Four down, just 67 matches to go at the PDC World Darts Championship 2018. Michael van Gerwen swept through a high class first round tie with Christian Kist. That was after Steve Beaton and James Wilson sealed their passage, and before Gerwyn Price cruised past Ted Evetts. So we know one second round tie - van Gerwen vs Wilson - with barely a dent made in the first round schedule.
Continuing the action tonight are a host of fine players, including 2017 sensation Rob Cross. He'll play the winner of the first preliminary game of the year, while Stephen Bunting and Dimitri van den Bergh meet in a very tasty-looking clash. Oh, and there's also the small matter of the 16-time champion of the world kicking off his final quest for the biggest title of them all. It's all set up to be a fascinating night of darts.
Continuing the action tonight are a host of fine players, including 2017 sensation Rob Cross. He'll play the winner of the first preliminary game of the year, while Stephen Bunting and Dimitri van den Bergh meet in a very tasty-looking clash. Oh, and there's also the small matter of the 16-time champion of the world kicking off his final quest for the biggest title of them all. It's all set up to be a fascinating night of darts.
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Seigo Asada vs Gordon Mathers
The night begins with the first of eight preliminary ties. The prelims are always worth watching. Not only do they show fans the talent developing around the world, but they give those talents the chance to entertain and get a chance to take on one of the top talents. A meeting with Rob Cross later in the night awaits Seigo Asada or Gordon Mathers. Asada has the major tournament experience, having played in a handful of BDO events. The Japanese star caused a surprise or two, as well, though he's best remembered for busting a 136 checkout at the Lakeside a couple of years ago.
Mathers is the reason Corey Cadby isn't at the Ally Pally; the Australian topped the DPA Pro Tour rankings ahead of a whole host of rivals, including the youngster. The Brisbane thrower would double his career earnings with victory over the Ninja. Asada showed a lot of class to breeze through the PDJ Japanese World Championship qualifier; the Osaka man will fancy himself as the favourite in this best of three sets clash.
Mathers is the reason Corey Cadby isn't at the Ally Pally; the Australian topped the DPA Pro Tour rankings ahead of a whole host of rivals, including the youngster. The Brisbane thrower would double his career earnings with victory over the Ninja. Asada showed a lot of class to breeze through the PDJ Japanese World Championship qualifier; the Osaka man will fancy himself as the favourite in this best of three sets clash.
Stephen Bunting vs Dimitri van den Bergh
There has been a lot of debate over which of the first round ties is the most mouth-watering. Stephen Bunting vs Dimitri van den Bergh has featured in every single conversation. After a serious dip in form and confidence, Bunting has been a changed man in the past few months. Despite that, he has little to show for it in the majors, bar winning his group impressively in the Grand Slam.
He takes on newly crowned World Youth champion Dimitri van den Bergh, whose scoring at times this year has been nothing short of sensational. Taking on the likes of Bunting is a different matter, however. Both have suffered from big stage nerves, and shared the devastation of being edged out in the final set of their first round games last year at the Ally Pally. There is no unlikely scoreline here, possibly excluding a 3-0 win either way. If you know who is going to win, please get in touch. Because I'm stumped.
He takes on newly crowned World Youth champion Dimitri van den Bergh, whose scoring at times this year has been nothing short of sensational. Taking on the likes of Bunting is a different matter, however. Both have suffered from big stage nerves, and shared the devastation of being edged out in the final set of their first round games last year at the Ally Pally. There is no unlikely scoreline here, possibly excluding a 3-0 win either way. If you know who is going to win, please get in touch. Because I'm stumped.
Phil Taylor vs Chris Dobey
There's now a genuine threat that, every time Phil Taylor takes to the stage, it could be the last time we see him do so. As well as damaging the amount of international exposure SNAP! gets, a significant era of darts will end when the Power bows out. The first man to have a shot at delivering the final blow is Chris Dobey, who has made it clear that he is relishing the opportunity. In his first round appearance at the biggest stage in world darts last year, the 2016 Grand Slam quarter-finalist wasn't overawed. Dobey defeated Justin Pipe, but couldn't find a way past Dave Chisnall. Beating Taylor is a tougher prospect than the pair of them put together.
