Jesus Noguera produced the latest shock of the PDC Home Tour as he upset the odds to top a group that also contained world number 10 Ian White.
The little-known Spaniard was the lowest ranked player of the quartet at 127 on the Order of Merit and headed into the night as a 7/1 shot to qualify for the next round.
However the format of this online tournament has proved to be a real leveller over the past three weeks and it was no different on Friday night, with Noguera claiming a 5-3 victory over White in the opening match despite averaging just 83 while Diamond spurned 14 of his 17 darts at doubles.
NOGUERA BEATS WHITE!
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 8, 2020
That match showed that darts really is all about taking your chances at the right time as Jesus Noguera completes a 5-3 win over Ian White in the opening game of the night!
Watch all the action FREE - https://t.co/6KOZ9IEnDF pic.twitter.com/sr0feCCmNo
The PDC newcomer, who earned his maiden Tour Card by virtue of his performances on the Challenge Tour last season, then took advantage of James Wilson's nine missed attempts at the outer ring to prevail 5-2 with an average of 85 and take full control of the group.
The dreadful finishing and generally low standard spread across all four homes, with White bouncing back to beat Danny Noppert 5-3 in a match in which neither could average more than 81 while the Dutchman, who had earlier pipped Wilson 5-4 in the highest-quality encounter of the evening, then made Noguera sweat by defeating him 5-2.
White needed to win his final match against Wilson 5-3 or better to snatch top spot above the Spaniard but he lost 5-4 in another clash that lacked spark.
Overall there was a staggering 114 missed darts at doubles over six matches, and Noguera advanced with an overall average of 82 from his three.
- Each night’s action begins at 1930 BST, and will include webcam footage of each player and their dart board, live score graphics and commentary from Dan Dawson. All PDC Home Tour action will be broadcast live on PDCTV for FREE to ALL registered PDCTV users, regardless of whether you have a paid or free membership
PDC Home Tour Darts: Friday results and Saturday Fixtures
Play begins at 1930 BST each night
Best of nine legs
Click here for Sky Bet odds
GROUP 22 - Friday May 8
- Ian White 3-5 Jesus Noguera
- Danny Noppert 5-4 James Wilson
- Jesus Noguera 5-2 James Wilson
- Ian White 5-2 Danny Noppert
- Danny Noppert 5-2 Jesus Noguera
- James Wilson 5-4 Ian White
GROUP STANDINGS
- Jesus Noguera (Q) P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +2 Pts 4
- Danny Noppert P 3 W 2 L 1 Leg Diff +1 Pts 4
- Ian White P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff 0 Pts 2
- James Wilson P 3 W 1 L 2 Leg Diff -3 Pts 2
GROUP 23 - Saturday May 9
- Kyle Anderson v Daniel Larsson
- Martin Schindler v Dirk van Duijvenbode
- Daniel Larsson v Dirk van Duijvenbode
- Kyle Anderson v Martin Schindler
- Martin Schindler v Daniel Larsson
- Dirk van Duijvenbode v Kyle Anderson
CLICK HERE FOR FULL TOURNAMENT RESULTS & FIXTURES
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