Charlie Manby reached the last 16 of the World Darts Championship on his debut with a 4-2 win over ‘Rapid’ Ricky Evans as crowd favorite Nathan Aspinall was knocked out.
The 20-year-old, who had already knocked out Cameron Menzies and Adam Cebada, was defeated by Evans in the round of 32 for the seventh time in his career, but he also won the final three sets and last five legs with great performances.
Development Tour star Manby has set up a mouthwatering clash with European champion Jan van Veen for a place in the quarter-finals.
Dutchman Kevin Dautts defeated Aspinall with incredible late-game power, but Justin Hood was unable to get past Ryan Meikle.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Ricky Evans lights up Alexandra Palace with another iconic walk-on
Yorkshire star Munby averaged 90, hit 11 in the 180s and posted a high checkout of 57 to win, despite making a staggering 41 missed darts in doubles.
“It hasn’t hit me yet, but I feel everything right now,” said Manby, who is known as “Champagne.” “The doubles was frustrating. I should have won the first set! It’s very simple, but I recovered very well.
“Ricky is an interesting character, but you could see his (attitude) changing. You learn a lot, but I showed that after the first game I got a lot of bottles, but the second game was very easy.”
“Gian is doing well, but at the same time, I’m doing well too. I’m waiting for my A game to come.”
Speaking on Sky Sports about Manby’s match against Van Veen on Tuesday, Laura Turner said: “Mamby showed maturity beyond his years. He’s only 20 years old and has only just made his debut. One of his most important darts was winning the second set.”
“Playing here with Van Veen is completely different to the Development Tour, which is a race up to four legs. It’s a longer format and it’s a world stage. Van Veen is now established and has won a major tournament, but Charlie seems relaxed.”
Doets defeat No. 15 seed Aspinall.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Nathan Aspinall produced this sensational big fish in a loss to Kevin Doetts…
From 2-2 in sets, Duetz won eight of 11 legs in the final three sets at an average of nearly 109, setting up a matchup with former world champion Luke Humphries in the last 16.
The epic contest featured over 8 tons of checkouts, up to 23 big fish, and 7 perfect darts.
“That was insane! I had a rough start. I was lucky to be 2-2, but after that I should have been up to 3-2. He shot 170 and went 3-2, but after that I was on fire and couldn’t afford to make any more mistakes,” said the 27-year-old, nicknamed “Hawkeye.”
“This is everyone’s dream. This is the second year in a row that we have made it to the top 16, but we want to aim even higher.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Aspinall was stunned by Doets’ “incredible” 164 checkout.
All good for the Hood.
Justin Hood advances to the World Championship round of 16 in debut
‘Happy Feet’ Hood continued his fairytale debut against Ally Pally to reach the fourth round, where he would next draw with either Callan Lizz or Josh Locke.
Although Hood didn’t match the heights of his victory over Danny Knoppert, he was good enough to defeat Meikle 4-1 despite hitting only 13/40 doubles.
A checkout of over 3 tons gave him a convincing victory over ‘The Barber’.
“It was good, but we still have a game left. We’re playing well. It wasn’t our best performance today, but we’ll make it right next game,” said the diminutive Somerset star.
“If you win, you win. If you play well, you’ll be happy, but if you don’t, it’s all about winning.
“Ryan is a first-class player, a class player, but I won. I got the crowd on my side and they love me. I think it’s because I’m 3 feet tall.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Watch Justin Hood and Ryan Meikle exchange blows as they exchange over 6 tons of checkouts…
What’s going on at Ally Pally on Monday night?
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Rob Cross shares his thoughts on facing current World Champion Luke Littler in the last 16 of the World Championship
The first match of the night will see World Cup winner Rock take on Liz in the final match of the third round.
The final two matches of the night will then begin in the fourth round, with reigning champion Luke Littler seeking his back-to-back title against 2018 winner Rob Cross, and Ryan Searle taking on James Harrell.
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch every match live exclusively on Sky Sports’ dedicated darts channel (Sky channel 407 from 10 December on Sky Channel 407) until 3 January. Stream darts and other top sports now.
