We're moving on to round two of the PDC World Cup of Darts 2019.
Thursday provided our shocks; Friday went exactly as you'd expect. England, Scotland, the Netherlands, Australia, Belgium and Austria (just about) are safe. But Wales and Northern Ireland have been toppled. The second round of the
PDC World Cup of Darts switches things up. Now there are two singles games before a doubles decider, meaning that some ties might not even have doubles ties. I hope you'll join me in a chorus of boos.
12:00 South Africa vs New Zealand
Interestingly, we don't have a seed on show in the first two games of the afternoon. That's because Wales and Northern Ireland were both in the same quarter. It means that South Africa and New Zealand have a great chance to make a record-breaking run. The South Africans held their nerve brilliantly to see off Daryl Gurney and Brendan Dolan. Devon Petersen is a great figurehead for his nation; the format will put Vernon Brouwers in the spotlight, however. The same goes for Haupai Puha, so it'll be interesting to see what happens if Brouwers meets Puha and the impressive Cody Harris takes on Petersen. This one could be doubles-bound.
13:00 Singapore vs Japan
You've just got to love Singapore. The 2017 quarter-finalists are absolutely at it again. There were limbs for the Lims, as Paul and Harith brought the house down with a superb showing against Wales. Both averaged solidly, which bodes well for being split up. Haruki Muramatsu and Seigo Asada might have been a bit discontented with their performance, with Japan almost eliminated by lowly Gibraltar. Having got through that, they're now the favourites from their quarter to get to the semi-finals.
14:00 Scotland vs Sweden
Talk about a statement of intent. Scotland were the only team to average over 100 as a pair, and one of two sides - along with the Netherlands - to whitewash their opponents. Gary Anderson alone averaged 105, which will ring massive alarm bells for Scotland's Swedish opponents. This could well be Magnus Caris' final bow. If he's allowed a shot at Peter Wright, with Dennis Nilsson acting as the sacrificial lamb placed at Anderson's feet, perhaps Poker Face could conjure some of the old magic and scare the second seeds.
15:00 Belgium vs Germany
As Germany hosts the World Cup of Darts, it's a real bonus when they put on a show for their home fans. Max Hopp and Martin Schindler delivered the goods against Hungary, in a game full of thrills and spills -
one spill, anyway. The duo are excellent together. Apart, there are some doubts about Schindler's ropey scoring and Hopp's battle not to let an occasion get the better of him. Kim Huybrechts and Dimitri van den Bergh are a powder keg of talent, which could blow at any time. If they can't, then there's plenty for the Germans to take advantage of.
Saturday afternoon schedule
South Africa v New Zealand Singapore v Japan Scotland v Sweden Belgium v Germany