Some are already mapping Taylor's route to the final - a tricky affair, featuring the likes of Wade, Anderson and Wright, and supposedly concluding in what would be a legendary battle with Michael van Gerwen. But Taylor can't afford to look ahead so soon. If he does, Dobey will strike, and the dream finale will be over before it has really started.
Some are already mapping Taylor's route to the final - a tricky affair, featuring the likes of Wade, Anderson and Wright, and supposedly concluding in what would be a legendary battle with Michael van Gerwen. But Taylor can't afford to look ahead so soon. If he does, Dobey will strike, and the dream finale will be over before it has really started.
Rob Cross vs Asada/Mathers
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Are we even allowed to call Rob Cross a 'dark horse' any more? The former electrician's talent must be the worst-kept secret in darts, apart from the fact Wayne Mardle's surname isn't pronounced "Mar-dell". 27-year-old Cross' rise to the top has been meteoric, as he went from an outside shot at appearing at the World Championships to being the 20th seed. The seeding leaves him with a formidable-looking run of potential fixtures, but Cross will fear nobody.
The only nagging doubt is that Cross is yet to prove himself fully in majors. Reaching the European Championships final was a triumph, but an early exit in the Grand Prix is a blot on his record. That said, his first round tie with Seigo Asada or Gordon Mathers should not be too tricky. Voltage may or may not cause a few shocks this year - but if he's the fifth favourite with the bookies, how shocking is it anyway?
The only nagging doubt is that Cross is yet to prove himself fully in majors. Reaching the European Championships final was a triumph, but an early exit in the Grand Prix is a blot on his record. That said, his first round tie with Seigo Asada or Gordon Mathers should not be too tricky. Voltage may or may not cause a few shocks this year - but if he's the fifth favourite with the bookies, how shocking is it anyway?
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- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026
- Not even slightly interestedrick6730-10-2026
- And yet the PDC has decided to aggravate this problem by doubling the Players Championship Finals field from 2027. I can't imagine there will be fewer withdrawals next year with even less reason to turn up. I can only hope that a whole slew of Challenge Tour top-up players receive enough prize money in the absence of much of the elite, that some of the more complacent among them struggle to scrape into even a heavily diluted field! More semi-pro players will get to test their mettle, but the standard of competition will be much inferior. It could hardly be said that the Players Championship series will provide an opportunity for darts' second string to test their Tour Card credentials anymore, but at least it will underscore the achievements of those Challenge Tour players of current and previous years, who were able to prove themselves as more than capable of competing with, and beating, the elite of the sport on a consistent basis, and reaping the due rewards.Deduce635828-10-2026
- No point in being there? Champions want to win.Deduce635828-10-2026
- Littler lost to crabtree in the youth/junior/whatever you call it. He had no point in being there. He's unfortunately now got to the stage,he feels all he has to do is get on the stage to win. Well,I hope he realises part of his fear factor has gone. Happened to Taylor,then van gerwen,and it's causing him to realise pretty sharp,he isn't unstoppable. It's good for the sport,not 1 single player in my 60 years has ever,or will ever be, unbeatable.rick6725-10-2026
- I think it's great to see Mark Webster looking good,good ladrick6725-10-2026
- I agree,I can't believe the lack of coverage of this sad loss. Always enjoyed watching him,but I guess now it's all about littler,well it seems that way. Darts has sadly lost a good manrick6717-10-2026
- In the absence of a report regarding the death of Stefan Lord, I'll assist. An excellent player in the late 70s and early 80s, he actually won the now defunct 3rd place match at two World Championships and a couple of the News of the World Championships. A fabulous player and easily the best Swedish player ever. Rest peacefully Stefan.richieburnettrocks16-10-2026