17:02
Conclusion
Unlike in his third lap, Michael Smith was present from the start today. Only in the second set did he have a short phase of weakness, but that didn’t throw him off his rhythm. With 16 180s, Smith once again showed an excellent score and ended up with an average of almost 104 points. Joe Cullen was given a lot of credit beforehand, but the 33-year-old once again fell short of his expectations at the World Cup. The winner of the game between Luke Humphries and Stephen Bunting, which marks the end of the day, awaits Michael Smith. We say goodbye to the afternoon session and are back in time for the evening matches. See you later!
16:55
Smith fires his way into the quarterfinals
Michael Smith gets three match darts on the D4. He hits the S4 and has to switch to the D2, into which he sinks the last dart. With that, Michael Smith won very confidently 4:1 over Joe Cullen, who didn’t have his best day today.
16:52
Smith almost perfect
What a leg from Michael Smith! He throws seven perfect darts and fails at the transition to T19. So far there hasn’t been a 9-darter at this World Cup and the spectators are already over the moon. In the end, eight points remain. What is Cullen doing? He hits another 180 but is still far from stopping Michael Smith.
16:51
The next decider is coming up
140 points remain for Joe Cullen, the Bully Boy has no finish. The rock star fails to check the high finish and moves to the 52. Via his favorite double, the D16, Cullen Smith forces the next decider.
16:49
throw is passed
The faceoff boy starts the leg with the next 180. He comes into the finish area with 81 points remaining and has six darts to go since Cullen is over 200 points. With a 180, however, he increased the pressure on Smith’s D8 enormously, who left 16 points. He takes out the D8 with the first dart and so everything stays in line.
16:47
Cullen stays tuned
Cullen does his throw better. With 164 points, he is the first to finish, but Smith also gets the 164. Both do really well and only fail on the bullseye. But then Cullen makes the leg win perfectly with the S9 and D8.
16:42
Commanding leg for Smith
The bully boy throws the ball. He’s just one set away from booking a ticket to the quarterfinals. He faces 57 points while Cullen is down to 261 points. Michael Smith takes the lead via the S17 and the D20 and Joe Cullen now has to turn on the turbo.
16:40
Smith gets the decider
Joe Cullen has the advantage in the decider because he can throw. It doesn’t do him much good at first, because he misses the triple twice in a row. Smith faces 142 remainder, hits the T20 and T18 but stops at eight points. He then only needs one dart on the D4 to win the decider. Joe Cullen is a self-defeat and will need to improve on doubles in particular if he is to have a chance this afternoon.
16:37
Both miss great opportunities
There are the next chances to re-break. Joe Cullen needs 140 points for this. However, he misses the T20 by nuances and so Smith can win the fourth set with an 81. He goes over bullseye but only hits the single bull. Joe Cullen gets back on the D10 and misses again. 25 points for Michael Smith shouldn’t be a difficult problem, but now the face-off boy is letting go. Unexpectedly, the rock star is allowed to go again and pushes himself into the decider.
16:35
Break over the D1
There’s another break chance for Michael Smith, but he pretty much blocks the D8 on the second dart. The Shanghai finish is for Cullen, but he doesn’t hit the D20 either. Now both let go. Smith misses eight points with 3 darts and Cullen throws 3 darts past the D10. Finally, the bully boy breaks his opponent with the D1.
16:32
Cullen with a high finish
Nonetheless, Joe Cullen plays his way into the finish area first at Throw Smith. He has 153 points on the clock. Will it be the first high finish? But yes! The rock star puts his darts in the T20, T19 and finishes ice cold on the D18.
16:31
tops sits
Now both are marching in step. First there are 444 points, then both are 304 points left. After that, things diverge and Smith goes into the check-out area with 164 points left. He doesn’t take this out and so there are chances for the rock star, who doesn’t get far for the 90 with the S5. Smih needs a dart on tops to get an instant break.
16:29
show of force
What Michael Smith is playing is from another planet. The average in the third set is currently 129 points! He takes 64 points out in the first attempt and takes the second set with a 3-0 lead. It was just a show of force.
16:28
Smith turns it up
With the fifth 180 for Michael Smith, he shoots himself into the finish area. He almost takes out 136, hitting the T20 twice in a row. The D8 isn’t, but the pressure on Cullen is tremendous. The rock star falls short of his potential and so the bully boy hits his dart into the D4 for a 2-0 lead.
16:25
Ten darts to the finish
It goes into set number three. Smith starts with a 140, Joe Cullen misses a triple. The bully boy starts furiously and fires a 180 afterwards. After nine darts, Smith has 36 remaining and pulls out the fifth ten-darter of this World Championship. Cullen nods appreciatively and continues with his throw leg.
