The Kiwi could face the 3rd world Peter Wright at the PDC World Darts Championship

Kiwi dart players will face world No. 3 Peter Wright and last year's surprise semi-finalist Jamie Lewis at the PDC World Dart Championship next month.

Cody Harris and Craig Ross learned their opponents the first round as the draw for the 96 world championships at Alexandra Palace London was conducted Monday (Tuesday, local time).

Harris, who will play for the second consecutive time at "Ally Pally", will face the young German pistol Martin Schindler, with a rendezvous with Welshman Lewis in the second round, while Ross, who will replace Tahuna Irwin, winner of the qualifications of the New Zealand's Spanish Toni Alcinas, with "Snake Bite" Wright waiting.

Irwin, 19, had to withdraw from the tournament earlier this month after being denied entry to the UK to participate in the PDC's World Youth Darts Championship.

READ MORE:
* Rob Cross knocks out Phil Taylor, darts legend, to win the title
* The qualifier Jamie Lewis knocks the big names to reach the semifinals
* Kiwi Cody Harris bows out in the first round to Ally Pally
* The scandal 'Cough-gate & # 39; fails to divert Kiwi Bernie Smith

Schindler, ranked No. 48 in the world, reached the final of the World Youth Tournament, beaten Sunday by two-time champion Dimitri van den Bergh, and qualified for seventh place in the Order of Merit PDC ProTour. Alcinas, ranked # 54 in the world, achieved his best performance at a world championship last year, reaching the last 16. He qualified by finishing 22nd in the order of merit of the PDC ProTour.

A New Zealand player did not win a first-round match at the PDC World Championships, although Harris and Bernie Smith both won preliminary round matches last year, as Rob Szabo did in 2014 and 2016, Warren French in 2009 and 2012 and Preston Ridd. did in 2011.

Kiwi pitchers are 7-5 in the first round but 0-12 in the first round, dating back to the 2006 edition.

Smith was arguably the best player last December when he missed two match darts against Englishman Justin Pipe in a controversial incident dubbed "Cough-gate." Pipe has failed to qualify for the 2019 tournament.

The 26th PDC World Championship has gained momentum: 96 participants rank among the top 32 in the order of merit of the PDC, the 32 best in the order of merit of PDC ProTour and 32 Qualified internationals, including two women. – only qualifiers, won by the English Lisa Ashton and the Russian Anastasia Dobromyslova.

The tournament begins on December 13 (NZT December 14) and continues until New Year's Day (January 2 NZT), with a total of 95 games to play, with the largest share of 2.5 million pounds sterling ($ 4.7 million NZ) in prizes and the Sid Waddell Trophy being the ultimate goal.

This is the first PDC world championship without the 16-time champion Phil's The Power & # 39; Taylor, who retired from the dart circuit after being beaten by Rob Cross in the 2018 finals.

The world No. 1 in the Netherlands, Michael van Gerwen, champion 2014 and 2017, will face Alan Tabern or American Raymond Smith in the second round, while the world No. 2 will be opposed to the giant Jeffrey of Zwaan from the Netherlands or to the Indian. qualified Nitin Kumar in his first match. Gary Anderson, from Scotland, double world champion and world number 4, is waiting for the winner of the match between Australian Paul Nicholson and Kevin Burness of England.

Dutchman Raymond van Barneveld, five-time world champion (four BDOs and one PDC), announced his retirement after the world championship. He will seek to emerge victorious, thus adding to his 2007 title.

The British and Irish women's qualifier Ashton will face Dutchman Jan Dekker for the right to play against Mervyn King, while the rest of the world qualifier Dobromyslova will face Ryan Joyce, the winner being Simon Whitlock, No. 8 Australian world.