One of the worst drawbacks to dealing with any sort of mental health issue is the instinct to want to self isolate. To go into onion mode. Get as many layers between you and the outside world as possible. Couple that with the most severe cold snaps we’ve had in these parts for a long time and how I managed to persuade myself to venture forth to my other office today becomes something of a mystery.

It’s probably just as well it wasn’t realised Day 2 of the World Darts Championship was split over two sessions or the bunker never would’ve been vacated. However, due to the wonders of technology, matters were able to be caught up on so as to have what you are reading started before the evening session threw in.

Early matters went very much according to form. Fate apparently took Alan Souter’s manic schedule into account because the military man, fireman and God knows whatever else wasted little time in dispatching Australian Mel Cunning. Similar sentiments can also be applied to Boris Krcmar’s straightforward disposal of the Asian qualifier Suzuki.

The giant Croatian first caught this observer this time last year. There’s something captivating about a big man tossing tungsten, especially at the speed with which big Boris sends his arrows flying. Now, one of the oddities of the darting rankings is how quickly placings therein can fluctuate.

To those of us who have been following affairs of the oche for any length of time, the sight of Adrian Lewis entering the fray during the afternoon session of the second day was indeed an alien concept.

Yet such was exactly the scenario which befell the great man from Stoke this afternoon. During his outing, mind you, there was enough evidence to suggest (a) he shouldn’t be at such a level and (b) he still very much has the stuff to get to a much higher and deserved plateau in the sport.

To conclude the first early session of the championships, the talented but tempestuous Kim Huybrechts had little difficulty in negotiating the challenge presented by Grant Sampson who had, lest we forget, ousted Ireland’s Keane Barry last night.