Lights go out in Blackpool for Anderson as Hamilton proves ruthless

SCOTLAND'S Gary Anderson crashed out of the PDC World Matchplay darts in the first round after losing 10-6 to Andy Hamilton.

Fourth seed Anderson hit ten maximums but Hamilton's ruthless finishing proved more important, the Englishman taking out 135, 130 and 122 on the bull.

Earlier in the evening at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, Denis Ovens held his nerve to beat Ronnie Baxter 10-8 after threatening to squander a big lead. Ovens led 6-1 and missed four darts for a 7-2 advantage before Baxter gained some momentum with a superb 146 finish. Baxter closed the gap to 6-5 but Ovens took the next leg against the throw thanks to a finish of 120 and eventually made Baxter pay for some bad misses.

After Ovens missed three darts at double 20, Baxter was left facing a 100 checkout but hit single one with his first dart, and in the final leg he also missed single 20 to let Ovens off the hook. Former world champion Colin Lloyd was also sent packing after a 10-7 loss to Scotland's John Henderson.

In the evening's final game, Simon Whitlock saw off a tough challenge from Peter Wright before winning 10-7.