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World Darts Championship

Humphries beats Van Gerwen to win Matchplay title

Luke Humphries added the World Matchplay title to his World Championship crown with a thrilling 18-15 defeat of Michael van Gerwen.

The 29-year-old Englishman stayed composed to see off a fightback from his Dutch rival at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens.

Humphries sealed victory by hitting double 20 twice as Van Gerwen threatened to reel him in.

He is only the fourth man to win both events in the same year after Van Gerwen, Peter Wright and Phil Taylor.


BBC
 
Littler wins seventh title after Matchplay exit

Teenager Luke Littler overcame Wessel Nijman to win Players Championship 15 - his seventh senior title of the year.

The 17-year-old Englishman recovered from his disappointing first-round exit at the World Matchplay two weeks ago to beat the Dutchman 8-6 in Milton Keynes.

Littler had to beat seven opponents in one day to claim his second Players Championship title.

"I loved the Matchplay, the crowd was unbelievable, I was a bit nervous on stage for the first time," said Littler, who was knocked out of the World Matchplay by Michael van Gerwen.

"I’ve been chilling out and have not really picked up a dart since the Matchplay. To come here and win is even better.

"I know I have to back myself to win almost everything but I know I can’t do that. But I'd love to win another major this year."

BBC
 
Littler beats Van Barneveld to reach World Series last eight

Teenager Luke Littler edged past Raymond van Barneveld 6-4 to reach the last eight of the World Series of Darts finals in Amsterdam.

Littler, 17, raced into a 3-1 lead against the 57-year-old Dutchman but struggled to press home his advantage.

Van Barneveld cut the deficit to one leg on three occasions, before Littler clinched victory with an 86 checkout in the 10th.

Littler will now face a quarter-final on Sunday against fellow Englishman Chris Dobey, who beat Croatia's Boris Krcmar 6-4.

World champion Luke Humphries is also through after a nervy 6-5 win over Australia's Damon Heta.

Humphries will take on defending champion Michael van Gerwen, who beat fellow Dutchman Danny Noppert 6-3.

England's Rob Cross and compatriot Michael Smith both survived scares before also reaching the quarter-finals.

Dutchman Kevin Doets missed four match darts when 5-3 up in the ninth leg against Cross, who then reeled off three straight legs to progress 6-5.

Another Dutchman, Wessel Nijman, missed three match darts when 5-3 up against Smith, and a further three with the match level at 5-5, before the world number two edged through.

Northern Ireland's Daryl Gurney beat Welshman Gerwyn Price 6-3 to set up a last eight meeting with Scotland's Peter Wright, who beat Canada's Jeff Smith 6-2.

BBC
 
Littler wins maiden World Series of Darts Finals

Luke Littler comfortably beat Michael Smith 11-4 to claim his maiden World Series of Darts Finals title in Amsterdam.

The teenager recovered from losing the opening two legs to race into a 7-3 lead by the interval.

Littler, 17, picked up where he left off after returning to the oche and averaged 102.21 on his way to victory and an £80,000 prize fund.

The Englishman also disposed of home favourite Michael van Gerwen 11-4 in the semi-final.

Littler, who began the day with a quarter-final victory over Chris Dobey, secures his third World Series title after previously winning in Bahrain and Poland this year.

He also won the Premier League Darts title in May after beating Luke Humphries to avenge his defeat in the final of the World Championship.

"I'm very happy to win. To come here and win on my debut is a good feeling.

"I'm playing well so I will go back home and practice even more. There is no time to sit about, it's a busy winter coming up.

"Everyone wants to win everything but I've learned you can't do that. I would like to win another major [title]. I want the Worlds as anyone else does but another major would mean the world."

Asked if he is currently the best player in the world, Littler said: "Probably over this weekend.

"To average 103 over four or five matches, it has been really good and I'm proud of myself."


BBC
 
Luke Littler clinches Players Championship 20 title in last-leg decider against Stephen Bunting in Wigan

Luke Littler extended his winning run to 12 matches after defying a brilliant fightback from Stephen Bunting to triumph in Tuesday's Players Championship 20 final in Wigan.

Littler was imperious in storming to victory at the World Series of Darts Finals on Sunday, and he extended his sensational winning run with a dramatic 8-7 victory against Bunting at the Robin Park Tennis Centre.

The 17-year-old was rarely troubled in progressing to Tuesday's showpiece, but Bunting provided admirable resistance, recovering from 5-1 down to force a last-leg decider.

However, Littler held his nerve in a breathless finale, firing in a 13-dart hold to clinch his third Players Championship title of 2024, and a second PDC crown in the space of 48 hours.


 
Hungarian Darts Trophy: Michael van Gerwen hits nine-darter as Luke Humphries dumped out

Michael van Gerwen and Cor Dekker produced stunning nine-darters on a record-breaking day at the Hungarian Darts Trophy, as Gabriel Clemens defeated Luke Humphries on Day Two in Budapest.

Van Gerwen and Dekker made history with their heroics in Saturday's second round at the MVM Dome, on a day which featured multiple nine-darters for the first time in European Tour history.


SKY Sports
 
Chris Dobey throws nine-darter as Dave Chisnall wins Players Championship 23 title in Leicester

Dave Chisnall won his second Players Championship title of the year after beating Chris Dobey in the PC23 final in Leicester on Wednesday.

Chisnall beat Dobey 8-4 in the final, his opponent failing to match the standards he set in the semi-final when throwing a nine-darter.

Dobey's 7-2 last-four win over Martin Schindler saw him hit a nine-dart finish in the opening leg of a scintillating display which saw him post his fifth ton-plus average of the tournament.


 
Swiss Darts Trophy: Luke Humphries gets the better of teenager Luke Littler in repeat of World Championship final

Luke Humphries got the better of teenage sensation Luke Littler at the inaugural Swiss Darts Trophy as the world No 1 reached the quarter-finals on Sunday.

The third and final day of the year's penultimate European Tour event saw the remaining 16 players in afternoon action, with the winners progressing to the evening session when the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final take place.

Humphries made it into the last eight after pinning six out of 13 doubles, and averaging 95.20 to defeat 17-year-old Littler 6-3 in Basel and set up a meeting with Josh Rock.

The clash was a repeat of the 2024 PDC World Championship and Premier League final.


 
Humphries lands first Players Championship title of 2024

Luke Humphries claimed his first Players Championship title of 2024 by beating Stephen Bunting in Wigan.

The PDC world champion, who won a maiden World Series title in August, fought back from 7-6 behind to win 8-7 as Bunting finished runner-up for a third successive night.

"This was important for me," said Humphries, 29. "You go through spells where you're playing fantastic darts, and then you go through spells where you can't buy a win, and that can happen.

"I'm dedicated to this sport and I know I can push the levels higher and higher, but it's important to gain a bit of confidence from somewhere."

Humphries recovered from 4-2 down to defeat top seed Dave Chisnall 6-5, before holding off Luke Woodhouse, who rallied from 6-2 down to force a decider in their semi-final tie.

The first six legs of Thursday's final were shared, before Bunting - who lost out to Dutchman Wessel Nijman on Tuesday and Chris Dobey on Wednesday - battled back from 5-3 down to lead 7-6, only for Humphries to edge it.

The pair will meet again on Monday in Leicester when Humphries begins the defence of his World Grand Prix title. "I would love to retain it," he said.


BBC
 
Players Championship: Luke Humphries denies Stephen Bunting to clinch crown in epic final

Luke Humphries clinched his maiden Players Championship title of 2024 in Wigan on Thursday, producing a late burst to deny Stephen Bunting in a compelling final.

Humphries fought back from 7-6 adrift to triumph 8-7 at the Robin Park Tennis Centre, marking the perfect preparation ahead of his BoyleSports World Grand Prix title defence next week.

The world number one will play Bunting in a blockbuster opening-round tie in Leicester on Monday, and he struck an early psychological blow to secure his third ranking title of the campaign.


 
Littler loses to Cross on World Grand Prix debut

Pre-tournament favourite Luke Littler fell to a 2-1 defeat by Rob Cross on his debut in the World Grand Prix in Leicester.

Teenage star Littler made six maximums in the match but at times struggled to get going in the double-start format despite levelling at 1-1 after losing the first set.

Cross impressively held his nerve against the 17-year-old, finishing with a bullseye in the fourth set to claim only his third victory in the tournament.

Englishman Cross, who won the World Championship on his debut in 2018, will now face Germany's Martin Schindler in the second round on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, reigning champion Luke Humphries fought back from a set and two legs down to beat Masters winner Stephen Bunting 2-1.

Bunting won the first five legs against the world number one but missed a double 16 to win the match and watched on as Humphries took the next three legs to level, before pulling clear.

Humphries, who celebrated his maiden TV ranking title with victory over Gerwyn Price 12 months ago, is aiming to bidding to become the third player to retain it after Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen.

