Leonard Gates was the third American to take to the Lakeside stage this week, and he really wasn’t up there for long. Not in a bad way, either, as a very effective and composed display saw him dispatch Brian Corbett in straight sets.

The New Zealander proved to be a tough customer, particularly in the first set. A pair of 140’s help ‘Soulger ‘ take the first leg in 16 darts (with the throw), but aided by his first max 180, Corbett struck straight back in 15. A second 16 (which could have been 13) made it 2-1 to Gates, but a 14-darter (with a second 180) levelled the score. A very poor first two throws (23 and 25) from the Kiwi gave Leonard the plenty of breathing space, and he took full advantage to wrap up the set.

The first leg of the second set saw Corbett fail to register a three-figure score, and the Texan gratefully cleaned up. Brian was a lot better in the second leg, but Gates never gave him a shout, and finished it in only 14 darts. A third 180 allowed Corbett to have a couple of looks at the double next leg, and when he failed to capitalize on the opportunity, it was soon all over.

No 180’s, but a liberal sprinkling of tons and 140’s (and a 174) gave ‘Soulger’ the highest average of the tournament so far, with 92.11. He returns to the auditorium on Tuesday night, when he faces England’s John Scott in Round Two.

Other notable performances today came from Dutchman Jarno Bottenberg, who crushed former PDC World Championship semi-finalist Jamie Lewis, and Kirsty Hutchinson in the women’s event. Hutchinson, who reached the final here last year, beat Japan’s Mayumi Ouchi.

Tomorrow, Paula Murphy and Jim Widmayer are both in action in the afternoon session, against Anca Zijlstra and Mark Barilli respectively. Don’t forget, you can watch live on the WDF’s YouTube channel!

Full details from DartConnect

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