Darts: Kenny takes advantage of Gedney gaffe

KEVIN KENNY won a fluctuating match to reach the quarter-finals of the Embassy World Professional Championship at Frimley Green, Surrey, last night.

Kenny, a joiner from Liverpool who began the night as 5-1 favourite to win the tournament, beat Nick Gedney, from Coventry, 3-2 in a second-round match of high quality. Gedney, who had defeated the top seed, Steve Beaton, in his opening match on Saturday after being two sets down, looked as if he would repeat the feat.

He lost the first two sets but levelled at 2-2 and then won the first two legs of the final set. Gedney then missed five doubles for the match in the third leg and Kenny, took advantage of the let-off and went out on 114 to win the leg and took the next three in a sudden-death final.

The flamboyant Bobby George, complete with his golden cloak, gave the capacity crowd full value for money with a 3-1 defeat of Martin Phillips, from Wales. George lost the opening set, but from two legs all in the second he dominated the match and his place in the quarter-finals was never in doubt. He won that vital second set with a 12-dart finish in the fifth leg and then took six of the next seven legs.

Martin Adams, the England captain from Peterborough, beat Scotland's Bob Taylor 3-1, and Sweden's Magnus Caris defeated Leo Laurens, from Belgium, 3-0 in other second- round matches.