Wayne Jones' 11-year worlds run over
Wayne Jones' 11-year run competing at the PDC World Championship is over despite a spirited run to the quarter-finals in the last qualifier.
Jones' challenge was gathering pace until he came across Ricky Evans in the last eight where he tumbled out 5-2,
The 50-year-old thrower, from Wednesfield in Wolverhampton, travelled to Coventry City Football Club's Ricoh Arena where over 150 darters gathered to try their luck.
'The Wanderer,' a worlds semi-finalist in 2006, had some 'floor' form after coming through an open event to make his hometown Grand Slam.
This time, only two places were on offer, with the outright winner going straight into the first round to play 10th seed Simon Whitlock.
The winner will take on Per Laursen in the preliminary phase, with the winner going on to meet reigning world champion Gary Anderson.
Jones would have happily accepted either scenario and won four games to get over halfway there, although all of them went to the last leg.
He saw off Ian Lever, Mark Lawrence, Dave Honey and James Wilson 5-4, but ran out of steam with the pressure on against Evans. He was compensated with £250 for his exploits.
Rugeley's Mark Hylton, a worlds competitors in 2011 where he reached the last 16, was also unsuccessful in his bid to return to London's Alexandra Palace.
Hylton lost 5-2 to Paul Amos in the preliminary phase, while Stourbridge's Nick Fullwell was beaten by the same margin against Chris Aubrey in the first round.
Bloxwich's Matthew Dennant dropped just a leg defeating Daniel Batchelor 5-1 to reach the second round, where he bowed out 5-4 to Chris Quantock.
