Brendan Dolan, Daryl Gurney and Steve Lennon are still going but we waved goodbye to a steely, Irish competitor.
William O'Connor and Chris Dobey threw several kitchen sinks at each other, during a thrilling Last 64 clash at the
PDC World Championships, but it was the local favourite that was left standing.
O'Connor and Dobey combined for 17 maximums of 180 in a closely contested battle that ended with the Englishman closing it out for a 3-2 victory. O'Connor's three-dart average was a magnificent 97 but Dobey had the edge, averaging 103.79.
It was a breathless back-and-forth [as close to breathless as you can get in darts!] but Dobey held his nerve after a comeback from the Limerick native. As Dobey closed out an early rounds classic at the Ally Pally, the Sky Sports commentator declared:
"William O'Connor has played a wonderful part here. It's been a real honour to commentate on this game."
Dobey skirted the rim on his first two check-out attempts before nailing double tops and sighing a huge sigh of relief. "He comes through the test," the commentator added. "What a performance from Dobey, perhaps his best ever at the world championships."
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As William O'Connor departs, Brendan Dolan marches on
Steve Lennon will face off against Jonny Clayton in his Last 64 match before the world championships take a Christmas break.
Fermanagh's Brendan Dolan goes into that break knowing he will take on 2021 world champion Gerwyn Price. Dolan defeated Mickey Mansell 3-2 while Price disposed of Conor Scutt 3-0.
Price is somewhat of a pantomime villain to the Alexandra Palace crowd, but Dolan said the Welshman has never looked to throw him off his game. "He's fiery, but he's only fiery when he's throwing," said Dolan. "He's never tried to put me off"
Daryl Gurney, from Derry, takes on veteran Steve Beaton in his Last 64 match-up.
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