Luke Littler on track at buzzing Ally Pally – World Championship talking points
Some unlikely heroes have emerged in the pre-Christmas leg of the PDC showpiece event.
The World Championship has paused for the Christmas break after an action-packed opening 13 days at Alexandra Palace.
Here, the Press Association looks at the biggest talking points so far.
It’s Luke’s world
All the pre-tournament expectation was that it would be a battle of the Lukes in the final as Littler and Humphries dominate the sport.
And nothing has happened in the opening two rounds to suggest anything different. Littler has not had to get out of first gear in victories over Darius Labanauskas and David Davies, while Humphries has beaten Ted Evetts and Paul Lim comfortably.
Bigger tests lie ahead but both men have the capacity to improve and it would take a brave person to predict someone other than Littler or Humphries will be lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy in the new year.
Unlikely heroes emerge
The newly extended tournament, with 128 players, might have seemed bloated, but it provided some memorable stories.
Kenyan veterinary nurse David Munyua was perhaps the best of them, stunning 18th seed Mike De Decker on his competition debut.
Japanese Motomu Saka become an instant cult hero with his wacky walk-on and dance routines during his opening-round victory, while Nitin Kumar became the first Indian to win a match at the event as the first round saw some shocks.
Ally Pally Wasp
The star in the opening few days was the Ally Pally wasp, which took more headlines than any of the players.
Buzzing around the oche, it has been in the thick of the action. It got a little too close when it got hit by a dart, while Martin Lukeman appeared to be stung and Jurjen van der Velde arrived on stage with a can of insect spray.
Munyua tried to adopt it as a good luck charm, having earlier swatted it away from his face. It has kept a low profile in recent days.
