PDC World Championship Preview - Day 10, Afternoon Session

The second round of the PDC World Championship is in full swing now, after another packed night of drama on the evening of day nine. Mensur Suljovic was staggeringly sub-par, yet still overcame Rob Thornton. Paul Lim almost made history - again. And Michael van Gerwen whitewashed James Wilson, allowing Lethal Biscuit (who averaged close to 97) just four darts at a finish. Day 10 promises to extend the fun, starting with an intriguing afternoon session. Of the six seeds expected to take part this afternoon, only two made it - and they both face off in the middle match. Either side of that, the unseeded players who caused early shocks look to continue their fine form.

So, first up, we have James Wade vs Mervyn King. No, wait. It's Keegan Brown vs Zoran Lerchbacher, a meeting between two players who caused a real surprise in the first round. The prize is a last 16 place and a potential meeting with Phil Taylor, so the stakes are as high as they ever have been for this pair. Brown has now taken two major scalps in his time at the Ally Pally; John Part fell three years ago, and now Wade. Though the Machine was evidently faulty, Brown showed a lot of bottle to hold on for the 3-2 win, and threw a solid 95 average. The 2014 World Youth champion lost to Adrian Lewis in the second round after beating Part, but faces an easier tie this time around.
Yet Zoran Lerchbacher is no pushover, as King discovered. Whether or not the Austrian would have won had King not suffered an injury on stage is up for debate. What is known is that he ignored both that and the enforced delay caused by a broken light bulb, and averaged 92. Lerchbacher won a set at the World Championship for the first time on the way to beating King, so this is new ground for him. Neither has any sort of exceptional quality that makes them a clear favourite, but both can be excellent on their day. That means this is completely up for grabs. The second round tie with the lowest billing could be the most exciting of the lot.

What a treat this is for a second round match. After 2014 World Youth champion Brown leaves the stage, 2013 victor Michael Smith seeks to reach the last 16 for the fifth year in a row. Smith found it tough against Steve Lennon, especially when his usually solid scoring abandoned him, but had the quality to rattle off the three legs needed in the final set. At his best he's a joy to watch, with one of the smoothest, most relaxed actions in the game. Otherwise, Bully Boy is erratic, inconsistent and a real worry on the doubles. He cannot afford to be the latter against Rob Cross.
How much further can Cross' stock rise? He went from amateur to professional in no time. His rise from also-ran to perennial contender with earnings of over £150,000 was instant. In his first year in the PDC, he entered as 20th seed, and averaged 104.12. No matter whether it is against Seigo Asada or Phil Taylor, such an average on debut is nothing short of phenomenal. It is often easier to average higher against better players, in fact. If Cross feels he need to step up to take on Smith, he'll provide something that the 13th seed could not possibly deal with. The winner of this tie takes on Daryl Gurney or John Henderson - just as you thought ties early on in the World Championship can't be this good...

Another match-up between two unseeded players, though that status belies their obvious quality. Steve West and Jermaine Wattimena already know Gary Anderson lies in wait, and know what sort of challenge that will be. If they can build on their first round showings, perhaps they can rattle the twice world champion. But a tough second round challenge comes first. West was cool and collected in a 3-1 defeat of Benito van de Pas, even when a 124 checkout from the big Belgian brought back painful memories from last year. After six first round exits, West has finally reached the promised land of best-of-seven action. He won't want to stop here.
There's just the small matter of slowing down the jet-fuelled Jermaine Wattimena. The Dutchman rattled in a 96.83 average in his 3-2 win over Joe Cullen, with all five sets wrapped up in 29 minutes - about the time it takes Justin Pipe to finish a leg. Wattimena had a slice of luck, as Cullen missed four match darts, but the Machine Gun earned his second round spot. West knows that Wattimena relies on rhythm. He will be in no rush to throw or pick up his darts, and will make his opponent play at his pace. If that doesn't deter Wattimena, this could be another game that goes all the way.