Michael van Gerwen swept aside Keane Barry in his first match; Steve Beaton also won and announced he will retire next year
Michael van Gerwen got his World Darts Championship title challenge off to the perfect start as he cruised to a 3-0 victory over Keane Barry on Tuesday night.
Van Gerwen, runner-up to Michael Smith last year, dropped just two legs against the fast-paced Barry and got better as the match went on.
The Dutchman averaged 98.17 and hit 60 per cent of his doubles which his opponent was unable to match.
Barry had his chances early on, including seven darts at a double in the second leg of the match but missed them, allowing Van Gerwen to capitalise.
The Irishman broke his opponent’s throw at the start of the second set but MVG delivered the highest checkout of the night with a superb 167 and ramped up the pressure.
From there, it was one way traffic as Van Gerwen won the remaining legs and will play either Kim Huybrechts, Richard Veenstra or Ben Robb in the third round.
