Lakeside quarter-final marathons set new darts record

Four thrilling quarter-finals went all the way at the Lakeside - the first time in which all four have gone to a ninth leg decider. This is the 66th staging of a World Championship, held by either the PDC or the BDO.
Scott Waites came back from 4-1 down to defeat Andy Baetens 5-4. Glen Durrant then repeated the feat to knock out close friend Jim Williams. In the evening, Michael Unterbuchner needed all nine sets to knock Richard Veenstra out. And Mark McGeeney scraped through a 115-minute marathon against Wayne Warren.
The 36 sets played - the maximum possible - sets a new record for all World Championship quarter-finals. It beats the record set by the 2008 PDC championships, in which 34 sets were played. Wayne Mardle, Kirk Shepherd and John Part beat Phil Taylor, Peter Manley and James Wade respectively by a 5-4 scoreline. Adrian Lewis let the side down, managing just two sets in a defeat to Kevin Painter.
It should be noted that this is not the first time in which all four quarter-finals have gone to a decider. In 1991, the feat was achieved, though games were best of seven sets. Dennis Priestley defeated Phil Taylor, Bob Anderson overcame Alan Warriner, Kevin Kenny stunned Jocky Wilson and Eric Bristow battled past Dave Whitcombe. It almost happened two years before, but John Lowe thrashed Dennis Hickling 4-0 to buck the trend.

The shortest ever quarter-finals were in 1984, when four best of nine games were wrapped up in a minimum of 20 sets. Bristow battered Peter Locke 5-0. Lowe beat Ceri Morgan by the same score. Then Wilson whitewashed Mike Gregory and Whitcombe blew Nicky Virachkul away at the Jollees Cabaret Club in Stoke-on-Trent.
This year's women's championship has also gone in a very different direction. Of the 14 games played before Saturday's final, only two went to a decider. Trina Gulliver edged out Vicky Pruim, and Fallon Sherrock knocked out Corinne Hammond in a three-setter at the Lakeside.
The TV schedule for Lakeside can be found here. Click here for more information about the Lakeside 2018 prize fund. View the tournament bracket here.