Darts: Roy holds his nerve to edge out Painter
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Alex Roy came through a fiery encounter with Kevin Painter 12-10 to book his place in the second round of the Stan James World Matchplay here yesterday.
The vociferous fans at the Winter Gardens were treated to a top-quality match. With the players level on legs at seven-all, Painter hit double top to move within two legs of victory. Roy levelled and the next two legs were also shared, which meant that someone had to win by two clear legs.
Roy moved ahead with a shot at double top, but Painter then landed his dart in the same double to make the score 10-10. It came down to who could hold their nerve and Roy won the next two, finishing with double 19.
The two players exchanged words during the first interval, but Roy played down the confrontation. "Kevin got the hump with me bouncing around the stage, but I feed off the crowd and I have to do that. It knocks the edge off my nerves. I apologised during the third break and Kevin just smiled and said it was not a problem. He's a top player."
Dennis Smith cruised into the second round with a 10-3 victory over Steve Brown. The 33-year-old Hungerford thrower took a 7-0 lead before Brown, who now lives in the United States, was able to stem the tide with a double nine.
Successful attempts at double 15 and double nine took Smith within one leg of victory but, as he started to relax, Brown responded well by winning the next two. However, Smith closed out the match in the next leg.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments