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Canadian Jim Long opens with a win at William Hill World Darts Championship

Dec 15, 2018 | 10:30 AM

LONDON — Canadian Jim Long won his first-round game at the William Hill World Darts Championship on Saturday, defeating Northern Ireland’s Mickey Mansell 3-1.

The 50-year-old from London, Ont., qualified as the top Canadian on the 2018 Championship Darts Corporation circuit.

Jeff (The Silencer) Smith of Hampton, N.B., the other Canadian in the 96-player field, lost 3-2 to England’s Josh Payne. The 43-year-old Smith is the 2018 North American Championship winner.

The competition at Alexandra Palace features competitors from 28 countries and a record purse of 2.5 million pounds ($4.2 million).