Raymond van Barneveld, the champion, was knocked out of the Ladbrokes.com PDC World Championship last night after a compelling performance by Kevin Painter. The “Artist” framed his 4-2 victory with two maximums in the last leg of the third-round match, which he took dramatically in ten darts. Painter, the world No 15, clenched his fists, his eyes bulged and then he wagged a finger at the crowd, who were disrespectfully chanting “easy”.

Van Barneveld had been hampered by flu in his previous match and the strain of being pushed to the limit in that encounter perhaps took its toll on the Dutchman. The world No 2 was given a ruthless dose of his own medicine and left Alexandra Palace, North London, immediately after the match, too upset to talk.

“I always believed in my ability if I could get my head right,” Painter said. “A nine-darter would have been nice at the end.” He will play Adrian Lewis in the quarter-finals today, after the world No 7 courted controversy when he went to the toilet midway through the seventh set with his match against Tony Eccles in the balance. Lewis went on to win 4-3. Painter’s odds for winning the title have shortened to 7-1 from 100-1 at the start of the tournament and not even he would have predicted his renaissance in the past 18 months.

The turning point was losing in the first round of the World Grand Prix, in Dublin, two months ago. “I told myself that it could not happen again,” he said. “I had to be mentally stronger.” Suddenly he looks like the aggressive player who came close to winning the title in 2004, only to lose to Phil Taylor in the final.

The nerves were showing in the first set, when Painter missed double nine in the opening leg. Van Barneveld took the set, somehow squeezing in his third dart at double 18. But Painter won the second set easily and broke early in the next to take a 2-1 lead.

The Dutchman stormed back to draw level, however, breaking his opponent twice without losing a leg in the fourth set. Van Barneveld was one leg from the next set, which he lost, and then led by two legs in the sixth, which he could have taken but missed double 20. Painter took the set and the match with double 16 and could meet John Part, the former champion, in the semi-finals tomorrow night. The Canadian, who will now play James Wade, continued his impressive form by trouncing Alex Roy 4-0.

Peter Manley was exuberant after beating Jan van der Rassel 4-1. Manley, who has lost three world finals, lived up to his nickname of “One Dart” last night, hitting 50 per cent of doubles to defeat the Dutchman. Manley’s cockiness extends to jousting with his opponents and he had an antagonistic warning for Kirk Shepherd, his opponent today. Shepherd, a 21-year-old qualifier, has knocked out three seeded players. “It is not his fault that he won’t beat me,” Manley said. “I don’t miss doubles. His parents took him home early to keep him on the straight and narrow — but they won’t be able to hold his hand.”

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