• World Darts Championship

Lloyd fights his way past Welge

Peter Wright sent Co Stompe crashing out of the World Championship © Getty Images

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Colin Lloyd dug deep into his reserves to claim a stunning 3-2 win over Andre Welge in the first round of the World Darts Championship.

Lloyd raced into a two-set lead and there was no sign of the drama that was to follow as he moved into the interval with an average of 90. With defeat staring him in the face, Welge found his stride and this seemed to affect Lloyd whose form dipped alarmingly.

Welge found some consistency on his finishing while Lloyd's scoring fell apart and when trailing in the final set, such was his frustration Lloyd punched the board in anger - drawing blood in the process.

The crowd and referee were simply stunned by Lloyd's actions but it spurred him into life as he took out the bull to save the match. Welge had three darts for the match but failed to get anywhere near the double and Lloyd took out double three to level at two legs all in the final set.

For the first time in the match, Welge showed fallibility and Lloyd took advantage to take the next two legs to close out the victory.

"If anyone is aggrieved by what I did, I apologise for it," Lloyd said after the match. "But the PDC tell us to show our emotions. He ripped me 3-0, 3-0 and I let it get to me. I apologise to all those watching the game, but I showed my emotions and this is how much this tournament means. I want to be world champion."

Adrian Lewis was not at his best, but pulled out some classy shots at the right times to claim a 3-0 win over Tony Eccles.

Eccles' scoring was superb, he hit 180s in each of the first six legs and eight in total, but his finishing was poor and this allowed Lewis to control the match and he checked out at key moments to move into round two.

Peter Wright caused a stir at the Alexandra Palace when sending Co Stompe crashing out of the World Championship at the first hurdle.

Dutchman Stompe is a hugely popular figure and arrived in form - having won the World Cup of Darts alongside Raymond van Barneveld - but he failed to find his stride. Stompe struggled on his finishing and was made to pay a hefty price as Wright claimed a 3-1 win to set up a clash with Paul Nicholson in the second round.

The evening's action concluded with Ronnie Baxter cruising to a 3-0 win over Roland Scholten.

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