Rob Cross and Gian van Veen are safely through to the second round of the 2026 Paddy Power World Darts Championship.

Day two of the sport’s flagship event saw 2018 World Champion Cross comfortably defeat Norway’s Cor Dekker 3-0 in the afternoon session, while European Champion van Veen was made to work hard by Spain’s Cristo Reyes, eventually coming through 3-1.

The big shock of day two came from Sweden’s Andreas Harryson, who defeated 12th seed Ross Smith 3-2 after Smudger had missed six match darts in set four.

Elsewhere, Ian White battled past Mervyn King in five sets, while there were also wins for Damon Heta, Ricky Evans, Ryan Searle, and Neils Zonneveld.

Cross and van Veen face different tests but both go through

There were huge questions over Voltage’s form coming into the game, with him not reaching a quarter final on TV in 2025. Dekker also had a decent first year on tour, the highlight being a Euro Tour semi final.

Cross took advantage of early nerves from the Norwegian Rin the first set, as Dekker missed five darts across three legs. It allowed Voltage to win the opener in 46 darts, and getting a crucial set break.

The second set went to a deciding leg, and once again, the former World Champion used his experience to win the moment that mattered. Leaving tops after 15 in the fifth leg, he pinged double 10 to take a 2-0 set lead.

That seemed to break Dekker’s heart, as he only got one dart at double in the third set which he could not find. Cross won the set in 48 darts, taking out a spectacular Big Fish 170 outshot to close out the straight sets victory.

Van Veen looked to be joining Voltage in securing a comfortable win early on in his match, winning the first two sets 3-1 and then a 42 dart 3-0 clean sweep.

Reyes though, returning to the Alexandra Palace stage for the first time in six years, fought back to deliver the highest quality match of the day. He won the opening leg of set three with an excellent 167 checkout, before breaking The Giant’s throw twice in set three to cut the deficit in half.

The Spaniard then went 2-1 up in the fourth set, before missing double 19 for a 158 to send the match into a decider in leg four. Van Veen then checked out 42 to send the set into a fifth leg, before holding in 14 darts to win at the Paddy Power World Darts Championship for the first time in his career.

Harryson stuns Smith, White downs The King

The biggest shock of the day came at the start of the evening session, as Andreas Harryson knocked out 12th seed Ross Smith.

Both players had chances to win the opening two sets, but each broke their opponents in the deciding legs to make it 1-1. Smudger then broke once more for a 2-1 lead, before going 2-0 up in the fourth and seemingly on course for victory.

The game then turned in the third and fourth legs of the set, as Smith missed six match darts across them. Finishes of 112 and 32 brought Dirty Harry level, before he found a 72 outshot to force the match into a fifth set.

It was the Swede’s turn to take control, winning the first two legs of the fifth. He then missed a bull to clinch the win in the third leg, allowing the former European Champion to ping double 16 to extend the contest. Both players missed darts in leg four, but Harryson eventually found double five to complete a remarkable comeback.

Two stalwarts of the PDC World Darts Championship also played out a five setter in round one, as Ian White defeated Mervyn King 3-2.

Diamond won six of the first seven legs to race into a 2-0 lead, but The King roared back, taking the fifth legs of both set three and four to force the match into a decider.

White opened the fifth set with a 24 dart hold of throw, before reeling off 15 and 17 dart legs to finally get over the line.

What else happened?

Former World Cup of Darts winner Damon Heta won just his second game on TV since the UK Open in March, producing a 3-1 victory against Steve Lennon.

After breaking Scuba Steve’s throw in leg one, The Heat lived up to his nickname, producing 144 and 110 outshots to complete a first set clean sweep. Lennon broke in the opening leg of the second set, but did not get another dart at double in it, as Heta won the next three to go 2-0 up, finishing the set on a 100 outshot.

Both broke and then held in set three to force a fifth leg, in which both players missed darts to win it. Lennon though eventually found double four to cut the deficit to one, but it only delayed the inevitable, as a 48 dart clean sweep fourth set finishing on double top saw Heta into round two.

Ricky Evans entertained the Friday night crowd at Alexandra Palace with another excellent festive walk on, and completed a 3-0 win over Hong Kong’s Man Lok Leung that was closer than the scoreline suggested.

In what was billed as one of the ties of round one, Rapid Ricky won the crucial moments. After taking the opening set in four legs, he then won back to back fifth legs in sets two and three to secure his passage into round two, despite The Challenger throwing five maximums.

20th seed Ryan Searle also produced a clean sweep win over Chris Landman. Heavy Metal won set one in 49 darts, before finding an 11 darter in the fifth leg of set two to double his lead. Four legs later, he found a 62 checkout to complete the win.

Finally, Neils Zonneveld defeated Haupai Puha 3-0 in the first match of day two at the Paddy Power World Darts Championship. The Dutchman won the fifth legs of the first two sets, before taking just 40 darts to wrap up the match in set three, which featured a stunning 158 checkout in leg two.

Paddy Power World Darts Championship Day Two Schedule of Play

Friday 12 December

Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)

Round One x4

Niels Zonneveld 3-0 Haupai Puha

Ian White 3-2 Mervyn King

Ryan Searle 3-0 Chris Landman

Rob Cross 3-0 Cor Dekker

Evening Session (1900 GMT)

Round One x4

Andreas Harrysson 3-2 Ross Smith

Ricky Evans 3-0 Man Lok Leung

Gian van Veen 3-1 Cristo Reyes

Damon Heta 3-1 Steve Lennon