SIMON WHITLOCK 6 – 3 Jamie Caven
Simon Whitlock booked his place in the last 16 of the Players Championship Finals at Butlins, Minhead with a 6-3 triumph over Jamie Caven on Friday night.
The reigning European Champion won each of the last three legs to claim a deserved first round victory.
Whitlock bedded double 16 to take the first leg before hitting his first 180 in the second.
That maximum couldn’t prevent Caven from levelling up but ‘The Wizard’ pinned double ten to reclaim the lead.
The Australian ace hammered home his second maximum in leg four but was again unable to break his opponent’s throw.
Whitlock hit double ten to nudge himself into a 3-2 lead but ‘Jabba’ squared up once more.
‘The Wizard’ held again before finally breaking Caven’s throw with a neat 52 checkout.
And the number two seed sealed the win in style, taking out a fabulous 111 finish to set up a second round tie against Ronnie Baxter.
By Chris Murphy