Darts results: Rob Cross beats Daryl Gurney with a spectacular 170 checkout at the World Darts Championship

Rob Cross landed a spectacular 170 checkout to seal a thrilling seven-set victory over Daryl Gurney and book his place in the fourth round of the PDC World Darts Championship.

In a match that will go down as an all-time classic, Voltage had initially spurned three match darts in the deciding leg of the sixth set but bounced back to open up a 2-1 lead in the seventh before reeling in the Big Fish as SuperChin waited for the chance to take out 121.

As well as the 170, Cross hit four other ton+ checkouts including a 147 in the opening set while he also averaged 99.77 and fired 13 of the the 23 maximums in the match.

Gurney averaged 99.49 and threw a pair of 100+ checkouts of his own, while their finishing was almost identically clinical, with Cross pinning 17 of his 38 attempts and his opponent converting 16 of his 37.

The 2018 world champion took the opening two sets in deciding legs and although the Northern Irishman returned the favour in the third, he repeated the trick in the fourth, holding his nerve on double one with his last dart in hand.

Gurney stayed alive by winning the fifth set 3-1 and then survived those match darts in the sixth, but his comeback would prove to be in vain.

"I just couldn't get away from Daryl, he's a phenomenal player and he's back to his best," said Cross, who will face Gary Anderson or Ian White in round four.

"I didn't actually feel like I played well tonight. I should've finished the job earlier but I showed my class in the end.

"I believe I'm a better player than I was when I won it [the World Championship]. I've got the experience now, I know what I'm doing and I've got the game."

Peter Wright produced a fine comeback from 2-0 down to defeat Damon Heta 4-2 and set up a mouthwatering showdown with Ryan Searle.

Snakebite was slow to get going as the Australian cruised through the opening set 3-1 and doubled his advantage with a superb 84 checkout in the deciding leg of the second.

Wright spurned a dart at tops for what would have been a set-winning 142 checkout in the fourth leg of the third set but bounced back to complete the job in the next leg thanks to a brilliant 161 finish.

From then on it was one-way traffic as Wright rattled off the next three sets for the loss of just one leg and ended the match with a superb 102.15 average, six 180s and three 100+ checkouts.

Chris Dobey received a bye to the last 16 following Michael van Gerwen's withdrawal from the tournament after testing positive for Covid-19 ahead of their third round match.

AFTERNOON SESSION

Martijn Kleermaker defied a stirring comeback from Joe Cullen to cause another shock at the Ally Pally.

The Dutch debutant, who sent Simon Whitlock packing before Christmas, had his clinical finishing to thank for cruising into a three-set lead despite being outscored by an otherwise out of tune Rockstar.

The 13th seed missed his first 10 darts at doubles in the opening two sets but he suddenly discovered his touch in the fourth set, racing through it 3-0 only to trail 2-0 in the fifth.

Cullen survived a match dart before pinching it with a 111 checkout and then whitewashed his opponent in the sixth set to put himself in phycological control of the contest.

However, Kleermaker found a second wind with a 130 checkout before winning the set 4-2 with a dramatic 88 finish on the bullseye.

Ryan Searle claimed his first ever win over Danny Noppert at the sixth attempt as he reached the fourth round for the third time in four years.

The Players Championship Finals runner-up recovered from losing the opening set in a deciding leg to win the following two sets, before Noppert levelled the match at two sets apiece.

The Dutchman opened up a two-leg lead in what proved to be a pivotal fifth set, going on the miss the bull to win each of the following three legs as Searle came back to snatch it 3-2.

Noppert never recovered and Searle reeled off another three legs to close out a victory by four sets to two.

“This was the perfect time for me to get my first win over Danny, and luckily enough I managed to do it so I’m over the moon,” said Searle.

“At two-all I was fuming. I thought I should have been 3-1 ahead but I’m glad I kicked on from there and managed to turn it around.

“I’m looking forward to the next game. I feel very prepared this year. I’ve been practising with Gary Anderson who was my hero watching darts and he has helped me no end.”

Mervyn King eased through to the last 16 with a straight sets success over Steve Lennon in the opening game of the day.

King punished his Irish opponent for missing 32 darts at doubles from 37 attempts to set up a fourth round meeting with surprise package Raymond Smith, where he will be bidding to reach the quarter-finals for the second time in his long-spanning career.

The 55-year-old raced through the first three sets, taking each of them by three legs to one, before sealing set four in a deciding leg after Lennon had missed two darts to elongate the match.

World Darts: Tuesday results and Wednesday schedule

Tuesday December 28
Afternoon Session (12.30pm GMT)
Third Round (Best of 7 sets)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts

• Steve Lennon (86.72) 0-4 (92.03) Mervyn King
  (Set scores: 1-3, 1-3, 1-3, 2-3)
• Ryan Searle (92.28) 4-2 (90.44) Danny Noppert
  (Set scores: 2-3, 3-1, 3-2, 1-3, 3-2, 3-0)
• Joe Cullen (95.03) 3-4 (88.94) Martijn Kleermaker
  (Set scores: 0-3, 1-3, 2-3, 3-0, 3-2, 3-0, 2-4)

Evening Session (7pm GMT)
Third Round (Best of 7 sets)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts

• Rob Cross (99.77) 4-3 (99.49) Daryl Gurney
  (Set scores: 3-2, 3-2, 2-3, 3-2, 1-3, 2-3, 3-1)
• Peter Wright (102.15) 4-2 (94.38) Damon Heta
  (Set scores: 1-3, 2-3, 3-2, 3-1, 3-0, 3-0)
• Michael van Gerwen v BYE Chris Dobey

Wednesday December 29
Afternoon Session (12.30pm GMT)
Third Round (Best of 7 sets)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts

• Jose De Sousa v Alan Soutar
• Dave Chisnall v Luke Humphries
• Nathan Aspinall v Callan Rydz

Evening Session (7pm GMT)
Third/Fourth Round (Best of 7 sets)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts

• Gary Anderson v Ian White​
• Gerwyn Price v Dirk van Duijvenbode (R4)
• Jonny Clayton v Michael Smith (R4)

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