think I controlled the game,” reflected Cullen.

“It maybe should have been a little bit more comfortable, but it’s all about just getting over the first hurdle, regardless of the performance.

“My game is in a good place at the minute. I’ve been putting in some big performances against some big players, so there’s no reason why I can’t go a long way. We’re all capable of winning it.”

World Matchplay 2023 Day One Results

Saturday July 15

First Round

Joe Cullen 10-7 Mike De Decker
Rob Cross 10-12 Daryl Gurney
Gerwyn Price 10-3 Stephen Bunting
Dave Chisnall 6-10 Gary Anderson

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