He now plays Germany's Ricardo Pietreczko, who defeated Dutch five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld 2-1.

In Monday's other results, Nathan Aspinall defeated Ryan Searle 2-1, Schindler beat Brendan Dolan 2-0 and Ryan Joyce, Jonny Clayton and Ross Smith triumphed by the same scoreline against Josh Rock, Ritchie Edhouse and Gian van Veen, respectively.



BBC
 
Michael van Gerwen takes £120,000 hit after being dumped out of World Grand Prix

Michael van Gerwen will be around £120,000 worse off in the PDC's Order of Merit after a humiliating loss at the World Grand Prix this week. The Dutchman, who is ranked third in the world based on two-year tournament earnings, was omitted from the competition 2-0 by Daryl Gurney, despite being tipped as a favourite to go all the way.

The six-time champion never made a mark at the oche against Gurney, failing to win a single leg of the game at all. It's the first time he has failed to do so in a televised ranking match for some 13 years.

Not just reputation at stake, Van Gerwen will find himself stripped of £120,000 in the Order of Merit courtesy of his early exit - as he won the competition two years ago thanks to a 5-3 win over Nathan Aspinall. MVG currently sits third in the rankings on a cool cash sum of £902,000, while Michael Smith is in second (£1,061,750) and Luke Humphries tops the list (£1,674,250).


 
World Grand Prix: Luke Humphries and Rob Cross cruise into quarter-finals as Nathan Aspinall loses to Ryan Joyce

World No 1 Luke Humphries continued his defence of the World Grand Prix title with a 3-1 win over Germany's Ricardo Pietreczko in the second round on Wednesday.

In a repeat of their thrilling World Championship match at the end of last year, Humphries showed his class in short bursts to get the better of Pietreczko and asserted his status as favourite for the tournament, following Luke Littler's first-round exit.


 
De Decker stuns Anderson to reach quarter-finals

Scotland's Gary Anderson failed to reach the quarter-finals of the World Grand Prix in Leicester after a surprise 3-0 defeat by Mike de Decker.

Belgium's De Decker, who is through to a first major quarter-final after averaging 96, won the opening three legs to claim the first set at a canter.

Anderson then claimed his first leg but De Decker held his throw twice before taking the second set with a clinical 120 finis.

De Decker then produced an impressive 160 checkout to edge towards victory in the third set before holding his throw to close out the match.


BBC
 
Plaisier wins maiden PDC title at Players Championship

Dutchman Wesley Plaisier beat Josh Rock 8-7 in a thrilling final at Players Championship 28 in Wigan to win his first PDC title.

Rock led 4-3 after a 111 checkout before Plaisier put the finishing line in sight by winning four of the following six legs to lead 7-6.

A 112 checkout from Rock forced a decider but the Englishman wasted six match darts as Plaisier wrapped up the win with double tops.

The 34-year-old is just the fourth player to win a PDC ranking title without holding a PDC Tour card.

"It's unbelievable," Plaisier said.

"Every game is tough, but the final was a really hard game. I was hoping and praying I would get another chance.

"I've been playing well all year and this is the crown to top it off."

Plaisier finished runner-up at two Players Championship events in July, losing to Ross Smith and Jonny Clayton in the respective finals.

He won seven matches in total, beating Matt Campbell, Ritchie Edhouse, Florian Hempel, Krzysztof Ratajski, Jose de Sousa and Danny Noppert, before wrapping up his remarkable run with victory against Rock.


BBC
 
Luke Littler explains subtle change he made before setting tournament-record to thrash Aspinall at Czech Darts Open

LUKE LITTLER has revealed the subtle change behind his record-breaking performance at the Czech Darts Open.

The teenage darts sensation thrashed Nathan Aspinall 6-1 in the second round on Sunday.

Littler also set a new tournament record with a three-dart average of 110.43 in Prague.

It had been his first ever match in the event as he continues his debut year on the PDC circuit.

Following the win, the Nuke explained the change he made before seeing off Aspinall.

The 17-year-old switched darts after trialling a new set at the Players Championship 27 and 28 in Wigan during the week.

After reaching the last 16, he revealed: "I'm happy with that. I know what I can throw with these darts and that's why I didn't play with the gold ones.

"There was load of talk about changing my darts so I've come here this weekend and made the decision to go back to what I know best, and they went well tonight. If I play like this again tomorrow I'll be very happy."

Littler was beaten in the second round on both Tuesday and Wednesday before returning to winning ways on Saturday.

His victory sets up a last 16 clash with Damon Heta on the final day in the Czech Republic.

The youngster has already guaranteed himself £4,000 in prize money but could still scoop £30,000 by winning the tournament.

It would be his third EuroTour title of the year, following wins at the Belgian Darts Open and Austrian Darts Open.

Littler has already qualified for next weekend's European Championship.

The event gets underway in Dortmund on Thursday, with the event running until the final on Sunday.

 
Luke Humphries ends Luke Littler's record-breaking run before winning Czech Darts Open title

Luke Humphries ended Luke Littler’s record-breaking run at the Gambrinus Czech Darts Open before thrashing Kim Huybrechts in the final to win the event for a second time.

Humphries produced one of the greatest European Tour campaigns of all-time to clinch the £30,000 top prize, relinquishing just 11 legs across his five matches in the Czech capital.

The 29-year-old began his campaign with a trio of 6-2 wins against Ritchie Edhouse, Gian van Veen and Mike De Decker, posting a hat-trick of ton-plus averages in the process.


 
European Championship: Michael van Gerwen beats Gabriel Clemens to set up second-round clash with Gary Anderson in Dortmund

Michael van Gerwen and Michael Smith progressed into the last 16 of the European Championship but Gerwyn Price crashed out in the opening round.

Van Gerwen is chasing a first televised major of the year and opened with a classy 6-1 victory over Gabriel Clemens in Dortmund.

The Dutchman, who has won this tournament four times, averaged 100.10 in his routine win which saw him set up a second-round meeting with Gary Anderson.


 
Teenager suffers shock exit to Andrew Gilding at European Championship

Luke Littler suffered a surprise exit to Andrew Gilding in one of the shocks of the year at the Machineseeker European Championship in Dortmund on Friday.

Littler, 17, was making his European Championship debut, but Gilding dumped out the Premier League champion 6-4 with a 98.92 average, three maximums and 35 per cent checkout success.


 
Players Championship Finals draw: Luke Littler to play Rob Cross as Luke Humphries faces Gabriel Clemens

Luke Littler faces another head-to-head showdown with former world champion Rob Cross after the pair were drawn together in the opening round of the Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals.

The £600,000 tournament - featuring the top 64 players on the Players Championship Order of Merit following the conclusion of the 30-event 2024 Players Championship season - will take place at Butlin's Minehead Resort from November 22-24.

Littler qualifies as the eighth seed after winning three Players Championship titles in his first season on the PDC ProTour, with the Premier League champion being handed a tough start against the 2018 world champion.


 
Grand Slam of Darts 2024: Luke Humphries suffers shock loss to Rowby-John Rodriguez as Luke Littler wins in six minutes

Reigning champion Luke Humphries suffered a shock defeat to Rowby-John Rodriguez in Group A as Luke Littler sent out a message from Group F with a 5-0 drubbing of Keane Barry to get off to a perfect start on his Grand Slam of Darts debut.

World No 1 Humphries got off to a slow start against Rodriguez and was made to pay, a sensational 141 checkout and a crucial break of throw from the underdog sealing a huge scalp.

It looked like Humphries was fighting back with some heavy scoring but Rodriguez kept his cool and continued to find the trebles consistently under pressure, a T20, T19, D12 finish landing in style and allowing him to celebrate winning against the world champion.


 
Wayne Mardle says no one is untouchable after shock Luke Humphries exit

Sky Sports Darts' Wayne Mardle says "no one is untouchable" after Luke Humphries made a shock early exit at the Grand Slam of Darts.

Humphries was big favourite to defend his title from 12 months ago but suffered a second loss in the group stage with a 5-3 defeat against James Wade on Sunday.

The world No 1 had lost to Austria's Rowby-John Rodriguez on the opening night, so is guaranteed to not be in the top two of his group before he plays his final group match against Mickey Mansell on Monday at 7pm, live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports+.

"These big hitters like Phil Taylor back in his day, Michael van Gerwen in his pomp, you have to get these guys early," said Mardle.

"Once they start feeling it in the longer format, it's a lot harder. Humphries is gone but he's still the world No 1 and world champion!


 
LIttler to face Lukeman in Grand Slam final

Teenager Luke Littler will take on fellow Englishman Martin Lukeman in the final of the Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton.

The final will get under way at about 19:45 GMT, and BBC Sport will be providing live text coverage of the best-of-31-legs final on this page later.

In one of the most enthralling matches in Grand Slam history, Littler came through in a deciding leg against Scotland's Gary Anderson - who missed out on a third final appearance at the event.

