Sunday best for rising PDC star David Pallett
Newport's David Pallett has risen another place towards the PDC's top 40 after adding to his tally in the UK Open qualifiers over the weekend.
The Shropshire thrower is 45th in the Order of Merit after picking up £500 in the last of three events at the Robin Park Centre in Wigan,
Pallett first arrived at the venue on Friday and won his first game, dropping just a leg in beating Mark Cox 6-1, but was then defeated 6-3 by Wolverhampton's Dean Stewart.
Johnny Haines won the group's board against Jelle Klassen on his run to the fifth round, with Adrian Lewis winning the tournament after an impressive 6-1 success over world No 1 Michael van Gerwen.
Saturday's return to action resulted in another second round run for Pallett, after a last leg 6-5 victory over Garry Speeding, where a slow-burner against Justin Pipe saw him go down 6-2.
Kyle Anderson took the board with a 6-2 defeat of Jan Dekker, with van Gerwen exacting revenge over Lewis in the final by reversing the scoreline from the previous day.
Sunday's third and final competition proved the most profitable for Pallett, who came within a game of winning his board before losing to Premier League player Kim Huybrechts.
It would have doubled his money for the weekend, but Huybrechts eventually saw him off 6-3. Van Gerwen made it a double delight by beating James Wade 6-1 in the final.
Pallett had scored victories over Pete Dyos, who he whitewashed 6-0, Ryan Harrington and former BDO world champion Steve Beaton, by 6-4 and 6-1 margins respectively.
That left him 49th in the UK Open's Order of Merit but, most notably, improved him considerably on the Pro Tour's standings, rising from 46th to joint 42nd.
