Newton bags Speedy success
Fleetwood thrower wins first Speedy Hire UK Open Qualifier
Last Updated: February 11, 2012 9:42pm
Wes Newton: Secured his first PDC ProTour win since last March
Wes Newton beat in-form Belgian Kim Huybrechts 6-3 to win the first Speedy Hire UK Open qualifier of 2012 in Crawley on Saturday.
The world number six secured his first PDC ProTour win since last March - which also came at the K2 Centre - with the triumph, which sees him pocket £6,000 and immediately secure his place in June's UK Open televised finals in Bolton.
Following an edgy start, where Huybrechts shared the first four legs, Newton hit top gear with a 14-darter and superb bullseye finishes of 167 and 84 - after the Belgian missed darts at a double in both legs - to lead 5-2.
The Fleetwood ace hit a 180 in the eighth leg, but missed the bull for a 121 finish as Huybrechts kept the match alive with a fine 130 checkout.
Traded 180s
However, after the pair traded 180s in the next, another miss from the Belgian on double 14 allowed Newton in to post double six and take victory.
Newton beat Coventry's Kevin Dowling - in his best-ever run on the PDC ProTour - in the semi-finals, while in-form Australian Simon Whitlock also reached the last four.
Ireland's William O'Connor, Warwickshire's Prakash Jiwa, Ronnie Baxter and Scott Rand all won through to the quarter-finals.
The second of eight Speedy Hire UK Open qualifiers will be played on Sunday, with over 190 players in action.
