World Darts Championship LIVE: Scores and updates as Noa-Lynn van Leuven to make history as first transgender player at Ally Pally

Great stuff by Van Leuven. Doets puts pressure on her throw but she takes out 120 in style! Had one dart at double tops and nailed it. She’s just a leg away from winning the opening set now.

Pressure on Doets to hold his throw but it’s a poor leg and Van Leuven suddenly only needs 72 to win the set. Has one dart at tops but it’s high. Doets can’t take out 80 though, so three more darts at double tops and Van Leuven takes it out to break Doets’ throw and win the opening set! Well, well, well – do we have a story developing here?

Doets 0-1 (Legs: 2-3) Van Leuven

A couple of nice visits from Van Leuven and she edges ahead in the second leg. Leaves herself 80, hits the treble 20 and although she misses the first dart at double 10, she glides the second in there to break straight back – good stuff by the Dutchwoman.

Doets 0-0 (Legs: 1-1) Van Leuven

The winner of this one will face Michael Smith on Thursday night. If Doets triumphs, as you’d think he would, it will be a rematch of their second-round clash las year.

Van Leuven with the throw in the first leg and opens up with a one-treble visit of 100. But it’s Doets down to a finish first, leaving himself 127. He can’t take it out but knocks out double tops with the following throw for an impressive 13-darter and he has an early break of throw.

Van Leuven walks out to Euphoria by Loreen – a Eurovision banger that song, by the way. She looks a bit nervous and greets a lot of fans along the walkway.

Can’t really hear any boos, or they’re outweighed by the cheers if there are any.

Kevin Doets also completes his walk-on and we’ll be underway shortly.

Noa-Lynn van Leuven interviewed ahead of her clash with Kevin Doets. A smattering of boos from the crowd as she appears on the big screen…

Van Leuven was watching the darts in the arena yesterdya to get used to the venue and is relishing stepping out on that stage.

“I’m really excited, a bit nervous, I love being here,” she said. “It’s great. It looks a bit bigger, then I walked in, I love this crowd, the venue, the stage, I just want to go out there and play.”

Next up is Noa-Lynn van Leuven, the first transgender player in World Darts Championship history, taking on fellow Dutch thrower Kevin Doets.

Van Leuven qualified thanks to her performance on the Women’s Series but the world No 144 will have to put in the performance of her life to beat world No 51 Doets, who came agonisingly close to beating then-reigning champion Michael Smith in the second round 12 months ago. Bully Boy eventually edged to a 3-2 win after a huge scare.

And it’s over! James Hurrell takes out double 10 to win the third set 3-0 (after missing seven match darts) and beat Jim Long 3-0 in sets. That was a demolition job by Hurrell on his Ally Pally debut, only allowing Long to win a solitary leg, and his reward is a second-round clash with Michael van Gerwen – well deserved.

If ‘the Hillbilly’ he plays like this, MVG will have to be in decent form to beat him on Friday night.

Jim Long has three darts at double tops to level the set at a leg apiece but misses all three and Hurrell takes out double 18. There’s a little fist pump from the Englishman.

He’s now just one leg away from winning this match and he has the throw. He’s average above 92 in every set so far by the way – it’s been a very solid performance.

Noa-Lynn van Leuven does not want her status as the first transgender player to compete at the World Darts Championship to define her.

The 28-year-old Dutchwoman, who transitioned in 2021, will create history today when she plays Kevin Doets in the first round.

Van Leuven has earned her place on the Alexandra Palace stage because of her performances on the Women’s Series. And she wants her darts to do the talking.

The impressive Hurrell races into a 2-0 lead in the second set before Long joins the party with a 180 in the third leg and he almost takes out an 11-darter. It gets a bit hairy towards the end as he goes all the way to double one but nails it and has a leg on the board at last.

But Hurrell takes out 65 in style and is now 2-0 up in sets. He’s just one set away from booking a place in the second round on debut.