Former world champion Michael Smith among seeds to crash out in World Darts Championships second round

The 2023 champion joined fellow seeds Chris Dobey, Dave Chisnall and Dirk van Duijvenbode on the Alexandra Palace scrapheap on Saturday

Michael Smith was one of several seeds to fall in the second round (Bradley Collyer/PA)

Former world champion and world number one Michael Smith led the high-profile casualties on a day of shocks at the PDC World Championships.

Smith lost 3-1 to Dutchman Niels Zonneveld to join fellow seeds Chris Dobey, Dave Chisnall and Dirk van Duijvenbode on the Alexandra Palace scrapheap.

The 2023 champion missed a dart at double top for the third set, with Zonneveld clinching it with double 10 to move ahead.

Niels Zonneveld celebrates the biggest win of his career (Bradley Collyer/PA)

Smith then went for a showbiz 170 finish with Zonneveld a long way back, but after he missed, the 27-year-old from Uitgeest hit 180 and a 77 checkout to break for 2-0 in the fourth before completing the job in the next leg.

“It means the world,” Zonneveld, who will meet fifth seed Johnny Clayton in round three, said on Sky Sports.

“I dreamed about this as a boy and now it came true. I’ve survived until Christmas and it’s such a good feeling.”

Dobey, the eighth seed, was beaten by an inspired performance from 55-year-old Andrew Gilding, who averaged 99.01 and hit a 10-dart leg in a 3-1 victory.

“How do I feel? Amazing,” said Gilding. “I don’t know what happened. I felt really bad in practice, but that’s usually a good sign.”

Chisnall was dumped out by German Ricardo Pietreczko despite hitting 11 maximums.

Dave Chisnall lost to Ricardo Pietreczko at Alexandra Palace (Bradley Collyer/PA)

The number 21 seed paid the price for double trouble and missed a match dart in the final set when it seemed as though he would complete a remarkable recovery.

James Hurrell claimed one of the biggest wins of his career by upsetting 29th seed Van Duijvenbode 3-2.

Hurrell missed two match darts for a final-set whitewash, but he held his nerve to win the next leg and will next meet fourth seed Stephen Bunting.

Popular Merseysider Bunting avoided the carnage with a routine 3-0 win over India’s Nitin Kumar.

Japan’s Motomu Sakai has proved a huge crowd favourite with darts fans at Alexandra Palace (Bradley Collyer/PA)

Crowd favourite Motomu Sakai bowed out with his conqueror Andreas Harrysson admitting that he had been worried by the Japanese’s exuberant walk-on.

Sakai has become a cult hero this week, with fans warming to his energetic dance moves and signing autographs en route to the stage.

The 28-year-old qualifier won his opening match against Thibault Tricole 3-0, but went down by the same scoreline to Sweden’s Harrysson as the second-round action got under way.

“I was a bit worried seeing his walk-on,” Harrysson said after following up his first-round win over 12th seed Ross Smith.

“But I think I managed it quite OK. I think he wasn’t as he was in the first game on the stage.

“It’s a great feeling. I didn’t play my best, but nor did he. It was a great win.”

Ryan Searle averaged over 98 in an impressive straight-sets win over Brendan Dolan.