James Wade eased into the second round of the William PDC World Championship on a day when 66-year-old Paul Lim took top honours.
Nine-time major winner Wade only hit 47 percent on the doubles but it was more than enough, with a 93.17 average in a 3-0 victory over Callan Rydz at Alexandra Palace.
Wade also threw one 100 checkout and three 180s during the three-set match, dropping just three legs in the process.
πͺπππ πͺππ‘π¦! No dramas for James Wade who drops just three legs in a straight-sets defeat of Callan Rydz. pic.twitter.com/F8kQwwflBI β PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 18, 2020
Lim came from two sets down to knock Luke Humphries out of the tournament in the opening round.
Humphries hit seven 180s in the match compared to just one from Lim, and missed 12 darts at the double to allow his opponent back into the match.
Lim was able to hold his nerve at the end, with a 14-darter on tops to secure the match.
John Henderson was made to fight for his place in the tournament after he edged to a first-round victory over Marko Kantele.
The Scottish player had already missed a match dart in the previous set to force the fifth, before throwing a 16-dart hold to move to victory which he sealed with a double six.
Despite averaging 79.69 compared to Henderson's 91.09, Kantele took the game to a decider, throwing two 180s in the process.
ππππΏπ ππππ ππ John Henderson eventually comes through an incredibly hard-fought battle with Marko Kantele to seal his spot in the next round! πΊ Up next π Luke Humphries v Paul Lim pic.twitter.com/or9i0FKi5R β PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 18, 2020
Dirk Van Duijvenbode secured a place in the second round to face 2018 world champion Rob Cross following a 3-2 win over Bradley Brooks.
The 20-year-old threw well after winning the 2020 PDC World Youth Championship, averaging 92.7, more than his opponents 92.57 but he fell to a narrow defeat, with Van Duijvenbode recording five 180s.
In the afternoon session, Adam Hunt eased through to the second round with a 3-0 upset over 28th seed Jamie Hughes, throwing four 180s.
On his sixth attempt, Mickey Mansell recorded his first World Championship victory, by hitting nine consecutive legs in an impressive 3-0 victory over Haupai Puha.
It was also a breakthrough for Wayne Jones, who registered his first win in the tournament for nine years, 3-2 over Ciaran Teehan.
Jones threw three finishes of over 100 in the process, with a highest checkout of 143 on his way to victory.
Darius Labanauskas also progressed with a straight-sets win over Chengan Liu, including a 122 checkout.
