The action continued at Alexandra Palace over the weekend, with the third day of the World Championships. Gary Anderson headlined the afternoon session in North London, with a stunning showdown against the unseeded Adam Hunt.
By Sarah Leaver
Match 1: Mario Vandenbogaerde vs David Davies
Newcomer David Davies took first blood against Mario Vandenbogaerde – “Super Mario” – in the first match of the day but the Belgian soon equalised. The first set went all the way to a deciding leg in which Davies got his first maximum score of the match and his first set.
Missing double 20, Vandenbogaerde gifted his opponent the chance to go one leg up, which turned into two legs, which turned into three and the Welshman took the second set.
The Belgian risked losing his tour card if he was unsuccessful against Davies, but that fear didn’t seem to give him any momentum as the Welshman took another two legs, edging ever closer to a second-round setup with world number one Luke Littler.
An 81-checkout and a further leg from Vandenbogaerde put pressure on Davies, however the deciding leg eventually went in favour of the debutant after a number of missed doubles from both players.
RESULT: Mario Vandenbogaerde 0 David Davies 3
Match 2: Andrew Gilding vs Cam Crabtree
Andrew Gilding seamlessly took the first set in a 3-0 thrashing of debutant Cam Crabtree who couldn’t get a look in against the 55-year-old.
The 22-year-old responded quickly, hitting a maximum throw but a missed double 20 gave Gilding the opportunity to win a fourth consecutive leg. His fifth came in similar style after another missed double 20 from Crabtree.
Unfortunately for Crabtree, Gilding hit every double he was faced with, and the debutant never got a chance at a finish before “Goldfinger” took a two-set lead.
The third set saw a brief change of fortune for Crabtree, winning his first leg of the match, but this didn’t last long as Gilding’s throw meant he had two chances at the finish, which he took.
Despite hitting an astonishing 161-checkout, a missed double seven from Gilding meant that Crabtree had the opportunity to win an equalising leg. The deciding leg went to the 22-year-old, forcing a fourth set.
Gilding’s form went back to normal, taking two legs and then hitting double five to take the match after a slight hiccup against Crabtree.
RESULT: Andrew Gilding 3 Cam Crabtree 1
Match 3: Luke Woodhouse (25) vs Boris Krcmar
The afternoon’s penultimate match saw 25th seed Luke Woodhouse take on Croatian Boris Krcmar, who was not initially fazed by the status of his opponent, taking the first two legs before being pegged back twice by the Englishman.
The deciding leg went in favour of Krcmar after taking out 121 on the bullseye. The dominance didn’t last long however, with Woodhouse winning the next three legs and the set.
The third set once again went to a deciding leg after Krcmar was twice knocked back by Woodhouse, who then took advantage of the Croatian’s missed doubles to put the match in his favour.
With both players only hitting three of their doubles, it looked like the match could go either way – but after going 1-0 down to Krcmar in the fourth set, Woodhouse fought to win the next three legs to get his third set and claim the victory.
Match 3: Luke Woodhouse 3 Boris Krcmar 1
Match 4: Gary Anderson (14) vs Adam Hunt
World number 14 Gary Anderson kicked off his campaign against Scotland’s Adam Hunt, taking two legs apiece in the first set before former world champion Anderson won the set.
Anderson took out a 120-finish to put himself 2-1 up in the set, but once again it went to a deciding leg, which was won by the Englishman to level the sets. A flurry of trebleless visits for the Scot allowed Hunt to put himself ahead in sets, but Anderson’s form heavily improved in the fourth set to force the game to a fifth.
A fairly even final set went all the way to the wire, but the experience and composure of Anderson was too much for Hunt as he took out double three to win the match.
Match 4: Gary Anderson 3 Adam Hunt 2
AS IT HAPPENS: 2025/26 PDC WORLD DARTS CHAMPIONSHIPS
- World Darts Championships: Night 1 – Luke Littler sweeps aside first round opponent
- World Darts Championships: Day 2 Afternoon session – Rob Cross avoids upset
- World Darts Championships: Day 2 Evening – Major Upset as ‘Ally Pally Wasp’ returns
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