Darts World Cup: Wales, Republic of Ireland and host Germany lead

Welsh duo Johnny Clayton and Nick Kenny continued their impressive start to the World Cup of Darts with an emphatic victory over Thailand, their Group C rivals, in Frankfurt, Germany.

After competing in the group qualifiers after Gerwyn Price withdrew, the Welsh duo opened their campaign by defeating Lithuania 4-1, then followed that up on Friday by defeating Thailand with the same score.

The Welsh pair topped their group to book Saturday afternoon’s clash at the Eissporthalle against the USA.

Host Germany shone once again with a 4-2 victory over New Zealand, as Martin Schindler and Ricardo Petrichko secured their places in the second round, where they will face the Czech Republic.

Republic of Ireland players William O’Connor and Mickey Mansell took top spot in Group D, beating Gibraltar’s Craig Galliano and Justin Hewitt 4-2, drawing against Poland.

The top-ranked countries – including England, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland and Scotland – enter the tournament in the second round.

English duo Luke Littler and Luke Humphreys – the top seeds – face Spain, while defending champions Josh Rook and Daryl Gurney from Northern Ireland begin their title defense campaign against Belgium.

Scottish duo Gary Anderson and Cameron Menzies will face Norway, while Dutch duo Michael van Gerwen and Gian van Veen will face Sweden.

The second round matches between France and Latvia conclude.