The 17-year-old led two-time world champion Anderson 7-4 before Anderson, 36 years his senior, won seven legs in a row to seize control of the contest.

But Premier League champion Littler fought back from 13-9 and 15-14 behind to clinch a thrilling victory.

It confirmed Littler will climb into the top 10 of the world rankings for the first time. Winning the final would take him up to fifth in the PDC's Order of Merit.


BBC
 
Grand Slam of Darts 2024: Luke Littler crowned champion in sensationally-quick fashion after 16-3 victory over Martin Lukeman

Luke Littler stormed to a 16-3 victory over Martin Lukeman to be crowned Grand Slam of Darts champion.

Lukeman won the first two legs on Sunday night in Wolverhampton, but Littler spectacularly reeled off 15 legs in a row to storm to victory and claim his first major TV ranking title in his first full year on the PDC circuit.

The result earned him £150,000 in prize money and also sees the 17-year-old climb to number five in the PDC Order of Merit and become installed as the favourite for the World Darts Championship, which starts next month.


 
Wade beaten by Wattimena at World Championship

Former world number two James Wade has been knocked out in the second round of the PDC World Darts Championship by Jermaine Wattimena.

Wade, a former Premier League, World Matchplay and World Grand Prix champion, lost 3-0 to Wattimena in the final match of Monday's afternoon session at Alexandra Palace.

Englishman Wade, a four-time semi-finalist, is the first seeded player to be eliminated from the competition, receiving a bye to round two and entering as the 16th seed.

Wattimena, 36, will face either two-time world champion Peter Wright or Wesley Plaisier in the third round.

The Dutchman was the first player to have played in both days of this year's World Championship after beating Swiss debutant Stefan Bellmont 3-0 on Sunday night.

Having lost the opening leg to Wade, Wattimena reeled off eight straight legs to win the first two sets and move within one leg of a second-round victory.

Wade hit double 20 to avoid a whitewash in the final set, but Wattimena took advantage of Wade's missed doubles to seal the win.

Wattimena averaged 99.17 in the match, with Wade on 97.01.

Monday's evening session includes 2021 world champion Gerwyn Price taking on Irishman Keane Barry in the second round.

There will be live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app from 18:45 GMT.



 
Price goes through while tearful Menzies beaten

Former champion Gerwyn Price began his bid to regain the world darts title with a 3-0 win over Keane Barry, while there was an emotional defeat for Cameron Menzies.

Welshman Price, who won the PDC World Championship in 2021, averaged 91.31 as his Irish opponent missed 22 doubles in the second round.

Scot Menzies struggled to keep his emotions in check as he fell to a 3-1 defeat against American world number 130 Leonard Gates.

Menzies, ranked 39th, looked distraught as the game progressed and wiped away tears in the latter stages of his first-round loss.

He later posted a photo on social media of him visiting his father in a hospital bed, with the message: "I didn't wanna post this, man... my dad, my hero."

Price has endured a largely frustrating 2024 but said he was playing some of his best darts going into this year's world championship.


BBC
 
Kist loses despite nine-darter & spectator wins £60k

Christian Kist hit a nine-darter but lost his PDC World Championship first-round match to Madars Razma.

The Dutchman became the first player to seal a perfect leg in the tournament since Michael Smith did so on the way to beating Michael van Gerwen in the 2023 final.

Kist, the 2012 BDO world champion at Lakeside, collects £60,000 for the feat, with the same amount being awarded by sponsors to a charity and to one spectator inside Alexandra Palace in London.

The 38-year-old's brilliant finish sealed the opening set, but his Latvian opponent bounced back to win 3-2.

Darts is one of the few sports that can measure perfection; snooker has the 147 maximum break, golf has the hole-in-one, darts has the nine-dart finish.

Kist scored two maximum 180s to leave a 141 checkout which he completed with a double 12, to the delight of more than 3,000 spectators.

Two-time semi-finalist Nathan Aspinall dug in to overcome American Leonard Gates 3-1.

The English 12th seed, who has been troubled by wrist and back injuries, could next play Andrew Gilding in the third round - which begins on 27 December - should Gilding beat the winner of Martin Lukeman's match against qualifier Nitin Kumar.

Aspinall faces a tough task to reach the last four again, with 2018 champion Rob Cross and 2024 runner-up Luke Littler both in his side of the draw.

Fan 'speechless' after £60,000 windfall


Kist - who was knocked out of last year's tournament by teenager Littler - will still earn a bigger cheque than he would have got for a routine run to the quarter-finals.

His nine-darter was the 15th in the history of the championship and first since the greatest leg in darts history when Smith struck, moments after Van Gerwen just missed his attempt.

Darts fan Kris, a railway worker from Sutton in south London, was the random spectator picked out to receive £60,000, with Prostate Cancer UK getting the same sum from tournament sponsors Paddy Power.

"I'm speechless to be honest. I didn't expect it to happen to me," Kris said.

"This was a birthday present so it makes it even better. My grandad got me tickets. It was just a normal day - I came here after work."

Kist said: "Hitting the double 12 felt amazing. It was a lovely moment for everyone and I hope Kris enjoys the money. Maybe I will go on vacation next month."

Earlier, Jim Williams was favourite against Paolo Nebrida but lost 3-2 in an epic lasting more than an hour.

The Filipino took a surprise 2-1 lead and Williams only went ahead for the first time in the opening leg of the deciding set. The Welshman looked on course for victory but missed five match darts.

UK Open semi-finalist Ricky Evans set up a second-round match against Dave Chisnall, checking out on 109 to edge past Gordon Mathers 3-2.

Wednesday's results

First round


Paolo Nebrida 3-2 Jim Williams

Madars Razma 3-1 Christian Kist

Ricky Evans 3-2 Gordon Mathers

Second round

Nathan Aspinall 3-1 Leonard Gates

Thursday's schedule

All times GMT

Afternoon Session (12:30)

First round


Chris Landman v Lok Yin Lee

Callan Rydz v Romeo Grbavac

Martin Lukeman v Nitin Kumar

Second round

Gabriel Clemens v Robert Owen

Evening Session (19:00)

First round


Nick Kenny v Stowe Buntz

Mensur Suljovic v Matt Campbell

Scott Williams v Niko Springer

Second round

Michael Smith v Kevin Doets

BBC
 
Second seed Smith knocked out of Worlds by Doets

Former champion Michael Smith has been sensationally knocked out of the PDC World Championship by Kevin Doets.

Englishman Smith, seeded second, went down 3-2 after a pulsating second-round duel at Alexandra Palace in London.

Dutchman Doets prevailed 6-4 in the deciding set, despite checkouts of 123, 84, 94 and 76 from 2023 champion Smith.

"This was the most stressful game of my life and I've won it, yes," said world number 51 Doets.

"I felt if I can keep my focus, I won't lose this. It was so very tight, to get over the line was amazing."

Doets, 26, took the first set and fought back after going 2-1 down to avenge his narrow defeat to Smith at the same stage last year.

Having lost in the second round of the tournament for the first time since 2020, the 34-year-old Smith is now set to drop out of the world's top 10.

England's Scott Williams, who made a shock run to the semi-finals in the 2024 tournament before losing to eventual champion Luke Humphries, overcame Niko Springer 3-1 in a thriller.

German debutant Springer, second on this year's development tour, won all three legs in the opening set before the match exploded into life.

Williams hit back, showing his old swagger as he went ahead after a sensational third set which featured seven 180s.

The 34-year-old edged the deciding leg in the fourth and will meet 2018 champion Rob Cross in round two on Monday.

Nick Kenny delighted the Ally Pally crowd with a fabulous 170 finish to seal a 3-0 victory in round one over American Stowe Buntz.

The Welshman, 31, will face five-time world champion Raymond Barneveld on Saturday evening on a bill which also features teenage star Luke Littler against Ryan Meikle.

Canadian Matt Campbell set up a second-round match against Ryan Searle with a 3-2 defeat of Austrian Mensur Suljovic.

Rydz hits 107 average as Clemens beaten by Owen

Callan Rydz hit 27 100+ scores against Romeo Grbavac, including three 180s

England's Callan Rydz averaged 107.06 to book his place in the second round, before Gabriel Clemens was knocked out by Wales' Robert Owen on Thursday afternoon.

Rydz beat Croatian Romeo Grbavac 3-0, recording the tournament's highest average first-round match average in its current 96-player format.

It was the competition's 26th highest match average overall and comfortably the best so far at the 2025 event.

The previous record was held by teenager Luke Littler, who scored 106.12 at this stage last year.

Rydz, from Bedlington in Northumberland, meets Germany's Martin Schindler in the second round on Sunday evening.

The afternoon session concluded with Germany's 27th seed Clemens being beaten by Owen, who is ranked 50 places below him.

Owen recorded a 3-1 victory, his second in a matter of days, to reach the third round, which begins on 27 December.

