World Championship Weekend Rundown

Big moments, bold performances and plenty of Ally Pally drama as the World Championship burst into life

The Paddy Power World Darts Championship is up and running, and the opening weekend delivered on all fronts. Statement wins and standout performances including composed 3–1 victories for Gian van Veen and Luke Humphries as they powered through their openers and also an annual appearance by the Ally Pally wasp once again stealing a few seconds of the spotlight. Here’s your Red Dragon weekend rundown from the heart of Ally Pally.

Thursday December 11

The opening night of the World Darts Championship delivered a series of commanding performances at Alexandra Palace, as several leading names and debutants booked their places in round two. Reigning champion Luke Littler opened the defence of his title with a polished 3–0 victory over Darius Labanauskas, producing a high-quality display that featured big finishing under pressure to secure a straight-sets win.

Former world champion Michael Smith put last year’s early exit behind him with a convincing 3–0 win over Lisa Ashton, who was buoyed by strong crowd support fresh from her Women’s Matchplay victory. The night also belonged to debutant Arno Merk, who impressed on his World Championship bow with a confident 3–1 win over Kim Huybrechts, while Madars Razma joined the list of round-two qualifiers after overcoming Jamai van den Herik. With more seeds set to enter the competition, the championship began in decisive style as the tournament built early momentum.

2025/26 Paddy Power World Darts Championship
Thursday December 11
Round One
Arno Merk 3-1 Kim Huybrechts (3-2, 3-0, 1-3, 3-0)
Michael Smith 3-0 Lisa Ashton (3-2, 3-0, 3-1)
Luke Littler 3-0 Darius Labanauskas (3-2, 3-2, 3-1)
Madars Razma 3-1 Jamai van den Herik (3-2, 2-3, 3-1, 3-2)

Key Session Insights

Number of 180’s scored in this session - 23

Highest outshot of the session – 130 out (Darius Labanauskas)

Highest 3 dart average -  101.54 (Luke Littler)

 

Friday December 12

Day Two at Alexandra Palace brought drama, power scoring and a statement upset as the World Darts Championship continued to fire on all cylinders. European Champion Gian van Veen lit up the Ally Pally stage with a fearless 3–1 victory over Cristo Reyes, unleashing six maximums to claim his first World Championship win. Rob Cross also looked sharp, sweeping past Cor Dekker 3–0 and pinning a sensational 170 checkout to put an exclamation mark on a dominant display.

The night’s biggest moment came from debutant Andreas Harrysson, who delivered a breakthrough performance to dump 12th seed Ross Smith out of the tournament after a nerve-shredding deciding set, surviving six match darts before sealing a famous win. Elsewhere, Ricky Evans blasted through Man Lok Leung 3–0, while Damon Heta, Ryan Searle and Niels Zonneveld all powered into round two with assured performances. Ian White completed a marathon victory over Mervyn King, capping another high-octane day as the World Championship momentum continued to build.

Afternoon Session
Round One
Niels Zonneveld 3-0 Haupai Puha (3-2, 3-2, 3-0)
Ian White 3-2 Mervyn King (3-1, 3-0, 2-3, 2-3, 3-0)
Ryan Searle 3-0 Chris Landman (3-0, 3-2, 3-1)
Rob Cross 3-0 Cor Dekker (3-0, 3-2, 3-0)

Key Session Insights

Number of 180’s scored in this session - 24

Highest outshot of the session – 170 out (Rob Cross)

Highest 3 dart average -  93.29 (Ryan Searle)

Evening Session
Round One
Andreas Harrysson 3-2 Ross Smith (2-3, 3-2, 1-3, 3-2, 3-1)
Ricky Evans 3-0 Man Lok Leung (3-1, 3-2, 3-2)
Gian van Veen 3-1 Cristo Reyes (3-1, 3-0, 1-3, 3-2)
Damon Heta 3-1 Steve Lennon (3-1, 3-0, 2-3, 3-0)

Key Session Insights

Number of 180’s scored in this session – 30

Highest outshot of the session – 167 out (Cristo Reyes)

Highest 3 dart average -  98.91 (Gian Van Veen)

2025/26 Paddy Power World Darts Championship
Saturday December 13

Day Three at Alexandra Palace delivered power, pedigree and pure drama as champions, challengers and debutants all made their mark. World number two Luke Humphries powered through his opening test with a 3–1 win over Ted Evetts, firing in eight maximums and producing a dominant early surge to set the tone. Veteran icon Paul Lim rolled back the years with a stunning 3–1 victory over Jeffrey de Graaf, making history at 71 by becoming the oldest player ever to win on the Ally Pally stage and drawing a huge response from the crowd.

