GAMBLER HITS THE JACKPOT
Tears as Danny beats odds for his stricken brother
ADRIAN LEWIS, the two- time world champion nicknamed ‘ Jackpot’, was reduced to loose change by a rank outsider fearing for his brother’s life after a major stroke.
And as American giant- killer Danny Baggish claimed the biggest win of his life at the William Hill PDC World Championship, Lewis looked like a man with a great future behind him. Just 24 hours before going on stage at Alexandra Palace, 37- yearold Baggish learned his older brother Harrison, a truck driver in Florida, had life- saving surgery for a blood clot on the brain after suffering a massive stroke. It was a monumental feat of emotional fortitude, not to mention a huge upset, when ‘ The Gambler Gambler’ land landed double five on his third match dart to KO Lewis, who won back- toback back titles at Ally Pally in 2011- 12. Qualifier Bag Baggish, a 500- 1 no- hoper with the title sponsor, sp was in tears afterwards, wards, saying: “I got a message around 10am on Monday Mond from my sister back home to sa say Harrison had suffered a severe stroke s and had surgery.
“My head was a whirlwind of e emotions because we all kn know what a fine player Ad Adrian is, but I managed to hold it together and this is for my brother.
“I have to give a special mmp mention to Devon Petersen, who reached out to me in the practice room and told me to keep Harrison in my heart and in my thoughts on that stage.
“I’ve never been a quitter, but family is way more important than darts – I lost my mum to stage four lung cancer earlier this year, so my brother and two sisters are all I have.
“I’m told the surgery went well, they got most of the clot out of brain, and they say the first 24 to 48 hours are the most important, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed.
“But I had to make sure I bottled all the hurt, all the emotion and keep my composure. This is absolutely the best win of my career because it shows I belong at this level.”
Lewis, who had to withdraw from the World Grand Prix two months ago with coronavirus, was a shadow of the champion who once ruled Ally Pally.
Never mind a Jackpot – the barely gave him a dime.
For two sets, he scattered his darts all over the board like a bag of nails falling out of the loft and although he threatened a comeback, Baggish regained the initiative with the first 170 checkout of the tournament.
Dejected Lewis claimed the lack of a crowd contributed to his flat performance, tweeting: “So sorry to my fans, well done to Danny. But for me it just didn’t feel like the world championships – without the fans it just wasn’t the worlds for me and I couldn’t get the adrenalin going.”
Baggish faces three- time Lakeside world champion and Premier League winner Glen Durrant in the third round. fruit machine