PDC World Darts Championship 2013-14: Most Memorable Moments of the Tournament

At the halfway stage of this year's PDC World Darts Championship, it's time to look back over the past 10 days of action from the oche.

With the world's brightest darts figures all gathered at Alexandra Palace, it's only natural that the knockout tournament provided spectators with the highest pedigree that the sport has to offer.

In that sense, the stars haven't disappointed, with more than 50 players gathering in London and offering up their share of thrills, spills and surprise results along the way.

In the build-up to New Year's dramatic finale, we've compiled some of the competition's standout moments thus far, with more to come as the wheat is sorted from the chaff. 

Ricky Evans Upsets The Odds 

Coming into the competition as a result of his performances on the 2013 Pro Tour, not much was to be expected from Ricky Evans in this year's World Championship.

That's especially true considering the 23-year-old is still in his debut season on the circuit, but he is more than just coping with the pressure; he's thriving on it.

Evans' first-round fixture pitted him against 19th-seeded Ronnie Baxter, but the youngster opened his tournament account with a 3-0 thumping of his peer, further proving his potential as a future power in the sport. 

Jenkins and Anderson's Nine Darters Insufficient 

It's not often a nine darter comes about at the World Darts Championship, but on just the second day of this year's competition both Kyle Anderson and Terry Jenkins came to the fore with one party trick apiece.

However, what was perhaps even more incredible is that neither player was able to make their efforts count on the day, slipping to first-round defeats at the hands of Ian White and Per Laursen respectively.

These were just the sixth and seventh nine-dart finishes in the history of the tournament, etching both Jenkins and Anderson into the World Darts Championship history books.

It's just a shame the feats couldn't have come under happier circumstances. 

Phil Taylor's Shock Exit 

As the No. 1 seed and 16-time World Championship winner, Phil "The Power" Taylor would have been expecting a fairly rudimentary route past Michael Smith, but it was not to be.

The world No. 32 overcame his elder in an incredible seven-set matchup, the second time in three years that Taylor has failed in making it to the third round of the tournament.

Infostrada Sports confirmed over Twitter:

Regardless of this slump, however, the result will have been a surprise to anyone, signifying that the reign of Taylor may indeed be coming to its end.