David Pallett goes dutch after nine-darter

The Newport thrower won the match by finishing 501 with the minimum amount of arrows required and will be honoured at the end-of-year awards.

It came on the 24-year-old's birthday weekend, too, and the finale to his fourth round UK Open qualifier at the Robin Park Centre in Wigan was the perfect present.

He couldn't build on that 6-4 victory over Johnny Haines, though, losing 6-2 to Terry Jenkins in the fifth round, but he had already banked £1,000.

That puts him joint 34th on the UK Open Order of Merit and in a position to qualify for the ITV4 screened finals at Butlins in Minehead next month.

John Lowe received a prize of £102,000 for the first-ever televised nine-darter in 1984, but Pallett will have to settle for considerably less riches.

He said: "There was six over the weekend, so it's not an unusual thing these days. Going back even a couple of years, you would be lucky to see two over 12 months.

"These days, you get a silver pin badge awarded to you at the PDC's end-of-year awards bash, which is a bit of a treat. I will keep it safe at home, saves me losing it.

"It was an exciting game, I was 4-1 up but Johnny took out 141 to make it 4-4, while I was left on tops. I managed to win the next leg and moved in for the match.

"It was the first one I had ever hit in a competition, so to do it on the PDC Tour is a decent result. I think, if you count practice, I have hit 10 overall.

"It was the deciding leg so I was just concentrating on getting the match won, not hitting the nine darter, but treble 15 and double 18 got it for me.

"There was only about five or six games going on, at the time. Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis and Michael van Gerwen were playing on the other boards.

"There was probably only a few people watching my game but they heard me shouting, giving it a fist pump, and there was a few people clapping for me.

"It was my birthday the day before and I picked up £1,000 for that run alone, so it's been a good weekend for me!"

Pallett is now looking to hold his position for the UK Open finals and break into the top 64 on the Pro Tour Order of Merit, with his 'licence' having a year left to run.

He's in Holland this weekend to compete at the Dutch Darts Masters in the first round against Steve Maish and the winner will face world champion Michael van Gerwen.

He said: "Hopefully, I can get inside the top 64 and retain my Tour Card. That would be a good boost for me and I am looking to make some television appearances, too.

"There are six qualifiers for the UK Open, we have already had three and the top 96 ranked players go the televised finals, which I think I will make comfortably.

"I am going to Holland this weekend and, if I win my first game, I could play van Gerwen in the second round. It would be nice to do that in front of a Dutch crowd."