PDC World Championship: Ricky Evans asks for Christmas Day off work
Last updated on .From the section Darts
Ricky Evans has asked for Christmas Day off work to help him prepare for his PDC World Darts Championship second-round match with Jamie Caven.
The 25-year-old petrol station attendant earned a shock victory over number 10 seed Simon Whitlock and faces world number 22 Caven on Boxing Day.
"I am meant to working but I don't want to do Christmas Day," Kettering's Evans told BBC Radio Northampton.
"I don't want to prepare for my Boxing Day clash by working in a garage."
Evans, ranked 55 in the world, produced a magnificent comeback to beat Whitlock on Saturday after the Australian missed two darts at a double which would have given him a 3-0 victory.
Evans said the support from the crowd at Alexandra Palace "played a big part" in helping him clinch the first-round win which guarantees him at least £15,000 in prize money.
"When I won the third set - to be 2-1 down - the crowd started singing 'God Save The Queen' and 'There is only one Ricky Evans'," he said.
"I was getting goosebumps while I was throwing my darts. As soon as I threw the third [game-winning] dart I just knew [it was going in] because it felt good.
"I personally feel like the crowd won me that game, they were that brilliant."
