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REPORTS, results and reaction from Thursday's play at the 2008 Ladbrokes.com PDC World Darts Championship.

The tournament continued at Alexandra Palace with the first two Preliminary Round games and four more First Round matches in the afternoon, and four games in the evening session.


Click here for photos of the Day Four Photo Album

2008 Ladbrokes.com PDC World Darts Championship
Evening Session (7pm Start)

Dennis Priestley 1-3 Steve Maish
Adrian Lewis 3-1 Dave Askew
Raymond van Barneveld 3-0 Anthony Forde
Vincent van der Voort 3-2 Jelle Klansmen

STEVE MAISH 3-1 DENNIS PRIESTLEY
(3-1, 3-1, 0-3, 3-2)

STEVE MAISH upset the form book to end Dennis Priestley's hopes at the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship with a 3-1 win.

Priestley started well, hitting a maximum with his first three darts, but it was Maish who took the opener thanks to a 62 checkout as his opponent waited on 32.

The Essex man then doubled his lead but Priestley hit back in the third, landing the bull for an 86 finish.

Maish, though, landed a 180 in the next and converted an 85 checkout to take the set.

The opening two legs of the second set where shared, but Maish secured a break of throw in the third and took a 2-0 lead with a 104 checkout.

Priestley, spurred on by a supportive crowd, came back in the third set, breaking the throw in the opening leg and then hitting a 130 checkout to double his advantage.

The pressure appeared to be get to both players in the next leg, with numerous doubles missed before Priestley hit double two to take the set and reduce the deficit.

Priestley also took the opening leg of the fourth set, but Maish quickly levelled.

The Yorkshireman regained the lead, hitting tops in the third leg, only for Maish to hit back with a two-dart 68 checkout.

Priestley had the advantage of throw in the deciding leg, but his scoring deserted him and Maish took out a two dart 76 finish to claim a famous win.

"It's the biggest win of my career," said Maish. "It's the World Championship at a new venue and an even bigger win for me than when I defeated Colin Lloyd at the World Matchplay last year.

"Dennis is a fantastic player so it's a great result for me."

Match Stats

ADRIAN LEWIS 3-1 DAVE ASKEW
(3-2, 1-3, 3-1, 3-2)

ADRIAN LEWIS made a classy start to his Ladbrokes.com PDC World Darts Championship challenge with a 3-1 win over Dave Askew.

The 22-year-old produced the highest average of the tournament so far, 96.79, and landed five maximums to see off Askew's brave challenge.

The PDPA qualifier performed excellently throughout, matching Lewis blow for blow in the opening two sets and forcing a 116 finish from Lewis to finally see him off.

Askew kicked off the match with a 180 and took the first leg on double top before Lewis responded, with legs of 14, 13 and 12 darts giving him the first set 3-2.

Lewis also led in the second after landing double eight, only for Askew to take the next three without reply to square the game.

Lewis took out 115 to open set three, with an 11-darter doubling his lead before Askew replied on double 16.

Lewis was too strong in the next, and took out 92 for a 2-1 lead.

Askew took out a 13-darter as the first four legs of the fourth set went with the throw, leaving Lewis on the brink of victory.

And the youngster completed the win with a fine 116 finish to book his place in round two.

Match Stats

RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD 3-0 ANTHONY FORDE
(3-0, 3-2, 3-2)

RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD began the defence of his Ladbrokes.com World Championship title with a 3-0 defeat of Anthony Forde.

A straight sets scoreline failed to reflect the nature of the game as the five-time World Champion was pushed hard by the Barbados qualifier after taking a one-set lead.

Barneveld started impressively, landing a 177 to set up a double 12 finish in the first leg, and he took the next two to seal the first set without Forde reaching a double.

The Dutchman also hit a 14-dart finish to open the second set before Forde took advantage of misses from the World Champion to win the next two.

The reigning champion continued to miss doubles in fourth leg, but Forde unable to capitalise and van Barneveld managed to land double ten and level the set.

Forde had the opportunity to take the set when going for a 72 finish, but he failed to reach the double and Barneveld took advantage, hitting double eight for a 2-0 lead.

Barneveld appeared to be control of the match in the third set when he took the first two legs, but Forde again hit back strongly.

Cheered on by a supportive crowd, he took out 79 for the third leg and then double two to level after van Barneveld missed darts for the win.

Forde hit a maximum in the fifth leg and had darts to win the set, but was unable to take the chance and Barneveld finally closed out his victory.

"It was always going to be hard," admitted van Barneveld. "I only found out my opponent yesterday and you can't really focus until you know that.

"You know that everyone in the tournament is a good player.

"In the first set I was fine and hit my doubles, but in the second set he got a couple of legs and the crowd got behind him.

"They will always cheer for the underdog and I don't mind that, but it's hard to focus and I miscounted at one stage.

"I will be more focused for the next match against Jason Clark."

Forde, who will return to his job as a docker in Bridgetown on Monday, said: "I enjoyed it. It was an experience and I gave it my best shot, I just missed my doubles at the end.

"I'll go away and work on that, and maybe next time it will be the other way around.

"It was my second time here, the standard was even better than the first and I got to play a World Champion.

"Every dart player wants to play the best and Raymond is the current World Champion.

"I'll use the £4,000 prize money I've won to hopefully travel to some more tournaments overseas, maybe the Las Vegas Desert Classic next summer."

Match Stats

VINCENT VAN DER VOORT 3-2 JELLE KLAASEN
(2-3, 3-2, 1-3, 3-2, 6-5)

VINCENT VAN DER VOORT won a sudden-death epic against fellow Dutchman and close friend Jelle Klassen in the first round of the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship.

The duo battled out a tremendous five-set contest, landing 18 maximums between them and going all the way to a deciding 11th leg in the final set.

Van der Voort won the bull when the duo faced off, and it was enough advantage for him to seal the win - making Klaasen pay for ten earlier missed doubles for victory.

"It's unbelievable," admitted van der Voort. "He was the better player but I kept fighting and got the win in the end.

"It's hard playing someone who is such a good friend. We travel everywhere together on the circuit and is a tremendous player who has been in great form recently.

"I feel sad for Jelle - he missed ten match darts and I'd have backed him to hit them against anyone normally."

The first set of a game played at a frenetic pace went all the way to a deciding leg and Klassen took it, landing double sixteen to open 1-0 lead.

Van der Voort levelled in the second set, which also went the distance as both players wasted chances in the decider before the UK Open finalist landed double five under immense pressure.

Klassen regained the lead by winning the third set and then went 2-1 up in the fourth to go a leg away from victory.

He had four opportunities at doubles to take a 3-1 victory but missed with all of them and Van der Voort levelled up.

He then hit his tenth maximum and followed that with a 124 finish to take yet another first round encounter to a deciding set.

Klassen once again built up a 2-1 lead in the deciding leg and had a further five darts for the match in the fourth leg.

But he failed again to convert and van der Voort took his opportunity to level.

The next six legs where shared, although Klassen had another dart for the match in the tenth before van der Voort held his nerve to land double eight and take the game into a sudden death leg.

Van der Voort won the throw for the bull and that proved to be decisive, with Klaasen sat on 24 when he landed the winning double.

"I had some poor scoring at times and it wasn't my best game," added van der Voort. "I've never hit 12 180s and had such a low average, so I'll have to play a lot better against Adrian Lewis after Christmas."

Match Stats