It was a Wednesday to remember for Irish darts players at Alexandra Palace, and William O'Connor wrapped things up with a decisive victory late in the afternoon.
O'Connor's win followed a dramatic comeback victory for Steve Lennon in his first round clash with youngster Owen Bates - a result which effectively saved Lennon's tour card status.
Even earlier on Wednesday, Polish player Radek Szaganski - a Bus Eireann driver in County Cork - had triumphed over Marko Kantele of Finland to progress to the second round.
A hat-trick of Irish wins was secured when William O'Connor cruised past Bhav Patel in the final first-round match of Wednesday afternoon.
Limerick man O'Connor didn't even drop a single leg of his 3-0 set victory, utterly flawless and setting himself up well for the tournament ahead.
After his match, O'Connor spoke to Sky Sports - and had a hilarious response when goaded to trash talk his next opponent Chris Dobey.
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William O'Connor had brilliant response to Sky Sports question
After his decisive 3-0 victory over Bhav Patel, William O'Connor was asked by Sky if he had any special message for his upcoming opponent Chris Dobey.
Englishman Dobey is the 17th seed, and it seemed like an attempt from Sky to get the Irishman to send a pointed statement in the direction of his next opponent. Instead, O'Connor chose to spread festive cheer with a player he described as "one of the good ones."
"Happy Christmas, Chris!" 🎄🎅
This message from William O'Connor for his next opponent! 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/aHlfpoK7KS— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) December 20, 2023
Happy Christmas, Chris! Chris is one of the good ones.
Fair play bud, happy Christmas.
We'd hazard a guess that many at the World Darts Championship would have the same description in mind for William O'Connor.
It is the sixth consecutive time O'Connor has reached the second round of the PDC World Championship, and he will hope to match his best-ever result of a third-round finish - or go even better - in this year's edition.
If he is to progress through the next two tests and reach the fourth round for the first time, world champion Michael Smith may well be waiting at that stage.
William O'Connor faces Chris Dobey in the second round of the PDC World Darts Championship in the final game of Friday's evening session.
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