Joe Chaney provided one of the real highlights of the first day’s play with a stunning 5-2 triumph over #7 seed, Gary Robson!  The Englishman was the hot favorite to advance, but the US #1 tooj control from the start, and never looked back.

Throwing first, a superb 180 to kick off, followed by a nice 140, allowed Chaney to take the initiative with a sweet 15-darter.  Some steady throwing and consistent finishing saw our Joe open up a 3-o lead, which – in a Best-of-9 match – is not a bad position to be in!

Robson kicked into gear in the fourth, starting the leg with a 180 of his own.  However, a failed attempt from 76 gave his opponent a look at 117, and three darts later, “Chanesaw” was just one leg from victory.  The Englishman finally got on the scoreboard with a swift 13-darter against the throw, and needed just 15 more to make it 4-2.

If Chaney was now under pressure, it certainly didn’t show, and just 14 darts were required – with a 61 checkout – to secure a second-round clash against Dutchman Willem Mandigers.  Joe’s final average was 92.83, but the important thing was that he had his first TV win under his belt.

Elsewhere, the Top 4 seeds (Richard Veenstra, Jim Williams, Wesley Harms, and Scott Mitchell) all emerged unscathed, but the other three seeded 5-8 (remember, Robson was #7) all fell at the first hurdle.  Highest average of the day was the 104.60 recorded by qualifier Scott Taylor in his win against Derk Telnekes.

Tomorrow (Saturday) sees the eight first-round clashes in the Women’s event, along with the second-round men’s matches.  The full schedule is not yet available, but the afternoon session starts at 12.00pm local time (7.00am Eastern / 4.00am Pacific), with the evening session commencing at 6.00pm local time (1.00pm Eastern /10.ooam Pacific).

You can watch live on the BDO’s YouTube channel.

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