SINGAPORE - He has often referred to himself as the supporting actor to Singapore's darts legend Paul Lim.
But on Thursday (June 6), Harith Lim stepped up to the oche and delivered the dagger shot - a double 16 - as the Republic stunned third seeds Wales, comprising Grand Slam of Darts champion Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton, 5-3 in the first round of the PDC World Cup of Darts in Germany.
The local duo are not on the Professional Darts Corporation world rankings but, according to Darts Database, Harith is ranked 605th, while Paul is 184th.
In comparison, Price and Clayton are fifth and 24th respectively.
The Lims, who are not related, will meet Japan's Seigo Asada and Haruki Muramatsu, who edged Gibraltar's Dyson Parody and Antony Lopez 5-4, in the second round on Saturday for a place in the last eight at the Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg.
Harith, a 49-year-old former world youth champion, told The Straits Times: "It's a nice accomplishment because Wales are No. 3. We played solid (with a three-dart average of 92.51 to Wales' 83.22) and kept them under pressure.
"When I approached that double 16, I told myself I was going to hit this to make up for the two earlier misses at a double 20 finish in the second and third leg. I felt good but it didn't go my way then, but I made up for it with the winning shot and it feels great."
Paul, 65, added their partnership was a strong one based on trust and confidence in each other.
He noted: "Harith shot really well today. All I want is a partner like that, all the time. We are the underdogs but I always feel that in this doubles format, we have a good chance.
"When it comes to doubles, we always play together as a team. We know each other for a long time, we play together and room together for a long time. We are like brothers. Regardless of what happens, I know he tries his best, and I try my best."
The Singapore pair have made a habit of producing shocks in this competition. In 2017, they beat top seeds Scotland - featuring world No. 2 Gary Anderson and No. 3 Peter Wright - in the first round and then Spain in the second round before losing to Belgium in the quarter-finals.
Last year, they beat New Zealand in the first round and faced second seeds England in the next round where Paul shocked defending world champion Rob Cross in his singles match, but Singapore eventually fell 2-1.
Paul said while they are taking one game at a time, they hope to play on Sunday, when the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final are held.
Harith added: "We know them pretty well from the PDC Asian Tour and soft-tip circuit. If we are able to play our A game, we will have a very good chance."
