Raymond van Barneveld has progressed through to the third round of the PDC World Championship with a 3-1 victory over Ryan Meikle.
On the back of his run to the Grand Slam of Darts semi-finals, the five-time world champion is looking to enjoy a similar tournament at the Alexandra Palace, but he had to work hard in order to see off Meikle.
The world number 48 averaged 101.9 in taking the first set, only for Van Barneveld to reply with the second-best set average of the competition at 115.62 to level things up.
The Dutchman's level dropped in the third, allowing Meikle to regain the momentum, but the Englishman failed to capitalise which allowed Van Barneveld to ultimately wrap up a hard-fought triumph, hitting seven 180s in the process.
Van Barneveld will now face top seed Gerwyn Price in the last 32, the pair renewing acquaintances after Van Barneveld won their latest meeting at the Grand Slam of Darts last month.
BARNEY BEATS THE BARBER! 👁️🐯
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 20, 2022
Raymond van Barneveld wins three sets on the spin to complete a brilliant 3-1 victory over Ryan Meikle, hitting seven 180s and averaging over 95 in the process!#WCDarts | R2
📺 https://t.co/37DNuuK5Me pic.twitter.com/GocnidywXd
However, Fallon Sherrock bowed out at the first hurdle as she succumbed to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Ricky Evans, who survived missed double attempts from his opponent at crucial moments.
After moving a set up, Sherrock squandered set darts in the following three sets, each of which were taken by Evans in deciders, and he now go up against Joe Cullen in the last 64.
In the first match of the evening, Jim Williams overcame a slow start to record a 3-2 victory over young Polish player Sebastian Bialecki.
The debutant averaged 112.57 in taking the third set to move into a 2-1 lead, but Williams was the stronger player down the stretch, helped by a crucial 130 checkout at the start of the decider after Bialecki had missed darts for the leg.
Meanwhile, Dutchman Jimmy Hendriks came through an uninspiring encounter with Jamie Hughes, progressing 3-1 despite only averaging 78.33.
Darren Plant
