World Darts Championship LIVE: Luke Littler returns at Ally Pally against Ryan Meikle

A reminder of tonight’s order of play and when we can expect Luke Littler on the pitch.

‘The Nuke’ is in third place tonight when he takes on Ryan Meikle, meaning we have a bit of a wait, but the important thing is that matchup is likely to be done and dusted before the other big sporting event tonight when Tyson Fury bids for revenge against Oleksandr Usyka in Saudi Arabia – here you can watch live boxing.

First up is Danny Noppert vs. Ryan Joyce in the second round around 7:10 p.m. Then it’s Raymond van Barneveld vs Nick Kenny around 20:10.

Littler v Meikle is next, so we can expect the 17-year-old to begin his bid for a first world title at 9.10pm.

To round off the night of darts, Damon Heta takes on Connor Scutt in fourth place at Ally Pally, with that match scheduled for 10.10pm or later depending on previous matches.

“I don’t know,” Littler said Jaack’s Happy Hour Podcast when asked when he first hit 180 with reports that he was just six years old.

“I think it was 13 years [when I first hit a nine-darter].

“I was just bawling, I was playing a computer bot [during lockdown].”

“Maybe it suits me [with eyes elsehwhere]everyone wants to take me out of the tournament,” Van Gerwen said.

“There is a lot of pressure on the two Lukes. I’ve been here so long mate, when you’re doing well, that’s the price you pay. You always want to be the center of attention. That’s good.

“That’s what you want, if not, you’re not a professional. It’s that simple.

“Don’t potentially break Phil’s record, no way.”

“I can’t describe how I feel, so happy,” said Alexis Toilo of the Philippines after his debut victory as the 500th different player at the World Cup. “I feel the pressure as the No. 1 in Asia, I have to deliver and show that I deserve that spot.

“Asian darts deserves a chance, we feel we can compete with everyone, it’s a matter of finishing.

“It’s special for me, I try to play as well as I can. A good night’s sleep, a good workout, and I’ll be ready.”

“My shoulder, my tracking was better, more speed,” Dolan says.

“It knocked my confidence, so the win is a relief. Play half-decent, and that’s good.

“Definitely, it was a great finish, but it’s not my best result, I can do better.

“Who knows where I can go? I would like that [the challenge of Van Gerwen next]. I want to play against the best. The biggest tournaments in the world.

“It will be difficult if I succeed last year [beating Gary Anderson]i can do it this year. It’s in the back of my head, on this stage, I can still do it. That’s a good amount of confidence. It’s about the throw, my shoulder, everything was fine today, no looping darts.”

“It was tough, I knew what to expect, I knew he wasn’t going to play like that again, I stayed focused, I don’t beat myself up, I put myself under pressure,” Dobey told the PDC.

“122 was a key moment, it was a moment that had to go, luckily it came in.

“[The celebration] it doesn’t happen often, but the people who tried it, it worked for them. Those kinds of blows, if you can land them, can get inside your opponents head.

“You can’t dwell on things like that [last year’s loss]you just want to prepare for the next moment. I immediately put it aside, I trained hard, my ground game was brilliant. I’m happy where my game is at.”

As Noah-Lynn van Leuven approached the stage, red hair trailing and lipstick shimmering under the lights, it was hard to know what the reaction would be.

A few minutes earlier there was a slight buzz as Van Leuven’s face was shown on the screen for the pre-match interview. There were several wolf whistles as she strode to her marker at the start of the runway. But if there were any murmurs of displeasure as she took the stage, they were drowned out first by her exit song, “Euphoria” by Loreen, and then by most giddy fans.

Chris Dobey now looks dangerous for Ally Pally, after beating Alexander Merkx 3-1 to reach the third round.

He will face either Rhys Griffin or Josh Rock next, which should be great.

Dobey, ranked 15th in the world, has been tipped by many to go far, his average could threaten him among the favourites, although his finishing must improve.

An average of 95.62 is handsome, but his strike rate was 25 per cent (9/36), which leaves a lot to be desired and even gave Merkx hope at one point.