PDC World Championship: Record Irish field headed for the Alexandra Palace
The Ally Pally is set for an Irish takeover on Monday evening, with Steve Lennon, William O'Connor, Keane Barry and potentially Brendan Dolan all in action.
Friday 13 December 2019 14:20, UK
2020 sees the highest-ever number of participants from Ireland at a World Darts Championship, with eight players in action, trumping the previous best of six.
The island has yet to produce a semi-finalist at the Ally Pally - nor indeed at the tournament's previous incarnation at the Circus Tavern. Brendan Dolan (2019), Daryl Gurney (2017) and the late Tom Kirby (1994) have all reached the last eight.
Ahead of this year's tournament, we look at the eight-strong Irish contingent hoping to make a splash at the biggest darts tournament on the planet.
The big names
Daryl Gurney
The sixth seed is a two-time major winner in the PDC, but has not quite yet fulfilled his potential at the Alexandra Palace.
From his six previous visits to the North London venue, a quarter-final appearance three years ago, which he lost to Michael van Gerwen - remains his furthest foray into the tournament.
However, now buoyed by two years of Premier League experience, he is no stranger to mixing it with the best in the business.
A potential last 32 meeting with Glen Durrant is a mouthwatering prospect. But having suffered shock early exits in recent years, he'll know not to get too far ahead of himself.
Draw: Second round vs Benjamin Pratnemer/Justin Pipe
Previous best: Quarter-final (2017)
Odds: 40/1
Brendan Dolan
The Fermanagh veteran needs no introduction, and will be brimming with confidence after finally breaking his duck at the Ally Pally last year when he reached the last eight before eventually losing to Nathan Aspinall.
'The History Maker' showed just what he's capable of this year - picking up two Players Championship titles in Germany and Barnsley.
Although he will be expected to account for Nitin Kumar in the first round, Gary Anderson lies in wait for the victor. The Erne-sider will be hoping to inflict an early exit upon the Flying Scotsman.
Draw: First round vs Nitin Kumar (winner faces Gary Anderson in second round)
Previous best: Quarter-final (2019)
Odds: 250/1
The dark horses
Steve Lennon
Fresh off his third full year on tour, Lennon is slowly developing into a top player. 2019 saw him make his Premier League debut as a 'contender', pushing Peter Wright all the way in Dublin, before he embarked on a World Cup odyssey with William O'Connor - beating Greece, England, Austria and the Netherlands before a final loss to Scotland.
Although he hasn't quite left his mark at televised singles tournaments this year, he knows he has the game to trouble elite players on his day. The draw has been somewhat kind to him, and he'll fancy his chances of reaching the last 32 - where he would likely face second seed Rob Cross.
The Carlow native will be hoping third time's a charm at the Ally Pally. He suffered narrow 3-2 losses in 2018 and 2019 to Michael Smith and Alan Norris respectively. But the experience he has gained will stand to the 26-year-old, as he looks to deliver on the biggest stage of them all.
Draw: First round vs Callan Rydz (winner faces Danny Noppert in second round)
Previous best: Second round (2019)
Odds: 250/1
William O'Connor
Limerick native O'Connor has enjoyed a year of real progress on tour. After reaching the World Cup of Darts final with Lennon, he has shown that he is a threat to anyone on the circuit - winning a Players Championship event in Barnsley in April - beating Nathan Aspinall 8-4 in the final.
He is finding form at just the right time too, reaching his first major quarter-final at the Players Championship Finals at Minehead earlier this month, which he lost to Ian White in a deciding leg.
In recent weeks, he was being mentioned as a potential dark horse ahead of the Worlds - however a tricky draw has dampened expectations.
Should he overcome Marko Kantele in the first round, Gerwyn Price lies in wait. Nonetheless, a defining trait of the bullish 'Magpie' is that he fears no player - he's going up to the oche to play his own game.
Draw: First round vs Marko Kantele (winner faces Gerwyn Price in second round)
Previous best: Third round (2019)
Odds: 300/1
The long shots
Kevin Burness
Down native Burness couldn't have envisaged a more difficult draw. If he manages to get over 2016 semi-finalist Jelle Klaasen, the small matter of beating Michael van Gerwen will be his next assignment.
Burness made his Ally Pally debut 12 months ago, overcoming Paul Nicholson 3-0 in the first round before exiting at the hands of Gary Anderson.
He'll be hoping to rise to the occasion when he faces 2006 BDO world champ Klaasen in the opening game of the 2020 tournament.
Draw: First round vs Jelle Klaasen (winner faces Michael van Gerwen in second round)
Previous best: Second round (2019)
Odds: 1000/1
Mickey Mansell
Mansell is preparing for his fifth tilt at the Worlds, having failed to pick up a win in any of his four previous attempts. Granted, two of those defeats came against Phil Taylor (2013) and Kim Huybrechts (2015), but he will have been disappointed with his 3-1 loss to Canada's Jim Long 12 months ago.
The Tyrone man picked up a Players Championship title in April 2018, and will be hoping he can summon that form on Monday evening when he faces Seigo Asada of Japan.
Draw: First round vs Seigo Asada (winner faces Keegan Brown in second round)
Previous best: First round (2013, 2015, 2019)
Odds: 1000/1
The debutants
Keane Barry
Seventeen-year-old Barry is headed to the Worlds as the youngest player in the 96-person field. He qualifies by virtue of his Tom Kirby Memorial Irish Matchplay win, in which he beat Liam Gallagher in the final at CityWest, as a curtain-raiser to the Grand Prix final.
A rising star, the Meath man is delivering eye-catching results in youth tournaments. He will face Leighton Bennett in the 2020 BDO World Youth Championships final, while he reached the semi-final of the 2019 PDC World Youth Championship, losing to eventual winner Luke Humphries.
He has nothing to lose on Monday evening against Vincent van der Voort, and will relish the prospect of causing an upset.
Draw: First round vs Vincent van der Voort (winner faces Dave Chisnall in second round)
Previous best: N/A
Odds: 1000/1
Ciarán Teehan
Having finished second on the Development Tour Order of Merit, Cork native Teehan qualified for the World Championship and earned himself a PDC tour card. It caps a remarkable few months for darts in the Rebel County, after John O'Shea won the BDO World Masters title.
Twenty-year-old Teehan is another up-and-comer of Irish darts to look out for, and heads to London this week with all the pressure on his opponent.
Draw: First round vs Ross Smith (winner faces Mervyn King in second round)
Previous best: N/A
Odds: 1000/1
All the action from Ally Pally gets underway on Friday with the first of 16 days of coverage live on Sky Sports Darts & Main Event from 7pm.
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