Darts world champion Peter Wright admitted he was left feeling emotional after returning to the stage following his operation to have his gallbladder removed.
Having been diagnosed with gallstones, Wright went under the knife earlier this summer and missed the trio of World Series events in Australia and New Zealand as a result.
He returned to action last weekend at Hungarian Darts Trophy, only to suffer an early exit against Jim Williams. But Snakebite got the winning feeling back on Saturday night as he took on Raymond van Barneveld in the second round of the German Darts Trophy in Jena.
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Wright overcame the five-time world champion 6-3 in a topsy-turvy affair at the Sparkassen-Arena to set up an intriguing last-16 clash against Jonny Clayton.
Van Barneveld recovered from a sluggish start to restore parity at three apiece, only for Wright to reel off the last three legs in 15, 13 and 15 darts to advance with a 99.88 average.
“I got a bit emotional last week, but it’s great to be back in front of these amazing fans,” said Wright after the match. “Raymond is absolutely fantastic. He’s a great guy and he’ll be back, but the most important thing is that I’m in the next round."
Clayton, who won the recent New South Wales Darts Masters, fought back from 4-3 down to dump out compatriot Jim Williams.
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The evening’s other all-Welsh tie saw world number one Gerwyn Price recover from 4-3 down to defeat Lewy Williams in a pulsating contest. Williams started magnificently, crashing in six 180s, a 10-darter and conjuring up a 142 finish, but Price’s experience paid dividends, as the second seed won the last three legs to book his spot in the last 16.
“Lewy was banging in 180s on his throw and putting me under pressure,” admitted Price, who will lock horns with home favourite Martin Schindler for a place in the quarter-finals.
“Thankfully I had that 3-1 lead because I needed it towards the end. Lewy is a fantastic player, and with more experience, I’m sure he will be able to finish off games like this.”
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