Hampshire's Colin Monk took a major step towards qualifying for the Professional Darts Corporation's World Championship at Purfleet when he reached the semi-finals of a competition in Holland.
Monk, a veteran of the world stage with the British Darts Organisation, has been struggling to make a major impact since moving to the Professional Darts Corporation.
He looked in good shape for a place in the final before a brilliant comeback from opponent Barrie Bates who won the Dutch event at Lisse.
Hampshire's Andy Jenkins lost out in the quarter-finals and James Wade went out in the second round.
Monk's performance netted him £1,250 and moved him to 31st place in the PDC rankings - the top 32 get an automatic invite to the Circus Tavern in December.
Raymond van Barneveld is in 32nd place but former Daily Echo Hampshire Open winner Monk will need to keep ahead of Dennis Smith and Colin Osborne who are just outside the top 32 during the next three PDC competitions.
Jenkins and Wade have already qualified for the world championship.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article