PDC World Darts Championship Round-Up | Luke Littler pushed but through as title defence begins while Michael Smith sweeps Lisa Ashton
PDC
Luke Littler is through to the second round of the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship as either Mario Vandenbogaerde or David Davies will be his foe next on the Ally Pally stage.
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Albeit a 3-0 win in reality didn't massively tell the full story of his PDC World Darts Championship return. Littler wrangled with seemingly the first appearance of the Ally Pally wasp and as he spoke to Polly James he said that the scoreline didn't reflect the close nature of the games.
He saw off Darius Labanauskas 3-0 but in every set it was all but one that went to a deciding leg and was very much Littler turning on the afterburners to quell any chance of a 'Lucky D' surge as he couldn't find the break he needed to attack 'The Nuke'.
The darling of the Palace and the player that everyone is talking about, he doesn't return now until the 21st and in that time he could be Sports Personality of the Year. Albeit he downplayed that too with 'The Nuke' hoping Lando Norris wins it, the new F1 Drivers Champion.
Follow the 2026 World Darts Championship via our live scores!
Follow the 2026 World Darts Championship via our live scores!
In this landscape though he is the favourite albeit he started under pressure. Littler lost the opening leg but was immediately in business pinning double eight for 1-1 to level up. Littler could only pressure from 164 and Labanauskas then hit 80 to go one away from the opening set. But on the verge, Labanauskas couldn't get the second treble 19 for 138 and Littler who was taken to a decider took out 76 for the opening set.
Labanauskas missed two darts to begin set two. Littler hit double 20 to hold throw. Littler missed 87 on the bull for a break and Labanauskas hit 78 to draw level. But it was a familiar story as Littler hit another maximum. Labanauskas missed 121 on the bull and Littler held to go one away from a two set lead.
Labanauskas hit double 16 to send the set to another decider. But Littler pinned double 10 to win the second set. Labanauskas pinned 52 to open up and hold but Littler was immediately at it on his throw hitting a maximum and held for 1-1. Littler hit a 120 checkout to break throw and was now throwing for the win and he hit double six to seal the win.
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Luke Littler wins his opener at the PDC World Darts Championship.
Michael Smith marks Ally Pally return with Lisa Ashton win
There as ever with Michael Smith is a lot of doubts when it comes to 'Bully Boy' as to what condition he will turn up in given his plethora of injuries in recent years since he won the World title in 2023.
But while he only averaged 91 in the end, he managed to make it pretty comfortable as he took down Lisa Ashton 3-0 to seal an opening win. Ashton troubled him early though. She hit a 72 checkout to start. Smith had darts to break Ashton but The Lancashire Rose returned for 48 for 2-1. Ashton missed 127 for the set and smooth as you like, Smith hit 88 to send it to a decider. Bully Boy weathered the early storm as he hit a 15-darter on double eight to sneak ahead 1-0.
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A 76 checkout for Smith after being on a nine-darter saw him lead set two. A 70 checkout to break followed that up as he had the double 20 on the edge of his throw like a string. He hit double 10 to go 2-0 up in sets.
Smith hit double two to lead set three. A 180 to leave 81 saw 'Bully Boy' go one away from the win. he missed six match darts and Ashton stayed alive but he was throwing for the win sealing it in the end and he will be back for the second round to face either Niels Zonneveld or Haupai Puha.
Merk makes his mark
A youth prodigy that was touted a number of years ago until as he put it post match he received hate comments, Arno Merk is back at 33 and he took down Kim Huybrechts.
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He won 3-1 in the end against a Belgian who lacked his usual aggression and swagger. To start Merk hit double six with Huybrechts waiting for the set. Both were pumped up and it went to a decider.
An exceptional 174 for Huybrechts to leave 62 but it was a set dart for Merk who pinned 62 for the set. A brilliant 58 checkout from Merk and he opened his account to head into the second set. Merk doubled his lead and was throwing for the set. He missed 138 for the set but returned and was a set away.
A 113 checkout for Huybrechts albeit with Merk sat waiting to pounce. Merk missed 101 for a leg back but Huybrechts could only pressure as the German levelled on double four. Merk had to stay a bit longer as Huybrechts initially missed set darts but Merk couldn't get a stab at 138 to put enough pressure on and the Belgian finally returned for 2-1 down in sets.
Huybrechts threw his darts in frustration as Merk went one away with a break of throw on double five. The game was starting slip through the fingers again of the Belgian and it fully did as Merk sealed the win. Next though is Peter Wright or Noa-Lynn van Leuven.
While to end the night it was Madars Razma who booked a potential tie with Dimitri van den Bergh. Not exactly a quick or inspiring match. But he completed a hard fought 3-1 success over Jamai van den Herik, the Dutch debutant coming through some early resolve to move through.
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Experience told against a player who has had some success on the secondary tour but was making his Ally Pally debut so it was very much the tale of two halves as Merk thrived but Van den Herik was beaten by the more tried and tested player.
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Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
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- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026
- Probably i will receive a lot of backlash and hate for this reaction, but well, so be it. I am more than sick and tired of those lies of you Barry Hearn. How dare you defend yourself over the back of Fallon’s son! He has a disability and not an illness, so let me correct that for you! I know because I have the exact same disability. I have tried to reach out to Fallon in the past, and offered her to help her and her son, because I was struggling with the same problems, and I understood the boy. I wanted him to have finally someone who understood him. However she told me that she did not want my help, and I have respected Fallon’s choice. I have never asked Fallon for money. They don’t need money in that case. I only ever wanted the best for Fallon and Rory, but I have to be honest about the situation. Fallon should tell the true story and not be forced to tell lies. I don’t hate Fallon, and I don’t begrudge or envy a single penny that she gets, but this situation/case is just not fair. I hate the lies and the dishonesty and injustice. I don’t want Fallon to be hated because there is an unfair disadvantage created. Don’t proclaim your false lies over the back of Rory! I only stand for integrity and justice. I am precisely the one who always sticks up for Fallon. And you don't, you don't give a damn about them. You were never there for them, and now you only want to save your own position! You are just trying to talk your way out of your own bad behavior at the expense of someone with a disability. And to Fallon, I don’t know if this may ever reach you, and you read it, but I want you to know I love you and I love your son Rory very much, I am sorry how things developed and went. I hope you and Harriet are still friends. I am sorry if I were too persistent to you, or you experienced it that way, but it was never my intention. Please understand I have autism as well. As Barry Hearn would say, I am only just a human being too, and I also make mistakes and misjudge things sometimes. I promise you I did everything out of the deepest love and care for you and Rory. If I were you, I should just keep all the money, only please never be dishonest or tell lies anymore for Barry Hearn, or anyone else. I hope you have the best life, and I wish nothing more than the best for you. I have always loved the two of you. Farewell.Hiddo05-11-2026
- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
- 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
