"Even I'm rooting for him to be fair" - Shane McGuirk tasked with spoiling Paul Lim's fairytale in Lakeside final

For the first time in his career, Shane McGuirk is into a World final at the 2024 WDF World Championship from the Lakeside. After racing past Francois Schweyen 5-0 with an average of just under 93 in the semi-final, the legendary Paul Lim now awaits in the final. 

"I can't believe it! That's all I can say," began the Irishman's initial reflections in his post-match interview. "I went out there and it was the first time in the whole week that I had butterflies in the stomach. But I threw a couple of practice darts and I heard people singing my name, so I actually settled very quickly and as soon as it was game on, I was just pure relaxed."

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The first Irishman ever to reach the final at Lakeside, McGuirk has been consistently impressive this week, repeatedly averaging in the 90s and not having even dropped a set in the whole tournament. "It can be a lonely place if you're not performing well, or playing well, or you're behind in the game. But luckily enough, I keep getting myself in front," he assesses. "The atmosphere was brilliant there, like it was the best atmosphere I've ever experienced in darts in my life. Everyone was singing along and I started singing with them I must and that got them on my side."

Having the crowd on his side is unlikely to be something McGuirk can benefit from in Sunday night's final though as he takes on the much-loved 70-year-old Paul Lim, who notably made his World Championship debut in 1982, 13 years before McGuirk was even born! "Even I'm rooting for him to be fair," McGuirk laughs. "I'm going to enjoy every minute of it."

"It's the final I want. To be fair, it is the final everyone wants. Everyone wants to play Paul Lim at some stage especially on the Lakeside stage where he hit the nine-darter. I just hope that I can perform well again," the Irish ace concludes. "The expectations was to win one game, that was that coming into it. After that, I relaxed. I can't say that I was going to come in here and win this, because it definitely wasn't on my radar at all. I thought maybe a game or two at a push, but I just built up confidence and this week has just been incredible for me."

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