Hong Kong's Lok Yin Lee came from a set down to beat Chris Landman 3-1 after winning nine straight legs.

Lee will face Northern Ireland's Brendan Dolan in round two on Saturday afternoon.

Meanwhile, 2024 Grand Slam of Darts runner-up Martin Lukeman came from a set down to beat Indian qualifier Nitin Kumar 3-1.

Lukeman meets 21st seed Andrew Gilding on Monday afternoon for a place in the last 32.

Thursday afternoon's results

First round


Chris Landman 1-3 Lok Yin Lee

Callan Rydz 3-0 Romeo Grbavac

Martin Lukeman 3-1 Nitin Kumar

Second round

Gabriel Clemens 1-3 Robert Owen

Thursday evening's results

First round


Nick Kenny 3-0 Stowe Buntz

Mensur Suljovic 2-3 Matt Campbell

Scott Williams 3-1 Niko Springer

Second round

Michael Smith 2-3 Kevin Doets

Friday's schedule

All times GMT

Afternoon Session (12:30)

First round


Stephen Burton v Alexander Merkx

Wessel Nijman v Cameron Carolissen

Ian White v Sandro Eric Sosing

Second round

Stephen Bunting v Kai Gotthardt

Evening Session (19:00)

First round


Mickey Mansell v Tomoya Goto

Florian Hempel v Jeffrey de Zwaan

William O'Connor v Dylan Slevin

Second round

Michael van Gerwen v James Hurrell

BBC
 

Stephen Bunting survives scare to beat Kai Gotthardt at World Championship​


Stephen Bunting was given a huge scare before defeating Germany’s Kai Gotthardt 3-1 in the first round at the World Championship.

Bunting, the reigning Masters champion, narrowly escaped falling 2-0 behind after Gotthardt missed three attempts at double eight and instead the eighth seed levelled the match at 1-1 before cruising to victory.

Gotthardt had made a flying start, landing a hat-trick of 180s and nailing all three of his attempts at double to secure the opening set.

But Bunting took full advantage of his second-set reprieve, winning the last seven legs to secure a second-round match against Dirk van Duijvenbode or Madars Razma.

Filipino Sandro Eric Sosing, a back-to-back PDC Asian Championship finalist in 2023 and 2024, earlier withdrew from his first-round match against Ian White for medical reasons after feeling unwell during practice.

The PDC said: “Sandro Eric Sosing has withdrawn from his match with Ian White on medical grounds.

"Sosing reported chest pains whilst practicing and following an on site assessment by medical staff he has been taken for further treatment.”

Dutchman Alexander Merkx made it a memorable tournament debut by defeating Stephen Burton 3-0 to reach the second round, while fellow countryman Wessel Nijmen won his first match at the Alexandra Palace.

Nijman, a heavy favourite against Cameron Carolissen, was forced to dig deep before clinching a final-leg decider to edge through 3-2 against the South African and book a second-round match against Joe Cullen.

 
Michael Smith crashes out of World Championship and faces £500,000 problem

Michael Smith crashed out of the World Darts Championship in a five-set epic.

The second seed came up against Dutchman Kevin Doets on Thursday night and fell short with a 3-2 defeat in a nail-biting contest at Alexandra Palace.

As the 2023 world champion, Smith's shock second-round defeat will see him plummet down the world rankings.

The £500,000 prize money that he won will be erased from the Order of Merit, and he will drop out of the top ten.



 
Van Gerwen enjoys comfortable opening victory

Michael van Gerwen enjoyed a comfortable 3-0 victory over English debutant James Hurrell in his opening match of the PDC World Darts Championship.

The three-time world champion has had a tough year by his standards, having fallen behind Luke Littler and Luke Humphries, so a relatively stress-free opening match at Alexandra Palace was just what was needed.

Hurrell, 40, offered some resistance early on when taking the opening leg of the match, but he would win just two more as Van Gerwen proved far too strong.

The third-seeded Dutchman averaged 94.85, took out two three-figure checkouts and hit 50% of his doubles - with six of his nine misses coming in one scrappy leg.

Van Gerwen, 35, will now face either Brendan Dolan or Lok Yin Lee in the third round.


BBC
 
Cross loses as record number of seeds out of Worlds

Former champion Rob Cross became the latest high-profile casualty as a record-breaking 14th seed exited the PDC World Darts Championship in the second round.


The number five seed was beaten 3-1 by close friend Scott Williams, who will face Germany's Ricardo Pietreczko in round three.

Cross, who won the event on his debut in 2018, took the opening set but failed to reach anywhere near his best as he suffered his third second-round exit.

He was joined by number six seed David Chisnall, who was beaten 3-2 in a sudden-death leg by Ricky Evans, who came into the tournament 46th in the PDC's Order of Merit.

The 2021 semi-finalist won the opening set, but then found himself 2-1 down to an inspired Evans, who was cheered on relentlessly by the Alexandra Palace crowd.

He forced the game into a deciding set and faced match dart but Evans missed bullseye by the width of the wire.

Chisnall then missed his own match dart on double tops, before he made a miscalculation when attempting to checkout 139 at 5-4 down.

No real harm was done with a sudden-death leg forced but he was unable to hold off Evans, who reaches the third round for the third time in the last five years.

"It's not even what it is, again I've played a world-class darts player. I've played quite well and won," Evans told Sky Sports.

"Look at this [the crowd], wow. I don't understand it, why are they cheering me on?

"I don't get this reception in my household. Thank you very much. You've made a very fat guy very happy."

Evans will face unseeded Welshman Robert Owen when the third round starts after the three-day Christmas break.

World youth champion Gian van Veen had become the 12th seed to be knocked out when he lost 3-1 to Pietreczko.

The 28th seed lost the opening set, having missed nine darts at double, but levelled.

However, the Dutchman was unable to match Pietreczko, who closed out a comfortable win with a checkout percentage of 55.6%.

Pietreczko said: "I am over the moon to win. It is very important for me to be in the third round after Christmas. I love the big stage."

Northern Ireland's Daryl Gurney avoided a similar fate with a final-set win over Florian Hempel.

The 26th seed trailed 1-0 and 2-1, and both players went on to miss match darts, before Gurney won the final set 3-1 on legs.

Seeds knocked out of 2025 PDC World Championship

  • Michael Smith (2)
  • Rob Cross (5)
  • Dave Chisnall (6)
  • Danny Noppert (13)
  • Gary Anderson (14)
  • James Wade (16)
  • Ross Smith (19)
  • Martin Schindler (23)
  • Mike De Decker (24)
  • Dirk van Duijvenbode (25)
  • Gabriel Clemens (27)
  • Gian van Veen (28)
  • Ritchie Edhouse (29)
  • Raymond van Barneveld (32)
Clayton requires sudden-death leg to avoid exit

In the afternoon session, Welsh number seven seed Jonny Clayton also needed sudden death to pull off a sensational final-set comeback against Mickey Mansell in.

He was a leg away from defeat twice to his Northern Irish opponent, but came from behind to win the final set 6-5 in a sudden-death leg to win 3-2.

Clayton, who will play Gurney in round three, lost the opening set of the match, but fought back to lead 2-1, before being pegged back again by 51-year-old Mansell, who then missed match darts on double tops in the deciding set.

"I was very emotional. I've got to be honest, that meant a lot," said Clayton, who is in the favourable half of the draw following shock second-round exits for former world champions Michael Smith and Gary Anderson.

"I had chances before and Mickey definitely had chances before. It wasn't great to play in, not the best - I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.

"There is a lot of weight off my shoulders after that. I know there is another gear or two in the bank, but I'll be honest that meant a lot to me, it is a tester and will try and make me believe again."

Clayton was 2-0 down in the fifth set after consecutive 136 and 154 checkouts from Mansell, but won three legs on the trot in 15, 12 and 10 darts to wrestle a 3-2 lead.

He missed three darts for the match, before his unseeded opponent held and broke Clayton's throw to lead 4-3.

Mansell missed a match dart at double 20, before Clayton won on double five after two missed checkouts.

Elsewhere, Northern Ireland's Josh Rock booked his place in the third round against England's Chris Dobey with a 3-0 win over Wales' Rhys Griffin.

Martin Lukeman, runner-up to Luke Littler at the Grand Slam of Darts last month, is out after a 3-1 loss to number 21 seed Andrew Gilding.

The final day before the Christmas break started with Poland's number 31 seed Krzysztof Ratajski recording a 3-1 win over Alexis Toylo of the Philippines.

Monday's results

Second round


Krzysztof Ratajski 3-1 Alexis Toylo

Andrew Gilding 3-1 Martin Lukeman

Josh Rock 3-0 Rhys Griffin

Jonny Clayton 3-2 Mickey Mansell

Gian van Veen 1-3 Ricardo Pietreczko

Daryl Gurney 3-2 Florian Hempel

Dave Chisnall 2-3 Ricky Evans

Rob Cross 1-3 Scott Williams

World Darts Championship third-round schedule

All times are GMT and subject to change.

