The second round of the PDC World Championship may have just witnessed one of the best matches in the tournament.
The #7 world ranked James Wade went head-to-head with fellow Englishman Ricky Evans who made sure to give a Christmassy walk-on.
‘Rapid won the first set in what was a very contested matchup, checking out 128 in his first leg before successfully checking out two more times to win 3-2.
The second set was all about Wade who managed to score large and reeled in the big fish of a 170 checkout before going on to win the set 3-1.
In another close set of darts, Evans triumphed with a vital 20 checkout to win the third set 3-2, leaving a bit of pressure on ‘The Machine’.
However, the Aldershot player cruised his way to victory in the fourth set to win 3-0, despite Evans missing a chance to earn a leg back with multiple missed checkouts.
Set five featured 10 legs which is rare but exciting occasion for Darts fans.
The 35-year-old took a 2-0 lead with a 144 and 89 checkout, before Wade came back to level it to 2-2 as Evans missed the opportunity to settle the match as he couldn’t checkout double one.
This of course meant either player had two win by two clear legs, which is why the match dragged on for so long, but in an eye-catching way.
Evans made it 3-2 before Wade put the game back level with a 94 checkout in a crucial leg.
The two-time World Grand Prix Champion then made it 4-3, but failed to checkout 90 in the eighth leg as Evans pulled it back to 4-4.
The match became more and more competitive until the fan-favourite made it 5-4 for on legs before checking out 99 in the 10th leg to finally win the match and proceed to the last 32 for the seventh time in his career.
It’s a result that Wade will not have wanted as there was a bit of anticipation for The Machine after entering a final in a few competitions this year.
Evans will face either Charlie Manby or Adam Sevada in the third round as that bout takes place later on Tuesday Night.
The Sports Buff ⚽️ ⚾️ 🏈 
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