Ricky Evans subjects James Wade to another early exit at the World Darts Championship as Humphries hammers Lim

Ricky Evans inflicted another early exit on James Wade at the World Darts Championship on Monday, as Gian van Veen and Luke Humphries stormed into Round Three.

Evans came out on top in a marathon five-set battle, surviving a match dart from Wade before finally getting over the line in a tie break after initially missing seven match darts of his own.

Wade missed a dart to win the first set as Evans grabbed the initiative with a 128 checkout along the way, before the ten-time major winner landed a magnificent 170 checkout on his way to sealing the second set to level the contest.

Evans hit back to edge the third set in a deciding leg, but only for Wade to race through set four in three straight legs to make it two apiece.

Six missed match darts from Evans handed ‘The Machine’ a lifeline as he forced a tie break, but only to miss a match dart of his own and watch the Kettering ace take out 99 for a memorable triumph.

“What’s the point in winning 3-0?” joked Evans. “Make it interesting! I say it every year, I’m weird, but god I’m box office!”

Meanwhile, reigning European Champion Van Veen produced the stand-out performance of the tournament so far as he came from a set down to see off Alan Soutar.

The Dutchman signalled his intentions by registering a blistering 108.3 average in a display which featured just three treble-less visits.

Soutar took the first set with the aid of a 124 checkout, but the game hinged on a missed set dart from the Scot in the second as Van Veen finished 72 to draw level.

Van Veen then reeled off a further six legs without reply, including a roof-raising 170 checkout, to reach Round Three for the first time.

“There’s so much I can take from this game going forward,” said Van Veen.

“I got a bit lucky in the second set, but you need a bit of luck in these kind of tournaments.

“The last six legs are some of the best I’ve ever played, especially on this stage.

“This Christmas is going to be the best one of my life so far, still being in the World Championship. It was a massive goal for myself and thankfully I’ve achieved it this year.”

Second seed Humphries breezed through to the Last 32 with a routine straight sets win over Singapore legend Paul Lim.

The 2024 World Champion raced into a two-set lead by taking the opening six legs without reply, averaging north of 108 in a superb run.

Humphries’ pace slowed down in the third set as Lim claimed a solitary leg, but the former World Champion cleaned up the third set, ending the contest with a 50 per cent double success rate.

“I planned to win in straight sets and tonight there was no unnecessary drama,” said Humphries, who will face Gabriel Clemens in round three.

“It was a great first leg from myself with a 12-darter and the first two sets were really clinical. I scored and finished really well.

“If you’re not getting a lot thrown back at you, it can get a lot harder. It felt like I was really comfortable and I relaxed too much.

“I know that when I come back from Christmas, I’ll be more consistent. I won’t have these 80s average sets – when the pressure is on me, that’s when I’m consistent.”

Nathan Aspinall cruised to a whitewash win over Leonard Gates in their repeat match-up from last year’s second round.

The former World Matchplay champion brushed the American aside 3-1 in legs in each of the three sets to comfortably progress to the last 32 – where he will face Kevin Doets.

“It was a straightforward win, I did what I had to do,” said Aspinall. “In the first game I was a bag of nerves, but I felt really good tonight.

“I feel like I haven’t been as focused as I should be, but I’ve saved a lot of mental energy which I think I’ll need after Christmas.

“My confidence is the highest it’s ever been by an absolute country mile. I’m confident I can have a deep run.”

Doets put an end to David Munyua’s dream debut by condemning the Kenyan trailblazer to a straight-sets defeat.

Despite the 3,000-strong crowd – which featured representatives from the Kenyan High Commission in the UK – roaring on Munyua, the Dutchman maintained composure to deliver a professional performance, dropping just two legs across the match to confirm a third round spot.

Charlie Manby continued his dream debut at Ally Pally with another stellar performance to see off Adam Sevada of the USA in straight sets.

The 20-year-old won the first six legs on the bounce and conceded just a sole leg, converting 47 per cent of his double attempts to seal an impressive victory over the CDC star.

A resurgent Gabriel Clemens delivered yet another upset in knocking out 31st seed Wessel Nijman in three straight sets.

A former semi-finalist at Alexandra Palace, Clemens capitalised on a diabolical display of finishing from Nijman to battle through and reach round three for the fifth time in his career.

Madars Razma moved through to the last 32 for the third consecutive year at the World Championship after defeating debutant Darren Beveridge 3-1.

The Latvian ace produced a stellar performance, averaging north of 97 and hitting 60 per cent of his double attempts as he came back from 2-0 down in legs in the fourth set to seal the match.

World Darts Championship 2025/26 Day 12 Results

Monday December 22

Second Round

Afternoon Session
Darren Beveridge 1-3 Madars Razma
Wessel Nijman 0-3 Gabriel Clemens
David Munyua 0-3 Kevin Doets
James Wade 2-3 Ricky Evans

Evening Session
Gian van Veen 3-1 Alan Soutar
Nathan Aspinall 3-0 Leonard Gates
Luke Humphries 3-0 Paul Lim
Charlie Manby 3-0 Adam Sevada