World Matchplay darts: Former world champions' mixed fortunes on night one at Blackpool's Winter Gardens

Day one of the summer’s biggest darts event saw Price kick off his bid for a maiden World Matchplay crown in emphatic style, as 2018 champion Anderson continued his resurgence at the Winter Gardens.

Saturday’s opening night also saw Daryl Gurney dump out 2019 champion Rob Cross in a tie-break, with Joe Cullen accounting for Mike De Decker in the evening’s opener.

However, Price took centre stage in taking 10 of the last 11 legs against Bunting to win 10-3 and set up a last-16 showdown against Cullen.

“I got the job done and that’s all I wanted to do tonight,” reflected Price, who was beaten by Bunting at the same stage of the 2019 World Matchplay.

“Tuesday is a new day and it will be a tough game against Joe Cullen. Joe is a great player so I need to put him under pressure, but I’m looking forward to it.”

Meanwhile, Anderson won through a scrappy affair against Chisnall to set up an intriguing tie against Gurney.

Chisnall led 3-2 following an inauspicious start to proceedings but Anderson stole a march in the second session.

The two-time world champion reeled off five consecutive legs on his way to a 10-6 success and admitted: “I was a bit nervous, but I’ll take the win.

“Daryl played well tonight, and if I play like I did tonight, I will be going home very quickly, so I need to improve.

“I’m enjoying the game again, and it’s been a long time since I have enjoyed it, and I’m looking forward to Tuesday now.”

Earlier in the night, Gurney condemned Cross to his first opening round exit at the Winter Gardens with a dramatic 12-10 victory.

Gurney had produced back-to-back 110 and 111 finishes to lead 4-0, but a three-leg burst of 13, 14 and 13 darts saw Cross level at 7-7.

The pendulum continued to swing as Cross recovered from a 9-7 deficit to lead for the first time at 10-9 but Gurney regained his poise in the closing stages, winning the last three legs to triumph in a thriller.

Gurney, a two-time semi-finalist at the Winter Gardens, said: “It’s tough because I’m lower down in the rankings, but it just shows that every dog has their day and I can still play this game.”

Elsewhere, Cullen kicked off this year’s tournament with an impressive 10-7 victory over debutant Mike De Decker: averaging almost 101, landing eight 180s and converting three ton-plus finishes.

“I wanted to win that first session, and from there I think I controlled the game,” reflected Cullen, who will now play Price for a place in the quarter-finals.

“It maybe should have been a little bit more comfortable, but it’s all about just getting over the first hurdle, regardless of the performance.

“My game is in a good place at the minute. I’ve been putting in some big performances against some big players, so there’s no reason why I can’t go a long way. We’re all capable of winning it.”