Ben Robb dispatches Johan Engstrom to book Neil Duff Lakeside clash as James Beeton edges nervy Dennis Nilsson decider
WDF
It is the first full day of action at the 2025 WDF World Championship at the home of world darts Lakeside and it was a day to remember for a Kiwi duo in Ben Robb and Caleb Hope.
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Robb has previously played on the Ally Pally stage five times but didn't qualify this time around. He has often snubbed Lakeside in favour of Ally Pally but he plays both systems. He has lost though five years he has played despite 'Big Rig' priorly showing promise.
He could be a man for the big occasion this week as if he gets past his next tie, he would've averted two of the so-called big fish in the tournament. The first was the so-called Sweet Ferret in Johan Engstrom.
He won through 3-1 in sets coming from a set down to win the next three and he now faces off against Neil Duff, the 2022 Lakeside World Champion. Engstrom was emphatic to start his debut taking the first set 3-0 with a 100 average as Robb no doubt would've been thinking here I go again when it comes to the big stage.
But he hit back with a 52 checkout to make it 1-1 before taking out 11 after missing 113 but it was still for a 14-darter. He hit double 10 to get back on the board and seal the set. His run continued with a 56 checkout and double six to break and go 2-0 up in the third set and with Engstrom not even on a finish, he sealed the deal on double 19 to make it 2-1.
Robb denies Engstrom
Engstrom finally broke the duck with an 81 checkout but Robb continued to be on a roll and he sealed a 72 checkout before going one away on double 20. He claimed the win from there with little to no resolve from the Swede. He now faces Neil Duff. Having averaged 91 and finally being able to get into a tournament for once, could this be Robb's year.
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Caleb Hope also made the 12,000 mile journey over and he was rewarded with an emphatic win over Darren Johnson. Perhaps a surprise given the relative experience of the player known as 'DJ' but it was Hope that won out. He survived a set dart from Johnson pinning double 18 in the process. But he then led the match winning three on the spin to take the second set including a 15-dart break of throw.
He led 2-0 and added the finishing touches from there. Now he faces Liam Maendl-Lawrance tomorrow afternoon who came very close to sealing the spot that Arno Merk received at the World Darts Championship through the German Super League but will relish the Lakeside chance again this time around.
Eve Watson could yet be one to watch too in the ladies draw with the Welshwoman finding her way past Joanne Hadley averaging a superb 78 in the process in a display that won't get beat by many on that Lakeside stage especially in the early stages.
A wide open tournament this year, Watson won the Isle of Man double to help book her spot at Lakeside and showed no nerves on that famous stage winning 2-0. She now faces former finalist Aileen de Graaf and if she beats her, no doubt she will think of where she can go especially after only dropping a singular leg in winning through.
Jitka Cisarova vs Maud Jansson was more of a war of attrition but the Czech ace despite both sets going the distance managed to win through in the end for the second successive year. She will face Rhian O'Sullivan on Thursday for a spot in the Quarter-Finals.
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Beeton wins nervy decider
Finally to end the afternoon, James Beeton secured a superb deciding set win over Dennis Nilsson in a match that throughout had five sets written all over it.
Beeton was on the board early punishing three missed set darts from NIlsson to take the opener. The Swede levelled up the contest with a 14-darter kicking off a three leg run that saw him win the second set 3-1.
But Beeton went back in front producing superb finishes of 101 and 129 on his way to winning the third set 3-1. But it went all the way with Nilsson producing a tops tops 100 finish to seal the fourth set. Beeton though produced when it looked likely to go to a decider hitting a 120 checkout to move through. He is first into the Last 16.
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- 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
- 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
