LONDON -- Ricky Evans booked his place in the third round of the World Darts Championship after coming through a thriller against James Wade in which he missed seven match darts before sealing victory.
With the pair level at two sets each, Evans repeatedly missed the chance to put the game away, allowing Wade to take the match to a tiebreak.
But after eventually edging ahead 5-4 in the tiebreak, Evans, who is renowned for his larger-than-life onstage persona, was finally able to hold his nerve and take out 99 to seal an epic triumph.
The colourful Evans is known for his festive shirts and walking out to 'Merry Christmas Everyone' by Shakin' Stevens, and he took to the stage this time holding a Santa-dressed dancing toy.l
After a breathless five-setter, the fast-throwing 35-year-old from Kettering said: "The problem is now I'm [playing] after Christmas.
"I'm going to have to walk on to something not Christmas, aren't I?
"I'm going to have 'Like A Prayer'...Madonna. Who cares? I'm still going."
Evans won the opening set against the darts, helped by a 128 checkout and Wade missing double five.
Wade produced a 170 'Big Fish' finish on the way to levelling matters, but Evans took the next set, with a 13-dart leg against the throw proving decisive.
Evans lost his composure in the fourth set, but 144 and 89 checkouts at the start of the fifth took him to the brink of victory.
At 2-1 ahead, Evans missed six match darts, including three at double one, and was pulled up for an underarm throw in the next leg by the referee.
Evans then missed a seventh match dart at double 16 when 3-2 ahead and, after Wade had failed to get over the line himself, he finally kept his nerve with superb 99 finish.
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"Imagine coming to darts and winning 3-0? Evans said. "What's the point? Make it interesting.
"I say it every year, 'I'm weird but I'm box office'. Come on.
"I loved it. I've never been so animated or nervous, but I was really, really nervous there. Really, really nervous.
"I won the first set against a throw and I thought, 'you've got a chance here.' And then of course I was bang average again. I got three sets. I don't know how.
"I probably wasn't the better player stats-wise, but yeah, he probably won about 12 legs more than me, but I got three [sets]. He got two. So fantastic. Brilliant."
Earlier on Monday, David Munyua's history-making run at the tournament was brought to an end by Kevin Doets.
Munyua,a veterinarian by trade and the first player from Kenya to play in the world darts championship, sensationally beat 18th seed Mike De Decker in the first round.
But he was unable to rekindle the magic as he produced a disappointingly flat performance. The 30-year-old spoke candidly in a post-match news conference about how he hopes to have transformed perceptions of darts across Africa.
Elsewhere, German marksman Gabriel Clemens whitewashed Wessel Nijman and Madars Razma ensured he will return after the Christmas break as he beat Darren Beveridge 3-1.
Information from PA contributed to this report.