A delightful program awaits us Wednesday night at the World Darts Championship. Four matches that have the potential to all develop into crackers with a decisive fifth set.
We begin the evening with a meeting between Ryan Joyce and Alex Spellman. Joyce has shown great form on the Pro Tour in recent months. In the second half of the season, he made it to three finals on the Pro Tour, one of which he managed to win. In addition, 'Relentless' was also in the semifinals of the Players Championship Finals at the end of November. His American opponent managed to achieve great results this year on the CDC Tour, the circuit for North American darters. Thanks to three titles and two lost finals, Spellman finished at the top of the CDC rankings this season.
Follow the 2024 World Darts Championship via our LIVE SCORE!
Richard Veenstra will make his debut at the PDC World Darts Championship. In the past, he competed six times at the BDO/WDF World Championships, leading to a semifinal finish in 2016 and 2022. In his debut year on the Pro Tour, 'Flyers' qualified quite easily for the tournament at Alexandra Palace. His upcoming New Zealand opponent Ben Robb has already competed in the World Darts Championship three times, but never managed to get past the first round.
Many eyes will be on Luke Littler's debut at the World Darts Championship on Wednesday night. The 16-year-old Englishman is considered a mega-talent, and has already achieved several great results in the adults as well. But Littler does not yet have an adult world title, although his opponent Christian Kist does. The Dutchman from Vroomshoop became world champion at Lakeside in 2012 and is making his return to World Darts Championships after six years. 'The Lipstick' had a fine Pro Tour season, despite not having a PDC Tour Card in his pocket. A highly ranked player on the Challenge Tour, however, Kist competed as a reserve player in almost all Players Championship tournaments. In one of those tournaments, Kist even managed to reach a final on the Pro Tour this year.
The evening concludes with a clash between Peter Wright and Jim Williams. The first question is how Peter Wright will be dressed at the World Darts Championship. Traditionally, 'Snakebite' always packs quite a punch in his first match at Alexandra Palace. Another question is how the Scot's form is doing. The two-time world champion had a very mediocre year, but still suddenly won the European Championship in October. Wright will need the form of that tournament to shake off the always dangerous Jim Williams. The Welshman is a very consistent player and is undoubtedly eager to punish another off-day by Wright.
Wednesday, Dec. 20
Evening session (from 7 p.m.)
Ryan Joyce v Alex Spellman (R1)
Richard Veenstra v Ben Robb (R1)
Christian Kist v Luke Littler (R1)
Peter Wright v Jim Williams (R2)