Mickey Mansell Achieves First Major Semi-Final, Citing ‘Unbelievable Feeling’

Mickey Mansell, from Tyrone, expressed his “unbelievable feeling” upon advancing to his inaugural major darts semi-final, following a dramatic victory against Cameron Menzies at the Grand Slam of Darts. This achievement marks a significant milestone for Mansell, who had previously not progressed beyond the second round at the PDC World Darts Championships. The 51-year-old competitor secured a 16-15 win against Scotland’s Menzies, overcoming an initial 4-0 disadvantage. His next match will be against Martin Lukeman, who is also making his first appearance in a major semi-final, on Sunday at 13:00 GMT in Wolverhampton. Following his triumph, an emotional Mansell conveyed to the PDC, “I’ve put in so many hours of practice over the years for this moment.” He added, “Not many people get these opportunities and tonight was an opportunity I couldn’t let pass.” The quarter-final match against 35-year-old Menzies proved to be an enthralling contest, extending to the full 31 legs. Menzies, a recent winner of a Players Championship event, quickly secured an early 4-0 advantage. However, Mansell, the Northern Irishman, responded by claiming eight of the subsequent 12 legs, bringing the score to an 8-8 tie. The lead then alternated between the two players until Mansell clinched the win in a closely contested deciding leg, hitting double top. Mansell commented, “My scoring was fantastic tonight and I felt I was the better player but I was just missing too many doubles.” He continued, “All of a sudden the doubles left me but I stuck in there and tops came good for me in the end. It’s an unbelievable feeling.” He also reflected, “I’ve probably never felt nerves like I did in the last leg but I’ve been in the same situation against Brendan Dolan at the World Championship. I lost on that occasion but I learnt from it.” Meanwhile, his upcoming semi-final adversary, Lukeman, secured his spot in the final four by defeating former world champion Rob Cross with a score of 16-11.