Night of shocks at Winter Gardens as Humphries and Aspinall crash out

The world No.1 found himself on the end of a 10-8 defeat to 23-year-old Gian van Veen.

This shock result came hot on the heels of wins for James Wade and Danny Noppert, and was followed by a Wessel Nijman victory over Nathan Aspinall.

After falling 2-0 behind in the early stages of the contest, Humphries won three successive legs, which featured a 146 check out, to take the lead into the first break.

Van Veen quickly matched that feat to retake control, with the reigning champion missing four darts to hold his own throw.

In the ninth leg, both players were unable to make the most of their chances, but it was eventually Humphries who got the job done to break back to make it 5-5.

The resumption of play brought back-to-back breaks, before Van Veen reclaimed and held the advantage.

After missing two bulls to win, and a double eight, the Dutchman eventually got the job done with a double four.

“Last year the pressure got to me, and I’ve played twice in the World Championship and lost in the first round twice, so I’m not too perfect under pressure, but today I’m happy I got the job done under it,” said Van Veen.

“More experience gained, even this tournament, and even today – winning my first match at the Winter Gardens.

“Of course you want to win your first match at the World Matchplay, but to beat the world number one and the reigning champion is of course amazing. You couldn’t dream of a better game than this.

“It’s an iconic venue, and an amazing atmosphere – I really play well in here. I can’t wait to get back on the stage.”

The opening night got had under way with a 10-3 victory for Wade over Joe Cullen.

It proved to be a dominant display from the world No.8, with his opponent’s first hold of throw only coming in the 11th leg.

Despite being broken twice himself, Wade looked imperious, finishing with an average of 104.44.

Reflecting on being back at the Winter Gardens, where he was victorious in 2007, he said: “It’s magical, the crowd is great. There’s a few players that aren’t here this year that are amazing dart players, so it shows just how hard it is to qualify for things and be involved. I’m really happy to be here – I think I deserve to be here.”

In the second game of the night, debutant Cameron Menzies suffered a heavy 10-2 defeat to Noppert.

The Dutchman won seven consecutive legs, before his opponent got one on the board.

It remained comfortable for Noppert, with just one further hold coming for Menzies.

In the final game of the night, Nijman claimed a 10-6 victory over 2023 champion Aspinall.

“My reaction shows that it means a lot,” said Nijman.