MICHAEL Smith is the first of the trio of St Helens darters in action in the William Hill World Darts Championship at London’s Alexandra Palace.

The 11th-seeded thrower from Clock Face plays Ricky Evans this evening (Thursday) as the sport’s biggest tournament, which runs from December 15-January 2, gets under way.

Former Lakeside Champion Stephen Bunting, seeded 16th, takes on Darren Webster on Saturday evening.

The Eccleston-based thrower will be looking to recapture the spirit of 2014/15 when his strong displays set up a classic nip-and-tuck quarter final against Raymond van Barneveld.

St Helens’ third darter in the tournament has a longer wait with the number seven seed Dave Chisnall meeting Austria’s Rowby-John Rodriguez on Thursday December 22.

Chisnall goes into the tournament in confident mood as he chases a first big title after being the runner-up to Michael van Gerwen in the Cash Converters Players Championship Finals recently.

The loss was Chisnall’s third to van Gerwen in a televised final during 2016, following his previous defeats in the Unibet Masters and Perth Darts Masters showdowns.

However, after winning one ranking title this year and competing once again in the Betway Premier League and World Series of Darts, the world number seven will move on to the World Championship in confident mood.

“I’ve been good this year,” said Chisnall. “I always take one tournament at a time and I don’t dwell on my losses. I’ll get better and try harder and see what comes from there.”

A 72-player field will be in action across the Christmas and New Year period as players battle to win the prestigious Sid Waddell Trophy and a record £1.65 million prize fund.

The second round will span the Christmas break, with the third round and quarter-finals also being held before the New Year, with the semi-finals on January 1 and the final on January 2.

The William Hill World Darts Championship will take place at Alexandra Palace, London from December 15-January 2, and will be shown live on the dedicated Sky Sports Darts channel.

The schedule of play for matches potentially involving the St Helens contingent is: First Round. Thursday December 15: Michael Smith (11) v Ricky Evans. Saturday Dec 17: Stephen Bunting (16) v Darren Webster. Thur Dec 22: Dave Chisnall (7) v Rowby-John Rodriguez.

Second Round. Fr December 23: Smith (11)/Evans v King (22)/West, Bunting (16)/D Webster v Whitlock (17)/Koltsov/Horvat. Tuesday Dec 27: Chisnall (7)/Rodriguez v Pipe (26)/Dobey Third Round. Thu December 29: Chisnall (7)/Rodriguez/Pipe (26)/Dobey v Klaasen (10)/de Graaf/Dolan (23)/Kist; Wade (6)/R Huybrechts/Beaton/Petersen v Smith (11)/Evans/King (22)/West; Van Gerwen (1)/Snook/Viljanen/Reyes (32)/Van den Bergh v Bunting (16)/D Webster/Whitlock (17)/Koltsov/Horvat.

Fri, Dec 30: Quarter-Finals.

Sunday, Jan 1: Semi-Finals. Monday, Jan 2 (8pm), Final.