Merseyside darts ace Stephen Bunting swept aside Daryl Gurney with a 2-0 win at the World Grand Prix in Leicester.
Bunting, a former semi-finalist who missed out last year after testing positive for Covid, produced the outstanding performance of the day.
“The Bullet” unleashed an array of 180s and three figure finishes which 2017 winner Gurney had no answer to.
Bunting has set himself up for a second round clash against James Wade.
But fellow Merseysider Michael Smith was beaten by world number one and current champion Gerwyn Price.
St Helens based Smith lost 2-0 to the Welshman.
Price will be hoping to join Phil Taylor and Michael Van Gerwen as back-to-back winners of the tournament.
Losing the first leg of the match after Smith got an impressive 126, Price bounced back claiming the following three legs with some three figure finishes.
The second set went all the way until Price prevailed in the fifth leg taking advantage of Smith’s three missed darts.
Price will move onto the second round where he will take on Merwyn King who easily dispatched of Martijn Kleermaker.
Here is the full roundup of results for the first round:
- Martijn Kleermaker 0 – 2 Mervyn King
- Dirk Van Duijvenbode 0 – 2 Luke Humphries
- Stephen Bunting 2 – 0 Daryl Guerney
- Joe Cullen 0 – 2 Ross Smith
- Dave Chisnall 2 – 1 Mensur Suljovic
- James Wade 2 – 1 Damon Heta
- Gerwyn Price 2 – 0 Michael Smith
- Dmitri Van Den Bergh 1 – 2 Ryan Searle
