Stan James World Matchplay - Wednesday Afternoon Session Reports

REPORTS from the second round play on Wednesday afternoon at the Stan James World Matchplay.

Highlights will be available from 7pm on Thursday in DartsTV.

Stan James World Matchplay
Second Round
Wednesday Afternoon Session
James Wade 16-14 Dennis Priestley
Mervyn King 13-4 Andy Jenkins
Michael van Gerwen 12-14 Ronnie Baxter
Best of 25 legs

JAMES WADE 16-14 DENNIS PRIESTLEY

JAMES WADE sneaked into the quarter-finals of the Stan James World Matchplay with a 16-14 tie-break win against Dennis Priestley at the Winter Gardens.

The 30-leg epic contest swung back and forth between the two, with Priestley missing one dart at double top for a 13-11 win and Wade off-target 11 times for victory before finally landing double ten to progress.

Wade had reached the final of the tournament 12 months ago with a brilliant series of displays, and remains on course to emulate that feat after reaching the last eight.

Priestley took out 120 to win the game's opeining leg, but Wade responded well to take leads of 4-2 and 5-3 with some clinical finishing on double top.

The veteran Yorkshireman took three successive legs to sneak his nose in front, only for Wade for find another gear and move into a 9-7 advantage, including a fantastic 135 finish of bull, treble 15 and double top.

Wade held his nerve to move into an 11-9 lead, within two of the match, before Priestley landed double 20 to halve the deficit, take out 121 on double 14 to level and then hit tops again to return to the lead.

He also gave himself a dart for the match in the 24th leg, only to see his effort land on the wire of double top.

Wade took out a pressure double four and then moved 13-12 up with Priestley sat on a finish in the next leg.

The tension got to both men in the 26th, with Wade missing six darts at double top for the win and another at double 16 before Priestley's double one levelled matters.

Wade hit back with a 13-darter against the throw, before stumbling again at the finishing line with a miss at double ten and three at double five.

Priestley again mopped up, but Wade sneaked back in front at 15-14 and then finally landed the winner on double ten.

"I can't explain what happened!" said Wade. "Every single time I threw a dart for the match it came out perfect but wasn't even close!

"It must have been the pressure but didn't feel pressure, the dart was coming out of my hand well and straight, but not going in.

"I was trying to push to get to the last leg but every time I pushed it wouldn't go in.

"It's hard to get into a ryhthm against Dennis. He's got all the experience in the world and his style is his own, but it's tough playing against him."

Dennis Priestley	14-16	James Wade
48	100+	36
20	140+	22
5	180	2
30.30	Ave1	28.89
90.89	Ave3	86.67
121, 120, 116	High Finish	135

MERVYN KING 13-4 ANDY JENKINS

MERVYN KING powered into the last eight of the Stan James World Matchplay with a sensational display to see off Andy Jenkins 13-4.

The PDC newcomer dumped former champion Colin Lloyd out of the event in round one, and set up a quarter-final contest with James Wade.

King found himself 2-0 down early on as Jenkins made a good start, landing double ten in the first two legs but paying for misses in the third.

King also took the next two legs to edge in front before three missed doubles allowed Jenkins to make the scoreline 3-3.

King won two of the next three to lead 5-4 before surging clear with some superb darts to take a six-leg lead.

Jenkins missed darts at doubles in the 15th and 16th legs as King moved to within a leg of victory at 12-4.

The Portsmouth thrower landed a third maximum of the match in the next leg, but a clinical two-dart 81 checkout completed a superb win for King.

"There's always room for improvement but I was happy with the performance and happy with the win," said King.

"It's getting better. I put in eight hours practice on Tuesday because I wasn't happy with my first round game and I didn't feel comfortable throwing the darts.

"I've had a lot of upset in my life in recent months and it did affect me, but now I've got my mind right and I'm starting to go in the right direction."

Mervyn King	13-4	Andy Jenkins
21	100+	23
13	140+	13
4	180	3
32.28	Ave1	30.63
96.85	Ave3	91.88
102	High Finish	80

RONNIE BAXTER 14-12 MICHAEL VAN GERWEN

RONNIE BAXTER produced a remarkable comeback to end Michael van Gerwen's Stan James World Matchplay hopes with a 14-12 tie-break triumph.

The 1998 runner-up looked set to exit the tournament after falling 12-10 behind in the race to 13 legs - only to hit back with four in a row to take the match in overtime.

His sensational finale, including a 104 finish, set up a quarter-final against Terry Jenkins on Thursday night.

"I'm really happy," said an exhausted Baxter afterwards. "It was fast-paced and Michael just wants to get on with it.

"It was a blur of a match, and it's a confidence boost to be behind and fight your way back to win.

"We missed a few doubles and if Michael had gone 9-6 up instead of me making it 8-7 he might have run away with it.

"He's only young and has got a lot of years ahead of him, but I'm glad to have got one over him."

Baxter took the game's first two legs and missed darts to create a 4-1 lead, with van Gerwen taking the fifth leg against the throw and then the sixth to level.

Three successive 17-darters from van Gerwen saw him take a 6-4 lead to hit the front for the first time in the game.

The next four legs were shared as van Gerwen took out 120 to move 8-6 up, but he was off-target with three darts to win the next leg and create a three-leg lead.

A 14-darter saw van Gerwen edge away only for Baxter to win back-to back legs and level at nine-all.

An 11-darter from van Gerwen was followed by checkouts of 112 and 109 and he took a 12-10 advantage.

But he was left sat on a two-dart finish in each of the next three legs as Baxter too out double five, 81 on double 12 and a 104 finish to move 13-12 up.

He then sealed the win in a tense 26th leg, eventually landing double one after the Dutch whizz-kid missed seven darts to stay in the game.