Friday, 27 December

Afternoon session (12:30)


Damon Heta v Luke Woodhouse

Jonny Clayton v Daryl Gurney

Stephen Bunting v Madars Razma

Evening session (19:00)

Gerwyn Price v Joe Cullen

Jermaine Wattimena v Peter Wright

Luke Humphries v Nick Kenny

Saturday, 28 December

Afternoon session (12:30)


Ryan Joyce v Ryan Searle

Scott Williams v Ricardo Pietreczko

Nathan Aspinall v Andrew Gilding

Evening session (19:00)

Chris Dobey v Josh Rock

Michael van Gerwen v Brendan Dolan

Luke Littler v Ian White

Sunday, 29 December

Afternoon session (12:30)


Jeffrey de Graaf v Paolo Nebrida

Kevin Doets v Krzysztof Ratajski

Dimitri van den Bergh v Callan Rydz

Evening session (19:00)

Ricky Evans v Robert Owen

Two fourth-round matches will also be played

BBC
 
Heta hits nine-darter but is latest seed out of Worlds

Ninth seed Damon Heta hit a nine-darter but was knocked out by Englishman Luke Woodhouse in the third round of the PDC World Championship.

The Australian celebrated wildly after hitting double 12 to complete the perfect leg - with Woodhouse raising his opponent's arm as a lively crowd roared their approval - on his way to winning the second set.

It is the second nine-darter of this year's tournament after Dutchman Christian Kist achieved the feat in the second round.

Kist also lost the match and nine of the 16 players to make a nine-dart finish at Alexandra Palace have gone on to lose the match.

Heta - who narrowly missed out on a nine-darter in the previous round - collects £60,000 for the feat, with the same amount being awarded by sponsors to a charity and to one spectator inside Alexandra Palace in London.

However, it is Woodhouse who advances to the last 16 as he fought back from 3-1 down to winning the final three sets without dropping a leg.


 
Humphries, Price & Wright into fourth round at Worlds

Reigning champion Luke Humphries and previous winners Gerwyn Price and Peter Wright are all into the fourth round of the PDC World Darts Championship.


Humphries, who has not played since the opening night on 15 December, was far from his best but still ended up breezing to a comfortable 4-0 win against Wales' Nick Kenny.

He started scratchily and was perhaps fortunate to win the first set, but improved as the game progressed and finished with a 98.59 average and 52.2 checkout percentage.

"I knew I wasn't firing, I suspected there was so much more to give, but it just wasn't coming out of me," Humphries told Sky Sports.

"It was a solid performance and I'm not going to give up this world title without a fight. It is not my best but when someone pushes me I know I can provide the goods."

The 29-year-old will face two-time champion Wright in the last 16 after the Scot beat Jermaine Wattimena 4-2.

Wright, 54, is struggling with a chest infection but was ruthless in key moments and produced one of his best performances of a difficult 2024.

"It (chest infection) wasn't affecting my darts, I was just holding my breath," Wright, who is the 17th seed, told Sky Sports.

"I'm not bad for an old guy, am I? It is about spirit and the support was brilliant. Hopefully I'll be feeling a little bit better in the next round."

In the match of the night, 2021 champion Price beat Joe Cullen 4-3 in a sudden-death leg to set up a fourth-round meeting with Welsh compatriot Jonny Clayton.

Tenth-seed Price led 3-0 but Cullen, the 23rd seed, fought back to force a decider.

That was chaotic throughout, with nine breaks of throw in 11 legs, as Price hit just 15 of his 58 attempts at a checkout in the match and Cullen 19 from 54.

Both missed match darts, before Cullen produced a superb 170 checkout to force the sudden-death leg, where Price broke one final time - the last of seven in a row at the end of the game.

"That was tough. I actually thought I was going to lose it but I stayed in it and got over the line." Price told Sky Sports.

"I've got a lot more in the tank. I can play a lot better than I have tonight. I didn't play brilliantly but I did enough to win in the end."

Heta hits nine-darter but becomes latest seed to fall

Ninth seed Damon Heta hit a nine-darter but was knocked out by unseeded Englishman Luke Woodhouse.

The Australian celebrated wildly after hitting double 12 to complete the perfect leg - with Woodhouse raising his opponent's arm as a lively crowd roared their approval - on his way to winning the second set.

It is the second nine-darter of this year's tournament after Dutchman Christian Kist achieved the feat in the second round.

Kist also lost the match and nine of the 16 players to make a nine-dart finish at Alexandra Palace have gone on to lose the match.

Heta - who narrowly missed out on a nine-darter in the previous round - collects £60,000 for the feat, with the same amount awarded by sponsors to a charity and to one spectator.

Posting on X, external, Heta said: "Hit a nine but lost the match… would give the nine for the win but it doesn't work that way. Never got going in that game & the nine was totally out of blue with how I was playing."

Woodhouse fought back from 3-1 down to win the final three sets without dropping a leg.

"I've got no words at all - the crowd has been fantastic," Woodhouse told Sky Sports.

"I don't think it was the greatest game in the world but I've managed to come through it. I am over the moon."

Heta was the 15th seed to be knocked out and fourth of the top 10 seeds to depart.

Clayton and Bunting also advance

Woodhouse will face Stephen Bunting in the next round after the eighth seed saw off Latvia's Madars Razma.

Bunting, the reigning Masters champion and former BDO world champion, put in an accomplished display to win 4-1.

Having taken out 113 to win the first set, 'The Bullet' swiftly won the second before being pegged back by Razma, who stole the third with a 119 checkout.

Bunting had responded well to minor setbacks throughout the match and did so again in the fourth.

Razma's 149 out took it to a deciding leg but fan favourite Bunting held throw and sealed the victory with a 96 that ensured he finished with an average of 100.06.

"I've dreamt about winning this tournament for the past 20 years and I'd love to do it," Bunting said. "With the Bunting Army behind me, who is going to stop us?"

Meanwhile, Clayton held off a valiant fightback from Daryl Gurney to take the deciding set and move into the fourth round with a 4-3 win.

Welshman Clayton edged the first set then produced checkouts of 160 and 120 to clinch the second and third respectively.

But the seventh seed faltered and Gurney took advantage, averaging over 100 in the next two sets to make it 3-2 before levelling the match after a somewhat comical leg, in which both players missed multiple darts at double.

Clayton came through in the decider, though, shrugging off three missed darts for the match to hit double four.

Friday's results

Afternoon Session

Third round


Damon Heta 3-4 Luke Woodhouse

Jonny Clayton 4-3 Daryl Gurney

Stephen Bunting 4-1 Madars Razma

Evening Session

Third round


Gerwyn Price 4-3 Joe Cullen

Jermaine Wattimena 2-4 Peter Wright

Luke Humphries 4-0 Nick Kenny

Saturday's schedule

Afternoon Session (12:30)

Third round


Ryan Joyce v Ryan Searle

Scott Williams v Ricardo Pietreczko

Nathan Aspinall v Andrew Gilding

Evening Session (19:00)

Third round


Chris Dobey v Josh Rock

Michael van Gerwen v Brendan Dolan

Luke Littler v Ian White

BBC
 
Littler fights past White and into Worlds fourth round

Teenager Luke Littler made it through to the fourth round of the PDC World Darts Championship despite a below par performance against Ian White.

The 17-year-old won 4-1 but the scoreline does little justice to the scrap Littler endured to progress.

He survived set darts in the first - where he danced along with the Alexandra Palace crowd who were cheering for White - and fourth sets.

There were moments of brilliance from the fourth seed too, including needing just 39 darts to clean sweep the third set, where he averaged 115.

Littler, who was the pre-tournament favourite, showed an unusual outpouring of celebration when he claimed the fourth set too, before he won the fifth 3-1 to seal victory.

It took his average to 97.84 and above 54-year-old White, who said he used to beat Littler's grandad on the pub circuit in Runcorn in the 1990s in the build-up.

Littler will face unseeded Ryan Joyce, who he has never played before, in the fourth round on Monday.

"It was tough. Ian threw everything at me. If I hit a 180, he hit a 180 so I always had to stay switched on," Littler told Sky Sports.

"I wouldn't say there were nerves, it was a case of settling in quick.

"When you're 3-1 up going into the last break, you have that feeling that you're only three legs away and that's what I said to myself.

"I watched Ryan's game and he was very good. I've got to hit those doubles - 35% is not going to get me anywhere - but I know what's gone wrong."

Van Gerwen and Dobey progress

Three-time champion Michael van Gerwen is also through to round four after a 4-2 win over 30th seed Brendan Dolan.

Northern Ireland's Dolan won the opening set on throw, before Dutchman Van Gerwen claimed the second.

That started a run of eight legs on the spin to put the third seed 3-1 up.

