"It knocked the stuffing out of him" - Kevin Painter delights with stunning 140 checkout to save his skin at World Seniors Darts Championship

Kevin Painter progressed to round 2 at the World Seniors Darts Championship on Thursday night and in some style too, with a fabulous comeback.

Having lost the first seven legs to a Jim McEwan who was averaging around the 109 mark, few would have given Painter much hope. "Jim blew me away the first two sets," Painter admitted in his post-match interview. "He played absolutely fantastic and I just had to fight and give myself a bit of pride. I've always had that fight in me, I just can't bang in them 100 averages on a regular basis."

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After Painter halved his deficit by taking the third set, set 4 went all the way to a deciding leg. McEwan missed a dart for the match and up stepped Painter to sink a sumptuous 140 skin saver, via two double tops. "It knocked the stuffing out of him," Painter explains.

Over the years, the Circus Tavern has been a place of many good memories for Painter. Could he top it off with a Seniors World Championship win this weekend? "I do play well here. I enjoy it, and there's just something about walking on the stage that brings the best out of me to be fair."

In the next round, pre-tournament favourite, John Henderson lies in wait for Painter. "John's a lovely fella and he's great dart player. If I play like I did in the last three sets, anything can happen."

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