Germany survive Spain scare as Wales and Netherlands start strongly at the World Cup of Darts
Hosts Germany staved off an early exit at the 2022 World Cup of Darts with a tense 5-4 win over Spain in Frankfurt on Thursday, while Wales, Netherlands and Northern Ireland also progressed.
Gabriel Clemens and Martin Schindler missed ten match darts between them before eventually getting over the line in a dramatic deciding leg against Jose Justicia and Tony Martinez.
The seventh seeds seized the initiative midway through the contest, with Clemens’ 146 checkout in leg five swiftly followed by a classy 108 from Schindler in the sixth.
However, the pair then squandered ten match darts between them in an extraordinary conclusion, before Clemens regained his poise to pin double six in a breathless deciding leg which saw Spain left waiting on 24.
“I have no words. It’s amazing, I am so happy,” said Clemens. “It is a lot of pressure because you want to win for the fans, but I hope we have a full crowd on Saturday, and hopefully we can have another great game.”
Meanwhile, 2020 champions Wales set down an early marker as Gerwyn Price averaged 99.2 in a 5-2 success over Philippines duo Lourence Ilagan and RJ Escaros.
The Premier League pair looked set to run riot following a blistering start, with Clayton following up a maximum from his fellow countryman by cleaning up 84 in two darts for an 11-dart opener.
Ilagan and Escaros fought back to level at two apiece, but finishes of 106 and 108 from Price, sandwiched between a 13-darter, saw them run out convincing winners.
“I’ve been doubting myself recently, so today was a big confidence boost,” admitted Price.
“We have a great bond,” Clayton added. “As long as we play our game, I think we’ve got a fantastic chance of getting our title back.”
Price and Clayton will now face last year’s runners-up – Mensur Suljovic and Rowby-John Rodriguez – after the Austrian duo defied a spirited fightback from Finland’s Marko Kantele and Aki Paavilainen to progress.
The Austrians suffered a mid-game slump having stormed into a 3-0 lead, but Suljovic – one of four World Cup ever-presents – sealed the deal in leg eight, having earlier almost clinched the match with a spectacular 156 checkout.
Netherlands’ new-look pairing of Danny Noppert and Dirk van Duijvenbode breezed through to Round Two with a 5-0 whitewash of Brazil’s Diogo Portela and Artur Valle.
Van Duijvenbode, a replacement for Michael van Gerwen – who has undergone surgery on an arm injury – produced an accomplished display alongside UK Open champion Noppert, as the Dutch duo eye a fifth World Cup crown for their nation.
Daryl Gurney vowed to lead Northern Ireland to World Cup glory alongside Brendan Dolan, after they survived a scare to see off Gibraltar’s vibrant young pairing of Justin Hewitt and Craig Galliano.
With a combined age of just 40, Hewitt and Galliano revelled in the partisan atmosphere at the Eissporthalle, restoring parity at three apiece to threaten an unlikely triumph.
However, a magical seventh leg from Gurney turned the tide, with the 36-year-old following up a maximum with a stunning 135 checkout on the bull to set up a 5-3 success.
“I’ve been telling everybody all week, we are going to win it,” insisted Gurney.
“I’ve got one of the best gentlemen, one of the best dart players in the world playing alongside me. I would absolutely love to win the World Cup with Brendan.”
Former finalists William O’Connor and Steve Lennon will face the Netherlands for a Last Eight spot, after the Republic of Ireland began their campaign with a comfortable 5-2 win over Canada’s Jeff Smith and Matt Campbell.
The Irish pair landed back-to-back 16-darters to establish an early 2-0 cushion, before O’Connor followed up a clinical 83 finish on the bull in leg four by wrapping up proceedings in 14 darts.
“It was tough. Steve played absolutely brilliantly there. I’m over the moon,” said a confident O’Connor.
“If Steve can keep doing what he’s doing and I can start doing what I can do, there’s very few that can stop us.”
New Zealand’s Ben Robb and Warren Parry made a winning start in their first appearance as a partnership, battling past Switzerland’s Stefan Bellmont and Thomas Junghans in a hard-fought encounter.
The 2019 quarter-finalists recovered from an edgy start to draw level inside 13 darts, and Robb capped off a solid debut by pinning tops to set up a showdown against sixth seeds Gurney and Dolan.
In the tournament’s curtain-raiser, Danish duo Vladimir Andersen & Andreas Toft Jörgensen eased past Singapore’s Paul Lim and Harith Lim to book a meeting with hosts Germany in round two.
Andersen produced an impressive display to spearhead Denmark to a first World Cup win since 2016, wrapping up an emphatic victory with a 112 finish.
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World Cup of Darts 2022 Day One Results
Thursday June 16
First Round
Denmark 5-2 Singapore
New Zealand 5-3 Switzerland
Republic of Ireland 5-2 Canada
Austria 5-3 Finland
Northern Ireland 5-3 Gibraltar
Wales 5-2 Philippines
Germany 5-4 Spain
Netherlands 5-0 Brazil
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