SIMON WHITLOCK defeated Paul Nicholson 13-9 in their first ever meeting in a special head-to-head on Friday.
The top DartPlayers Australia duo played for the first time at the Illawarra Yacht Club, with Whitlock having only joined the DPA circuit this year.
The former Lakeside Championship runner-up came out on top in the best-of-25 leg contest.
Whitlock took the first two legs before Nicholson hit back to level, only for the Queenslander to include a 114 finish in claiming three of the next four to lead 6-3.
He also started the tenth with a 180, only for Nicholson to take that leg on the bullseye for an 81 finish, and the next to reduce the gap to one leg.
Three more legs for Whitlock, including a 13-darter, put him 9-5 up, but Nicholson battled back once more with back-to-back legs of 14 and 13 darts.
The next four legs went with the throw to leave Nicholson 11-9 down, before Whitlock kicked off the 21st leg with back-to-back 180s in moving one leg away from the win, which was sealed in the next against the throw.
Earlier, the curtain-raising South Island Challenge between New Zealanders Preston Ridd and Warren French ended 3-4.
French - twice a Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship qualifier, trailed 3-1 - as Ridd took his chances, including a 111 finish - before recovering from earlier missed doubles to win three successive legs and claim victory.
The Illawarra Yacht Club will host two DPA ranked tournaments over the weekend, as the build-up to next Sunday's Australian Open Players Championship in Sydney continues.
Players can still enter the Australian Open Players Championship, which will be held at the Coogee Bay Hotel, Sydney on Sunday August 9.
PDPA members would enter via the PDC Online Entry System, while non-members from outside the UK can enter via DartPlayers Australia - full information is available here.
Match Stats
|
Simon Whitlock |
13-9 |
Paul Nicholson |
|
32 |
100 |
27 |
|
12 |
100+ |
18 |
|
7 |
180 |
2 |
|
31.09 |
Ave1 |
29.91 |
|
93.27 |
Ave3 |
89.73 |
|
5 |
Legs Against Throw |
3 |