Stan James World Matchplay - Monday Evening Session Reports

REPORTS, stats and reaction from Monday's evening session at the Stan James World Matchplay, featuring wins for Dennis Priestley, Michael van Gerwen, Phil Taylor and Mervyn King.

Highlights will be available in DartsTV from 7pm on Tuesday evening.

Stan James World Matchplay
First Round (Continued)
Dennis Priestley 10-5 Colin Osborne
Peter Manley 9-11 Michael van Gerwen
Phil Taylor 10-2 Wes Newton
Colin Lloyd 4-10 Mervyn King

DENNIS PRIESTLEY 10-5 COLIN OSBORNE

DENNIS PRIESTLEY marched into round two of the Stan James World Matchplay with a 10-5 win over Colin Osborne at the Winter Gardens.

Priestley showed all his experience to soar past the emerging star from Derby, who paid the price for a mid-game lull which allowed the double World Champion to open up a 7-3 lead.

Osborne did lead 2-1 early on, but Priestley punished missed doubles in the fourth leg to level and then won the next two to move two legs clear.

Osborne took out double five in the seventh, but then saw Priestley take another three successive legs to push 7-3 up after his own misses in two of those legs.

A ten-darter, the first of the tournament, stopped the rot for Osborne as he landed 180, 140, 145 and double 18.

But he was left sat on a finish in the next two legs only to see Priestley check out and move to within a leg of the match, before a 121 finish for a 12-darter sealed the Yorkshireman's last 16 berth.

Dennis Priestley	10-5	Colin Osborne
20	100+	15
14	140+	12
2	180	3
31.04	Ave1	30.77
93.13	Ave3	92.31
121,100	High Finish	40 x2

MICHAEL VAN GERWEN 11-9 PETER MANLEY

TEENAGE wonderkid Michael van Gerwen made a stunning Stan James World Matchplay debut by surviving a Peter Manley with an 11-9 triumph at the Winter Gardens.

Van Gerwen, 18, has taken the world of darts by storm and showed by he has been dubbed as the most exciting youngster in the sport.

He stormed into leads of 5-2 and 8-4 before Manley reeled off four legs in a row to level matters.

The game headed into a tie-break at nine-all, but two superb legs from the youngster saw him set up a second round date with Ronnie Baxter on Wednesday.

"This is the fourth time we've played and it's the first time I've beaten him," said van Gerwen.

"There was a lot of pressure on me and at 8-4 I started to miss some doubles."

Manley opened the match with a two-dart 72 finish, but van Gerwen hit back with checkouts of 102 and 86.

Manley levelled at two-each before Van Gerwen stepped in to take three in a row, including a break of throw in the sixth leg after his opponent missed his favoured double top.

Two of the next three went Manley's way to leave him in touch at 6-4 down, but van Gerwen landed 180s in the next two to double his advantage.

However, he began to waver and was punished for missed doubles in four straight legs as Manley hit back to level matters - and then go in front 9-8 with double two.

Van Gerwen landed two 180s in the next leg to square matters and ensure a tie-break - with the winner needing to be two legs clear for victory.

A fantastic leg against the throw put him 10-9 up, and another two-dart 86 finish sealed the win.

Manley admitted: "I had too many slack darts but it was an exciting game."

Peter Manley	9-11	Michael van Gerwen
17	100+	18
9	140+	16
3	180	5
26.52	Ave1	29.33
79.57	Ave3	88.00
80	High Finish	127,102

PHIL TAYLOR V WES NEWTON

PHIL TAYLOR bounced back into form with a 10-2 demolition of Wes Newton in the first round of the Stan James World Matchplay.

Taylor had lost out in his last two televised tournaments, including a shock first round exit in the Las Vegas Desert Classic.

He had some nervous moments early on against Newton, who should have taken a 3-2 lead into the first break but was never given another chance after Taylor hit the front.

The eight-time World Matchplay champion reeled off eight legs in a row and lifted his average to almost 98 to set up a tasty second round encounter with Kevin Painter.

"It's a good start," said Taylor, who admitted he felt under pressure.

"You lose a couple of matches and people start to knock you a little bit. It hurts you and you start disbelieving in yourself - maybe that's what happened when I got up on stage.

"Wes is a good little player but I was trying very hard. It will be a battle next Wednesday, very different to this game but I'll enjoy it - the best thing for me is the longer format.

"I'm up for this title - I really, really want to win it."

Taylor had won the bull before the match, but gave Newton the throw - a policy which backfired as the Fleetwood-based favourite took out double 16.

Newton missed double top in the second leg, with Taylor hitting double four to level matters, but the 29-year-old hit back with a 145 finish in leg three.

Taylor bettered that checkout with a brilliant 164 in the next, and the match turned in leg five when Newton missed two darts to go 3-2 up into the break - and his opponent hit double top at the first time of asking.

Taylor, who had hit just seven ton-plus scores in the first five legs and looked under pressure, visibly regained his swagger and confidence from that point onwards.

An 11-darter put daylight between the pair, and he added further legs of 12, 11, 14 and 13 in romping to the win.

"I'm very disappointed," said Newton. "Phil was struggling in the early legs but I was pushing myself too hard to take advantage of him.

"I didn't do that, let him off the hook and once he got in front he did what he does best and bullied me.

"Those first five legs was my big chance and I didn't take advantage.

"I lost by the same scoreline last year to John Part so it's two bad results - hopefully it will be third time lucky if I'm here next year.

"I'm 23rd in the world and my target now is to get into the top 16 by the end of the year. That would be a good achievement."

Taylor also fired out a warning shot to Raymond van Barneveld, who took his World Championship title in January and also knocked him out the UK Open last month.

"Barney's spell is coming to and end now," he said. "I'm after him and I'm going to bash him up.

"I love him to bits but I've got to worry about Kevin Painter first. That's the next challenge and I can't worry about Barney."

Phil Taylor	10-2	Wes Newton
13	100+	8
8	140+	7
5	180	2
32.63	Ave1	28.02
97.89	Ave3	84.07
164	High Finish	145

COLIN LLOYD 4-10 MERVYN KING

MERVYN KING made an excellent Stan James World Matchplay debut to dump former champion Colin Lloyd from the tournament with a 10-4 win on Monday night.

King has already moved into the world's top 50 inside six months since he switched to the PDC circuit, but produced arguably his best display in that time to soar past Lloyd.

The 2004 World Matchplay winner and former world number one produced only fleeting glimpses of his best form with three ton-plus finishes in the match, but saw King check out in six legs where he was sat on a double.

"It doesn't get much better than beating the former world number one on my debut here," said King.

"It wasn't the real Colin Lloyd up there. We were both uncomfortable but I was maybe the more comfortable and I got the result.

"He's a far better player than that but I can't throw his darts for him, and I was good enough on the night."

Lloyd began brightly, taking out 104 for the first leg before King won three in a row, including a break of throw in the third leg of the game after Lloyd missed double 16.

A second 104 finish from Lloyd was followed by a fantastic 156 as the Essex star pulled back to 4-3 before King pulled away again with back-to-back legs - including a 145 checkout for a 6-3 cushion.

Lloyd won leg ten comfortably to reduce the arrears, but King returned from the break in determined mood.

He combined high scoring with some clinical finishing to reel off four straight legs - punishing misses from Lloyd in three - and wrap up his win.