Manby Extends Unbeaten Streak at Ally Pally as Aspinall Exits

Charlie Manby has advanced to the last 16 of the World Darts Championship after defeating Ricky Evans 4-2, while crowd favorite Nathan Aspinall was eliminated. The 20-year-old Manby, who had previously knocked out Cameron Menzies and Adam Sevada, won the last three sets and the final five legs in a stellar performance. He will now face European champion Gian van Veen for a spot in the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, Kevin Doets produced a remarkable late surge to defeat Aspinall in a thrilling deciding-set match, and Justin Hood proved too strong for Ryan Meikle to secure his place in the next round. Manby averaged 90, hit 11 180s, and achieved a high checkout of 57 in his victory, despite missing 41 darts at doubles. 'It hasn't really sunk in yet, but I'm feeling it all now,' Manby said. 'The doubles were frustrating me - I should have taken the first set! It's as simple as that, but I recovered quite well.' Doets won eight out of 11 legs, averaging close to 109 in the final three sets, to set up a meeting with former world champion Luke Humphries in the last 16. The contest featured eight ton-plus checkouts, 23 maximums, a Big Fish, and seven perfect darts. Hood continued his impressive debut run at Ally Pally, reaching the fourth round with a convincing 4-1 win over Meikle, despite hitting just 13/40 doubles. The first game of the evening will see World Cup winner Rock take on Rydz in the last game of round three, followed by the start of round four, which includes reigning champion Luke Littler's bid for back-to-back titles against 2018 winner Rob Cross.