Relief for Evans after Sherrock win: "I got away with murder, Fallon was the better player"

Despite bringing Fallon Sherrock's 2023 PDC World Darts Championship campaign to an early end, a festive Ricky Evans admits he had more than his fair share of good fortune. "Fallon was the better dart player there, I got away with murder."

If you haven't yet seen Ricky Evans walk on to Shakin' Stevens' Christmas classic Merry Christmas Everyone, I urge you to check it out here. Sporting a big white beard, round glasses and a Santa hat, it seemed Evans had found the solution to the boos normally given to Sherrock's opponents... No one can boo Father Christmas. "I just like to make people laugh. It's Christmas isn't it so you've got to have a bit of fun."

On the board, Evans benefited from multiple missed doubles at crucial times from Sherrock. "Fallon was the better dart player there, I got away with murder," he admits. "I hit my doubles and Fallon didn't that's all there is to it. Nothing really got going and I didn't feel comfortable until the last leg."

Full of praise for his beaten opponent, Evans revealed he doesn't think people know how just good Sherrock is. "Fallon is an amazing darts player and the crowd in there don't realise how good she is and that's the problem," he says. "I feel sorry for her a little bit because they were just cheering because it was a female. Don't worry about that she beats everyone in that crowd she's that good."

Laying in wait for Evans in Round 2 is the 13th seed Joe Cullen. "He's a proper dart player," Evans says. "He could win this but it's my job now to get rid of him it's as simple as that."