The Ferret finds his prey as he sees off Lennon
World No. 9 Jonny Clayton came from behind to begin his World Darts Championship campaign with a 3-1 win against Steve Lennon.
Lennon edged the opening set 3-2 to take an early lead, but two 140s helped Clayton draw level in the second set.
Another tight set followed in the third, where “The Ferret” managed to clinch the fifth leg with a double five to take the lead and Lennon was left to rue his missed doubles as Clayton saw the match out with a clean sweep in the final set.
Daryl Gurney fended off a late comeback from Steve Beaton to win 3-1.
Gurney won the opening set in three straight legs, averaging 104 before taking the second, but an incredible third set saw
Beaton fight back and throw back-to-back 180s to help him claw a set back.
The “Bronzed Adonis” looked set to level but Gurney wrapped up victory with a 136 checkout.
Ricardo Pietreczko reached the third round on his Alexandra Palace debut after beating Callan Rydz 3-2 in a tight battle.
A shaky start saw Rydz fall behind in the opening set, but fought back in the second to draw level.
Rydz fell just short of a nine-darter in the third, allowing Pietreczko to swoop in to snatch the set and the Englishman threw 128 to take the contest to a decider, but “Pikachu” earned a clean sweep in the fifth to earn his spot in the next round.
Richard Veenstra won his clash against Kim Huybrechts in style completing a whitewash over the Belgian.
Veenstra ran away with the contest, winning all nine legs with an average of 99.46 to cruise into the next round, where he will meet world No. 2 Michael van Gerwen.