Abbots Langley's Mark Walsh will have the chance to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in the World Darts Championship after beating Justin Pipe 4-2.

'Special Brew' will now take on Wes Newton on Thursday afternoon as he bids to break new ground in the most prestigious tournament of the year. 

Walsh won six of the game's first seven legs to assume a two-set lead and also held a 3-1 advantage before Pipe cut the gap to one - but he crucially missed two darts to force a deciding set as the former UK Open finalist progressed.

The game had been halted for five minutes during the fifth set when the stem on one of Pipe's darts snapped and the Taunton ace was unable to free the base from his barrel, with Walsh briefly lending one of his spare darts to his opponent whilst the problem was fixed backstage.

"It was going through my head that I can't let him beat me with one of my own darts!" admitted Walsh.

"As soon as that set was out of the way I got my focus back and did the business in the end, and I'm delighted to be through.

"It makes your Christmas dinner so much better when you're still in the World Championship. It's the biggest tournament in the world and it's fantastic to be in the last 16 - but I want to get to the last eight now.

"I've got to up my game against Wes Newton because he's playing some fantastic darts. He's a heavy scorer and his finishing is second to none and I know what I've got to do against him."