Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
A nervous Nathan Aspinall stumbled through his World Darts Championship opener, edging past Leonard Gates on the same night Christian Kist hit a nine-darter.
Aspinall, who suffered a surprise defeat at the same stage last year, narrowly avoided an upset this time and secured their lead with a 3-1 win after Christmas.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Watch Nathan Aspinall’s 3-1 win over Leonard Gates in the second round of the World Darts Championship
Gates, who beat a tearful Cameron Menzies in his first-round match on Monday, showed glimpses of a shared first two sets before Aspinall finally came away clear.
“I’m relieved to have gotten through this. It was a very tough game of darts,” said Aspinall, who will face either Andrew Gilding, Martin Lukeman or Nitin Kumar in the last 32.
“I felt really good coming into the tournament, but I put too much pressure on myself to perform tonight. I have come under intense scrutiny over the last few months for not playing well.”
“I’m here to prove how good I am and to get deep into the tournament. It wasn’t pretty, but I won the game and now I can enjoy Christmas and come back stronger after the break.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Check out the best from night four of the World Darts Championship
The American checked 106 points for a throw break in the first set, but Aspinall was able to immediately score a break in the following leg with a 114 and thus secure the first set.
But the 12th seed absolutely didn’t lose the second set with an average of less than 80. Despite these difficulties, he would have thrown two darts on top to take a two-set lead, but his lines were scrambled as Gates equalized instead.
Aspinall improved slightly in the final two sets but survived some nervous moments, including failing a few match darts as Gates threatened to force a decider.
The two-time semi-finalist will know he has to play much better if he wants to go deeper again at Alexandra Palace.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Who had the better duel between Aspinall and Gates before their second round match at the World Darts Championship?
Kist makes a stunning nine-darter but loses
Kist’s nine-darter was the 15th ever at the World Championships and the first since Michael Smith’s famous “I can’t speak” perfect leg in the 2023 final.
However, the Dutchman was unable to capitalize on his incredible moment when his opponent won the first set Madar Razma kept his cool and won the next three sets in style to set up a match against Dirk van Duijvenbode.
However, Kist wins £60,000 for his nine-darter, as does a lucky fan in the Ally Pally audience. Tournament sponsor Paddy Power also donated £60,000 to Prostate Cancer to mark the occasion.
“The nine-darter was a great moment, hitting double 12 felt great. It was a nice moment for everyone and I hope Kris enjoys the money,” said Kist.
“Maybe I’ll go on vacation next month with the prize money. I lost the game though, so I’m a little disappointed to be eliminated in the first round.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
“Rapid” Ricky Evans wins 3-2 against Gordon Mathers in the first round of the World Darts Championship
Ricky Evans was far from his “fast” best when he had to work hard in his opening game against Gordon Mathers, who had to go into the deciding set.
Evans eventually took the win and set up a second round clash with number six seed Dave Chisnall when he scored 109 points, the first finish by over a ton in an otherwise sloppy encounter.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Evans gets the audience going for a very festive stroll with a rendition of “Merry Christmas Everyone.”
In the opening game of the evening, a dejected Jim Williams missed five match darts en route to a 3-2 defeat in his first round match against Paolo Nebrida.
What made matters worse for the Welshman was that he also missed three darts to take the first set. Ross Smith awaits Nebrida in the next round.
What’s next?
It’s another full day of action on Thursday December 19th as the afternoon session returns live on Sky Sports Darts from 12:30pm – the line-up is as follows: Chris Landman v Lok Yin Lee, Callan Rydz v Romeo Grbavac, Martin Lukeman against Nitin Kumar and number 27 seed Gabriel Clemens in the second round against Robert Owen.
From 7pm, live on Sky Sports Darts, former world champion Michael Smith will headline the evening session. The 2023 champion and runner-up will face Kevin Doets at the end of the evening, while the three first round games will feature Nick Kenny against Stowe Buntz, Mensur Suljovic against Matt Campbell and last year’s semi-finalist Scott Williams against Niko Springer.
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch every game exclusively live on Sky Sports’ dedicated darts channel until January 3rd. Stream darts and more top sports with NOW.
