SHOCK EXIT FOR WRIGHT

PETER WRIGHT crashed out in the second round as 500-1 outsider Jamie ‘Fireball’ Lewis pulled off a huge upset.

Welsh qualifier Lewis toppled the No.2 seed 4-1 with an astonishing average of 107.27.

Lewis was last to reach Alexandra Palace after scraping into the 72-strong field through a qualifying tournament play-off.

And his guaranteed minimum £27,000 for reaching the world championship third round – where he faces Northamptonshire bricklayer James Richardson tonight – exceeds all his other circuit prize money this year.

Lewis (above), ranked No.46 in the world, admitted: “I’ve probably had my worst year on the PDC Tour but it’s made me stronger in the head. It’s not about the money, although that will come in handy for nappies for my 15-month-old daughter Jorgie.”

Gallstone trouble saw Wright shed 28lb in three weeks before Christmas, and the weight loss may have weakened the beaten finalist from 2014.