Van Gerwen ends Aspinall’s UK Open reign as Wright denies Durrant and Dobey wins a thriller

Michael van Gerwen ended Nathan Aspinall’s reign as UK Open champion with a 10-8 victory in Round Four, while Peter Wright and Chris Dobey also came through thrilling ties.

Day One of the 2020 Ladbrokes UK Open saw 159 players toe the oche at the Butlins Minehead Resort, with the field whittled down to just 32 by the end of play.

Players ranked 97-127 on the Order of Merit began in Round One alongside eight Challenge Tour qualifiers, eight Development Tour qualifiers and 16 amateur qualifiers.

The winners then joined players ranked 65-96 in the Second Round, before players ranked 33-64 entered the fray in Round Three later and those ranked 1-32 entered in Round Four.

Fallon Sherrock saw her UK Open debut end abruptly with a 6-1 defeat at the hands of a ruthless Kyle McKinstry – who went on to become the only non Tour Card holder to reach Saturday’s Last 32.

Lisa Ashton also suffered the same fate on her Main Stage debut as she went down 6-2 at the hands of Belgian youngster Mike De Decker.

McKinstry sent home Sherrock in Round One (Photo by Lawrence Lustig/PDC)

Luke Humphries, who defeated Gary Anderson as a Challenger in the Premier League on Thursday, came from 3-0 down to edge out Kyle Anderson 6-5 before eventually bowing out to Stoke’s Andy Boulton in Round Four.

Two Rileys amateur qualifiers made it through to the Last 32, with 18-year-old university student Lewis Williams defeating Portugal’s Jose De Sousa before being edged out in a 19th leg decider by Steve West.

Essex decorator Rhys Hayden defeated Spain’s Toni Alcinas in a memorable debut run before eventually bowing out 10-5 to Dimitri van den Bergh on Stage Two.

The Fourth Round draw produced a number of glamour ties, including world number one Van Gerwen against defending champion and recent Premier League nemesis Aspinall.

A high-quality affair saw neither player able to open up more than a two-leg lead throughout, before two-time champion Van Gerwen eventually closed out a 10-8 success with a 105.5 average.

Van Gerwen will now play Jason Lowe in Saturday afternoon’s fifth round, after the Cradley Heath thrower – a Tour Card winner at Qualifying School in January – defeated Cody Harris, Jonathan Worsley and 2014 UK Open champion Adrian Lewis to reach the last 32.

Chris Dobey and Krzysztof Ratajski both averaged over 105 in an outstanding fourth round tie which saw the Bedlington ace come from 9-8 down to win 10-9, taking out a 91 bull finish in the deciding leg of a thriller.

World number three Gerwyn Price was another impressive performer as he averaged 104 in his dominant 10-3 defeat of Danny Noppert, and the Welshman will now play Ricky Evans after the Kettering ace overcame Joe Murnan 10-4.

2017 UK Open champion Peter Wright emerged victorious from another tight contest, averaging over 102 in his 10-8 win over Glen Durrant.

The World Champion now plays Ian White, who averaged almost 100 in a 10-6 win over emerging talent Harry Ward.

2018 UK Open winner Gary Anderson gained revenge for his loss to Steve Beaton in this event 12 months ago with a 10-7 victory as he progressed to a tie with Plymouth’s Simon Stevenson, who saw off both Kevin Doets and Darren Webster in a deciding leg.

Former World Champion Rob Cross, last year’s runner-up to Aspinall in Minehead, hit back from 6-5 down to win 10-7 against Dutch youngster Niels Zonneveld.

Cross will now face Michael Smith in another plum fifth round tie, with the world number five having overcome James Wilson 10-4.

Ireland’s Willie O’Connor fought off a strong fightback from Dave Chisnall to claim a narrow 10-8 win, with the Morecambe ace having begun the game wearing glasses, removed them at 5-0 down before hitting back from a seven-leg deficit to trail 8-7 at one stage.

Stephen Bunting survived three missed match darts from Vincent van der Voort as he progressed to a meeting with St Helens rival Alan Tabern, who won four games on Friday to reach the last 32.

Saturday will see the afternoon session’s fifth round followed in the evening session by the sixth round, before Sunday sees the remaining eight players return to compete for the £100,000 title.

