World Cup of Darts: Here's how the first-round action unfolded in Hamburg
England, Netherlands and Scotland all impressed in round one at the World Cup of Darts
Friday 7 June 2019 23:40, UK
England, Netherlands and Scotland all impressed in the opening round of this year's World Cup of Darts, but there were a few shocks along the way as the tournament began with a bang in Hamburg.
Two-time finalists Wales were condemned to an early exit against Singapore, while sixth seeds Northern Ireland - led by World No 4 Daryl Gurney, bowed out against South Africa.
The standard in round one was better than we've ever seen, with the likes of Canada, Italy, New Zealand and Poland all statistically producing their best performances at a World Cup.
Before the second round gets underway on Saturday afternoon at the Barclaycard Arena, we reflect on the best bits from round-one at the World Cup of Darts.
Live World Cup of Darts
The best checkout
The Czech Republic were beaten 5-2 by Poland on Friday evening, but Karel Sedlacek produced a moment of magic in defeat, taking out a remarkable 160 finish in leg six - the highest finish of the opening round.
Moment of the First Round
The World Cup of Darts is a tournament synonymous with shocks and this year's event has been no different, as two of the top six seeds crashed out at the opening hurdle.
Wales were the most notable first round casualties, as Paul Lim inspired 2017 quarter-finalists Singapore to victory over the third seeds.
Best performance
Scotland have never won the World Cup of Darts but Gary Anderson and Peter Wright will take some stopping on the evidence of their first round display.
The second seeds averaged 101.55, with Anderson averaging over 105 as they dispatched Denmark 5-0. They'll be hoping for a similar result against another Scandinavian side Sweden in the last 16.
The funny moment
Max Hopp and Martin Schindler have formed a strong bond at this tournament over recent years and the German duo were keen to celebrate their victory in front of their partisan home crowd.
However, their celebrations were a little overzealous and caused a spillage on stage, much to the amusement of Hungary's Pal Szekely.
Best tweet
Devon Petersen inspired South Africa to a thrilling win over sixth seeds Northern Ireland on Thursday, to the delight of a number of youth stars watching on from Mitchell's Plain, just outside Cape Town. This is what the World Cup means!
As it stands
Six of the eight seeds are still standing in Hamburg, including Netherlands and England - the only nations to have lifted the World Cup of Darts title.
However, we are guaranteed a new semi-finalist in the shape of either South Africa, New Zealand, Singapore or Japan, whilst England and Netherlands remain on course to collide in the last four.
Scotland, Belgium and hosts Germany headline Saturday afternoon's session, before the two former winners resume their campaigns in the evening session.
The World Cup of Darts continues on Saturday with a double session of second round action - coverage gets underway at 12pm and 6pm on Sky Sports Action