He was in scintillating form in the fourth set, averaging 118.66, but that dropped to just 84 in the fifth set won by Dolan.

Van Gerwen threw some wayward darts in the next set and was again guilty of missing doubles, before he sealed the win.

The game summed up Van Gerwen's year - sublime moments but also lapses that would likely be punished by the very best as the tournament progresses.

He will face Sweden's Jeffrey de Graaf or Paolo Nebrida from the Philippines, who are both unseeded, in round four.

"It was tough, it was really hard and a really difficult game," Van Gerwen told Sky Sports.

"Everybody can see he never gives up and you have to try and punish him at the right moments, and I wasn't capable of doing it.

"There is a lot of work still to do and I know I'm capable of doing it. I'm looking forward to the next round and let it roll on."

The opening game of the evening saw 15th seed Chris Dobey beat 18th seed Josh Rock 4-2.

Northern Ireland's Rock led 1-0 and 2-1 before Dobey improved and got into his groove as the match progressed.

He won the fourth set 3-0, before Rock missed set darts on double tops in the fifth.

Dobey then won the sixth set with a double-double finish, to set up a fourth-round tie against the Netherlands' Kevin Doets or Poland's Krzysztof Ratajski.

Many had predicted a close match with just £250 splitting the pair in the PDC's Order of Merit and it played out like that, but Dobey's consistent scoring - he averaged 97.29 - and a checkout percentage of 45.2 saw him through.

The afternoon session saw Joyce shock 20th seed Ryan Searle, while Ricardo Pietreczko and 12th seed Nathan Aspinall also progressed.

Saturday's results

Afternoon Session

Third round


Ryan Joyce 4-3 Ryan Searle

Scott Williams 1-4 Ricardo Pietreczko

Nathan Aspinall 4-0 Andrew Gilding

Evening Session

Third round


Chris Dobey 4-2 Josh Rock

Michael van Gerwen 4-2 Brendan Dolan

Luke Littler 4-1 Ian White

Sunday's schedule

Afternoon Session (12:30)

Third round


Jeffrey de Graaf v Paolo Nebrida

Kevin Doets v Krzysztof Ratajski

Dimitri van den Bergh v Callan Rydz

Evening Session (19:00)

Third round


Ricky Evans v Robert Owen

Fourth round

Jonny Clayton v Gerwyn Price

Luke Humphries v Peter Wright

BBC
 
Rydz dazzles in shock win over Van den Bergh

England's Callan Rydz put in a magnificent performance to stun 11th seed Dimitri van den Bergh in the third round of the PDC World Championship.

Rydz, a quarter-finalist in 2022, stormed to a 4-0 win over the 2020 World Matchplay champion as he recorded an impressive 105.31 average.

That number was at 115.94 after a blistering first two sets in which Rydz hit six 180s and made six of his nine darts at double against a bewildered Van den Bergh.

The Belgian attempted to force his way back into the contest but Rydz's level was such that any opportunities were soon snatched from Van den Bergh's grasp.


 
Littler thrashes Bunting to set up Van Gerwen final

Teenager Luke Littler thrashed Stephen Bunting 6-1 with a ruthless display to set up a PDC World Championship final against Michael van Gerwen on Friday.

The 17-year-old was runner-up last year and is bidding to become the youngest winner of the tournament after a whirlwind 12 months which has seen him become a household name.

The teenager averaged 105.48, his highest of this year's competition, as he overpowered his fellow Englishman at Alexandra Palace in London.

Three-time champion Van Gerwen, who defeated Chris Dobey 6-1 in the semi-finals on Thursday, became the youngest winner aged 24 in 2014.

"Everyone else is looking forward to it more than I am, but if I win seven sets I will be happy," said Littler of the final, which starts at 19:30 GMT.

"Michael has been in numerous finals, this is my second, I know where I went wrong last year and I am sure I will fix it.

"It's the stuff of dreams, everyone wants to pick up a trophy, but you have to be at the top of your game to do it.

"I have got no pressure, I am going to enjoy it, if I can get off to a quick start I'll be happy."

Fourth seed Littler has looked increasingly comfortable as the tournament has progressed and raced into a 4-0 lead on Thursday.

He took the opening set despite an average of 113.35 from Bunting and kicked on from there.

Eighth seed Bunting won the fifth set but missed three double attempts to seal the next and Littler went further ahead with bullseye to clinch an 84 checkout.

With victory in sight, the teenager treated the crowd to a spectacular 170 finish.

Third seed Van Gerwen is seeking his fourth title but last triumphed in 2019, with two defeats in the final since then.

"I have been there before, the smell is not good enough, you want to touch it," said the Dutchman.

"Luke's been there, he has had a sniff. I am going to make sure he keeps it as just a sniff as well.

"I was the favourite two years ago and lost. Now I'm not favourite, and maybe I'm going to win it. You never know."

Littler 'can't wait' for final

The way Littler demolished former BDO world champion Bunting showed why he has taken the world of darts by storm as he threw 13 180s and took out three ton-plus finishes.

"It has been an amazing tournament so far," he said. "I have just beaten what's in front of me and I am glad to get through."

Littler has risen from 164 to number four in the world rankings since his fairytale run to the final in January 2024, where he lost to Luke Humphries.

He won 10 titles in his debut year as a professional, amassed more than £1m in prize money and was named BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year.

In the process, he has helped the profile of darts soar, with the number of junior academies doubling.

Google say he was the most searched-for athlete online in the UK during 2024.

"I have won plenty of titles leading up to this, that is what we do, we lead up to the big one, I can't wait for the final," said Littler.

Van Gerwen 'on a mission'

Van Gerwen started strongly against Dobey, who was unable to reel him in with the Dutchman's 98.84 average enough to seal victory.

England's Dobey had knocked out 2021 champion Gerwyn Price in the last eight but failed to reach the same level in his first world semi-final appearance.

Dobey missed three darts at the double in the second set to go two behind, and while the world number 15 fought back to win the third - where he notched a 170 'Big Fish' checkout before a 108 finish - it was a brief highlight.

Van Gerwen rattled off the next four sets with the minimum of fuss to reach the final for a seventh time. He threw eight 180s and took out three ton-plus checkouts, including a majestic 158.

"I'm here with a mission and a target. You will have ups and downs but I showed a good mentality," he said.

"Even when things were not going my way I was able to produce good stuff at the right moments. That gives me a lot of confidence."

BBC
 
Former world champion Smith suffering from arthritis

Former world champion Michael Smith says he is suffering from arthritis in his right hand.

Smith, who won the world title in 2023, issued a statement after he was knocked out of the World Masters in Milton Keynes on Thursday by Dutchman Danny Noppert.

"I broke both my wrists when I was 19 and now it's catching up with me and now suffering with arthritis to my right hand," said Englishman Smith., external

"This isn't sympathy or a cry for help. This is letting you all in to it. I've never given up or stopped from any pain."

Smith, who throws with his right hand, hit a nine-darter immediately after Michael van Gerwen just missed one in what was described as the greatest leg of darts when winning the World Championship final in 2023.

But his form has dropped and he is down to number 16 in the world after losing in the second round of the World Championship.

The 34-year-old from St Helens, nicknamed 'Bully Boy', also said he has been suffering from a shoulder injury for the past six weeks which has required physiotherapy every two to three days.

"I see the specialist Monday and when I know, you will know, what will happen over the next month or so," he said.

"I'll never let anything beat me and I promise I'll be back very, very quickly."

Bunting through after Masters scare

Defending champion Stephen Bunting survived a scare to battle past qualifier William Borland in a final-leg decider and book his place in the last 16 of the Masters.

Bunting, the world number five, has continued from his run to the World Championship semi-finals with impressive form, winning the Bahrain Masters.

'The Bullet' had to dig in after Scotland's Borland took the opening two sets and will play Peter Wright next.

Qualifier William O'Connor pulled off a shock 3-1 win over 2018 world champion Rob Cross - landing a 151 finish to knock out the Englishman, who last week won his fifth World Series title after beating Bunting in the Dutch Masters final.

World number one Luke Humphries beat 2022 Masters winner Joe Cullen 3-1 and will meet Northern Ireland's Josh Rock in the last 16 of the first ranking event of the new season.

Luke Littler, who became the youngest world champion aged 17 last month, opens his Masters campaign against Andy Baetens on Friday.

World Masters first-round results

Josh Rock 3-1 Jermaine Wattimena

Damon Heta 3-1 Ross Smith

William O'Connor 3-1 Rob Cross

Gerwyn Price 3-0 Florian Hempel

Peter Wright 3-2 Kevin Doets

Luke Humphries 3-1 Joe Cullen

Stephen Bunting 3-2 William Borland

Danny Noppert 3-1 Michael Smith

BBC
 
Van den Bergh hits nine-darter to stun Van Gerwen

Dimitri van den Bergh hit a nine-dart finish as he knocked three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen out of the World Masters.

