ST HELENS darter Michael Smith suffered a shock first-round exit in the inaugural Brisbane Darts Masters, writes Nathan Okell.

Australian Raymond Smith defeated his namesake 6-1 to book a place in the quarter-finals.

The 38-year-old averaged almost 100 to comfortably beat the Melbourne Darts Masters runner-up and set up a last eight encounter with Peter Wright.

Michael Smithwas 5-0 behind before he registered his only leg.

Raymond Smith began the match in style taking out 125 on tops to set the tone for the match.

He is likely to make his debut at the World Championship in December courtesy of leading the DPA Order of Merit.

Raymond Smith, who is based in Brisbane, delighted the crowd by pinning double ten to seal the win.

“For me that’s massive. To be the first Queenslander to walk out on that stage and play as well as I did, I am happy as I can be," he said.

“Michael missed doubles, I got lucky but at the same time I played the darts and put myself in that position. When I got the shot I took it.”

Wright will be his next opponent after the Melbourne Darts Master overcame Justin Thompson in a 6-2 victory.

The scot averaged 100, hit three 180s and struck over 50% of his attempts at doubles but still wasn’t overly happy with his performance.

“I felt so nervous tonight, I don’t know why but I didn’t feel right all day," he said.

“It’s a new venue, a new stage and a new place and I just didn’t wake up right today.

“I’m still in the tournament and still have a chance, so that’s all that matters.”

Corey Cadby gained revenge for his defeat in Melbourne a week earlier as he beat his fellow countryman Simon Whitlock 6-5.

The week before, Whitlock had been victorious over the Tasmanian but spoke of his admiration for the young ace, stating he believed he was the most talented darts player to ever come out of Australia.

This time round it was Cadby who secured the victory in a last leg decider.

Whitlock started the brighter of the pair taking a 2-0 lead before being clawed back by Cadby who levelled.

The former European Champion then opened up another two leg lead to take a 4-2 advantage but this seemed to fire up the young Australian.

A run of three legs on the spin gave the UK Open finalist the chance to throw for the match but a clutch double ten saw Whitlock level and take the match to a decider.

Scores of 140 and 137 in the final leg gave Cadby the advantage and he eventually sealed the win on double ten.

“It’s great to be back in the winners circle, it’s been too long," he said.

“My dad always taught me to never gett beaten twice and learn from your mistakes.

“I needed to get angry to get my game going and when I missed a few chances that got me fired up.”

Cadby also spoke of his admiration for his opponent after their match.

“Simon is still the daddy of Australian darts, we owe him so much, the sport wouldn’t be the way it is over here if it wasn’t for him," he said.

“He said some lovely things about me last week and hopefully I prove him right but for now he is still the boss.”

Cadby will now face Rob Cross in the last eight after the World Champion defeated Tim Pusey 6-2.

World number one Michael van Gerwen produced a solid performance as he defeated Mark Cleaver 6-2 with an average of 99.15.

Van Gerwen set up a quarter-final contest with Kyle Anderson who returned to form in style, beating Barry Gardner 6-2 with an average of almost 100 and hitting six maximums along the way.

Raymond van Barneveld will return for the quarter-final stages in Brisbane after a comfortable 6-1 win over Gordon Mathers.

The Dutchman needed an average of just 92 to see off his opponent and will play Gary Anderson in the last eight after the Scot secured a scrappy 6-5 win over Damon Heta.

Results, first round:

Raymond Smith 6-1 Michael Smith

Raymond van Barneveld 6-1 Gordon Mathers

Kyle Anderson 6-2 Barry Gardner

Peter Wright 6-2 Justin Thompson

Rob Cross 6-2 Tim Pusey

Michael van Gerwen 6-2 Mark Cleaver

Simon Whitlock 5-6 Corey Cadby

Gary Anderson 6-5 Damon Heta