Dave Chisnall’s counting error is explained to him. (Image: Sky Sports)
Ricky Evans rubbed salt into Dave Chisnall’s wounds by vowing to “get him a calculator for Christmas” after . Needing a 139 checkout to keep the second-round clash alive in the fifth set, Chisnall left himself double 20 after two darts.
Not that he realised it though, for some reason thinking he just had 32 remaining instead of 40.
‘Chizzy’ duly took out double 16, and celebrated emphatically as he pointed his finger to the crowd.
But the Englishman then received jeers as his error emerged. Looking confused as he took his darts out of the board, his mistake was then explained to him by the match referee, and Chisnall eventually walked back to his marker with his head in his hands.
To his credit, the 44-year-old regained his composure to win the leg at the next visit, making it 5-5 in the deciding set and forcing a sudden death leg. But it was Evans, dressed in a festive outfit, who then secured the next leg in which proved an epic contest.
And he was in cheeky mood afterwards, reflecting on Chisnall’s blunder in his post-match press conference. “I was literally looking at the double and thought, ‘this is going in'” he said.
Ricky Evans made light of Chisnall’s mishap. (Image: Online Darts YouTube)
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“Then I thought ‘where’s he gone here?’ Literally I thought he’s maybe slipped or something. And of course, soon as I saw it was in the board, I mean normally I’d get involved and go ‘wahey’ (waves arms) or something…but no, I just turned away and let him carry on.
“I mean he won that leg so it doesn’t matter, it’s irrelevant now. But yeah I thought ‘Cheers Chiz’, and I’ll get him a calculator for Christmas bless him.”
Evans, who was his usual exuberant self throughout, also spoke at his relief at getting over the line. “I’d have been distraught if I had lost that,” he added.”I put so much into that. Literally, all day I’ve been concentrating.”
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Evans, 34, has never been past the third round stage at Ally Pally, having last gone that far in 2021. The 34-year-old will now play Welshman Robert Owen after Christmas on December 29.
And he’ll go in as the favourite, ranked some 30 places above his rival in the PDC world standings. The tournament has already opened up, with 14 seeds having exited following the departure of Rob Cross on Monday night.