PDC World Darts Championship 2019 preview - Friday December 14, evening session

The Flying Scotsman is our primadonna, but the three ties preceding his entrance are no warm-up acts. First on the oche is Danny Noppert, a BDO world finalist but a PDC World Championship rookie. Noppert is now a PDC event winner and major finalist, who came extremely close to being a seed. His opponent is the absent man of the PDC Pro Tour, Royden Lam. The Hong Kong ace won a spot through the new Asian Tour, and beat Anderson on the World Series circuit. Noppert will need to dodge a big bullet in order to secure a tasty second round meeting with Max Hopp. All-English matches used to be a regular event at the World Championship. The second game of the day is one of just two in the first 20 matches in this event. Representing old Blighty in this new cosmopolitan world of darts are Simon Stevenson and Ted Evetts. Stevenson is great on the floor, but is not much of a stage player. Evetts similarly hasn't turned his own form into high-profile success. Whoever wins here faces Adrian Lewis, a man now marked as a potential shock risk. This could be a huge opportunity.

Chris Dobey, nicknamed Hollywood, wanted his own Hollywood moment last year. Phil Taylor wasn't having it. But the Northumberland ace gets another crack of the whip this year. If he wants to play Steve Beaton next Thursday, he has to see off Boris Koltsov. The Russian brings passion and more than a touch of quality to the table. Whether or not he can turn it all into a famous win remains to be seen. And then comes Gary. The two-time world champion is plotting a course to make it three. His route through a packed top half of the draw includes a mammoth semi-final against Michael van Gerwen. But there is a long way to go before that point. All eyes will be on the Scot in London; a commanding performance against Kevin Burnesswill stand him in good stead going forward. for more information about the PDC World Darts Championship, including schedules and the prize fund breakdown. Danny Noppert v Royden Lam (R1) Simon Stevenson v Ted Evetts (R1) Chris Dobey v Boris Koltsov (R1) Gary Anderson v Kevin Burness (R2)