World Darts Championship: The most memorable moments so far
Thursday 24 December 2015 11:51, UK
As your favourite darts players give themselves a day's rest to tuck into their Christmas dinners, it gives us time to reflect on the best Ally Pally bloopers.
The World Darts Championship is the biggest stage in the sport so any funny moments will be highlighted - and that's exactly what we've done here. Sorry, guys.
These are our five favourites so far...
Smashing entrance
My Big Fat Greek Wedding is not strictly a Christmas film but suddenly we're in the mood to watch the classic rom-com after John Michael's exuberant entrance to Alexandra Palace.
The qualifier from Greece defeated Warrick Scheffer 2-0 in a preliminary tie but lost a one-sided contest to James Wade 3-0, although he delighted the crowd with a carefree attitude and celebrated wildly when he won a single leg. But his walk-on - with traditional music and dancing - will live long in the memory. The only thing he was missing was plate smashing!
180 or bust?
Hitting a 180 down the pub with your mates must be high on everyone's Christmas wish-list this year, but for one player at the World Darts Championship it was a nightmare. Dirk van Duijvenbode was given a dream first-round tie against Dutch compatriot Raymond van Barneveld, but his involvement was restricted to one bizarre shot.
Requiring 140 to leave tops for the second set, the 23-year-old inexplicably bust after nailing a maximum and reacted as if Barney had told him Father Christmas wasn't real.
Don't celebrate too soon
Here's a tip for all budding sportspeople - if you're going to participate in the most treasured competition of your chosen sport, you should probably learn the rules first.
Joe 'Shaggy' Murnan found out the hard way. Drawing 2-2 with Andy Hamilton, and with eight legs in the decider being shared, the match headed to a tie-break. Murnan won the next leg with a lovely 112 checkout and celebrated his victory - until he was politely informed that he had to win by two clear legs.
Because I'm Happy
The festive period is a 'Happy' time as Pharrell Williams would tell us, and it seems the American pop star had put Dimitri Van den Bergh in a good mood. The Belgian qualifier might have been the happiest man at Ally Pally when he danced to the stage for his dream debut at the tournament to the sounds of Williams' famous song. It was a heart-warming moment that showed the World Darts Championship at its most uplifting.
Wright lights
We'll finish off with the master himself. The very first night of the World Darts Championship had Peter 'Snakebite' Wright at its heart, as it surely should. The oche's most colourful character unleashed a magnificent opening salvo that even his opponent Keegan Brown enjoyed.
You can watch the PDC World Darts Championship live on Sky Sports between December 17-January 3.
Non-subscribers can also enjoy daily, weekly or monthly access to Sky Sports Darts and Sky Sports other six channels contract-free with NOW TV.
