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PDC World Championship: Benito van de Pas shocks Paul Nicholson

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Benito van de Pas impressed as he defeated Paul Nicholson

Australian Paul Nicholson crashed out of the William Hill World Darts Championship after losing 3-2 to Benito van de Pas in the first round.

Nicholson, the 25th seed and quarter-finalist at Alexandra Palace in 2009, lost the first set 3-0 to the 21-year-old Dutchman, who was making his debut in the event.

However, he hit back strongly to take the second set 3-0 and looked on course for victory when he followed up by winning the third set 3-1.

Van de Pas moved 2-1 ahead in the fourth set but then missed three darts to win the set, allowing Nicholson to level it up.

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Mark Webster was more relieved than overjoyed after he stumbled to victory against Ron Meulenkamp

The Newcastle-born 35-year-old failed to grab his chance after moving one leg away from the match, though, and Van de Pas hit double 16 to take it into a deciding set.

Nicholson hit the wrong double in the first leg to let Van de Pas edge ahead and, despite two 180s from the Australian, it was the Dutchman who won the next two legs, hitting a 109 finish to secure victory.

Van de Pas told www.pdc.tv: “That was awesome, I started really well, but the second and the third set I wasn’t playing very well so just had to stay in it. 

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“I’ve played really well on the floor all season and played well in some Players Championship events, and what I learnt there is that you just have to fight and fight to get anything."

Mark Webster, the 2008 BDO world champion, booked his place in the second round with a 3-1 win over Ron Meulenkamp, another Dutch debutant at Ally Pally. 

Welshman Webster impressed in the opening set as finishes of 104 and 107 gave him a 3-1 winning margin and an early advantage.

Day four - afternoon session

P Nicholson 2-3 B van de Pas
B Koltsov 4-2 H Muramatsu (prelim)
M Webster 3-1 R Meulenkamp
D Winstanley 3-2 W Jones
K Painter 3-1 B Koltsov

The 31-year-old kicked off the second set with a 12-darter, but Meulenkamp battled back before losing out in a deciding leg.

The Dutchman dominated the third set, though, taking it 3-0 before exiting the tournament after a memorable – for the wrong reasons – fourth set.

The pair both had major double trouble in the fourth leg and combined for an incredible 58 darts before Webster finally stumbled to the win by hitting double one. 

Webster, who now plays Phil Taylor in the second round, told www.pdc.tv: "First two sets were great I was thinking I was playing well, I felt great up there.

“I won’t look at stats, averages or missed doubles, it’s the winning that counts, I’ve had a tough time for the last few years really and it’s just great to get the job done.

"I’ve done it a bit when I start switching around on my doubles, I think I might try practising a couple of them over Christmas!"

Yorkshireman Dean Winstanley progressed to the last 32 thanks to a 3-2 victory over Wayne Jones of Wolverhampton.

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Winstanley made a flying start with a 136 finish in the opening leg and he took the first set with an average of over 100.

He also had finishes of 116 and 136 in the second set but failed to prevent Jones from winning it 3-2 and the 49-year-old continued his good run by taking the third set 3-1, the highlight a 12-darter in the third leg.

Winstanley got back on track in the fourth set, which he claimed 3-1, and he also bossed the deciding set, prevailing 3-1 to wrap up the win.

Reflecting on a thrilling clash, Winstanley told Sky Sports: “I tried to shake him off and the more he came back at me, the harder it became.

“I’m coming back after Christmas and I’m over the moon.”

In the closing match, Kevin Painter completed a 3-1 win over spirited Russian Boris Koltsov.  

Koltsov had earlier beaten Haruki Muramatsu in the preliminary match, but could not match the composed finishing of Painter, who raced through the fourth set without dropping a leg. 

Watch the PDC World Championship live on Sky Sports Darts from December 18. For information on how to upgrade to Sky Sports head to www.skysports.com/watch/get-sky 

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