GWENT’S Gerwyn Price begins his bid to win the 2023/24 Paddy Power World Darts Championship on Monday night.

The 2021 champion will face either Connor Scutt or Krzysztof Kciuk, who meet at lunchtime today, in the second round at London’s Alexandra Palace from 7pm on Monday.

The 31st staging of the World Darts Championship will see players from around the globe competing for the coveted Sid Waddell Trophy, with number one seed and defending champion Michael Smith headlining the 96-player field.

The festive feast of darts, which kicked off last night and concludes with the final on January 3, will see 24 debutants and 27 countries represented in the £2.5million showpiece.

The pre-Christmas period at this year's World Championship will feature nine days of first and second round action up until December 23, when Price’s fellow Welshman Jonny Clayton gets his tournament under way.

The top 32 players from the PDC Order of Merit enter the tournament in the second round, with the ProTour Order of Merit qualifiers taking on the international representatives in round one.

Two-time World Champion Gary Anderson kicks off his campaign today. Anderson has enjoyed a welcome return to form in 2023, scooping a hat-trick of ProTour titles and progressing to last month’s Grand Slam quarter-finals.

The 52-year-old won a record 17 consecutive matches at Alexandra Palace between 2014-2017, and he’s bidding to roll back the years to become the first Scot to win a third World Championship crown.

“This is the big one,” insisted Anderson, who has featured in five Alexandra Palace finals throughout his glittering career.

“If you cannot get up for the World Championship, then you shouldn’t be playing the game!

“I think it’s going to be a brilliant tournament. You need to use every bit of knowledge and skill you’ve picked up over the last 20 or 30 years, and hopefully it all comes together.”

Four years on from her history-making exploits in the capital, Fallon Sherrock will take on Jermaine Wattimena in her first-round tie tomorrow.

Following a three-day Christmas break, the third and fourth rounds will be held from December 27 to December 30, with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final taking place from January 1 to January 3.

Alongside the £500,000 top prize for the eventual champion, players will also be competing for the Ballon d’Art trophy – created by title sponsor Paddy Power for the player who hits the most 180s during the event.

The new award is the latest addition to THE BIG 180 Campaign, which will see Paddy Power donate £1,000 to Prostate Cancer UK for every maximum scored during the 2023/24 World Darts Championship.

The tournament will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.