Kim Huybrechts World Matchplay jinx goes on.
The Unicorn ace has now lost six consecutive 1st Round matches in Blackpool after going down 10-6 to Alan Norris on Sunday night.
Joe Cullen also lost a thriller to Raymond van Barneveld.
But the Belgium wasted a great opportunity after racing into a 3-0 lead. It was the perfect start, but the next two legs changed the complexion of the match.
Going for a 120 finish to make it 4-0, he hit the T20 but carelessly missed the single 20....and in the next leg Huybrechts missed four darts to make it 4-1 only for Norris to take out an incredible 155 on the bull.
It turned the game on its head as Norris went on a winning run of eight straight legs and there was no coming back from that.
Cullen came agonisingly close but in the end, he left himself too much to do and was edged out 10-8 by Van Barneveld.
The Unicorn ace came from 3-8 down and missed a dart to force the tie-break but it was those middle legs that cost him.
Cullen took out a superb 150 to lead 2-1 and he was sat on 36 to break as Van Barneveld followed a 180 with a 124 check-out on the bull.
The Yorkshireman refused to lie down. From 3-8 down, he won three on the spin and should have made it 7-8 but missed three at 'tops' and D10. How different things would have been because Cullen would then have had the darts to level.
Even then, he had one dart at D10 for a 140 finish to make it nine apiece before Barney pinched it on D16.
Sunday results:
Dave Chisnall 10-7 Mervyn King
Phil Taylor 10-5 Gerwyn Price
Raymond van Barneveld 10-8 Joe Cullen
Kim Huybrechts 6-10 Alan Norris
Jelle Klaasen 5-10 Justin Pipe
Robert Thornton 3-10 Cristo Reyes
Benito van de Pas 9-11 Daryl Gurney
Mensur Suljovic 10-4 John Henderson
STUART PYKE reporting
Photo courtesy Lawrence Lustig / PDC
