World Darts Championship: Daryl Gurney beats Jermaine Wattimena 3-1 in first round

Daryl Gurney lost to eventual champion Gary Anderson in last year's World Championship

Northern Ireland's Daryl Gurney beat Dutchman Jermaine Wattimena 3-1 in the first round of the World Championship at Alexandra Palace on Sunday.

The Londonderry man posted an average of 96.85 and scored five maximum 180s.

The 30-year-old will face Scotland's Robert Thornton or a qualifier in the second round on Tuesday 27 December.

Gurney, seeded 24 this year, lost 4-1 to eventual champion Gary Anderson at the second round stage of last year's event, so will hope to improve on that.

Gurney, who has recently been recovering from a broken hand, opened his match with a 180 and went on to take the first set 3-0.

The 2015 Players' Championship semi-finalist won set two by a margin of three legs to one, before Wattimena, 28, recovered to take the third.

Gurney secured the fourth set 3-1 to book his place in the next round.

The other Northern Ireland representative in the tournament, Brendan Dolan from Belcoo, will play 2012 BDO world champion Christian Kist on Tuesday 20 December.

The 43-year-old Fermanagh man is the number 23 seed.

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