Magic McGeeney breaks jinx

MARK McGEENEY produced a series of punishing checkouts to move into the quarterfinals of the BDO World Championship yesterday.

The world No1 hit back after losing the opening set to beat last year’s runner-up, the Dutchman Danny Noppert, 4-1.

McGeeney progressed at the Lakeside Country Club with finishes of 160, 120 and 127. The second of those played a big part in the outcome of the match as it put the Englishman 2-1 up and he won the next two sets 3-2 to reach the last eight.

Noppert was unseeded despite his feats from 12 months ago and, on the way to taking the first set, he landed a superb 110, but McGeeney had too much. McGeeney said: “My stress levels are a lot easier after that. I have always had a hang-up about the second round at Lakeside. Now I am over that and I can focus on going as far as I can.

“I am relieved. The last few years I have lost in the second round. So I am very glad to get this one out of the way.

“I have always believed that I could win the world title.”

Scott Mitchell, the 2015 world champion, is out, though, after losing 4-2 to Belgium’s Andy Baetens. Mitchell played superbly, and not only was his average of 96.39 higher than Baetens’ 94.55, it was even better than McGeeney’s 92.13 later in the afternoon.

But Baetens did enough with his finishing, having led the match 2-0 before Mitchell won the next two sets. And with a 127 in the fifth set before a 91 to take it, Baetens sealed the match with a checkout of 60.