Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Stars line up to hail darts ace Soutar’s ‘dream’ win
ALAN Soutar admits he is having a “fairytale” PDC World Darts Championship after beating the world number five to reach the last 16.
Arbroath ace Soutar survived a match dart against Portuguese star Jose de Sousa to clinch a dramatic 136 finish and seal a £35,000 winner’s cheque.
It’s the second game in a row that Dundee firefighter “Soots” has claimed a stunning 100+ checkout to get through after his 144 finish against Mensur Suljovic.
That win sparked a stunning reaction on social media with former Dundee United player Andy Robertson among those stars to tweet Soots.
Soutar faces a Scotland-England clash in the cauldron of Ally Pally today against Callan Rydz. But the Angus star fears no one.
“It’s a fairytale and is becoming even more of a fairytale with every dart,” said Soutar. “I just love darts. I’ve been playing darts for so long now but to do it at the best level against the best players is incredible.
“I’m missing shots but I think someone is looking down on me. It’s maybe just ‘my time.’
“The reaction back home is incredible. To have the Scotland captain Andy Robertson tweeting with the ‘clap hands’ emoji is mental. But all that support really helped me at Ally Pally.
“It’s a cauldron in there. I’m on my own and most of my supporters are back home in Arbroath or Scotland.
“I just have to go out there, block out the noise and play my game.
“How far can I go? About 2.9 miles in an Uber back to my house.
“Nah, I don’t fear anyone. I’m taking this one game at a time and the next player has to beat me.
“The way I see it I don’t have to beat them. They have to beat me.”
Soots will carry on fighting fires, page 25.