Smith digs deep to reel in Salmon

DENNIS SMITH scraped through an epic battle with Welsh qualifier Mark Salmon to reach the second round of the Ladbrokes.com World Championship at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet.

The 36-year-old eventually prevailed in the 10th leg of the deciding set after his opponent had squandered three darts to win the match.

Salmon made a terrific start to his debut in the sport’s richest tournament and took the first two sets.