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World Darts Championship schedule: Order of Play for Thursday 29th Dec

This year’s PDC World Darts Championship has reached the last sixteen and we are set for a fantastic few days of action until a champion is crowned. Thursday’s World Darts Championship order of play is no exception and there are several terrific matches slated throughout the day.

Here we run our eye over what could be one of the best days of the tournament.

World Darts Championship Schedule

Match 1Match 2Match 3

Thursday 29th December: Afternoon session

Dirk van Duijvenbode vs Ross Smith

Rob Cross vs Mervyn King

Dave Chisnall vs Steven Bunting

Thursday 29th December: Evening session

Luke Humphries vs Vincent Van der Voort

Gerwyn Price vs Jose de Sousa

Jonny Clayton vs Josh Rock

Afternoon session

Dirk van Duijvenbode vs Ross Smith

Thursday’s World Darts Championship schedule kicks off with a cracker as Dutchman Dirk van Duijvenbode takes on Englishman Ross Smith. It’s a battle of the world number 14 vs the world number 19 and this looks like one of the most delicately poised matches of the day.

Both emerged unscathed from tricky second-round matches with van Duijvenbode squeezing past Karel Sedlacek 3-2 and Smith ousting Darius Labanauskas 3-1.

This will be the two’s first meeting since 2021 with the two having played twice before. On both occasions, it has been the Dutchman who has emerged victorious but both contests have been tight with their last encounter being settled in a final set shootout. When it comes to recent form it’s van Duijvenbode who has the edge, but this match will come down to who can handle the occasion better.

Rob Cross vs Mervyn King

The second serving from Thursday’s World Darts Championship order of play could be a classic as the 2018 World Champion Rob Cross takes on the legendary figure of Mervyn King.

Rob Cross vs Mervyn King

When it comes to recent form, Cross will undoubtedly start as the heavy favourite but we have seen on countless occasions in the past that Mervyn King often brings his best game when the lights are at their very brightest.

Since Cross made his breakthrough in 2018 the two have faced off on seven different occasions with King leading the head-to-head 4-3. The last four matches between the pair have ended in both winning two contests apiece.

This will be their first-ever meeting at the World Championships but Cross should fancy his chances of progression. Cross has recently shown glimpses of being back to his very best and his run to the Players Championship final should set him up nicely in this match-up.

Dave Chisnall vs Steven Bunting

The final match-up of Thursday’s afternoon session features a former BDO World Championship finalist and former BDO World Championship winner, as great friends Dave Chisnall and Steven Bunting prepare to lock horns for a place in the quarterfinals of this year’s World Championship.

In a recent year, this has been a contest that has been dominated by Chisnall with the world number 12 winning the last eight contests. His last three victories have been completely dominant with Bunting not even winning a leg. The two last met in October in the European Championships with Chisnall running out a comfortable 6-0 winner.

Despite Chisnall’s dominance of the head-to-head, this match should still make for interesting viewing as both players can often get red-hot or stone-cold. Both have had their demons on the doubles. Chisnall will start as the match favourite but this match has the capacity to be a real nerve-shredder.

Evening session

Luke Humphries vs Vincent Van der Voort

Luke Humphries vs Vincent Van der Voort

Thursday’s evening session kicks off with world number 5 Luke Humphries taking on world number 28 Vincent Van der Voort.

This looks set to be a match for the darting purists with both players having the ability to score quickly and heavily. Humphries has had a fantastic 2022 which has seen him fly up the world rankings. A dominant force on the European Tour, Humphries has tasted success at the Czech Open, European Grand Prix, European Matchplay and German Grand Prix.

A former Youth World Champion, Humphries is a three-time World Championship quarterfinalist and will fancy his chances of making the quarterfinal stage for the fourth time.

Vincent Van der Voort is one of the most unique players on the PDC Tour with the Dutchman gaining a reputation for being one of the quickest throwers on the Tour. A wily veteran, Van der Voort has been on the PDC Tour since 2005 and certainly knows how to win matches. Van Der Voort reached the quarterfinals of this tournament back in 2011 and 2015 but has never made it further. If he is to reach the quarterfinals for only the third time in his career, he will need to overcome a 2-0 head-to-head deficit that he currently faces against Humphries.

Gerwyn Price vs Jose de Sousa

The last sixteen kicks off with a mouth-watering encounter between the current world number one Gerwyn Price and the top-ranked Portuguese player Jose de Sousa.

The two enter this matchup fresh off the back of two differing performances. Price swept aside the formidable challenge of former five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld in the previous round, showcasing all of his abilities to beat the Dutchman 4-0.

De Sousa was all but down and out in his third-round contest against Ryan Searle but produced a comeback of the ages as he responded from 3-0 down to oust the Englishman 4-3.

Gerwyn Price vs Jose de Sousa

The two have met on three separate occasions with the Welshman winning all three matches. However, two of the three matches have been settled by the narrowest of margins so this is certainly a match that could go either way.

Jonny Clayton vs Josh Rock

The final matchup of the evening is another 4th round contest between Jonny Clayton and Josh Rock. This match promises to be a cracker between two players who can score heavily.

Clayton enters the contest as the seventh seed and will be hoping he can reach the quarterfinals for the first time in his career. Josh Rock has been the sensation of the tournament and at just 21 will be hoping to add the scalp of Clayton to that of Nathan Aspinall who he defeated in the previous round.

Rock is the current World Youth Champion and clearly has the game and temperament to succeed on the grandest of stages. The two have met just once with Rock winning 6-5 back in October. This could be the best darts match today.


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