Dave Chisnall will face Fallon Sherrock in one of the most intriguing first-round ties at this year's World Darts Championship.

While Chizzy should have enough in his locker to get the job done, I have a feeling this might not be the cakewalk the pre-match odds suggest. It’s fair to say that the St Helens thrower is no longer the force of old, and he has a tendency to fall short in crucial matches on the biggest stages.

A first-round clash with Sherrock represents a potential banana skin, and I think the Queen of the Palace is more than capable of winning at least one set during this contest. Backing over 3.5 sets is therefore the sensible solution.

Sherrock has shown in previous years that she can hold her own on this stage, pushing Ryan Meikle all the way in a 3–2 defeat last year, and I think she keeps this contest with Chisnall competitive—especially with the backing of the crowd.

With a raucous Ally Pally crowd roaring her on, I think Fallon Sherrock looks slightly underrated to hit three or more 180s during her round one clash with Dave Chisnall. The Buckinghamshire-born ace has shown she is a very capable 180 hitter during her time on the PDC circuit, particularly when taking to the Ally Pally stage.

Impressively, Sherrock won the 180 battle 6–2 in her round-one defeat to Jermaine Wattimena at this stage of the competition two years ago. While she fell at the first hurdle again last year, Sherrock again demonstrated her knack for filling up the treble 20 segment when losing 3–2 to Ryan Meikle, hitting four maximums to Meikle’s three.

While it was back in 2023, it’s also worth noting that Sherrock did not lose the 180 count in any of her three outings at that year's edition of the Grand Slam of Darts—a feat made all the more impressive given that she toed the oche with the likes of Rob Cross and Michael van Gerwen.