Chisnall pulls off shock win to make the Lakeside final
Young dartist Dave Chisnall put on a scintillating display to knock out tournament favourite Tony O'Shea at the Lakeside this afternoon.
The player from St Helens went out in the first round last year, but this time has put on a stunning run of form to book a place in the Lakeside final.
Winning the last two legs of the match on stunning bull checkouts, Chisnall was lost for words and overwelmed after his semi final victory.
“I’m over the moon, I just can’t believe it.
“It was great having my parents here in the crowd watching me. They have not been able to get down to the event because of the bad weather. It meant everything having them in the crowd.
“I am going to get drunk tonight because I have not had a good drink all week,” declared the St Helen’s sharpshooter, who was a 40/1 outsider at the beginning of the tournament.
Defeated O’Shea was not surprised by Chisnall’s victory: “He has brought the form to the tournament this week that we see week in week out.
“I felt really good early on in the match but then he came back at me. I expected him to do the 164 finish and turned away.
“But I did not play my best darts and that is no disrespect to Dave,” said Silverback.
Silverback raced to a lead in the fifth set hitting finishes of 62 and 96 and his fourth maximum to steal a 3-2 interval lead.
Refreshed from the break, the 29-year-old swept unchallenged to a 3-0 success, finishing each leg on his favourite double 18, the winning leg on a 102 checkout to again level the match.
Growing in confidence, two 180s steered Chisnall into a 2-1 set lead against the throw, a further couple of 180s paving the way for the 29-year-old St Helens man to lead the match for the first time.
He then swept through the next unchallenged as the top seed faltered from the barrage of the exciting St Helens sharpshooter, as Chisnall opened up a 5-3 lead.
He took the opening leg of the ninth against the throw and then bettered his earlier checkout, his 164 (treble 19, treble 19 bull) putting him in line for the prize for the top checkout of the tournament.
Both players hit maximums in the next, Chisnall blasting in a bull finish for a match-winning 121 flourish.