Darts: Monk's flying start foxes Greatbatch
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Your support makes all the difference.Colin Monk produced a solid display to beat Shaun Greatbatch 3-0 at the Embassy World Championship in Frimley Green last night and set up a second-round meeting with Tony O'Shea, who beat Ted Hankey 3-2.
The Basingstoke builder made an impressive start to clinch the first set with a successful attempt at double 10. Greatbatch missed a couple of doubles at the start of the second, but held his nerve when he returned to the oche to nail double four. Monk responded with a shot at double 10. The next two legs were shared to take it to a decider, where Monk flighted his dart into double top to move within one of victory.
Greatbatch's inability to hit the doubles proved costly in the third set as Monk wrapped up a three-legs-to-one success. "My plan was to slow him down because I knew that when he gets on a roll he would hit a ton or more on a regular basis," said Monk.
O'Shea, the world No 6, held his nerve in the deciding set to hit double 16 and beat Hankey 3-2 in a thrilling encounter.
Hankey took the opening set, but O'Shea hit back in the second, which included a 118 check-out. Hankey won the third, 3-1, only for O'Shea to nail three straight double 20s to win the fourth set and square the match.
O'Shea jumped to a two-leg lead in the deciding set, but the former Embassy champion reeled off the next two legs to draw level. O'Shea hit double four to win the fifth leg only for Hankey to respond with a successful attempt at double 10.
O'Shea again edged ahead 4-3, but Hankey this time failed to produce the out shot and O'Shea finally nailed double 16 to secure the win.
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