How shock World Championship semi-finalist Jamie Lewis felt his chance had gone

In qualifying for the semi-finals of the William Hill World Darts Championship, Welsh sensation Jamie Lewis has assured himself of a minimum £85,000 pay day.

Twenty-six-year-old Lewis has achieved that as a qualifier who came through the preliminary round to make the main draw, making his unexpected last-four run all the more incredible.

An added layer of shock comes the fact that he only had a preliminary match thanks to Dimitri Van den Bergh winning the World Youth Championship and opening up a final qualifying spot that he thought had gone.

Lewis had resigned himself to a winter of practice, as this statement posted in October shows. The sign off was an ominous one and few knew how quickly that time would actually come.

Lewis is now one win away from a world final – Gary Anderson or Phil Taylor await – and who would bet against his fairytale continuing.