The Belgian delighted the Milton Keynes crowd with the perfect leg in the sixth set.

He went on to win that set and the next, where his Dutch opponent twice fluffed attempts at an 87 finish, including busting his score.

"I think it was written in the sky for once," said Van den Bergh after the 4-3 triumph, only his second win over Van Gerwen.

The UK Open champion will face Nathan Aspinall in Sunday's quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, Luke Littler breezed past James Wade 4-0 to reach the last eight.

Littler, who has since turned 18, made history as the youngest world champion aged 17 in January.

The teenager won all eight legs against 10-time televised title-winner Wade, who did not even have a shot at a double and was left to clap his opponent at the end.

Littler hit an average of 105.47, had a 50% checkout success and hit four 180s.

"James can play very well but I'm thankful he didn't turn up," said Littler.

The English teenager will face Jonny Clayton in Sunday's quarter-finals after the Welshman came from 3-1 down to beat Ryan Searle 4-3.

Earlier, defending Masters champion Stephen Bunting beat two-time world champion Peter Wright 4-2 to set up a last-eight meeting with Danny Noppert.

The 2024 world champion Luke Humphries saw off Josh Rock 4-0 and will meet Damon Heta on Sunday after the Australian number one edged out Gerwyn Price in a 4-3 thriller.

Sunday's quarter-finals (12:45 GMT)

Luke Humphries v Damon Heta

Danny Noppert v Stephen Bunting

Luke Littler v Jonny Clayton

Dimitri van den Bergh v Nathan Aspinall

Saturday's second-round results

Michael van Gerwen 3-4 Dimitri van den Bergh

Luke Littler 4-0 James Wade

Cameron Menzies 1-4 Nathan Aspinall

Jonny Clayton 4-3 Ryan Searle

Danny Noppert 4-0 William O'Connor

Damon Heta 4-3 Gerwyn Price

Stephen Bunting 4-2 Peter Wright

Luke Humphries 4-0 Josh Rock

BBC
 
Humphries wins Premier League opener in Belfast

World number one Luke Humphries thrashed Chris Dobey 6-1 to win the 2025 Premier League's opening night in Belfast but said Luke Littler was the best player in the world.

Humphries, who lifted the World Masters title on Sunday, boasted an 86% success rate on his doubles and three 100-plus checkouts in the all-English encounter.

He had trailed 4-3 in his semi-final against Michael van Gerwen, but took three consecutive legs to progress after the Dutchman faltered on his doubles and missed a match dart at bullseye.

"I think this is the hardest Premier League for a long, long time. For me, nights like this, you've got to be careful or they might not happen as often as you want," said Humphries.

Van Gerwen earlier triumphed 6-5 in a breathtaking quarter-final against world champion Luke Littler, who averaged 113.91 – the highest average at the venue and the second-highest losing mark in the competition's history.

"He's by far one of the greatest darts players I've seen in my career," said Humphries, who beat Littler to win the world title in 2024.

"I'm not disrespecting myself, I just think he's the best player in the world and if he goes out, then I'm the man to beat. But he is definitely the one to beat.

Dobey was also 4-3 down in the semis, but hit a 'big fish' 170 checkout to level against 2018 world champion Rob Cross as he reeled off three straight legs to win.


BBC
 
Littler wins Premier League night two in Glasgow

World champion Luke Littler defeated world number one Luke Humphries 6-5 in a last-leg decider to win night two of the Premier League in Glasgow.

The 18-year-old was on the brink of defeat earlier in the evening against Rob Cross, but he fought back to clinch a fine victory.

Humphries was hampered in the final against his fellow Englishman after needing a plaster on a cut on the middle finger of his right throwing hand.

Despite that, and his frustration at whistling in the crowd, Humphries took a 5-4 lead before Littler won the next two legs in a performance which saw a 170 checkout, 55% doubles success and an average of 101.03 compared to his opponent's 93.68.

"It was a weird final. We both weren't playing well," said world number two Littler.

"Now and again I look up at the screen and we're on a 90 average. The crowd got involved."

Littler was runner-up to Humphries in last year's world final before beating him to win the 2024 Premier League.

At one stage in the final referee Kirk Bevins had to tell the crowd to stop whistling, while earlier on Gerwyn Price mocked spectators by whistling himself when they got on his back.

Littler had not reached the final in the previous six tournaments he had played since last month's world title win, despite averaging more than 105 in four of those defeats.

But he avenged the last-leg loss to Michael van Gerwen of seven days ago with a dominant 6-2 victory over the Dutchman in the semi-finals after a stunning comeback against Rob Cross where he reeled off five straight legs to win.

"I was down 5-1 and then you get a few legs on the bounce and my confidence, it just hit the roof and I managed to pull it back," added Littler.

Humphries earlier produced two comeback wins, winning four consecutive legs to beat Price in the semi-finals, having achieved the same feat against Chris Dobey.


 
Irish amateur Flynn stuns Van Gerwen after airport dash

Irish amateur Michael Flynn says his shock victory over three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen is a "massive moment" in his career.

Flynn beat Van Gerwen 6-4 in Monday's first round of the third Players Championship of 2025 in Rosmalen, the Netherlands.

The 32-year-old, who works in social care in County Limerick in his day job, was only added to the PDC event's entry list on Sunday morning after a number of withdrawals.

It meant a three-hour dash by car from his home in the west of Ireland to Dublin airport to catch a flight to the Netherlands to ensure he reached the tournament in time.

Flynn - nicknamed 'the Flyer' - is ranked 11th on the Challenge Tour, which is used as a reserve list for Players Championship events.


BBC
 
Luke Humphries sees off Luke Littler to secure Premier League win in Exeter

World No 1 Luke Humphries got his first Premier League win over Luke Littler with a 6-4 victory in the final on night four in Exeter to take control at the top of the table.

Littler – who won in Glasgow but then suffered an early exit in Dublin – had broken to open up a 3-1 lead before Humphries responded and then levelled the match at 3-3.

Humphries then took a scrappy eighth leg on double 12 before landing tops to break at 5-4 with the darts for the match. After building on five perfect darts and with Littler’s scoring levels having dropped, Humphries took out 92 to secure a first Premier League win over the world champion at the seventh attempt.


 
World champion Littler into UK Open semi-finals

Luke Littler cruised into the semi-finals of the UK Open with a commanding 10-4 victory over Gian van Veen in Minehead.

The 18-year-old PDC world champion held a 3-2 lead after the first five legs of the best-of-19 contest as the Dutchman attempted to keep pace.

However, from that point Littler was completely dominant in a match in which he threw seven 180s and averaged an impressive 107.30 to Van Veen's 99.82.

"Myself and Gian have played many times, both our throws suit each other and we just like to get on with it," Littler told ITV4. "That certainly helped me.

"I am very happy with my performance. It's another win and I'm back tonight for the final session."

Littler will find out his opponent in the last four of the tournament, which has a top prize of £110,000 for the winner, when the draw is made once all four quarter-finals have been completed.

Northern Ireland's Josh Rock will also be in the semi-final draw after he saw off a brief fightback from Nathan Aspinall to clinch a 10-7 win over the Englishman in his quarter-final.

They were later joined by Wales' Jonny Clayton, who claimed a tense 10-8 win over former world champion Michael Smith.

World number one Luke Humphries takes on James Wade in the last quarter-final.



 
Littler triumphs as Brighton sees two nine-darters

Luke Littler won night five of the Premier League in Brighton on an evening which saw two nine-dart finishes.

The 18-year-old claimed his second night victory of the year with a 6-3 win in the final over Nathan Aspinall.

Littler hit five 180s as he triumphed again, four days after thrashing James Wade 11-2 to win the UK Open.

World number one Luke Humphries hit the first Premier League nine-darter of 2025 in the quarter-finals but was beaten by Rob Cross, who went on to seal his own perfect leg before losing a decider to Aspinall.

The pair both receive a set of solid gold darts, worth an estimated £30,000 each, from the league sponsors Bet MGM.

In a rematch of January's world final, where Littler become the youngest champion, he came out on top again in Brighton with a 6-2 victory over Michael van Gerwen in the semi-finals.

The Dutchman has yet to make a final in this year's competition.


 
Littler hits nine-darter as he wins Cardiff final

Teenager Luke Littler hit a nine-darter and averaged a stunning 112.5 to beat Michael van Gerwen and win night seven of Premier League Darts in Cardiff.

The 18-year-old was unsure if the final dart on double 15 was in and hesitated before celebrating in vociferous style when the referee called it.

It is his third televised nine-darter - and second in the Premier League - and helped him seal a 6-4 victory over seven-time winner Van Gerwen.

It was a chaotic final with Littler and Van Gerwen exchanging seven breaks of throw.

Van Gerwen, who was featuring in his first final of the year after losing five semi-finals in the first six weeks, played his part, averaging 101.41 and taking out 50% of his doubles.

