Darts: Adams coasts to victory while Wagner wheels on

The England captain Martin Adams began his 10th attempt to capture the Embassy World Championship title with a 3-1 victory over the Dutch player Co Stompe at Frimley Green last night.

The fourth seed from Peterborough took advantage of a poor start by his opponent to win the opening set and, after Stompe hit back to draw level, he eased away and completed his win with a fine 138 checkout.

In the second round, Adams, a semi-finalist last year, will meet Scotland's Bob Taylor, who easily brushed aside Peter Hunt of New Zealand 3-0.

Two debutants also booked their places in the last 16 ­ and won many new fans in doing so. John Burton, a 37-year-old qualifier from Chepstow, beat the Stockport funeral director Darryl Fitton 3-1 and lived up to his nickname of the "Bouncing Bomb" with some exuberant celebrations.

But his reaction to victory was nothing compared to that of Robert Wagner, who performed a somersault on stage after ousting Gary Robson 3-1.

The Norway-based Austrian, the other debutant and a former body-building champion, produced an impressive performance despite a second-set slip and gave the impression he could reach the later stages.

Wagner will play Erik Clarys in the second round after the Belgian beat the seventh seed Tony Eccles 3-1.

Elsewhere, Raymond van Barneveld, who has won this tournament twice before, beat England's Matt Clark 3-1.

The Dutchman was made to work, though, after Clark kicked off with a maximum. Although Van Barneveld then followed it up with just 36, he held his nerve to take the first set.

Van Barneveld then reeled off six legs in a row to put himself in command at 2-1 and never looked back.