Ron Meulenkamp 0 Gary Stone 3
Scotsman Gary Stone toppled fellow debutant Ron Meulenkamp to win through 3-0 -
the Dutchman becoming the first seed to crash in the championship.
Stoney left his opponent between a rock and a hard place as he blasted out a
volley of four 180s to explode the title aspirations of the 16th seed
from Leusden, nicknamed “The Bomb,” in just 31 minutes.
The Scot, who reached the championship via the tough qualifying playoffs,
stamped his authority from the off.
After the opening legs were shared, Stone fired in a maximum to take the third
against the throw after the Dutchman missed double tops. He then blasted in
another 180 en-route to taking the opening set against the throwing advantage.
The 16th seed annexed the opening leg of the next set against the
throw and then pounced for a 71 checkout finished on double 20 after Stone, who
hit a further maximum, twice missed double tops to level.
The Scotsman, who has only been playing darts for four years, outscored the
Dutch left-hander on the race for the double in the third leg as Stone coolly
notched a 97 finish.
In the fourth “Stoney” blasted in another 180 to leave 38, Meulenkamp, who
needed 96 for the set, hitting 68, as the man from Larkhall blazed in to level
the set with 38, finished on double four.
The blue-shirted Scot powered his way to the double in the deciding fifth leg,
clinching a set-winning 75, which he completed on double tops.