Darts results: Big names all progress to Bahrain Darts Masters quarter-finals

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Bully Boy averaged over 98 and landed a 10-dart finish in his superb 6-1 win over Bahrain qualifier Abdulnasser Yusuf.

Smith opened the game with a bullseye finish and took out 131 with two double tops as he opened up a five-leg lead before wrapping up victory - but not before his opponent picked up an unlikely leg.

"I had goosebumps on my walk-on and I enjoyed it," said Smith. "It felt different hearing John McDonald introducing me as World Champion and world number one.

"I was a bit nervous up there but I managed to find my feet. Dimitri will be up for it tomorrow but I just want to keep winning."

The year's first World Series of Darts event saw eight top PDC stars facing eight Asian representatives at the Bahrain International Circuit in the first of two days of action as they compete to lift the specially-designed Date Palm trophy and claim a £20,000 top prize.

The first round saw all eight PDC stars progress to Friday's final stages, although the growing strength of the sport in Asia was shown in the challenge of several stars to push their big-name opponents all the way.

Two-time World Champion Wright delighted the Bahrain crowd by wearing the pattern of the national flag on his shirt and head but had to hit back to overcome Japan's Toru Suzuki 6-3.

Wright sported the distinctive red-and-white flag and rose to the occasion on the event's debut at the Bahrain International Circuit, despite a plucky effort from emerging star Suzuki.

The Japanese ace, a two-time World Championship qualifier, came from a leg down to lead 2-1 in a solid start - only to miss his chance to create a two-leg lead in the fourth leg.

Wright pounced to level and took four of the next five legs to move through to a quarter-final tie with Rob Cross.

"I enjoyed it," said Wright. "The outfit is down to Jo, and everyone appreciated the outfit and my hair - even on the way to the venue there were cars beeping to us when they saw me.

"It's good to be pushed and I'm happy to get through the game. We all know that the players who have come through the Asian Tour are getting better every year, and every country we go to they're improving.

"I've got a difficult game next against Rob Cross, who played really well last year. It's good to be in Bahrain and I'm looking to try and win the beautiful trophy tomorrow."

Dimitri Van den Bergh - a World Series winner in Copenhagen and Amsterdam last year - survived a major scare against TV debutant Alain Abiabi, who came from 4-1 down to level at five-all before missing a match dart at tops in the deciding leg.

Van den Bergh landed eight 180s in the match and also missed double 18 for a nine-dart finish, but saw the Philippines thrower take out 103 and a 14-darter during his gutsy challenge.

Elsewhere, Luke Humphries came from 3-1 down to defeat Hong Kong's Man Lok Leung, who impressed with an 11-darter in some strong early darts.

Humphries capitalised on seven missed doubles across three legs from Leung as he moved into a 5-3 lead, before reeling off a fifth straight leg to wrap up victory.

Reigning World Series of Darts Finals champion Price opened his challenge for another global title with a 6-2 win over Singapore's Paul Lim.

Lim took the game's opening leg, but Price book-ended a run of five straight legs with checkouts of 112 and 124, and after the veteran star took leg seven, he wrapped up the win with a superb 139 combination.

"I thought I played a decent game and was pretty clinical," said Price. "I slipped up in a couple of legs but Paul played pretty well and was quite steady.

"Hopefully I'll improve tomorrow - the big checkouts were there but I need to up my scoring. The crowd were great and I love doing well in these World Series events and promoting the sport all around the world.

"If I can win tomorrow, it also gives you confidence for the rest of the tournaments."

The day's most impressive performance came from Jonny Clayton, as the 2022 New South Wales Darts Masters winner whitewashed Bahrain's Basem Mahmood with a 104 average and six doubles from 11 attempts.

Clayton finished 96, 134 and 122 in the opening four legs and punished late misses from Mahmood as he moved through to an all-Welsh quarter-final tie with Price.

Former World Champion Cross overcame India's Nitin Kumar 6-2, opening the tie with a 140 checkout as he raced into a 4-0 advantage before closing out the win.

Raymond van Barneveld was a 6-2 winner against Japan's Yuki Yamada as the five-time World Champion made a winning return to the World Series of Darts stage, setting up a quarter-final tie with Humphries.

Following Thursday's first round action, the Bahrain Darts Masters concludes on Friday with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final taking place in one bumper session.

The Bahrain Darts Masters will be broadcast live from 1900 local time (1600 GMT) via ITV4 in the UK, through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV (excluding Germany, Austria & Switzerland based subscribers).

Bahrain Darts Masters: Tournament schedule & results

Thursday January 12
First Round (Best of 11 legs)
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1600 BST)
TV Coverage: ITV 4

• Dimitri Van den Bergh 6-5 Alain Abiabi
• Rob Cross 6-2 Nitin Kumar
• Luke Humphries 6-3 Man Lok Leung
• Gerwyn Price 6-2 Paul Lim
• Peter Wright 6-3 Toru Suzuki
• Michael Smith 6-1 Abdulnasser Yusuf
• Raymond van Barneveld 6-2 Yuki Yamada
• Jonny Clayton 6-0 Basem Mahmood

Friday January 13
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1600 BST)
TV Coverage: ITV 4

Quarter-finals (Best of 11 legs)

• Michael Smith v Dimitri Van den Bergh
• Luke Humphries v Raymond van Barneveld
• Peter Wright v Rob Cross
• Gerwyn Price v Jonny Clayton

Semi-finals (Best of 13 legs)

• Smith/Van den Bergh v Humphries/Van Barneveld
• Wright/Cross v Price/Clayton

Final (Best of 15 legs)

• Winner SF 1 v Winner SF 2

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