Kirk Shepherd will go to the labrokes.com World Championship after all.
The Team Unicorn star has won a dramatic 11th hour place at the Alexandra Palace, after top Australian Rob Modra was forced to withdraw from the tournament.
And Shepherd goes straight into the 1st Round draw, where he will take on Wayne Jones on Sunday night at the Ally Pally.
Modra is the DPA No.1 and earned the right to play at the World Championship, but he was unable to secure the necessary visa in time, so had to pull scratch from the event.
Under PDC rules, in circumstances like this, the place passes to the next man in the Players Championship Order of Merit…..and that is Shepherd!
It is an incredible stroke of luck for the 2008 World Championship runner-up.
Remember that amazing run to the final in the first ever World Championship to be played at the Alexandra Palace? Shepherd lost to John Part in the final but earned a life-changing £50,000.
Last year, he was beaten by Mark Webster in the last 16, but now Shepherd has another great chance to showcase his talents and prove that he wasn’t a ‘one hit wonder’.
Shepherd’s match against Jones will be an intriguing battle….and the Unicorn man is sure to go for it! He has got nothing to lose.
The World Championship starts on Thursday, when Phil Taylor will take centre stage as he bids for a 16th World Title.
Taylor is celebrating the birth of his third grandchild and he could well be facing an all Unicorn 1st Round clash against Gary Mawson, if the American wins his preliminary round match against Juanito Gionzon of the Phillippines.
Then next Sunday, Taylor will be hoping for another big celebration, as he goes up against the best of British in the BBC Sports personality of the Year Awards night in Birmingham.
The Ladbrokes.com World Championship will be broadcast in on Sky Sports HD, with the semi-finals and final shown in 3D.
And stay in touch with the Unicorn Darts website for all the news, views and comment from 15 days of World Championship darts!
By STUART PYKE (Twitter @stuartpykesport)
Photo courtesy Lawrence Lustig / PDC