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Paul Lim rolls back the years as Singapore and Argentina impress at the World Cup of Darts

Originally posted on Dartsnews.com | Last updated Jun 13, 2025 1:39 PM ET

Paul Lim once again proved that class is permanent. The 71-year-old darts legend stole the show on Friday afternoon during the second round of group matches at the World Cup of Darts.

It was Singapore’s first outing of the tournament, having watched on Thursday as Germany defeated Portugal 4-2. On Friday afternoon, the Asian nation faced Portugal themselves and immediately secured maximum points with a 4-2 victory.

The match marked Lim’s first alongside new partner Phuay Wei Tan, who has stepped in for long-time teammate Harith Lim. While Tan more than held his own, it was ‘The Singapore Slinger’ who took centre stage, averaging a sensational 117.62 and registering just one scoring visit without a treble. Singapore will now face Germany on Friday evening in a straight shootout for a spot in the knockout rounds.

Elsewhere, Argentina also made headlines. The South American nation is the only debutant at this year’s World Cup, but Jesús Salate and Víctor Guillín showed no signs of nerves as they cruised to a 4-1 win over Finland.

The Argentinians made a flying start, with Salate opening the match with a 180. They took the first leg in 18 darts before Finland levelled with a tidy 17-darter. However, a missed opportunity to take the lead proved costly, as Argentina responded with a 19-darter, followed by a brilliant 13-dart leg to go 3-1 up. Finland’s duo, Marko Kantele and Teemu Harju, had one more chance to stay in the match but couldn’t take it, and Salate sealed the win in style with a clinical 80 finish. Argentina now have the chance to add further sparkle to their debut campaign when they face New Zealand for a place in the next round on Friday evening.

In Group A, Italy did the Netherlands a big favour by whitewashing Hungary 4-0. With the Dutch pair Danny Noppert and Gian van Veen having already beaten Italy by the same scoreline, they now need to win just one leg against Hungary in their final group match to reach the last 16.

Belgium, however, still have work to do. The Philippines, represented by Lourence Ilagan and Paolo Nebrida, produced an impressive performance to beat Latvia 4-2. With Belgium having also defeated Latvia 4-1, the Belgians and Filipinos will now go head-to-head for a place in the next round.

In Sweden’s group, where Jeffrey de Graaf is competing, Lithuania edged out France 4-3. But despite the win, Lithuania have been eliminated due to their earlier 4-1 loss to Sweden’s De Graaf and Oskar Lukasiak. Sweden now only need to win three legs against France to secure top spot in the group.

Norway’s hopes of progressing are already over after a 4-1 loss to South Africa. Cor Dekker’s team still have a match against Poland, who need a win to leapfrog South Africa in the standings.

There’s also Dutch interest in the United States team, with Jules van Dongen partnering Danny Lauby to a routine 4-1 win over minnows Bahrain. Technically, the Americans can still qualify, but that would require a highly unlikely defeat for Hong Kong at the hands of Bahrain.

Former champions Damon Heta and Simon Whitlock also got their campaign underway on Friday afternoon. The Australian duo, surprise winners in 2022, swept aside Spain 4-0 and now face Austria in a winner-takes-all clash on Friday evening for a place in the last 16.

This article first appeared on Dartsnews.com and was syndicated with permission.

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