16:23
speed darts
The game is progressing a lot faster than before between Gabriel Clemens and Alan Soutar. Michael Smith and Joe Cullen are firing from all ears and so after just 15 minutes of play two sets are over.
16:21
Compensation for the rock star
Cullen fails to get a finish and there is a chance for the faceoff boy. But we did the calculation without Smith. The recording doesn’t succeed at all and so it falls short of expectations. This opens the door for the 33-year-old, who hits the S16 instead of the D16, but hits the set dart in the D8 as standard. When the score is 1:1 after the sentences, the next short break begins.
16:19
Break for the rock star
With 138 points, Cullen has a break opportunity. T19, T19 bring him to D12, which he just misses. Smith has 70 points left, but clearly misses tops. The D12 are there for the rock star on the second try and the 2-0 is there.
16:19
Not a good start for Smith
The faceoff boy misses a triple and has to run right after his throw as Cullen starts with his fourth 180 overall.
16:18
Cullen is back
The double quote speaks a clear language. Michael Smith is at 60% while Joe Cullen is down a meager 18% in the first set. With 79 points left, he now has the opportunity to take the lead. Does he hit the D11? Yes! The first dart sits.
16:16
It goes on
Joe Cullen will have collected himself briefly during the break and analyzed his problems for the doubles. How well does he come out of the break and into the second set? He starts with a 93 and is lucky to hit the T18 with the last dart.
16:12
Smith takes the first set
The face-off boy starts the deciding leg with a 180. With a score of 100 points, he is the first in the check-out area. He has to take out 76 points. Cullen is still over 200 points. Smith chooses the T20 route and checks the D8 to win the set. With an average of 102, that’s a good start.
16:10
Decider is waiting
There are double troubles with Joe Cullen. He has two darts for the D18 and misses again. Michael Smith fails to check the high finish giving the rock star a new chance. It will be the S18, but he hits the D9 and will take a deep breath that he has managed the double. So it goes straight to the decider.
16:09
throw held
Who gets their throw first? Michael Smith has 101 points, which have not yet been checked. He turns the D8. Joe Cullen checks out afterward, allowing Smith to calmly play down the leg. He checks the D8.
16:07
Everything in order
The Rockstat is also chasing the next 180. What is the bully boy doing? He follows up with a 180. However, Cullen fails to check 94, giving Smith a chance to re-break. However, 116 doesn’t work because he misses the triple. But now Cullen is also making critical mistakes. At 20 remainder he puts all three darts next to the D10. This gives Smith the chance and says thank you. 58 points bring him the balance to 1:1.
16:05
Direct break
There’s the first 180 of the game! Joe Cullen pulls out the perfect shot and faces the first finish. 68 points remain. S20, S16 and D16 become the first break in the first movement.
16:04
game on!
Michael Smith won the bulling and begins the round of 16 with a throw-off. However, he misses the second dart out of the board.
16:00
players are already there
It goes on in quick succession. Michael Smith and Joe Cullen have both entered the Ally Pally and are warming up. The English both seem relaxed and in high spirits. The two have faced each other four times this year on television, with Michael Smith winning three of the games.
16:00
Rockstar declaration of war
The picture of rock star Joe Cullen was completely different. The Englishman confidently advanced to the next round with a smooth 4-0 win over Damon Heta. He was able to save important energy and with his strong victory he made a direct declaration of war in the direction of the narrow group of favourites. Even so, the 33-year-old can do a lot on the big stage. Already in the Premier League he fought his way to the final and was defeated by Michael van Gerwen only very narrowly in the decider. At the World Cup it has not yet been enough for the really big result. Reaching the quarterfinals would set a new record for Joe Cullen.
15:58
Not an easy road for the bully boy
The Bully Boy has big plans for this World Cup. He plays an extremely consistent year and was finally able to break the final curse with the first major title of his career. At the 2022 Grand Slam of Darts, he defeated Nathan Aspinall as the deserved winner after losing out in eight finals. Last year, Michael Smith made it to the finals at the World Championships, losing out to Peter Wright. The latter has already been eliminated from the tournament. But the way to the round of 16 was not easy for Michael Smith either. In the third lap, the German Martin Schindler made it really difficult for him and the Englishman was on the verge of being eliminated. The German ultimately failed to close the sack and missed the crucial 3-dart finish. Michael Smith kept his nerve and prevailed 4:3 in a real thriller.
15:55
Welcome
Hello and welcome to the last match of the afternoon session. Michael Smith and Joe Cullen are expected at Ally Pally in a few minutes. This means that two players will meet in the round of 16 who are at least among the extended group of favorites for the title at this year’s World Cup.