Littler's checkouts were at 42.9% but his scoring power saw him secure a third night win of the season.

His nine-darter was the third in the Premier League this year after Luke Humphries and Rob Cross both hit one in defeat in Brighton on night five.

Littler's victory means he is six points clear of Humphries at the top of the table and his place in May's play-offs at the O2 Arena already looks practically guaranteed.


 
This kid has taken Darts to a new level, with that a new Global Audience in which Darts is fast becoming one of the main Sports to watch.
 
Aspinall wins Premier League night in Manchester

Nathan Aspinall delighted his home crowd in Manchester as he claimed his first nightly win of the year to move into the Premier League play-off places.

The 33-year-old from Stockport came back from 3-0 down to beat world number one Luke Humphries 6-4 in the final.

After Humphries missed a dart to go 4-0 up, Aspinall came roaring back to win the next five legs on the spin before completing victory in the 10th leg.

A lively night at the AO Arena also saw a nine-darter from Gerwyn Price and the sixth-highest average in PDC televised history - 118.43 - from Humphries in the quarter-finals.

It was more of a battle for Humphries in the semi-finals as he ground out a 6-4 win over world champion Luke Littler with neither player at their best.

Meanwhile, Aspinall put in a superb performance to beat three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen in the semi-finals, averaging 101.31 in a convincing 6-2 win.

He started slowly in the final, though, and Humphries raced into a 3-0 lead.

But Aspinall hung in and an 11-dart break of throw for 3-2 started the comeback.

The 2023 World Matchplay champion dragged his average up from the mid-70s to 93.29 and threatened to seal victory in style with six perfect darts to start the leg at 5-4.

But nerves hit at the crucial moment, the nine-darter came and went with Humphries even having darts to force a deciding leg before Aspinall finally hit double four to clinch it.

"It wasn't a pretty game in the final but I have never, ever, ever been so nervous as on those last darts," Aspinall told Sky Sports.

"I am in Manchester. What support I've had tonight. They were absolutely unreal. I wanted to win so much for the crowd.

"I've been through an horrendous two years but I am a fighter, I am a warrior and people like Michael van Gerwen call me a Jack Russell.

"I don't know when I'm beaten and at the end of the day I am in a privileged position and I respect that. I'll keep fighting till the end I will never ever give up."

Aspinall has struggled with dartitis and injury in recent years but is now up to fourth in the standings, level on points with Price in third and Van Gerwen in fifth.

Littler, who has been seeking a record fifth nightly win of the season, remains top but his lead has been trimmed to five points by Humphries.


BBC
 
Imperious Clayton cruises to Players Championship win

Jonny Clayton won the 14th Players Championship of the year as he averaged a superb 103.59 at the tournament in the Netherlands.

The Welshman beat outsider Dominik Gruellich of Germany, ranked 123 on the PDC order of merit, 8-2 in the final at the Autotron in Rosmalen.

Clayton, 50, averaged more than a century in six of his seven matches - including 109.68 in the final - and lost just 11 legs in total as he scooped the £15,000 top prize with his first PDC ranking title of 2025.

"If I can find this form consistently that would be brilliant. I'll be dangerous then," Clayton told the PDC.

"Fair play to Dominik. He did brilliantly, but things went my way, and hopefully it carries on going for the rest of the year."

Clayton had cruised to a 6-1 win over three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen, who endured a tough day on home soil after an early exit in the first part of the Dutch double-header, to reach the quarter-finals.

Former Premier League champion Clayton then thrashed James Wade 6-0 in the last eight before he fought back from 3-1 down against Danny Noppert to win 7-3.

Gruellich, 23, beat Michael Smith on his way to his first senior PDC final but had no answer to Clayton's scintillating form.

There are 34 Players Championship events across the year, with the competition's finals held in Minehead in November.


 
Van Gerwen wins German Grand Prix after nine-darter

Michael van Gerwen hit a nine-darter on his way to winning the German Darts Grand Prix in Munich.

The three-time world champion beat fellow Dutchman Gian van Veen 8-5 in the final after producing a perfect leg in his last-16 win over Ryan Searle.

Van Veen, 22, delivered a brilliant display, averaging 110.81, to beat world champion Luke Littler in the semi-final.

But he was unable to reach the same heights in the final as Van Gerwen, runner-up to Luke Humphries in last year's tournament, broke early and never trailed before taking the three legs on the spin to seal victory.

It is Van Gerwen's first European Tour title of the year - the 38th of this career - and the 35-year-old looked in good form, averaging over 100 in his three games leading up to the final.

After beating Searle 6-1, he saw off Ryan Joyce 6-4 in the quarter-finals and claimed a comprehensive 7-2 win over Josh Rock in the semis.

Littler was seeking his second Tour win of 2025 but after a 6-3 triumph over Josh Cullen and edging Peter Wright 6-5 to make the last four, he came back from 3-0 down to lead 4-3 before Van Veen took the next four legs to advance.


BBC
 
Littler booed in Liverpool and surrenders 4-0 lead

An emotional Luke Littler was beaten by Michael van Gerwen despite leading 4-0 in the quarter-finals on night 12 of Premier League Darts in Liverpool.

The teenager posted on social media on Wednesday to say "bring on the boos Liverpool" because of his support for Manchester United - and he got the reception he expected.

However he brushed that off and raced into a 4-0 lead against seven-time Premier League winner Van Gerwen and averaged more than 20 points higher per visit than the Dutchman.

The 18-year-old missed a dart at bullseye for 5-0 and that allowed Van Gerwen to reduce the deficit to 4-3.

Littler took out a stunning 160 to move a leg away and nodded to the crowd before gesturing to them to calm down.

He missed match darts at tops and double 10 in leg nine and Van Gerwen was able to win that and the subsequent two legs to win 6-5.

Littler was visibly emotional as he left the stage but he will stay top of the eight-player table regardless of who wins in Liverpool and remains on track to qualify for the end-of-season play-offs on 29 May.


 
Humphries edges past Littler for 'extra-special' Leeds win

Luke Humphries ended his 10-week wait for a Premier League nightly victory with a tense 6-5 win over Luke Littler in Leeds.

The 30-year-old, who had not won a final since beating Littler on Night 4 in Exeter, came from 2-0 down to beat 'The Nuke' in a thriller.

World number one Humphries averaged 100.96, with 18-year-old Littler at 99.89.

Wearing a Leeds United-inspired yellow and blue shirt at the First Direct Arena - days after his footballing heroes won the Championship title to mark their Premier League return in style - 'Cool Hand Luke' made a sluggish start as Littler took charge.

But Humphries, who was defending his Leeds crown from 12 months ago, then won three straight legs and edged 5-3 ahead.

As both mixed errors with brilliance in their performances, Littler hit back to take the match to a final-leg decider.

Both men missed bull finishes for 100-plus checkouts, but Humphries kept calm to hit double 10 and seal the much-needed success.


 
Impressive Littler eases into Matchplay last 16

World champion Luke Littler eased into the second round of the World Matchplay in Blackpool with a comfortable 10-2 win over Ryan Searle.

The 18-year-old's maiden appearance at the Winter Gardens last year had resulted in a first-round defeat by Michael van Gerwen and he was keen to amends this time around.

He was too good for Searle from the outset, winning the first four legs with only 48 darts and he finished with a superb average of 108.92 and 52.6% on his checkouts.

The world number 19 had no answer to the onslaught from Littler who avoided the fate that befell world number one Luke Humphries who was beaten in his opening match on Saturday.


 
Van Gerwen edges Van Barneveld at World Matchplay

Three-time winner Michael van Gerwen made it through to the second round of the World Matchplay despite a below-par display against Raymond van Barneveld, while Gerwyn Price overcame Daryl Gurney in a heated encounter in Blackpool.

Van Gerwen said he "made things difficult for himself" before eventually seeing off fellow Dutchman Van Barneveld 10-6 in an error-strewn match at the Winter Gardens.

"Raymond didn't play his A-game, but I was more annoyed with my own game because I know I could do better," he told Sky Sports.

"This is a tournament I love to play. I have won it three times. It is always an intense crowd. Everything is perfect. But when you don't play perfect it is really annoying.

"We all know I am a winner. I don't like losing. But maybe this is the start of something really nice."

Price is also through after beating Gurney 10-7, with the pair involved in a heated exchange at the end of the match.

Welshman Price appeared to take issue with Gurney mocking his passionate victory celebration, aggressively shaking his hand before the pair exchanged angry words.

Earlier in the match, Northern Irishman Gurney appeared to mutter an expletive to himself as the two players prepared to walk off the stage for the second break.

The pair previously clashed in 2019 when they had to be separated by security after a Premier League match in Sheffield.

Elsewhere on Monday, English sixth seed Chris Dobey beat Germany's Ricardo Pietreczko 10-5, while compatriot and 14th seed Ross Smith was beaten 10-5 by Northern Ireland's Josh Rock.


 
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