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Ladbrokes UK Open 2020 Results

Friday March 6

Afternoon Session (11am start, 12pm on Main Stage)

Main Stage
Mike De Decker 6-2 Lisa Ashton (R1)
Damon Heta 4-6 Scott Waites (R1)
Kyle McKinstry 6-1 Fallon Sherrock (R1)
Scott Baker 5-6 Mark McGeeney (R2)
Jeff Smith 5-6 John Michael (R2)
David Pallett 3-6 Kevin Doets (R2)
Jason Heaver 4-6 Kyle McKinstry (R2)
Luke Humphries 6-5 Kyle Anderson (R3)
Kim Huybrechts 6-1 Robert Thornton (R3)
Josh Payne 6-4 Luke Woodhouse (R3)

Stage Two
Cody Harris 6-5 Scott Taylor (R1)
Kai Fan Leung 6-3 Kelvin Self (R1)
Adam Hunt 0-6 Karel Sedlacek (R1)
Keane Barry 2-6 Alan Tabern (R1)
Andy Hamilton 6-3 Patrick Lynskey (R1)
Marko Kantele 0-6 Dirk van Duijvenbode (R2)
Scott Waites 6-1 Geert Nentjes (R2)
Daniel Larsson 5-6 Mike De Decker (R2)
Bradley Brooks 6-2 Nick Kenny (R2)
Ryan Searle 6-5 Cristo Reyes (R3)
William O’Connor 6-2 Jan Dekker (R3)
Vincent van der Voort 6-4 John Michael (R3)
William Borland 6-5 Mike De Decker (R3)

Stage Three
Steffen Siepmann 6-4 Krzysztof Kciuk (R1)
Peter Jacques 6-4 Ciaran Teehan (R1)
Michael Barnard 5-6 Steve Brown (R1)
Daniel Larsson 6-5 Ryan Meikle (R1)
Harry Ward 6-5 Gavin Carlin (R2)
Kirk Shepherd 2-6 Kai Fan Leung (R2)
Karel Sedlacek 6-2 Barrie Bates (R2)
Rhys Hayden 6-4 James Richardson (R2)
Ron Meulenkamp 4-6 Richard North (R3)
Conan Whitehead 2-6 Steve West (R3)
Devon Petersen 4-6 Bradley Brooks (R3)
Wesley Harms 5-6 Martin Atkins (R3)
Stephen Burton 2-6 Kyle McKinstry (R3)

Stage Four
Jason Askew 6-4 Greg Ritchie (R1)
Jason Heaver 6-0 Jesus Noguera (R1)
Adam Smith-Neale 6-4 Ben Cheeseman (R1)
Darren Beveridge 6-3 Nathan Rafferty (R1)
Andy Boulton 6-2 Reece Robinson (R2)
Nathan Derry 3-6 Maik Kuivenhoven (R2)
Justin Smith 5-6 Wesley Harms (R2)
Derk Telnekes 4-6 Madars Razma (R2)
Jamie Lewis 6-5 Ross Smith (R3)
Ted Evetts 4-6 James Wilson (R3)
Steve Lennon 4-6 Alan Tabern (R3)
Mickey Mansell 2-6 Niels Zonneveld (R3)

Stage Five
Adam Huckvale 6-1 Stephen Burton (R1)
Rhys Hayden 6-5 James Clark (R1)
Cameron Menzies 5-6 Bradley Brooks (R1)
Kevin Burness 1-6 Harald Leitinger (R1)
Jonathan Worsley 6-4 Matt Clark (R2)
Carl Wilkinson 2-6 Steffen Siepmann (R2)
Ted Evetts 6-1 Berry Van Peer (R2)
Steve Brown 3-6 Alan Tabern (R2)
Justin Pipe 6-3 Kai Fan Leung (R3)
Ryan Joyce 6-2 Yordi Meeuwisse (R3)
Jose De Sousa 4-6 Lewis Williams (R3)
Nathan Rafferty 2-6 Jamie Hughes (R3)

Stage Six
Aaron Beeney 3-6 Wesley Harms (R1)
Boris Koltsov 4-6 Danny van Trijp (R1)
Andrew Davidson 2-6 William Borland (R1)
Lewis Williams 6-5 Robert Owen (R1)
Cody Harris 6-1 Jason Lowe (R2)
Martin Atkins 6-2 Christian Bunse (R2)
Mike van Duivenbode 1-6 Nathan Rafferty (R2)
Niels Zonneveld 6-4 Andy Hamilton (R2)
Maik Kuivenhoven 3-6 Gabriel Clemens (R3)
Darius Labanauskas 3-6 Dirk van Duijvenbode (R3)
Rhys Hayden 6-2 Toni Alcinas (R3)
Matthew Edgar 6-3 Callan Rydz (R3)

