Sunderland welcomed the inaugural World Cup of Darts yesterday where 24 nations were due to take part. Unfortunately because of the weather, Czech Republic couldn't turn up which meant there were 23 and Germany received a bye into the second round. The format saw the other fourteen non-seeded nations take part in the first round and the seven winners will join Germany in the second round, where the eight seeded teams would be waiting for them. Both rounds are a battle of eleven legs, so first to six legs wins.
First up to the oche was Belgium as they took on Finland. Patrick Bulen and Rocco Maes were representing Belgium, Jarkko Komula and Marko Kantele were representing Finland. On paper Finland were the favourites as they were ranked twelfth to Belgium's rank of 21. However it was Belgium who won the first leg as Bulen checked-out on 46. With the loser of the previous leg throwing first in the next, Finland equalised straight away with Kantele finishing on 54. With Belgium having the throw they took the third leg with Bulen again finishing the leg, this time with 20. Again Finland equalised in the fourth leg with Kantele taking his second leg of the match with a check-out of twenty. From there, Belgium took the following four legs to win 6-2 with Bulen and Maes winning three legs apiece overall. Belgium would play Canada in the second round in the evening session.
Fourteenth rank Austria took on nineteenth rank Denmark in the second match. Mensur Suljovic and Maik Langendorf were representing Austria, Per Laursen and promising youngster Vladimir Andersen were representing Denmark. It was the Danes who secured a 3-0 lead however with Andersen checking-out the first two legs and Laursen won the third. However Austria came back immediately to level the score at 3-3, Suljovic took the fourth and Langendorf took the fifth. Langendorf then finished off an impressive 161 to level the scores before Suljovic took the seventh leg to give Austria the lead. Laursen equalised for Denmark in the eighth leg but Austria then took the following two legs to win 6-4, Suljovic and Langendorf taking a leg each. They would meet Northern Ireland in the second round.
The third match saw the first ever darts Hakka as New Zealand took on Poland. The Kiwis were ranked thirteenth and represented by Phillip Hazel and Warren Parry. The Poles were ranked twentieth and represented by Krzsystof Kciuk and Krzsystof Ratajski. Each of the Poles took a leg to give Poland a 2-0 lead. However the experienced Kiwis won the following six legs to win the match 6-2, Parry won four of the legs to Hazel's two and Parry had the best check-out of 93. They would meet Wales in the second round.
The fourth match saw the only female competitor as Russia took on Gibraltar. The Russians were ranked sixteenth and represented by the glamorous Anastasia Dobromyslova and youngster Roman Konchikov. Gibraltar were ranked just behind in seventeenth and were represented by Dylan Duo and Dyson Parody. Konchikov gave Russia the lead in the first leg before Parody won legs two and three. Konchikov equalised in the fourth leg before Parody regained the lead for Gibraltar with a check-out of 112. Konchikov again equalised for Russia in the sixth leg before Duo this time put Gibraltar back in front. Russia then went on to take the following three legs with Anastasia winning two of them to win 6-4. They would take on Scotland in the second round.
The fifth match of the session saw fifteenth seeds Sweden take on eighteenth seeds Slovenia. Magnus Caris and Per Riihonen were representing Sweden, Osmann Kijamet and Sebastijan Pecjak were representing Slovenia. Caris took out 68 to give Sweden the lead before Kijamet equalised in the second with an impressive check-out of 146. Sweden then won the following four legs to take a 5-1 lead, Riihonen took three of the legs with his best check-out of 81. Pecjak earned a second leg for Slovenia but Caris finished the match off to win 6-2. Sweden would take on USA in the second round.
The penultimate match of the session saw eleventh seeds Spain take on 22nd seeds Japan. Carlos Rodriguez and Antonio Alcinas were representing Spain, Haruki Muramatsu and Taro Yachi were representing Japan. Each of the Spaniards took a leg to give Spain a 2-0 lead. Yachi pulled one back in the third before Spain won the following three to take a 5-1 lead, Alcinas won two of the three legs. Both of the Japanese players won a leg in legs seven and eight to make it 5-3 but Rodriguez checked-out 97 to win the match for Spain. Spain would take on the heavy favourites England in the second round.
The final first round match saw the Republic of Ireland take on Slovakia. The Irish were seeded ninth and represented by Mick McGowan and William O'Connor. Slovakia were seeded 24th until the Czech Republic withdrew and were represented by Peter Martin and Oto Zmelik. O'Connor took the first two legs for Ireland before Martin pulled one back in the third. McGowan then made 3-1 before Zmelik kept Slovakia alive by winning the fifth leg. O'Connor took the seventh before Slovakia again pulled back to within a leg thanks to Martin. But McGowan and O'Connor took a leg each to win the game 6-3 and will play Australia in the second round.
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