It’s day thirteen at the PDC World Darts Championship and we are firmly into the business end of the tournament.

The tournament continues to be overshadowed by Covid-19 withdrawals, with day eleven loser Danny Noppert confirming that he has tested positive following his defeat to Ryan Searle.

But the darting drama didn’t disappoint, and after a rather slow start, the action went to new heights with Jonny Clayton and Michael Smith serving up a classic that had us all out of our seats.
Coming up today, we have:

• Three former PDC world champions
• The 2021 player’s championships final runner-up
• The Machine returns to the stage

  Here’s everything you need ahead of the action.

 

Afternoon Session

 

Dobey vs Humphries

Two of the brightest sparks in Darts come to together this afternoon, having both received byes in the last round, it’s set to be a thrilling encounter. Dobey, such a prolific 180 hitter, struggled to get going his first match but fought out a five set thriller to beat the youngster Rusty-Jake Rodriguez. Humphries has been ice cold in this year’s tournament and completed an impressive straight sets victory over Rowby-John Rodriquez in his first game before Dave Chisnall withdrew, following a positive Covid-19 test, to give Cool Hand an unexpected route into the next round.

Raymond Smith vs King

The first game of the afternoon sees Raymond Smith come up against Mervyn King. The Australian has been somewhat of a surprise package in this year’s PDC World Darts Championship and his consistent performances have caught the eye of many supporters. Smith comfortably dispatched of Jamie Hughes and Devon Peterson in the first two rounds, before causing an upset by sending Florian Hempel packing. But, having said that, his opponent is no stranger to the big stage and the King will be looking to go deep in the tournament. He watched opponent Ryan Joyce throw away a 2-0 advantage in his first game and then breezed past Steve Lennon in a 4-0 whitewash.

 

Rydz vs Soutar

Next up on the Alexandra Palace stage is Callan Rydz, and the Riot has impressed during this year’s championship, with his performances continuing to improve. He cruised past Yuki Yamada, 3-0, in his first game. Before blowing away both Brendan Dolan and Nathan Aspinall, without dropping a set. This afternoon he comes up against Alan Soutar. Another surprise package, Soutar has impressed, showing his grit and determination to fight back and get over the line. The Scot has won all his games in last set deciders, beating Diego
Portela, 3-2, before reeling off three straight sets to upset Mensur Suljovic. Yesterday, he capitalised on a ‘below par’ Jose De Sousa to punish his opponent and book his place in
today’s line-up.

Evening Session

Anderson vs Cross

A game that promises so much. But who will come out on top? It’s a tough one to call but we are set for more darting drama. Anderson has had a tough few games at this year’s tournament, battling past Adrian Lewis in his first game before reeling off four straight sets against Ian White to win 4-3. Gary was also see tinkering with his darts at the start of the match, will he return to his old arrows? Or will Gary take a gamble?
His opponent is currently in superb form, and has also had to battle his way to this stage of the World Championships. He weathered the storm against Raymond van Barneveld to prevail 3-1, before coming through an absolute classic with Daryl Gurney to win in a last set decider. It’s hard to predict which way this game will go, but here’s hoping we are set for another rollercoaster of a match.

Wade vs Kleermaker

First up in the evening session, sees James Wade lock horns with Martijn Kleermaker in what should be another tasty game. Kleermaker, who tested positive ahead of last year’s tournament, has taken his opportunity with both hands. He beat both John Michael and Simon Whitlock, 3-1, before stopping Joe Cullen’s comeback to win in a last set decider 4-3. The Machine, however, can be a different animal. But it all depends which James Wade turns up. Ranked 4th in the World, Wade has only played once in this tournament so for, averaging 83.74 against Maik Kuivenhoven and coming through 3-1. Can James Wade turn it up when it matters? Or will the Dutch Giant prevail?

Wright vs Searle

The final game of the day sees Players Championship Finalists Peter Wright and Ryan Searle renew their rivalry on stage. Wright is currently on a run of eight straight victories in all
competitions and comfortably dispatched of Ryan Meikle in his first game. Snakebite found himself 2-0 down against Damon Heta in his last game, but a change of darts sparked a turn
in form and Wright blitzed his opponent 4-2. Searle has matured nicely in 2021 and should be proud of the year he has had. He comfortably made his way past ‘9-dart star’ William Borland 3-0, before edging out Danny Noppert 4-2 in his last match. Can Searle upset the odds? Or will Peter Wright continue his fine form?

Full Schedule on day thirteen at the PDC World Darts Championship
Afternoon Session (12:30 GMT)
Raymond Smith v Mervyn King
Alan Soutar v Callan Rydz
Chris Dobey v Luke Humphries

Evening Session (19:00 GMT)
James Wade v Martijn Kleermaker
Gary Anderson v Rob Cross
Peter Wright v Ryan Searle