World Cup of Darts 2017: Scotland Stunned by Singapore, Ireland Wins

Top seeds Scotland were sensationally eliminated from the 2017 World Cup of Darts by Singapore after Peter Wright and Gary Anderson slipped to a 5-2 defeat against Paul and Harith Lim at the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt on Thursday.

Belgium at least lived up to their billing, with Kim and Ronny Huybrechts too strong for New Zealand. it was a different story for Welsh duo Gerwyn Price and Mark Webster, who found themselves pushed all the way by Finland.

There were also wins for Australia, Thailand, Russia, Spain and Republic of Ireland.

For a look at the full scores, along with the upcoming schedule, visit Live-Darts.com.

Scotland's marquee pairing of Wright and Anderson were on the brink when they faced a 3-1 deficit. Singapore had Paul Lim in spectacular form early on, per PDC Darts:

Things got better still when Lim's partner chipped in, per Live Darts:

Another maximum from Lim made things look bleak for Anderson and Snakebite. However, squandered chances at doubles let Scotland back in as Anderson hit tops to reduce the deficit.

Sensationally, 3-2 was as close as Wright and the Flying Scotsman got as Paul and Harith reeled off three-straight wins to send the top seeds crashing out.

Afterward, Paul revelled in the honour and delirium earned from an historic upset: 

Scotland being shocked was almost followed by Wales suffering a similar upset, only for Mark Webster and Gerwyn Price to scrape through 5-4 over Finland. Marko Kantele took out 141 to put Finland 4-3 ahead, but Webster fired back with a 48 checkout.

A miss on tops from Price appeared to put Wales on the brink, but Webster rescued the pair when he landed double-five. The Finns had wasted two match darts to send Webster and Price out.

Greece opened the night by making it through at the expense of Thailand. Next up, Russia beat Hong Kong 5-3, with Boris Koltsov in fine form.

The 28-year-old produced some brilliant finishing from the oche to stake Russia into a 3-1 lead, per PDC Darts:

Ireland got things started off in fine style against Poland when William O'Connor hit a maximum in the opening leg. He followed it with a 106 checkout to confirm an early 1-0 lead.

Poland were undeterred, though, and fought back when Tytus Kanik took out a 180 of his own. Krzysztof Ratajski found tops to keep Poland in touch, before Mick McGowan took over for the Irish, hitting a 180 before a checkout of 100.

McGowan's late flurry gave Ireland the win at 5-3.

Spain followed it with a win by an identical score, but only after coming back from 3-1 down. Japan raced into a 2-0 lead thanks to Yuki Yamada, per Live Darts:

The Spanish comeback was led by Cristo Reyes, who consistently found key doubles when it mattered. This sensational double-eight at the third attempt, relayed by PDC Darts, sealed Spain's win:

Belgium made it through comfortably, with Kim and Ronny Huybrechts too much for New Zealand in a 5-2 win. The Huybrechts brothers won three legs in a row, with Kim taking out a trio of 180s to help Belgium pull away.

Things were a lot closer when Australia outlasted Denmark 5-4. Simon Whitlock hit tops to even the match at four apiece after the Danes had established early control thanks to Per Laursen's fine form.

However, he and partner Alex Jensen missed crucial darts at doubles late on.

Harry Trump/Getty Images

The rest of the tournament will have been left stunned by Scotland's swift dismissal. Anderson and Wright's exit should boost the confidence of defending champions England, as well as a quality Netherlands team of Michael van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld.