World Darts Championship: Peter Wright defends title to win at Alexandra Palace | Darts News

Peter ‘Snakebite’ Wright makes a winning start – Watch the 2023 PDC World Darts Championship – live on Sky Sports Darts; we’ll be back with a dual session Friday at 12pm and 7pm with Adrian Lewis and Michael Smith in action, while Beau Greaves takes on the role of Willie O’Connor

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Take a look back at the best action on the opening night of the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace

Defending champion Peter Wright had a party of up and running arrows with a comfortable 3-0 victory on the opening night of the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace.

The Scot pulled out of the Championship Finals last month with his wife Jo in hospital, but after receiving positive news last week, Wright is back and in the mood. was upbeat on the big stage as he began his bid for the Sid Waddell Trophy for the third time in four years with a comfortable victory over Mickey Mansell of Northern Ireland.

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Watch Peter Wright and his ‘Grinch’ go head-to-head with Mickey Mansell on opening night of the World Championships

Mansell became the first winner at this year’s Worlds, beating Ben Robb 3-1 to set up a meeting with Wright.

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Wright shot the first maximum of the competition before knocking out 121 points in the opening match

‘Snakebite’ made a 121 crack on the bullseye to score early as he won the opening set 3-1.

The World Cup semi-finalist Mansell seemed to have got the point as the defending champions raced through the second set in three straight games to double their advantage despite a modest 92 average.

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The defending champion scored a spectacular 126 points to close the victory

And Wright continued to go on the offensive in the third set, scoring an epic 126 outfielder before clearing a 68 at the top to advance into the third round in style.

“Not happy with the performance, but it’s a win,” said Wright, who now has 12 days off before a third-round clash with either Kim Huybrechts or Grant Sampson. “The defending champion is still in and it’s Christmas.”

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Wright said Mansell was ‘difficult’ to stay up two games in one night but he was ‘happy’ with win

South Africa debut samson delivered the first major shock of the tournament by knocking out UK Open semi-finalist Keane Barry 3-1.

‘Samurai’, who eliminated Devon Petersen 9 times in World Championship qualifiers en route to claiming his place on the biggest stage of them all, threw a maximum of four points and a superb 125 check to stun the Irishman Barry.

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Grant Sampson told Polly James he’s only played in front of 30 men in his home country of South Africa, but has now made a real name for himself after his dream debut at Ally Pally

The 40-year-old, who will rake in £15,000 by reaching the second round, will be fearless facing ‘The Hurricane’ Kim Huybrechts on Friday afternoon.

“Back home, we played in front of 30 people but this is a different story,” Sampson said. “I was very, very, very nervous. My darts didn’t go straight at all so I just tried to concentrate, but it was difficult. Now that I’ve lost the first game, I can only play well. more because it’s horrible.”

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Sampson pinned the top with a sensational 125 finish to lead 2-0 in the second set against Barry

Jermaine Wattimena was also eliminated early after losing 3-2 to the rising star Nathan Rafferty.

Wattimena couldn’t hit the center of gravity to win the opening set and that allowed Rafferty to sink a double 2 to claim it, but the Dutchman soon shone with a 97 check in the final. second set to balance things out.

Former World Youth Championship runner-up Rafferty edged Wattimena one set away by edging through the next set with three consecutive 17-pin darts, but ‘The Machine Gun’ took the lead thanks to an opening 108 finish, 14 pins -darts and test 101 vital.

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Rafferty prevailed in arranging a meeting with Michael Smith

However, Rafferty, 22, displayed exceptional composure – a week after his appendectomy – to get through his date with darts Grand Slam champion Michael Smith after sinking the owl Double 10 with a dart in the fifth match.

Rafferty revealed: “I was not nervous before the tournament but when I started the journey I was very nervous. “Since the age of 15, I’ve dreamed of playing on this stage; that’s the goal we all fight for.

“Since I had my appendectomy a week ago today, I’m happy to win this match against a tough opponent.

‘I’m looking forward to taking on Michael [Smith]He’s one of the best players in the world but I think I can give him a game if I play my stuff.”

“I think he said he’s going to be playing with a few new sets of darts between now and Christmas. Maybe even buy some new ones. Who knows? But he’s going to try and take it easy, and yes maybe just take the darts in flight to feel good. The scoring isn’t as good as he could be. But for me, doubling is a bigger problem. He’ll want to multiply. double right, and then he’ll score.”

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Friday at Ally Pally

Beau Greaves makes her Ally Pally bow Friday night to Ireland’s Willie O’Connor

The first doubles session of this year’s World Championships will take place on Friday, when the two-time runner-up Smith meets Rafferty in the opening match.

Two-time world champion Adrian Lewis faced Sweden’s Daniel Larsson in the afternoon session, before eight-time PDC Women’s Series winner Beau Greaves made her much-anticipated Ally Pally bow first. Willie O’Connor in the dark session.

Watch the 2023 PDC World Darts Championship – live on Sky Sports Darts – from December 15 to January 3.