PAUL NICHOLSON 2-0 RONNIE BAXTER

PAUL NICHOLSON 2-0 RONNIE BAXTER
(3-0, 3-2)
PAUL NICHOLSON swept past Ronnie Baxter in straight sets to claim his first-ever PartyPoker.com World Grand Prix victory in their first round contest.

Nicholson has been a first round casualty in his previous two appearances at the New Citywest Convention Centre, but made amends with a strong display to set up a mouth-watering second round clash with nine-time champion Phil Taylor on Thursday night.

Nicholson set the tone for the victory from the start, hitting two 140s and double nine in taking the game's opening leg, before landing double six for a 2-0 lead.

Baxter pressed in the third, but Nicholson was first to the double and hit tops to secure the set.

Nicholson also landed his first 180 of the game in the opening leg of set two, which Baxter won with an 85 finish before his opponent levelled with the help of another maximum and a tricky double eight.

Baxter hit a 180 and double 14 for a 14-dart leg to take the third, but paid for missing the bull for the set in the next as Nicholson hit double ten to move a leg away from victory.

He then hit double ten once again in the next, with Baxter waiting on 24, to secure his last 16 spot and a tie against rival Phil Taylor.

"I'm relieved to have got through that," said Nicholson. "I'd seen a lot of other first round matches where players had a great first set and then got caught, and I didn't want to do that.

"Ronnie was coming for me and if I'd not killed him off when I did then he could have turned it around.

"It's a big thing for me to win that game, because I saw how Vincent van der Voort celebrated after four first round losses here, and I didn't want to be one of those players with a little bit of a monkey on their back in a certain event.

"I don't want to see myself as a player who has continually struggled at a certain event, and I want to improve and I've changed my tactics this year by changing from double top and double 18 to start to double 16 and double 19, and it worked."

Nicholson defeated Taylor in the 2010 Players Championship Finals and at the Speedy Hire UK Open in June, while the pair enjoyed an eagerly-awaited quarter-final in the summer's European Championship which the Stoke great edged 10-8.

"It's going to be fun and I think there will be a massive TV audience on Thursday," added Nicholson. "This is what darts is all about.

"You've got the person who has thrown the best darts in history in Phil against the person who wants to throw the darts to upset him.

"All I want to do now is cement what I've done this year and take the confidence that I've gained over the last 12 months into this game and give him a real battle.

"It's going to be hard, I know that, and I'll have to work hard in the next 36 hours, but I'll be ready for Phil."

Match Stats

Ronnie Baxter	0-2	Paul Nicholson
6	100+	11
9	140+	6
1	180	2
29.30	Ave1	30.57
87.91	Ave3	91.72
2	Breaks of Throw	3
85	High Finish	60
8/20 - 40%	Starting Doubles	8/14 - 57%
2/6 - 33%	Finishing Doubles	6/17 - 35%