AFTERNOON SESSION
Fifth Round - Best of 19 legs
Michael Smith's troublesome groin injury did not prevent him from beating Daryl Gurney and progressing to the sixth round of the UK Open.
Bully Boy had been a doubt due to ongoing pain from surgery on an abscess last Monday, but two victories mean he's through to the sixth round and one of the favourites to win the trophy.Smith trailed 4-1 early on, before getting back level at 7-7 with a 155 checkout, he won the next leg in 14 darts before a 121 finish gave him a 9-7 lead.
Gurney took out 78 and then 32 for back-to-back 14-dart legs, but failed to take out 111 and Smith hit double 20 with his second dart to secure the most hard-fought of wins.
Gerwyn Price fired in two 167 finishes and another of 100 to beat Jamie Hughes .
Trailing 6-3, The Grand Slam champion checked the first 167 to reduce the deficit.
At 8-7, the 100 checkout took him within one leg of the win.
Hughes started the next leg with a 180, but Price had left 167 after nine darts, the Welshman once again took out the second highest finish before his characteristic roar to the crowd.
After beating Michael van Gerwen on Friday, Mervyn King could not reach the same level of performance against Rob Cross, as Voltage averaged 97 to beat the 52-year-old 10-5.
Dimitri Van den Bergh beat Mensur Suljovic 10-9 in a match which saw both players average 97 and hit four 180s apiece.
The Belgian could have won with a 170, but missed a dart at bull before the Austrian hit double eight for a place in the next round.
Nathan Aspinall thrashed Madars Razma 10-2 and Dave Chisnall won 10-5 against Martin Schindler.
Jonny Clayton lost 10-7 by Krzysztof Ratajski, Josh Payne beat Jamie Lewis 10-7, and James Wade advanced at the expense of Max Hopp with a 10-7 win.
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Main Stage
Krzysztof Ratajski 3-10 Gerwyn Price
Gerwyn Price produced another fine display to book his place in the quarter-finals.
The Iceman fired in another three 100+ checkouts in a one-sided affair with the Polish Eagle.
The former rugby player went 5-0 up, finishing 117 and 147, as well as 12 and 13 dart legs, before Ratajski got a leg on the board.
A 144 checkout for Price completed a 12-darter, he won four of the next six legs to cruise into the last eight.
Rob Cross 10-6 Cristo Reyes
After leading 3-0, Reyes began the fourth leg with a score of 13, and it was all downhill from there for the Spartan.
The 2018 world champion hit consecutive 15-darters and a 21-darter to draw level.
A 23 dart leg for Cross was enough to take the eighth leg as both players suffering double trouble.
Cross edged 6-4 ahead but Reyes took the next two to equalise, including an 82 checkout to complete a 12-darter.
Voltage then cruised through, finishing the job with a 134 checkout.
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Michael Smith sauntered into the quarter-finals with victory over Jermaine Wattimena.
Bully Boy has won four matches in a row since his surgery.
The World Championship runner-up only needed 20 minutes to triumph on this occasion, although the performance was sub-par from the fast-throwing Dutchman, the last of 20 players from the Netherlands to be knocked out of this tournament.
He was the only one of those 20 to make it to day two.
James Wade 7-10 Ross Smith
James Wade crashed out after a surprise defeat to Ross Smith.
The Machine was the only surviving former champion left in the tournament at the sixth-round stage.
Wade produced a below-par performance against the world number 66 from Kent.
Having led 1-0 and 2-1, Wade then let his lead slip with Smith taking the seventh leg to lead 4-3, before a 112 checkout gave him some breathing space.
Back-to-back 14 dart legs widened the lead to 7-3.
Wade won five of the next six legs, helped by a 127 checkout, for a mini revival, but the 30-year-old fired in 13 and 14 dart legs to reach the first major quarter-final of his career.
Stage Two
Nathan Aspinall 10-8 Steve Lennon
Nathan Aspinall staged a stunning comeback to defeat Steve Lennon.
The world championship semi-finalist's hopes of a first major title looked to be coming to an end when the Irishman had a dart for an 8-3 lead.
Aspinall returned after Lennon's miss to pin two 10s for a 13-darter which began a run of four legs, including a 152 checkout.
The Irishman then missed four darts at a double in the following leg, and the Asp hit an unlikely double eight, given the position of his first two darts, for an 8-7 lead.
Lennon bust his score on 120 in the next leg, and Aspinall pounced before checking out 72 for the win two legs later.
Dave Chisnall 9-10 Simon Stevenson
Chizzy is yet to win a major TV, and his wait will continue after losing to the world number 68 Simon Stevenson.
The St Helens thrower hit a 68 checkout to move him within two legs of his third UK Open quarter-final appearance.
Stevenson hit checkouts of 105, 104 and 128 as he won five legs on the bounce.
He then missed a match dart at the bullseye before Chisnall forced a decider.
The Mirror Man had the darts in the last leg and reached a finish first, taking out 82 for a place in his first major quarter final.
Steve Beaton 10-8 Dimitri van den Bergh
Steve Beaton reached his first UK Open quarter-final for 15 years thanks to a surprise victory over rising star Dimitri van den Bergh.
Both players averaged in the mid-80s and Beaton hit the only two 180s.
The Bronzed Adonis took control, winning three legs on the spin from 6-6.
The world youth champion won the next two legs but Beaton checked out 102 on double eleven with his opponent waiting on 40.
Simon Whitlock 7-10 Josh Payne
The last player to reach the quarter-finals was Josh Payne after he defeated his close friend Simon Whitlock.
Payne made 10 of his 24 attempts at doubles and managed a 110 checkout, defeating the Aussie the day before he turns 50.
RESULTS
Afternoon Session
Fifth Round - Best of 19 legs
Main Stage
James Wade (ENG) 10-7
Michael Smith (ENG) 10-9
Stage Two
Simon Whitlock (AUS) 10-8
Stage Three
Steve Beaton (ENG) 10-8
Krzysztof Ratajski (POL) 10-7
Simon Stevenson (ENG) 10-6
Jermaine Wattimena (NED) 10-8
Stage Four
Dave Chisnall (ENG) 10-5
Ross Smith (ENG) 10-5
Evening Session
Sixth Round - Best of 19 legs
Main Stage
Michael Smith (ENG) 10-3
Rob Cross (ENG) 10-6
Stage Two
Nathan Aspinall (ENG) 10-8
Steve Beaton (ENG) 10-8
Day One Results and Report
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