WONDERFUL Webby still harbours world title aims after a fine Monday comeback.
Denbigh darts ace Mark Webster looked to be heading out of the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship when he trailed 20th seed Peter Manley 2-0 in sets in Monday night’s second round clash.
But Webster put his foot on the gas with a fine spell of quickfire darts.
He kick-started his comeback by winning eight consecutive legs to set up an impressive 4-2 win.
Webster, the 2008 Lakeside World Professional Darts champion, won the third and fourth sets to nil in a little over ten minutes and he then restricted Manley to just three further legs in the two remaining sets to set up a third round meeting with 29th seed Kirk Shepherd.
A nervous opening saw Webster paying for missed doubles against three-time world championship runner-up Peter Manley.
The Cumbria-based player took the first two sets, but in the third set Webster started to show some good finishing, hitting 80 and 77 for a 2-0 lead, and the Denbigh ace recorded an 83 finish to seal the third set before breaking his opponent’s throw at the start of the fourth set.
The next two legs also went the way of Webster which won him the set and squared the game at two apiece.
Webster continued the winning run of legs by taking a 2-0 lead in the fifth set before Manley stopped the rot with a 96 finish to win the third.
Manley had opportunities to win the fourth leg, but his four attempts were off-target and Webster hit double six to win the set and lead the match for the first time.
Manley hit double 10 to open up an early lead in the sixth set, but Webster won the next two legs to go within touching distance of victory.
His opponent kept his hopes alive by hitting a 78 checkout to win the fourth leg after Webster missed a dart at double top to win the match.
The deciding leg saw Manley miss six darts to take the contest to a deciding set and Webster cashed in by hitting double 12 to end Manley’s hopes.
“I was very nervous coming into this match and when I fell two nil behind, I felt really down,” said Webster. “But I got myself together and tried to stay positive and it paid off.”
He added: “I won’t look past my next match. Kirk reached the final here two years and he has taken out John Part today. So he is there on merit.”
Manley was gracious in defeat and he said: “I took advantage of Mark’s nervous start. But full credit to him he came back and hit me hard in the middle of the game.
“I wish him all the best.”
Webster was a red-hot favourite to book a quarter-final berth versus either Mark Dudbridge or Co Stompe, with bookmakers classing him a 1/3 shot to defeat third round opponent Shepherd.
The pair were due to meet in London’s Alexandra Palace yesterday afternoon (Wednesday) and if Webster made it through to the last-eight, his clash with Dudbridge or Stompe is on New Year’s Day at 2.10pm.