Corey Cadby produced the performance of his life to stun defending champion Phil Taylor in the first round of the Perth Darts Masters at the PCEC on Thursday evening.
Cadby averaged 103.58 and hit four maximums to defeat ‘The Power’ who averaged an incredible 112. The 21-year-old Tasmanian has enjoyed remarkable success on the DPA circuit this year, having won seven ranking titles.
He made his televised debut in a 6-3 defeat against Taylor last week, but he gained revenge for that loss with a magnificent triumph over the 16-time world champion.
Cadby started strongly, by following up an early maximum with a 100 finish culminating on D10. Taylor drew level on D16, but the young Australian regained his lead with a classy 110 finish.
Taylor restored parity once more on D8, but Cadby secured his third successive hold to retain his advantage at 3-2.
The pair traded maximums in the sixth leg, but Cadby secured a precious break of throw with a sublime 122 checkout on the bull- his third ton plus checkout of the contest.
Taylor had an opportunity to break back instantly, but he spurned a dart at the bull as the 21-year-old moved to the cusp of victory by landing D8.
The home favourite showed absolutely no sign of finishing-line nerves, landing his fourth 180 and converting tops to seal a record breaking win, and subsequently ending Taylor’s incredible winning streak down-under.
Taylor’s 112 average indicates that he did very little wrong, but Cadby was tremendous. He admitted: “I don’t know what to say, it’s an amazing moment. I’m buzzing; it’s a proud moment and the best moment of my darts career.
“I felt confident last week; for my first TV game I did well and I knew where I went wrong. I fixed them this week and it’s paid off. It was revenge; it’s great”, Cadby added.
Meanwhile, Michael van Gerwen survived a scare as he overcame Kyle Anderson 6-4 in a hard fought battle. The pair met in the quarter-finals of the recent Sydney Darts Masters, but this encounter wasn’t of such a high quality.
‘The Green Machine’ averaged 94.78 and hit the solitary maximum, but it was enough to overcome ‘The Original’, who was also below par.
Anderson led 2-1 in the early stages, but missed doubles proved expensive for the Australian. He squandered darts at double to win each of the next three legs as Van Gerwen moved 4-2 ahead.
The Dutchman converted a 74 finish to move to the brink of victory, and despite a late rally from Anderson, MvG sealed his progression on tops.
Van Gerwen will face James Wade in the last eight, in a repeat of the Shanghai Darts Masters final.
Wade defied a virus to whitewash former World Championship qualifier Rob Szabo 6-0 in the tournament opener. Wade averaged 95.94 to complete a clinical display, and bounce back from his first-round exit in Sydney.
Another man who recovered from an early exit in Sydney was Raymond van Barneveld, who eased past Australian number one Simon Whitlock.
Van Barneveld posted four maximums and hit 50% of his doubles to record a 6-2 win over ‘The Wizard.’ Whitlock endured a nightmare on the doubles, hitting just 2 of his 19 attempts as Barney reeled off five consecutive legs to reach the last eight.
Van Barneveld will lock horns with Adrian Lewis in the last eight, in a repeat of their Auckland Darts Masters final in 2015.
Lewis sealed his quarter-final spot with a battling 6-3 win against the Perth-based David Platt. It was far from a vintage performance from Jackpot, but a 91.49 average was sufficient to secure his progression.
World champion Gary Anderson remains on course for a fourth World Series title of 2016, after overcoming qualifier Kim Lewis 6-3. Anderson whitewashed Lewis in Perth twelve months ago, and averaged 97.40 to secure a repeat result.
Anderson’s reward is a quarter-final tie against Sydney Darts Masters semi-finalist Dave Chisnall. Chizzy breezed past Koha Kokiri, a World Championship qualifier back in December.
Chisnall averaged 95.64 and was in cruise control throughout, but Kokiri managed to avert the whitewash by posting D12 in the sixth leg.
Finally, Peter Wright incredibly changed his darts midway through his match, as he survived a scare against Adam Rowe.
Wright led 4-2, before Rowe restored parity with magnificent 116 and 156 finishes. Wright changed his darts at this point and won the final two legs, to set up a clash against Phil Taylor’s conqueror Corey Cadby on Friday.
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