Live Darts on Thursday: World Darts Championship Day Seven Preview and Order of Play

The First Round action draws to a close at the World Darts Championship on Thursday, while a host of seeded stars aim to advance to the Last 32.

Just two places remain in the Second Round of the sport’s annual showpiece at Alexandra Palace before the Last 64 ties take centre stage prior to the Christmas break.

Northern Ireland’s Mickey Mansell kicks off the day’s action with a tie against Chinese youngster Xiaochen Zong.

Mansell, who claimed his maiden ranking title in 2018, returns for his eighth World Championship appearance as he bids to reach the Second Round for the time time in a row and set up a meeting with his compatriot Brendan Dolan.

Zong, 25, has won the last four editions of the PDC China Premier League as well as scooping two PDC Asia Tour titles in 2023, and returns to Ally Pally for the first time since the 2019/20 event – when he was narrowly beaten 3-2 by the late Kyle Anderson.

The final match of the opening round sees Luke Woodhouse come up against debutant Berry van Peer.

Woodhouse is making his fifth consecutive World Championship appearance, with his best run to date having come on debut in 2019/20 when he reached the Third Round.

Quarter-finalist in last month’s Players Championship Finals, Woodhouse will be looking to continue that fine form in order to set up a Second Round show-down with Josh Rock.

A resurgent Van Peer has enjoyed undoubtedly the best year of his career to date, racking up four Challenge Tour titles to finish top of the Order of Merit and earn a tour card, while also winning the prestigious Dutch Open.

Rob Cross, the 2018 World Champion, begins his latest pursuit of a second Ally Pally crown with a clash against French trailblazer Thibault Tricole.

Cross culminated his first season as a PDC professional by defeating the departing Phil Taylor in the final to claim the world title and has since gone on to add another six televised tournament wins – including the 2019 World Matchplay.

Twice a World Series event winner and a European Tour winner this season, ‘Voltage’ has fallen at the Last 16 hurdle in three of his five subsequent visits to Ally Pally, with the other two resulting in shock Second Round exits.

He will be determined to avoid a potential banana skin at the hands of former WDF World Championship finalist Tricole – whose 3-1 win over Mario Vandenbogaerde saw him become the first Frenchman to win a match in the PDC World Championship.

The afternoon session also sees Latvian number one Madars Razma take on Belgian star Mike De Decker.

Razma is seeded at Ally Pally for the first time in what will be his fifth campaign, and the former World Grand Prix quarter-finalist and Euro Tour semi-finalist is vying to reach the Last 32 for the first time.

Power-scorer De Decker began by defeating German Super League winner Dragutin Horvat in straight sets with a sold 94 average and has also never been beyond this stage of the tournament as he bids to break new ground.

The evening session sees history-making teenager Luke Littler looking to pick up from where he left off less than 24 hours ago when he faces UK Open champion Andrew Gilding.

At just 16 years and 11 months, Littler became the youngest player to win a match in the PDC World Championship as he demolished 2012 Lakeside champion Christian Kist 3-0 with a 106 average – the highest average ever recorded by a debutant at Ally Pally.

The reigning World Youth champion has since seen his title odds slashed to 9/1 fifth favourite in the outright market with BetMGM and will be out to sustain that remarkable standard – which also saw him land seven 180s and convert 50 per cent of his double attempts.

Standing in the way of ‘The Nuke’ and a place in the Last 32 after Christmas is world number 20 Gilding – who claimed his maiden major title at the UK Open back in March and is seeded here for the first time in his fifth appearance.

Former UK Open champion Danny Noppert faces a tricky opener against former Players Championship event winner Scott Williams.

Noppert reached the Semi-Finals of October’s European Championship as well as picking up two ProTour titles this term and has fallen at the Third Round stage in each of his last four World Championship appearances.

The former Lakeside runner-up is provisionally ranked at a career-high world number six and will look to end the hopes of the flamboyant Williams – who defeated Japan’s Haruki Muramatsu 3-1 in his opener to reach Round Two for the second successive year.

Gabriel Clemens returns to the scene of his ground-breaking exploits from 12 months ago when he takes on Hong Kong sensation Man Lok Leung.

Clemens enjoyed a sensational run to the Semi-Finals here last time out, thrashing Gerwyn Price 5-1 in the Quarter-Finals before bowing out at the hands of eventual champion Michael Smith.

The German number one will again be backed by a large German contingent inside Ally Pally as he aims to avoid becoming the second high-profile scalp of the Asian Tour star.

Leung pulled off a magnificent 3-2 victory over Gian van Veen on Monday after recovering from two sets down to stun the Dutchman with 11 maximums and a 96 average to his name.

The new crowd favourite will be looking to back up that eye-catching display and become the first player from Hong Kong to reach the Last 32 of the sport’s showpiece event.

The final match of the evening sees Aussie number one Damon Heta take on Martin Lukeman.

Heta heads to the capital as the number 11 seed after reaching a trio of major ranking Quarter-Finals this season, as well as four European Tour Semi-Finals and scooping two Players Championship titles.

The former Brisbane Masters champion is appearing in his fifth consecutive World Championship and has suffered back-to-back Third Round exits.

Lukeman, meanwhile, saw off New Zealand’s Haupai Puha in Round One with a 92 average to reach Round Two for the second year running, and ‘Smash’ will now be aiming to grab a place in the post-Christmas line-up.

The action gets under way from 12.30pm GMT, with First Round and Second Round matches to be contested over the best five sets, best of five legs per set.

The tie break rule does not apply to First Round matches, meaning the fifth leg of a deciding set would be sudden death, while the final set in matches from Round Two onwards must be won by two clear legs, unless the score reaches 5-5, in which case a sudden-death leg will be played.

World Darts Championship 2023/24 Day Seven Schedule

Thursday December 21

Afternoon Session (12.30pm-5pm)
Mickey Mansell v Xiaochen Zong (R1)
Luke Woodhouse v Berry van Peer (R1)
Madars Razma v Mike De Decker (R2)
Rob Cross v Thibault Tricole (R2)

Second Round

Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
Andrew Gilding v Luke Littler
Danny Noppert v Scott Williams
Gabriel Clemens v Man Lok Leung
Damon Heta v Martin Lukeman