A review of Monday action at the BDO World Darts Championships, as former PDC star Andy Hamilton lost and Michael Unterbuchner survived a scare.
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Last year's beaten semi-finalist Michael Unterbuchner survived a scare to beat Justin Thompson 3-2 and reach the second round.
Despite winning the first leg of the match with a 100 checkout, the German was always under pressure and finishes of 101 and 121 weren't enough to avoid losing the fourth set, as Thompson forced a decider by drawing level for a second time.
Thompson had impressed during his preliminary-round win and did so throughout, until some heavier scoring from the favourite finally helped him force a winning position in the fifth set.
Unterbuchner held his nerve and signed off with a 15-dart leg, though he'll perhaps have to step up on an average of 90.13 when he faces Wayne Warren for a quarter-final place.
Unterbuchner was part of Chris Hammer's pre-tournament staking plan and so too was Jim Williams, who also survived an almighty scare to win 3-2.
The Welshman, seeded three, got the better of Belgium's Roger Janssen in a match which remained on throw until the final set, when Williams' superior scoring finally paid dividends.
He averaged 92.26, a figure bettered just twice in the first-round proper so far.
Williams will face Dean Reynolds in the second round, after the latter beat 14th seed Daniel Day 3-1.
Andy Hamilton's dream of relaunching his career on his debut Lakeside appearance was ended as Canada's David Cameron claimed a surprisingly one-sided 3-0 victory in their preliminary-round clash.
The former PDC World Championship runner-up, who lost to Adrian Lewis in the 2012 final at Alexandra Palace before reaching the last eight a year later during a period in which he also featured in the Premier League, struggled to get going as he won just three legs and averaged 83.52.
Hamilton's slide down the rankings in the PDC saw him lose his tour card at the end of 2017 but opted against going back to Qualifying School 12 months ago and instead chose to rediscover his confidence on the BDO circuit, where he'd enjoyed a pretty impressive season and arrived here with high hopes of going far.
He hit his first of four maximums in the opening leg but would lose the opening set 3-1 as Cameron seized the early advantage in his quest to win only his second match here following five previous appearances dating back to 2014.
The second set went the distance but Cameron held his nerve on double 10 after back-to-back visits of 100 and that seemed to knock the stuffing out of Hamilton.
The 49-year-old Canadian, who finished with an average 86.13, won each of the next three legs in 18 darts as he set up a first-round meeting with Gary Robson on Tuesday evening.
👍 Great to see Andy Hamilton back on a big stage, but despite this 180 in the opening leg, he went on to lose 3-0 to David Cameron.
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) January 7, 2019
Sorry for making no referendum puns.pic.twitter.com/S9HRYcVayc
David Cameron following Hamilton victory: "There are no easy games at the Lakeside" @Eurosport_UK @EurosportAUS @Eurosport_NL @QuestTV#BDOWorldDarts #LakesideDarts pic.twitter.com/ESbPgb94f8
— BDO Darts (@BDOdarts) January 7, 2019
Also on Monday afternoon, Serbia's Oliver Ferenc beat Ryan Hogarth 3-1.
A 15-dart leg against the throw got Ferenc off to an ideal start as he raced to the first set, before winning the first two legs of the second.
Hogarth fought back brilliantly to level the tie but Ferenc was back on track in the third set and won it with a 143 finish.
From there he'd go on to win all three legs in the fourth set and win convincingly, despite his opponent throwing four 180s, and is rewarded with a first-round tie against sixth seed Scott Mitchell.
"It's one of the most difficult shots on a dartboard"
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) January 7, 2019
Oliver Ferenc makes this 1⃣4⃣3⃣ checkout look easy 👌 @BDOdarts #BDOWorldDarts #LakesideDarts pic.twitter.com/UPQugMmRuf
Willem Mandigers was an even more convincing winner, losing just three legs in a 3-0 whitewash of Paul Hogan.
Mandigers threw a 160 checkout to take the first set and added a 102 finish in the second, the only time there was real pressure applied by his opponent.
Having edged that set 3-2, 13th seed Mandigers took the third without dropping a leg.
In the women's draw, Anastasia Dobromyslova outclassed Laura Turner to win 2-0.
The three-time champion was never troubled as she averaged 81.38 compared to a lowly 59.11 from her opponent, who failed to earn a single shot at double.
Monday results and Tuesday schedule
(P) denotes Preliminary Round
Women's event in italics
Monday January 7
Afternoon Session (1pm)
First/Preliminary Round (Best of 5 sets)
TV Coverage: Quest (freeview channel 37) & Eurosport
- David Cameron 3-0 Andy Hamilton (P)
- Oliver Ferenc 3-1 Ryan Hogarth (P)
- Willem Mandigers 3-0 Paul Hogan
Evening Session (7pm)
First/Preliminary Round (Best of 5 sets)
TV Coverage: Eurosport
- Michael Unterbuchner 3-2 Justin Thompson
- Anastasia Dobromyslova 2-0 Laura Turner (best of 3 sets)
- Jim Williams 3-2 Roger Janssen
- Daniel Day 1-3 Dean Reynolds
Tuesday January 8
Afternoon Session (1pm)
First/Preliminary Round (Best of 5 sets)
TV Coverage: Quest (freeview channel 37) & Eurosport
- Dave Parletti v Krzysztof Kciuk
- Scott Mitchell v Oliver Ferenc
- Aileen De Graaf v Paula Jacklin (best of 3 sets)
- Ross Montgomery v Scott Baker
Evening Session (7pm)
First/Preliminary Round (Best of 5 sets)
TV Coverage: Eurosport
- Glen Durrant v Mark McGrath
- Lorraine Winstanley v Casey Gallagher (best of 3 sets)
- Chris Landman v Kyle McKinstry
- Gary Robson v David Cameron
Click here for the full Lakeside draw, schedule, results & TV guide
