KEVIN BURNESS sealed a straight sets victory against Paul Nicholson on his William Hill World Championship debut on Friday afternoon.
The Northern Irishman, who qualified by winning the Tom Kirby Memorial Irish Matchplay, punished Nicholson for three missed set darts to take the first set in a deciding leg.
Burness then took out 104 on the way to winning the second set 3-1, before finishes of 88 and 106 helped him take the third set by the same margin to complete an impressive success.
Burness returns on Friday evening to face two-time World Champion Gary Anderson in the second round.
Match Stats
Averages:
Nicholson 85.03
Burness 88.55
180s:
Nicholson 4
Burness 5
Highest Finish:
Nicholson 78
Burness 106
100+ Checkouts:
Nicholson 0
Burness 3
Finishing:
Nicholson 4/14
Burness 9/28
