World No 8 Dobey finds groove after early wobble
Soutar finally holds nerve to win match at 16th attempt
Chris Dobey shrugged off an early scare to reach the second round of the World Darts Championship with a 3-1 win over China’s Zong Xiaochen at Alexandra Palace.
Dobey, who reached the semi-final last year, was not expected to be troubled by his opponent but a spate of missed early doubles threatened to cost the eighth seed. After winning the opening set, Dobey’s repeated failure to find double top allowed his opponent to level at 1-1 and briefly threaten what would have been a momentous upset.
Missed doubles continued to dog Dobey in the fourth set but Zong failed to capitalise on his opportunities and the favourite wrapped up victory.
