Kiwi Ben Robb's world darts championship debut ended in disappointment, with a first-round defeat at London's Alexandra Palace on Thursday (NZ time).
The 31-year-old from Rangiora lost 3-0 to world No.52 Ron Meulenkamp of the Netherlands, who was competing in his fourth Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) world tournament.
The one-sided scoreline didn't reflect how well Robb played, as he scored an average of 88.36 in the match, hitting two 180 maxims and two 100-plus finishes.
Despite failing to win a set, Robb, known as 'Big Rig', pushed two of the three sets to a last-leg decider, but Mueenkamp held throw on both occasions.
Meulenkamp's previous experience on the 'Ally Pally' stage proved vital, as he managed to produce big shots when needed most.
But Robb come up with the play of the game, hitting a bullseye for a 170 finish in the fourth leg of the first set.
"I'm obviously gutted with my inconsistency on the stage," Robb told Newshub.
"I felt good, but didn't give myself enough opportunities. He just played better then me on the day."
For his efforts, Robb pocketed £7,500 (NZ$15,000) and became the 13th Kiwi to compete on the biggest stage in world darts.
