Ciarán Teehan has advanced to the second round the PDC World Championship in London this afternoon, upsetting the odds to defeat the more fancied Ross Smith.
The Englishman entered the match as the 49th ranked player in the order of merit, meaning Cork native Teehan was up against it.
The 20-year old qualified for the tournament after a strong year on the development tour, and has also secured a full tour card for 2020.
There were no signs of nerves as he made his way to the stage for his first ever TV appearance, and that showed early in his performance.
Next up is the meeting of Ciarán Teehan 🇮🇪 and Ross Smith 🏴! The Englishman throws first.
Watch live on Sky Sports Darts now or follow our live blog here: https://t.co/LScC1Hshzv pic.twitter.com/yJatg5q7Pf— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) December 15, 2019
Teehan held his never to take the first set with the throw, producing a cracking 11-dart leg to win the decider in the opening set.
Teehan with an 11-darter to win the opening set at Ally Pally 🇮🇪pic.twitter.com/R0jYxgWNgj
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) December 15, 2019
He was equally effective in the second set, opening a 2-0 lead. Look at the passion here.
Cool as you like from Ciaran Teehan to move 2-0 ahead 💪pic.twitter.com/ddeqqjXDr0
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) December 15, 2019
Just when it looked like Teehan would drop the third set, he pulled out a magnificent 107 checkout to move to within one leg of the victory.
Fantastic Teehan! 1⃣0⃣7⃣ checkout
Watch live on Sky Sports Darts now or follow our live blog here: https://t.co/LScC1Hshzv pic.twitter.com/IiwoIpIxwB— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) December 15, 2019
He made no mistake in that leg, showing a maturity well beyond his 20 years. He closed the match out in style to seal a massively impressive 3-0 win.
WINNER!
What a debut for Ciaran Teehan who whitewashes Ross Smith!
UP NEXT 📺 Brendan Dolan v Nitin Kumar pic.twitter.com/t4ZWgVM61M— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 15, 2019
Teehan will now face Mervyn King in the second round next Friday, where he will be an even bigger underdog. However, if he can replicate this performance he will have every chance of pulling off the shock.