Stage Seven
Martin Atkins 6-5 Ryan Murray (R1)
Shane McGuirk 5-6 Callan Rydz (R1)
Wayne Jones 6-1 Gary Blades (R1)
Berry van Peer 6-4 Owen Roelofs (R1)
Rowby-John Rodriguez 5-6 Jason Askew (R2)
Peter Jacques 3-6 Yordi Meeuwisse (R2)
Lewis Williams 6-3 Adrian Gray (R2)
Harald Leitinger 3-6 Joe Murnan (R2)
Martin Schindler 6-4 Benito van de Pas (R3)
Mark McGeeney 4-6 Andy Boulton (R3)
Jonathan Worsley 3-6 Jason Lowe (R3)
Madars Razma 2-6 Scott Waites (R3)

Stage Eight
Justin Smith 6-3 Andy Jenkins (R1)
Derk Telnekes 6-3 Martijn Kleermaker (R1)
James Richardson 6-4 Darren Penhall (R1)
Kevin Doets 6-1 Alfie Thompson (R1)
Stephen Burton 6-4 Vincent van der Meer (R2)
Wayne Jones 3-6 Conan Whitehead (R2)
Danny van Trijp 0-6 William Borland (R2)
Adam Smith-Neale 3-6 Callan Rydz (R2)
Jelle Klaasen 6-4 Jason Askew (R3)
Harry Ward 6-3 Steffen Siepmann (R3)
Kevin Doets 5-6 Simon Stevenson (R3)
Karel Sedlacek 3-6 Joe Murnan (R3)

Evening Session (7pm-11pm)

Fourth Round

Main Stage
Gerwyn Price 10-3 Danny Noppert
Glen Durrant 8-10 Peter Wright
Michael van Gerwen 10-8 Nathan Aspinall
Gary Anderson 10-7 Steve Beaton

Stage Two
Rhys Hayden 5-10 Dimitri Van den Bergh
Dave Chisnall 8-10 William O’Connor
Vincent van der Voort 9-10 Stephen Bunting
Krzysztof Ratajski 9-10 Chris Dobey

Stage Three
Harry Ward 6-10 Ian White
Mensur Suljovic 10-4 Jamie Lewis
Ryan Joyce 9-10 Gabriel Clemens
Michael Smith 10-4 James Wilson

Stage Four
Kim Huybrechts 10-8 Ryan Searle
Richard North 6-10 Alan Tabern
Dirk van Duijvenbode 10-9 Jermaine Wattimena
Jeffrey de Zwaan 7-10 Simon Whitlock

Stage Five
Kyle McKinstry 10-8 Bradley Brooks
Rob Cross 10-7 Niels Zonneveld
Joe Cullen 10-7 Mervyn King
Adrian Lewis 4-10 Jason Lowe

Stage Six
William Borland 5-10 Jelle Klaasen
Joe Murnan 4-10 Ricky Evans
Simon Stevenson 10-9 Darren Webster
Jonny Clayton 10-7 Scott Waites

Stage Seven
Luke Humphries 8-10 Andy Boulton
Lewis Williams 9-10 Steve West
Matthew Edgar 10-5 Josh Payne
James Wade 10-5 John Henderson

Stage Eight
Keegan Brown 9-10 Daryl Gurney
Justin Pipe 2-10 Martin Schindler
Brendan Dolan 9-10 Jamie Hughes

Martin Atkins received a bye due to the withdrawal of Max Hopp

Saturday March 7

Afternoon Session (12.30pm-5pm)

Last 32

Main Stage
Simon Whitlock v Chris Dobey
Jason Lowe v Michael van Gerwen
Peter Wright v Ian White
Rob Cross v Michael Smith

Stage Two
William O’Connor v Daryl Gurney
Gerwyn Price v Ricky Evans
James Wade v Kim Huybrechts
Gary Anderson v Simon Stevenson

Stage Three
Jonny Clayton v Joe Cullen
Dirk van Duijvenbode v Mensur Suljovic
Stephen Bunting v Alan Tabern
Matthew Edgar v Dimitri Van den Bergh

Stage Four
Martin Atkins v Jamie Hughes
Jelle Klaasen v Steve West
Kyle McKinstry v Martin Schindler
Andy Boulton v Gabriel Clemens

Evening Session (7pm-11pm)

Last 16 matches (TBC)