Nathan Aspinall incredibly stopped before the deciding leg of his World Darts Championship third round clash to watch a fan sink a pitcher.
Aspinall was taking on Andrew Gilding at Ally Pally, and raced into a 3-0 set lead.
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‘The Asp’ then continued his fine fettle in the fourth and final set by going 2-1 up in legs, with just 501 needed in a decider to secure his place in the round of 16.
But before stepping to the oche, Aspinall decided to halt the match and watch a fan down four pints of beer in the stands.
The fans chanted behind him as the spectator necked the jug, and the British star watched on with a wry smile.
Aspinall, who appeared to lose concentration, glanced in the fan’s direction during his penultimate visit as boos rang around Ally Pally, suggesting the spectator had been kicked out by security.
But fortunately, the Brit was still able to comfortably secure his whitewash victory 4-0.
He explained the moment in an interview with talkSPORT: “I was intrigued.
“Fair play, I only know one guy that can do that and that is Dave Chisnall.
“I watched it and couldn’t start as I wanted to watch it, but fair play to him, although he got kicked out.
“For party atmosphere, I love Ally Pally.”
The fan was eventually ejected, but despite the hiccup, Aspinall will remain at Alexandra Palace after blitzing to a comfortable win.
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He raced to victory by averaging 92.17 and is starting to pick up some form at the right time.
On his performance, Aspinall added: “For some reason my scoring is not there but the finishing is not there.
“But Andrew is a tough opponent and to beat him in 4-0 I was very happy in the end.
“I think I’m happy where my head is at but I’m not necessarily happy with my overall performance yet.”
Aspinall will face German Ricardo Pietreczko in the next round, who defeated Scott Williams when roared on by a passionate crowd.
It is the furthest the German has ever been in the competition, and he will be expected to be backed heavily again in North London.
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A unique battle could unfold when the pair meet given Aspinall’s next rival’s strength was also his finishing, hitting a clinical rate of 50 per cent.
When addressing how his support could aid him moving forward, he told talkSPORT: “Yeah it’s really cool support from both sides.
“I really hope it is the same in the next round too.
“Scott was a very difficult player, and his games on stage made it very difficult for me.
“But doubling was good for me and I’m happy.
“I would be excited to play Nathan, he is a really great player and I know what he is capable of.”
The winner of Aspinall vs Pietreczko could face Luke Littler in the quarter-final should the 17-year-old superstar beat Ryan Joyce in their fourth round tie.
Tune into talkSPORT 2 for coverage of the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship, as we bring you exclusive live commentary from Alexandra Palace. Listen via our web player, app, on DAB, or through your smart speaker.
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