LONDON (CP) - Canadian darts star John Part began his bid for a third world title by defeating China's Liu Cheng'An 3-0 on Monday to reach the final 32 at the 500,000-pound ($1.03 million Cdn) Ladbrokes.com World Championships.
Part, a native of Oshawa, Ont., last took the title in 2003. The 11th-seeded Canadian won 3-2, 3-1 and 3-0, finishing the first set with a 161 checkout. Part had nothing but praise for the unranked Chinese No. 1.
"It's great to get the first game out of the way," Part was quoted on the website PlanetDarts.tv. "I was ready for anything because he's an unknown quantity and you don't know how they will cope with the whole situation.
"But he was quite fantastic and turned up to play. I hope he gets the credit he deserves back home for how he turned up and played a former champion."
Part's next match is Dec. 28 against either Chris Mason or Steve Hine.
In other Canadian first-round action, Calgary's Ken Woods takes on No. 31 Matt Clark of England on Wednesday while Winnipeg's Gerry Convery faces No. 19 Dave Askew of England on Thursday.
The winner takes home 100,000 pounds ($205,920 Cdn).