William O'Connor drew on his wealth of experience to overcome some mischief from Yong Gaweenuntavong as Ireland defeated Thailand at the World Cup of Darts.
O'Connor, who lined up alongside World Cup debutant Keane Barry in the doubles tournament in Frankfurt, appeared to be nudged by Gaweenuntavong on two occasions at the oche.
However, Ireland proved too classy for their Asian opposition in Group E.
📺 VAR: Checking possible foul...👊🤣 pic.twitter.com/cH9idER4oI
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) June 15, 2023
Belgium's Kim Huybrechts admitted he no longer gets on with team-mate Dimitri Van den Bergh after they opened their campaign with an emphatic win over Finland.
The fifth seeds proved far too strong for the Finns in their first Group A match, but there was obvious indifference between the pair during their 4-0 win.
Huybrechts, the world number 31, told Online Darts: "For me it’s the first time playing a doubles tournament with someone you don’t get along with now."
Huybrechts added there was "something personal" between him and world number 10 Van den Bergh.
Meanwhile, the Australian duo of Damon Heta and Simon Whitlock began the defence of their title with an emphatic 4-0 win over debutants Guyana.
Eighth seeds Northern Ireland suffered a surprise 4-1 loss to France while hosts and sixth seeds Germany overpowered Hong Kong 4-0.
The final two rounds of fixtures in the group stage are played on Friday.
England, Wales, Netherlands and Scotland – the top four seeded teams – do not enter until the second round on Saturday.
