PDC World Darts Championship 2020 preview and schedule: Thursday December 19, evening session

If your appetite for the darts is insatiable, fear not - there's even more on the menu this evening. And if you're a fan of rising stars from the North East of England, you're in for a treat. Chris Dobey's up first in the evening session. Hollywood made his best ever World Darts Championship run last year, and could've (maybe should've) dumped out Gary Anderson.

He's had a superb season, reaching two major semi-finals. There's no doubt that Ron Meulenkamp will need to be at his best. The Dutch left-hander performed well yesterday, beating Ben Robb 3-0. Of course, that doesn't tell all of the story. What's notable is that in two of the sets, the Bomb claimed the decisive fifth leg. That sort of bottle will stand him in good stead against the 22nd seed. Mensur Suljovic or Fallon Sherrock will face the winner.

Rob Cross-slaying Kim Huybrechts awaits the winner of the session's second match. Danny Noppert is one of the players who has worked himself into the seeded spots. The Dutchman has had a great campaign, but there are occasions where he simply fails to turn up. If this is one of those times, Callan Rydz could carry on a dream World Darts Championship debut. With an excellent win over Steve Lennon under his belt, the Geordie ace has momentum. He'd be a dark horse - except everyone in the know has already backed him to be brilliant. Rydz appears to be living up to the billing quite well.

For all the finals Dave Chisnall has been in, there hasn't yet been one at the World Darts Championship. It feels like it's coming, though. Step one on his journey is to see off Vincent van der Voort. Then it'd be Jeffrey de Zwaan in the third round. After that, possibly Peter Wright (though that isn't certain). Rob Cross is gone from his quarter, so a better run than last year's trip to the last eight is a possibility.

That's discounting van der Voort much too quickly, however. The big Dutchman very coolly saw off Keane Barry in round one, continuously finding the treble and keeping the talented youngster at arm's length. There will be a lot of big scores in this one - but who will have the killer touch needed to claim a very handy win?

Finally, Gerwyn Price steps out for a World Darts Championship that many back him to win. The Welshman has retained his Grand Slam crown, has reached the final of the Players Championship Finals most recently, and for the most part has been the best player of 2019. Price hasn't performed well at the Alexandra Palace, but that's the past. As someone desperate to shed his 'former rugby player' tag, the Iceman is unlikely to dwell on what's come before. He's now the top seed in his half of the draw, thanks to Cross' early exit. It means he'll have a target on his back. But then again, that's nothing new.

If he's to play John Henderson after Christmas, Price must first deal with William O'Connor. The Irish star cantered to a 3-0 win over Marko Kantele in the first round...and was absolutely furious with himself. It's a good sign. O'Connor was way below his best, and he knew it. But he did more than enough to get through, and will have been working on ways to build on the win against the Fin. This should be an intriguing clash. And, with O'Connor's quality plus the World Darts Championship's capacity for early shocks, it may be a rough ride for Price.

Chris Dobey vs Ron Meulenkamp
Danny Noppert vs Callan Rydz
Dave Chisnall vs Vincent van der Voort
Gerwyn Price vs William O’Connor