Gone with the wind
Breeze knocks Willie off course early on as failure to recover sees Scots sensation...
WILLIE BORLAND was blown away as the door closed on his dream debut at the William Hill World Championship.
The Scots kid is out having been hammered 3-0 by Ryan Searle in the second round.
Borland made a whirlwind start to the tournament with a nine-darter in his first round win over Bradley Brooks.
But he had the wind taken out of his sails against Searle.
Borland said: “I felt great walking on. I didn’t feel under any extra pressure due to the nine-darter. I genuinely felt confident. I then missed six darts at a double.
“I tried not to dwell on that too much but it was in my head. My darts weren’t flying properly. There was a slight breeze. Supposedly there was a door slightly open and it was causing the draught.
“It was all fixed by the second set but by that stage I was just gutted about the first set and that’s down to inexperience.
“I never really got going. The slight breeze on the stage during the first set got me off in the wrong place.
“It was in my head but I can’t take anything away from Ryan, he played well. He was producing great legs and I just struggled. He’s probably one of the most in-form players on the tour at the moment.
“I’m not going to dwell on it too much. I was angry earlier on just with the way I played. Plus with the way I dealt with situations in the game. But we learn from it and we go again.”
Borland now returns to Scotland aiming to use his experiences to push on when he resumes competitive action in February.
He said: “I’m happy to have got to the Worlds and with what I achieved with the nine-darter. It’s been phenomenal.
“I won’t forget this week for the rest of my life. I’ve done something that not many other players will do in their life.
“I’m still young, I’ve got more things to learn. Now it’s February when the Pro Tour starts, I’ve got practice time to get ready and become even better.
“I’ve moved up to 54th in the world, the next push is to get into the top 32 then try toqualify for other TV events I’ve never been to.
“I’ve always had 100 per cent belief in what I can do and I’ve proved it on the big stage. Now I’ve done it I have even more confidence in my ability.”