Snakebite Peter Wright – a two-time PDC World Champion – was sent tumbling from this year’s tournament in astonishing, almost brutal fashion, whitewashed in straight sets by German qualifier Arno Merk, bringing the curtain down on another intoxicating, nerve-shredding session at Alexandra Palace.
There was no long goodbye. No dramatic last stand. The decorated Scot bowed out with scarcely a whimper, the exit marking the bleak punctuation at the end of what has been a punishing, unforgiving year for the 55-year-old. And yet, while Wright was far from his fearsome best, credit must be lavished upon the man who seized the moment.
Merk was excellent – sharp in the scoring, decisive on the doubles, utterly unburdened by reputation or reverence.There is no erasing Peter Wright’s legacy. It is chiselled into the sport’s bedrock. Multiple world titles. Major triumphs. Reinvention after reinvention. One of the greatest to ever throw a dart.
But over the past couple of years, Snakebite has been more a roll of the dice. On one spin, a player who averages north of the ton and looks every bit the multiple champ he is. On another, a shadow – sub-80, fragile, unrecognisable. On this afternoon, fate spun the wrong number.
Merk, no doubt, prepared for the full volcanic fury of Wright. Instead, he was presented with something far gentler – and he took ruthless advantage. The German now joins Andreas Harrysson as one of two qualifiers already guaranteed a return to the Palace after Christmas.
That number could yet swell to three should Joe Comito conjure an upset against Josh Rock later this evening. For the 33-year old surprise package, the next chapter promises either Michael van Gerwen or William O’Connor – no soft landing awaits.
Prior to Merk’s procession, the Ally Pally faithful were treated to three five-set epics – breathless, bruising encounters that left the crowd buzzing on the final pre-Christmas afternoon.
Among them, Jermaine Wattimena survived a ferocious revival from Scott Williams, booking his place in round three and a meeting with either Gary Anderson or Connor Scutt.The opening acts belonged entirely to the Dutchman. Wattimena rocketed into a 2–0 lead, darts flowing, timing immaculate, the treble bed seemingly magnetised. Then, just as suddenly, the momentum lurched.
After claiming the opening leg of the next set, Williams – Shaggy by name, whirlwind by nature – ignited. The trademark burst arrived including the fan favourite blind 180s. And almost before the Palace faithful could catch its collective breath, the match was level. The tide had turned. The noise followed it. The odds whispered comeback.
But Wattimena refused to be swept away. He steadied himself, dug deep, and in the deciding set produced darts that spoke not of panic, but of composure. Calm. Assertive. Final. The contest was his. And it is no accident. Without question, 2025 has been the finest year of Wattimena’s career.
A decade-long wait for a PDC title finally ended in Hildesheim with a Players Championship triumph, before lightning struck twice in Wigan a few months later. Two titles. Confidence forged. Reputation reborn. The label of dark horse was applied early in this championship – and so far, it fits like a tailored suit.
The north-east standard still flies above the Alexandra Palace as Geordie pride was preserved with Callan Rydz edging an epic, emotionally charged encounter against close friend Daryl Gurney. On an afternoon drenched with tension and drama, Rydz securing a third round PDC World Championship spot after Christmas ensuring Tyneside remains represented on the grandest stage of them all.
With Chris Dobey and Ryan Joyce already fallen, The Riot stood as the lone survivor of Newcastle’s trio. On paper, this battle with Gurney had classic etched all over it. On the oche, it delivered in full technicolour. Rydz burst from the blocks with purpose, seizing early control while the World Cup winner searched for rhythm.
But Gurney does not stay dormant for long. After the first interval, Superchin ignited, roaring back with ferocity. Two sets were reeled off in ruthless fashion, only a single leg conceded, the averages soaring well north of the ton. Momentum had not merely shifted – it had slammed into reverse. Then, just as abruptly, the tide turned again.
Rydz pressed the accelerator. Gurney hit the brakes. Balance restored. Two sets apiece. Destiny beckoned. A decider awaited. Six legs passed, each held with iron grip, and suddenly the contest slipped into darts’ cruellest terrain – must win by two. And here, amid the tension and the thinning oxygen, came the defining moment.
Rydz broke throw. One hold would seal it. The Geordie came within millimetres of landing a third monstrous 167 checkout, the bull just refusing him. It mattered not. He returned, composed himself, and closed the deal with steel in his veins.
Next up lies either the other half of Northern Ireland’s World Cup-winning duo, Josh Rock, or the dangerous Australian Joe Comito.
Earlier in the afternoon, Ryan Meikle was forced to dig into the deepest reserves of resolve to overturn a 2–0 deficit against Jonny Tata.
The New Zealander began with clinical intent, flawless on the outer ring to claim the opener. Meikle responded with increased scoring power in set two – but Tata went one better, detonating four maximums and pinching the fifth leg to double his lead. On another day, that might have been terminal. Then came the collapse.
Without warning, Tata’s previously pristine doubling deserted him entirely. From near-perfect to painfully erratic. The third set still crept to a decider, but had the Kiwi maintained his earlier precision, the contest would have been done and dusted. Instead, the door was left ajar.
Meikle barged through. The deficit was halved. Momentum stirred.Set four was attritional. Neither man sparkled. Averages languished in the seventies. Yet somehow, unbelievably, Tata’s finishing worsened – one successful dart from fourteen at doubles.
Meikle, scarcely fluent himself, was simply less wasteful. And that was enough. All roads led to a deciding set. Both men improved – admittedly a low bar to clear – and with Meikle holding the darts, he struck first. Legs were traded. Overtime teased. Then came the final turning of the screw.
Tata missed again. And again. Meikle did not. Opportunity seized. Line crossed. The Barber survives. Awaiting him after Christmas will be either Danny Noppert or Justin Hood.
TUESDAY 23rd DECEMBER – Afternoon Session
Jonny Tata 2-3 Ryan Meikle
Daryl Gurney 2-3 Callan Rydz
Jermaine Wattimena 3-2 Scott Williams
Peter Wright 0-3 Arno Merk
Images: PDC
