Brendan Dolan progressed through to round three of the World Darts Championship after winning a sudden-death decider against compatriot Mickey Mansell.
The Northern Irish pair – former World Cup team-mates – produced a combined nine 180s as they remained level-pegging heading into the first tie-break of the tournament.
Mansell sent the match to the last-leg shoot-out when he checked out with a sensational 148 finish but Dolan made the darts count in the decider with a double 16 to seal a 3-2 win after nearly an hour and a half on the oche. He will now face 2021 champion Gerwyn Price in the next round at Alexandra Palace.
Brendan Dolan wins a last leg shoot-out to beat Mickey Mansell in a 78 minute epic between two Northern Irish stalwarts. 🍀 pic.twitter.com/3mV2bFE25N
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 22, 2023
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Jeffrey De Graaf came from a set down to knock Jose de Sousa out with a 3-1 victory.
De Sousa hit the front in the first set but was pegged back by the Dutchman, who held all three of his legs on throw and nicked the third before a 115 average in the fourth and final set put him through to the third round.
Elsewhere, Krzysztof Ratajski eased through with a 3-1 win over Jamie Hughes despite losing the first set, while Boris Krcmar produced a stunning display as he defeated Dirk van Duijvenbode by the same score.
Van Duijvenbode has been suffering from a shoulder injury recently and clinched the first set but he only managed to bag one more leg throughout the rest of the contest as Krcmar bulldozed his way to victory with an average of 96.84.
