By Alex Moss
28 MAY 2017 • 8:13PM
Glen Durrant defeated Andy Fordham 6-2 in the battle of the world champions to advance to the quarter-finals of the BDO World Trophy.
The BDO world number one holds both the World Championship and World Masters titles, and is bidding to complete the triple crown by winning the World Trophy in Wales this weekend.
Durrant came through a last-leg decider in his first round game to see off the challenge of Brian Dawson, but his last 16 clash with 2004 BDO world champion Fordham proved to be a much more straight forward affair.
A 10-darter in the opening leg handed Durrant an early break of throw, before Fordham hit back with consecutive legs to take a 2-1 lead.
But Durrant then reeled off five legs on the spin to complete a comprehensive 6-2 win, in a match which had seen the top seed hit five 180s and finish with an average just under the 100 mark.
Durrant will face Dutch eighth seed Wesley Harms in the quarter-finals after he defeated recent Polish Masters winner James Hurrell 6-3 earlier today.
Hurrell, who knocked out two-time world champion Scott Waites in the first round yesterday, looked on course to claim another scalp as he marched into a 3-1 lead.
However, Harms responded with a five-leg winning streak, aided by a 100 checkout in the eighth leg, to set up a showdown with bookies’ favourite Durrant tomorrow.
Martin Adams also kept his hopes of completing the triple crown alive with a hard-fought 6-4 victory against home favourite Dean Reynolds in the second round.
The three-time Lakeside and World Masters winner is missing the World Trophy from his glittering CV, but moved a step closer to his maiden triumph in the tournament after edging past fifth seed Reynolds.
The 60-year-old took out checkouts of 107 and 104 as he stormed into what looked like an unassailable 5-1 lead, before Reynolds, helped by Adams missing five match darts, won three legs on the spin to close the gap to just one.
The Welsh ace had brilliantly finished off 130 to start the winning run, but Adams held his nerve in the 10th leg by hitting tops to set up a quarter-final meeting with Australia’s Peter Machin.
Last year’s World Trophy runner-up Machin recorded an impressive 6-3 win over former world champion Scott Mitchell to reach the final day of the BDO major for the second straight year.
Fourth seed Mitchell got off to a flying start as he checked out 121 on the bull in the first leg, but it was Machin who would go on to take the honours.
With the score locked at three legs apiece, Machin claimed the next three legs, culminating with a match-winning 106 checkout to book his place in the last eight.
Welsh veteran Martin Phillips pulled off the shock of the day with a crushing 6-1 win over second seed Mark McGeeney to advance to his first World Trophy quarter-final.
The 57-year-old dropped just one leg as he sent the recent Dutch Open winner packing, with the home favourite now set to face debutant Conan Whitehead tomorrow for a place in the semi-finals.
Whitehead, who knocked out defending champion Darryl Fitton on the opening day, avenged his World Championship defeat to Darius Labanauskas in January with a comeback 6-5 win earlier today.
The Lithuanian won their first round encounter at Lakeside by three sets to one, but the 10th seed spurned numerous match darts and a 5-2 lead, as Whitehead scraped home in a deciding leg.
Welsh youngster Nick Kenny also made it through to his maiden World Trophy quarter-final after whitewashing Canadian qualifier Jeff Smith 6-0.
The 14th seed hit three maximums and fired in a 142 checkout on his way to a memorable win in front of a home crowd, and will take on Scotland’s Ross Montgomery in the quarter-finals tomorrow.
Montgomery, a finalist in the World Trophy back in 2014, edged a tight clash with Willem Mandigers, of the Netherlands, 6-4, to advance to the final day.
The 11th seed never trailed in the game but was made to work hard for his victory over the Dutchman, who had dispatched Lakeside finalist Danny Noppert in the first round of the tournament.
In the ladies draw, top seed Deta Hedman battled back from 2-0 down to beat Rachel Brooks and progress to the semi-finals.
Brooks took out 118 in the opening leg as she went on to establish a 2-0 lead, before Hedman fought back and reeled off four straight legs, finishing with a 110 checkout to set up a semi-final clash with Anastasia Dobromyslova tomorrow.
Fourth seed Dobromyslova, the winner of the World Trophy in 2014, secured her spot in the final day with a comfortable 4-1 victory against Australia’s Corrine Hammond.
The other semi-final tomorrow pits third seed Aileen de Graaf against Anca Zijlstra in an all-Dutch affair.
De Graaf got the better of Rhian Griffiths 4-1 to progress to her first World Trophy quarter-final, while her compatriot Zijlstra, who knocked out defending champion Lisa Ashton in the first round, defeated 10-times world champion Trina Gulliver by the same scoreline to continue her best-ever run in the event.
The World Trophy concludes tomorrow at The Memo Arts Centre in Barry, with the men’s quarter-finals, semi-finals and final, along with the ladies’ semi-finals and final.
2017 BDO World Trophy
Men’s Second Round and Ladies’ Quarter-Finals
Sunday May 28 (1-7pm)
Ross Montgomery (11) 6-4 Willem Mandigers
Rhian Griffiths 1-4 Aileen de Graaf (3)
Nick Kenny (14) 6-0 Jeff Smith
Darius Labanauskas (10) 5-6 Conan Whitehead
Trina Gulliver (7) 1-4 Anca Zijlstra
Martin Phillips (15) 6-1 Mark McGeeney (2)
James Hurrell 3-6 Wesley Harms (8)
Rachel Brooks 2-4 Deta Hedman (1)
Andy Fordham 2-6 Glen Durrant (1)
Peter Machin 6-3 Scott Mitchell (4)
Corrine Hammond (5) 1-4 Anastasia Dobromyslova (4)
Martin Adams (12) 6-4 Dean Reynolds (5)
Picture: David Gill
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