Gary Anderson was forced to dig deep in a five-set battle with Adam Hunt, producing a clutch comeback to secure his place in round two after unleashing heavy scoring when it mattered most. Elsewhere, Wessel Nijman delivered one of the performances of the day with a ruthless 3–0 whitewash of Karel Sedlacek, while Gabriel Clemens also advanced in record time with a straight-sets win. Luke Woodhouse fought back to beat Boris Krcmar, David Davies enjoyed a dream debut victory, and Andrew Gilding’s experience told as another high-energy day of action kept the World Championship momentum charging forward.

Afternoon Session
Round One
David Davies 3-0 Mario Vandenbogaerde (3-2, 3-0, 3-2)
Andrew Gilding 3-1 Cam Crabtree (3-0, 3-0, 2-3, 3-0)
Luke Woodhouse 3-1 Boris Krcmar (2-3, 3-0, 3-2, 3-1)
Gary Anderson 3-2 Adam Hunt (3-2, 2-3, 2-3, 3-1, 3-1)

Key Session Insights

Number of 180’s scored in this session – 25

Highest outshot of the session – 161 (Andrew Gilding)

Highest 3 dart average -  97.89 Andrew Gilding

 

Evening Session
Round One
Paul Lim 3-1 Jeffrey de Graaf (3-1, 1-3, 3-2, 3-2)
Wessel Nijman 3-0 Karel Sedlacek (3-1, 3-1, 3-1)
Luke Humphries 3-1 Ted Evetts (3-0, 3-1, 1-3, 3-1)
Gabriel Clemens 3-0 Alex Spellman (3-0, 3-0, 3-1)

Key Session Insights

Number of 180’s scored in this session - 33

Highest outshot of the session – 170 (Gabriel Clemens)

Highest 3 dart average -  100.91 (Wessel Nijman)

 

Sunday December 14

Stephen Bunting was pushed to the limit at Alexandra Palace, surviving a major test from Sebastian Bialecki to edge through in a dramatic deciding-set encounter. After storming into an early two-set lead, Bunting was dragged into a tense finale before producing clutch finishing to regain control and book a round-two clash with Indian trailblazer Nitin Kumar.

Kumar created history earlier in the session, becoming the first Indian player to win on the World Championship stage after a thrilling five-set victory over Richard Veenstra. Joe Cullen showcased his Ally Pally pedigree with a convincing straight-sets win, while debutants Darren Beveridge, Dom Taylor and Jonny Tata seized their moments — with Beveridge producing one of the biggest shocks of the tournament by dumping out former semi-finalist Dimitri Van den Bergh on his World Championship debut.

Afternoon Session
Round One
Jonny Tata 3-0 Ritchie Edhouse (3-2, 3-1, 3-1)
Dom Taylor 3-0 Oskar Lukasiak (3-0, 3-0, 3-1)
Nitin Kumar 3-2 Richard Veenstra (3-1, 0-3, 3-2, 0-3, 3-1)
Joe Cullen 3-0 Bradley Brooks (3-1, 3-0, 3-1)

Key Session Insights

Number of 180’s scored in this session - 23

Highest outshot of the session – 144 (Richard Veenstra)

Highest 3 dart average -  99.33 (Joe Cullen)

Evening Session
Round One
Wesley Plaisier 3-1 Lukas Wenig (3-0, 2-3, 3-2, 3-1)
Darren Beveridge 3-0 Dimitri Van den Bergh (3-0, 3-1, 3-0)
Stephen Bunting 3-2 Sebastian Bialecki (3-1, 3-1, 0-3, 1-3, 4-2)
James Hurrell 3-1 Stowe Buntz (3-2, 1-3, 3-1, 3-2)

Key Session Insights

Number of 180’s scored in this session - 26

Highest outshot of the session –  160 out (Stephen Bunting)

Highest 3 dart average -  96.39 (Stephen Bunting)

 

That wraps up the opening weekend at the World Darts Championship and just like the Ally Pally wasp, we’re not going anywhere! We’ll be back tomorrow with more big moments and darts drama.

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