World number three James Wade comfortably progressed through to the second round of the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship tonight with a straightforward win over Peter Hudson at Alexandra Palace.
Wade, who lost to eventual winner Adrian Lewis in last year's semi-finals, was not on top form in his tournament opener but was still too good for his opponent as he dropped just two legs in winning 3-0.
"It wasn't my best performance but I got the win and I'm relieved to get the game out of the way," said Wade, who next faces Steve Beaton or Kyle Anderson.
Regarding his hopes for the event, Wade added on www.pdc.tv: "Some people are not considering me as a contender in this tournament. But I'm a very capable player and that means that I can take the trophy."
The most impressive performance of the night came from debutant John Bowles, who edged past Jamie Caven 3-2 following a thrilling match.
The 45-year-old Bowles, who earlier in the evening won his preliminary round match against Carlos Rodriguez 4-2, will now meet 2011 runner-up Gary Anderson in the second round.
A delighted Bowles told Sky Sports 2: "It's totally unbelievable really. Everything's a plus for me from now on."
Also tonight, world number 11 and two-time former semi-finalist Mark Webster started his tournament with a 3-1 win over Ian White in a high-quality match that saw the pair share 14 maximums while Peter Wright celebrated a whitewash as he saw off Arron Monk 3-0.
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