IRISH YOUNGSTER KEANE Barry has been knocked out of the PDC World Darts Championship at the first hurdle.
The Meath 20-year-old was stunned by South Africa’s Grant Sampson in a big first-round upset on opening night.
It was a memorable debut on the biggest stage for Sampson, who won 3-1 on his Ally Pally bow.
“Wow, still pumped with adrenaline,” Sampson said afterwards. “Honestly, it was amazing. The crowd was awesome, wow. Back home, we only play in front of 50 people so to play in front of a crowd like that was beautiful. I enjoyed every minute.”
🗣 "I won't be able to sleep tonight!"
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 15, 2022
Hear from Grant Sampson after his dream Ally Pally debut, defeating Keane Barry 3-1! pic.twitter.com/tsK8fmC31h
Asked about beating Barry — “one of the most exciting talents in the game,” as the interviewee put it — he added:
“I’m very, very, very proud of that. It is the biggest night of my life. I won’t be able to sleep tonight!”
THE BIGGEST WIN OF HIS LIFE! 🇿🇦
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 15, 2022
WHAT A MOMENT FOR GRANT SAMPSON!
It's a dream debut for the South African, he defeats the Irish ace Keane Barry 3-1 to win on the grandest stage of them all!
Up next 👉 Wattimena v Rafferty#WCDarts | R1
📺 https://t.co/37DNuuK5Me pic.twitter.com/nFs0H8LGZ8
Elsewhere, Ronnie O’Sullivan’s search for a first ranking title of the season continued as he crashed out 4-1 to world number 43 Martin Gould at the second-round stage of the English Snooker Open.
But Gould’s good fortune did not continue as he returned in the evening session to lose his last-16 clash by the same score to Ashley Hugill, a result that sent the York player into the quarter-finals of a ranking event for the first time.
And Judd Trump gained revenge over Thepchaiya Un-Nooh to move into the quarter-finals.
- Additional reporting from Press Association
