Peter Wright's dreams of winning the world title came to an end tonight despite becoming the first man to land a blow on Adrian Lewis at this year's championship.
The colourful thrower from Mendham, near Harleston – who is nicknamed Snakebite – was 3-0 down before he did something no other player had at the 2016 William Hill PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace – taking a set off Lewis.
Wright managed to wrestle another from the two-time Ally Pally winner, but it wasn't enough to see him through to tomorrow's semi-finals with Lewis winning five of the nine-set showdown to progress by a 5-2 scoreline which made the tie look easier than it actually was.
Number five seed Lewis, ranked one place lower than 2014 runner-up Wright, will meet fans' favourite Raymond van Barneveld in the last four. 'Barney' edged Michael Smith 5-4 in an absolute classic to edge one step closer to a sixth crown.
The other semi-final will see Jelle Klaasen lock horns with defending champion Gary Anderson. The latter saw off James Wade 5-1 to progress while Klaasen beat Alan Norris 5-4.
The final takes place on Sunday evening.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here