Kirk Shepherd suffered an early exit from the Rileys Darts Zones UK Open at the Reebok Stadium, Bolton.

The Martial Dartist had booked a place in the third round after a fine win over Adrian Grey, but saw his run end in the last 64 against Australian-born Paul Nicholson.

The 23-year-old from Ramsgate soon found himself 4-0 down and was never able to get a foothold in the tie, eventually going down 9-6.

Shepherd is aiming to return to the world top 32 this season after bursting onto the international scene in the 2008 World Championships.