The reigning world champion, Adrian Lewis, produced a remarkable comeback in his PDC World Championship semi-final win over James Wade amid farcical scenes at Alexandra Palace.
Lewis won 10 legs in a row to come from 5-1 down to beat Wade 6-5 and book a final meeting with Andy Hamilton but it looked for such a long time as if his opponent would be going through.
Wade had a dart to win the match in the eighth set but broke down, allowing Lewis in to check out on 98, and the Stoke thrower did not lose a leg after that, whitewashing Wade in the final three sets.
As a backdrop to the drama on stage, there was the sideshow of the players leaving the arena for a 20-minute period early in the game, with both complaining about a breeze.
Wade was 2-0 up at the time and, with Lewis clearly angry at both the conditions and the now customary abuse he was taking from the crowd, he could have been forgiven for attempting to carry on.
He did not, though, and ultimately paid the price as he melted down to allow Lewis in. "That was the best win of my career, definitely," said Lewis afterwards.
"Fair play to James, he could have won that 6-0. I love him to bits and told him this is the start of a rivalry. But that shows why I am world champion."
On his escape from defeat, when Wade slipped wide of double 18, Lewis added: "He had one dart in his hand, he missed double 18 and I knew it was do or die. That shows why I am the champion. There's no reason why I will not retain my title. I am the best in the world."
It was Wade who looked the world's premier player early on, though, as he went 2-0 up. The problems then started, with both men noticing a breeze on stage and Lewis's complaints seeming to carry more weight than his opponent's. They both left the arena, only for Wade to return and practise alone before Lewis could be persuaded to restart.
When they did, Lewis got up and running and got back to 2-1, before Wade stormed ahead and moved to within inches of what would have been a maiden final appearance. He barely missed a double until, in that crucial eighth set, he broke down on 18 chasing a 121 winning checkout.
That allowed Lewis to notch a 98 and he never looked back afterwards, cantering through to a stunning 161 finale.
Earlier in a dramatic day Hamilton won a thrilling semi-final against Simon Whitlock. He took the first set 3-0 and was within a whisker of finishing 124 to take the second but his final dart narrowly missed the bull and a relieved Whitlock took the leg and the set at the fifth time of asking.
Hamilton took the third leg of the third set and added the next to move 2-1 ahead while the next two sets were shared. Hamilton took a 2-0 lead against the throw in the sixth but Whitlock responded well to take the set 3-2 and level the match.
That sparked a surge from the Australian, who extended his winning run to nine legs as he took the next two sets 3-0 to move within a set of victory at 5-3.Hamilton's head had dropped and, needing treble 17 to set up a shot for the next leg, he hit two. Whitlock, however, missed double 10, allowing the Stoke thrower finally to get on the scoreboard again.
It proved pivotal as Hamilton went on to take the set and took a tense third leg en route to winning the 10th to level at 5-5. Whitlock trailed 2-1 in the final set but held his nerve for a 68 finish to take the match to 5-5, 2-2 – meaning a two-leg winning margin was needed to finish the match.
Hamilton went 3-2 ahead and, though Whitlock responded with an immediate 180, an 82 finish took Hamilton into the final. "I'm quite emotional, I'm speechless," he said afterwards. "Simon pushed me so hard, I had to take those check-outs out to win the game. He's an awesome player and with a broken foot as well. There's one game left now and, if I grit my teeth and fight, I could win it."
