By Gareth James
Jonny Clayton suffered last leg agony to miss out on a place in the last 16 of the World Darts Championship.
The Pontyberem thrower fought back from 2-0 down to led 3-2 in the best of seven sets third round battle with Joe Cullen at London’s Alexandra Palace
And Clayton also led the deciding set 2-0 only for Cullen to win three legs on the trot – taking the match with a 100 check-out, hitting two double tops, while Clayton was left on 40.
‘The Ferret’ was looking to book his place in the last 16 for the first time in his career.
πππΌπ πΌ ππΌπ ππ πππ ππ π€―
Joe Cullen wins an Ally Pally classic, hitting two double-tops for a 100 finish to snatch a deciding leg victory with Clayton left on 40!
What a match that was π pic.twitter.com/zlrfcuyAtR
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 27, 2020
But Cullen, nicknamed The Rockstar, produced the darts he needed at the right time to seal victory.
The duo had met twice in a major event this year, each taking one win apiece.
Ah well the dream comes to an end again. Well done to a great mate @rockstar_13_ brilliant ton outππall the best for the rest of the tournament mate. Thankyou again @ModusDarts180,@zwasports,@reddragondarts,@NolanWindows and @PRGConstruction. One day ladsππ
— Jonny Clayton (@JonnyClay9) December 27, 2020
But it looked like it was going to be a struggle for Clayton as he trailed two sets to nil early on.
Pic: Luke Walker/Getty Images
But Clayton, who won the World Cup of Darts with Gerwyn Price in November, fought back to lead 3-2 only for Cullen to take it into a decider.
Clayton, seeded 17, raced into a lead winning the first two legs with check-outs of 120 and 106.
But Cullen responded to snatch victory in dramatic fashion with that 100 check out.