Friday 29 December 2017 23:43, UK
Jamie Lewis and Rob Cross proved there is more than one fairy tale alive at Alexandra Palace by reaching their first World Championship semi-finals.
World No 46 Lewis became the first man to win through from the preliminary round to the quarter-finals, and he extended that run with a 5-0 thrashing of Darren Webster.
The 26-year-old was the last man to book his place at Alexandra Palace after a third spot was made available at the PDPA qualifier after Dimitri van den Bergh had won the World Youth Championship, and Lewis made the most of his semi-final defeat in Milton Keynes by beating Chris Quantock to seal his place.
Displaying remarkable poise against Webster, he averaged 101.26 and hit 14 maximums as he booked a semi-final showdown with either Gary Anderson or Phil Taylor to remain on course to becoming the first qualifier to reach the final since Kirk Shepherd in 2008.
After the one-sided nature of the first quarter-final, Cross and Van den Bergh served up a classic as Voltage's dream debut season continued with a 5-4 win.
Van den Bergh rallied from 4-1 down to level the contest and force a ninth set that saw Cross battle the crowd as well as his opponent. Both men missed a host of crucial doubles, before Cross pinned double one to secure his semi-final berth against either Michael van Gerwen or Raymond van Barneveld.
A year ago, Cross was a virtual unknown before winning the Challenge Tour, and has embarked on a season that will end with him in the world's top 10.
In the opening match of a bumper quarter-final day, Lewis, who had never been beyond the second round at the tournament, made a blistering start.
The Welshman won six of the opening seven legs with a near 100 average to leave a below-par Webster trailing amid a barrage of 180s and a host of missed doubles from the Demolition Man.
It did not get any better for the man from Norfolk - playing in his second quarter-final and first since 2007 - as, despite improving his level, he was only able to pinch another couple of legs as Lewis' dream run continued.
Pushing his average beyond 103, Lewis claimed the next two sets with the minimum of fuss to stand on the brink of victory - a win he sealed with double six after his 14th maximum set up the shot for his sensational journey to continue.
Hopes were high for the clash between Cross and Van den Bergh and it delivered drama throughout, despite Voltage's dominant early start.
The 27-year-old former electrician won the opening five legs, and missed a dart for a 2-0 lead in sets before Van den Bergh finally got on the board in the sixth leg of the match.
Van den Bergh, 23, continued his fightback, only to miss a dart at bullseye for the second set which was duly punished by Voltage, who pinned double 16 to take a firm grip on proceedings.
But with the support of the crowd - who turned the KC and the Sunshine Band classic 'Give it Up' the way of Van den Bergh - the 23-year-old edged out Cross to claim the third set.
The World Youth champion then averaged 111 to take the first two legs of the fourth set before missing four set darts at 2-1, and Cross showed trademark composure to first pin double top and then double 16 to go 3-1 in front.
Voltage swept all three legs in the fifth to move within a set of the match before Van den Bergh mounted his comeback charge, claiming six of the next seven legs, including a brilliant 134 to reduce the arrears to 4-3.
Four missed darts from Cross in the second leg of the eighth set gave The Dreammaker the chance to move within a leg of levelling the contest. Voltage stopped the rot with a brilliant 10-darter but that only delayed the inevitable as double eight from Van den Bergh took the match to its spectacular decider.
It was Cross who emerged victorious, but Van den Bergh left with huge credit and perfectly set the scene for Friday night, where four legendary figures with 25 world titles take to the Ally Pally stage.
The 2018 World Championship from Alexandra Palace continues on Saturday with both semi-finals live on Sky Sports Darts, coverage gets underway from 7.30pm
Keep up to date with the news as the PDC celebrates 25 years on Sky Sports, right through to the final on New Year's Day. Get all the latest at www.skysports.com/darts and join in the conversation @SkySportsDarts- don't forget to use #LoveTheDarts
