CARDIGAN darts ace Jamie Lewis saw his fairytale run in the William Hill PDC World Championship reach the semi-finals at Alexandra Palace, before he finally bowed out to darts legend Phil Taylor on Saturday night.

The 26 year-old became the first player to reach the last four after starting in the preliminary round, having come through the PDPA Qualifier.

After seeing off Kenny Neyens, Jonny Clayton, World number two seed Peter Wright, James Richardson and Darren Webster, he faced a massive test against 16-times winner Taylor.

The 57 year-old had never lost a World Championship semi-final and he made it to the final for the 21st and final time - although his 6-1 win was far closer than the scoreline suggests.

Lewis had claimed the game’s opening set, and then went agonisingly close in deciding legs in the next three sets as veteran Taylor powered ahead.

The youngster averaged just two points less than Taylor, and hit 11 maximums, but scoring was never the issue as a total of nine missed darts for the set cost the Cardigan man dearly.

“I was trying to blank it out, but the occasion got the better of me,” Lewis conceded. “Deep down I was thinking that I could be the last man to beat Phil Taylor in a World Championship.

“I had chances early on, and missed a few crucial doubles, and Phil has punished me. The pressure has got to me a little bit, but I will learn from it.

“My doubles have been good all week but I missed some at important times, which you can’t do against Phil.

“It’s a stepping stone for next year, I know the darts are there now so I just need to produce them next year now.”

Coming from two legs down to win the first set, Lewis showed that he had the character to challenge Taylor.

The first four sets all went the full distance, and Lewis had chances to win each, but found himself 3-1 down instead of 4-0 up as Taylor’s clinical finishing proved to be the difference.

A dip from Lewis saw Taylor go 5-1 up, but he still fought admirably in the sixth set as four legs went against the throw, before a 180 in the last helped the darts legend edge the decider.

Lewis’ battled on in set seven as he claimed the first two legs, but a 95 finish from Taylor reduced the deficit.

Two more set darts went begging for Lewis as Taylor levelled, and one last desperate attempt came agonisingly close for the Welshman as he missed his nemesis double 16 for what would have been a spectacular 152 checkout.

Lewis had registered a dominant 5-0 win over Darren Webster in the last eight to become the first preliminary round winner to reach the semi-finals.

Lewis found the treble 20 with ease as he compiled 14 maximums to average 101 - 10 points more than Webster.

Lewis also hit 16 scores of 140 or more, which earned him a let-off for some missed doubles, and he did not need a checkout higher than 71 as Webster only won just five legs.

A 13-darter delivered the opening set for the loss of just one leg, and Lewis stuck another in at the start of a 3-0 whitewash in the second set.

Lewis hit four 180s in the third set, where Webster could again get just one leg on the board, and it was a similar story again in the fourth set.

Despite hitting two 180s in the fifth set’s opener, Lewis missed double 16 to allow Webster to take out 81 - the game’s highest checkout - only for Lewis to respond with a 12-darter.

Nerves started to show as Webster won two legs in a set for the first time to force a decider, but a miss at tops to extend the match allowed Lewis back in to seal his first televised semi-final.

“I came into the Championship hoping to have a good run, but to make the semis is a dream come true,” said Lewis, who will pocket £85,000.

“There’s still room for improvement, but I know that if I get into the right flow I can play as good as anybody.

“I thought it was going to be really close in the quarter-final, but I took out the right shots at the right time.”

The Cardigan man had gone from qualifier to quarter-finalist at Alexandra Palace on Thursday night, when he beat James Richardson 4-1.

After a sticky start he produced some super darts as he finished with a 96.95 average, including five 180s and a superb maximum 170 checkout.

Lewis started slowly as Richardson won the first set on his own throw, and after the pair traded breaks in the second Lewis won in the decider.

He then started to find his form with a 170 finish in set three, alongside his first 180s and a 99 out shot, which featured two double tops. His 140 scoring continually left Richardson behind, and he then added 12 and 10 dart legs to clinch the fourth set.

Back-to-back checkouts of 66 put him ahead in the fifth set and a pair of 180s helped him to the finish and a victory that put him into the last eight.

Click on links below for Jamie Lewis’ route to the latter stages of the tournament.