Limerick and Tipp clash in first round of World Darts Championship

Dylan Slevin from Borrisokane was one of the final players to qualify for the tournament.

Mon, 25 Nov, 2024 - 17:26

PJ Browne

Limerick's Willie O'Connor will meet Tipperary's Dylan Slevin in the first round of the World Darts Championship next month.

Slevin was one of the final players to qualify for the tournament at Alexandra Palace. The 22-year-old from Borrisokane - who was knocked out in the opening round of last last year's World Championship by Florian Hempel - claimed one of the four places on offer at the Tour Card Holder Qualifier in Wigan on Monday afternoon.

O'Connor, ranked 48 in the world, is a veteran of several World Championships. He reached the last-32 in 2019 and 2022 and was knocked out in the last-64 by Chris Dobie last year.

The winner of the all-Irish clash will play number 11 seed Dimitri Van den Bergh in the second round.

Also in the first round, Meath's Keane Barry will play Kim Huybrechts for the right to face 2021 world champion Gerwyn Price in the second phase. Barry was eliminated in the last 64 of the 2022 and 2024 tournaments.

Tyrone's Mickey Mansell plays Tomoya Goto in the opening round with a second round match against number seven seed Jonny Clayton on offer. Mansell was knocked of last year's tournament by Brendan Dolan, his best friend in the sport.

Dolan was Ireland's best performer at the 2024 World Championships. He was knocked in the quarter-final by eventual finalist Luke Littler. Fermanagh man Dolan is seeded along with Derry's Daryl Gurney and Antrim's Josh Rock. Number 30 seed Dolan will face the winner of Chris Landman and Lok Yin Lee in the second round while Gurney, the number 26 seed, will play either Florian Hempel or Jefrey De Zwaan. Number 18 seed Rock will play the winner of Karel Sedlacek and Rhys Griffin.

The World Championship gets underway on December 15 with the final to be played on January 3. The schedule of play will be confirmed later this week.