THE FACTS
When is Ross Smith vs Ciaran Teehan taking place? Sunday 15th December, 2019 – afternoon
Where is Ross Smith vs Ciaran Teehan taking place? Alexandra Palace, London
What channel is Ross Smith vs Ciaran Teehan on? Sky Sports Darts
Where can I stream Ross Smith vs Ciaran Teehan? Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match online via Sky Go
Where can I get tickets for Ross Smith vs Ciaran Teehan? https://www.pdc.tv/william-hill-world-darts-championship-tickets
What was the outcome in the last meeting? No previous meetings
THE PLAYERS
ROSS SMITH
- Ross Smith is making his third appearance at the PDC World Championship. He previously competed twice in the BDO version with his run to the quarter-finals at the Lakeside in 2011 being his best performance in either darting code.
- In the opening round last year, he defeated veteran Paul Lim in round one with an average of 91.89 – his highest average in a World Championship match. He was well beaten by two-time major champion Daryl Gurney in the next game with just two legs won in a straight sets defeat.
- Smith has only two quarter-final appearances to his name on the tour this season but one of those was at the UK Open where he defeated James Wade and he also enjoyed a famous win against Michael van Gerwen at the European Championship.
CIARAN TEEHAN
- World Championship debutant Ciaran Teehan won a place at the 2019-20 PDC World Championship via the PDC Development Tour Order of Merit. With Ted Evetts, Luke Humphries and Ryan Meikle all qualifying from the Pro Tour Order of Merit, Teehan made it here despite finishing fifth in the rankings.
- Teehan failed to win a tour card at the start of 2019 so has mainly been playing on the PDC’s lower tier circuits where he has reached four finals which included a tournament win on the Challenge Tour in September.
- He carried the confidence gained from his Challenge Tour success across to the World Masters in October where he reached the quarter-finals of the long-running prestigious BDO tournament.
THE PREDICTION
Ross Smith has shown glimpses of his talent in wins against Michael van Gerwen and James Wade in major tournaments this season but overall his results in 2019 have been not what he would have wanted. Ciaran Teehan is a potentially tricky opponent for Smith as he has been winning plenty of matches on the various tours and his run to the quarters at the World Masters will surely give him extra confidence. Smith might prove to be too strong and edge out the young Irishman but Teehan could take this match to a deciding set.