World Darts Championship Day 12 - Afternoon: Ricky Evans defeats James Wade in classic - 180UK.com
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World Darts Championship Day 12 – Afternoon: Ricky Evans defeats James Wade in classic

22 December 2025
Charlie Elliott

By Oliver Powell

The afternoon session of day 12 saw fan favourite Ricky Evans come out victorious in a huge clash with James Wade, as well as the biggest story of the tournament so far, David Munyua, returned to the Ally Pally stage.

Darren Beveridge vs Madars Razma

Debutant Darren Beveridge fell short in his second-round match against Madars Razma, with the Latvian ensuring he will be back on the Ally Pally stage after Christmas with a 3-1 win.

After a shock win over Dimitri Van den Bergh in round one, Beveridge couldn’t repeat the trick as ‘Razmatazz’ delivered a strong 97.10 average.

Razma raced out to a one set lead, reeling off three straight legs to open the match with an average of 100.20, including a 110 checkout.

The Latvian faced more of a contest in set two, with both players holding throw until Razma dispatched an 88 checkout against the darts to steal the set and put himself in a commanding position.

‘Ice Cold’ found an answer in the third set, breaking the Razma throw as momentum felt to shift towards the Scot who dominated in the 180 figures despite a lower average.

An unconventional route for a 121 checkout from Razma in the fourth set was the standout shot of the game, as the Latvian fought from two legs down to clinch the opening match of the afternoon session.

Result: Razma 3-1 Beveridge

Wessel Nijman vs Gabriel Clemens

Gabriel Clemens put in a straight-sets victory over seeded player Wessel Nijman to book his place in round three.

Clemens’ 89.86 average epitomised the reliable performance the German produced, and despite a shaky start on the doubles the finishing proved the difference between the two.

‘The German Giant’ took the first set despite an incredible 10 missed darts at double, with both players averaging in the mid-80’s.

Nijman pulled out two ton+ checkouts in the first two sets yet found himself two-nil down, missing three set darts at double eight before Clemens capitalised.

The doubles became Nijman’s nemesis, hitting just 20% in the match as Clemens secured a straight sets victory to send the 31 seed crashing out.

A potential matchup with Luke Humphries awaits after the Christmas break, should the world number two beat Paul Lim in the evening session.

Result: Clemens 3-0 Nijman

David Munyua vs Kevin Doets

David Munyua’s fairytale run was ended by Kevin Doets, as the Kenyan’s stunning rise leaves a legacy on African darts.

 Doets, the pantomime villain of the afternoon, managed to take the first set despite a nightmare start with his finishing, hitting just 3/15 in the opening set alone.

The Dutchman made no mistake in the second set, sweeping aside Munyua with his fifth straight leg to take a two-nil lead and give the Kenyan star a mountain to climb.

Munyua put an end to the rut with a tops checkout in the third leg of the third set, to which the crowd responded emphatically despite the cult hero sitting on the brink of defeat and an average of 83.60.

Doets didn’t allow the miracle comeback like Mike De Decker in the first round, closing out the match in fairly comprehensive fashion despite 23 missed darts at a double.

‘Hawkeye’ will take confidence from dealing with the noisy crowd as he prepares to potentially face another fan favourite in Nathan Aspinall.

Result: Doets 3-0 Munyua

James Wade vs Ricky Evans

The final game of the afternoon was the pick of the bunch, and one of the most dramatic in the 2026 world championships, as Ricky Evans knocked out James Wade.

Evans continues to flourish on the biggest stage, with the crowd roaring him into round three after a hair-raising match.

Evans lived up to his title as he raced to a one-set advantage against the world number seven against the darts, including a 128 checkout that brought Ally Pally to its feet.

Wade replied with some authority in set two, reeling in the big fish to answer back with a break of throw of his own.

‘Rapid Ricky’ was not deterred, as set three produced a heavyweight back-and-forth between two players in great form, with Evans clinching it to go one set away from round three.

‘The Machine’ took the final game of the afternoon session the distance following a poor fourth set from Evans, who averaged 74.73.

Rapid produced a stunning 144 checkout after trailing the entire leg to start the deciding set but saw an opportunity for victory in the fourth leg slip after missing six match darts.

The drama didn’t end there, as the players continued to exchange blows with missed darts and outlandish finishes, including Evans sarcastically giving the referee a thumbs up after he had a dart scratched off for not throwing properly.

Evans clinched the final two legs to avoid a tie break and claim the scalp of Wade in a stunner of a match to close out the afternoon’s play.

Result: Evans 3-2 Wade

AS IT HAPPENS: 2025/26 PDC WORLD DARTS CHAMPIONSHIPS

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