Cork's John O'Shea has been knocked out of the PDC World Darts Championship, after a 3-2 loss to Lithuania's Darius Labanauskas.
Despite being dumped out, O'Shea produced a few moments of magnificent darts, in a match that swung both ways.
John O'Shea had raced into a 2-0 set lead, after coming back from two games down in the first set. Labanauskas was allowed back in however, and made it 2-2 before clinching the fifth set 3-1.
Some of O'Shea's best highlights included a bull finish in the fourth set, and a 120 finish in the fifth set after his opponent had squandered two match darts.
John O'Shea - World Darts Championship
He NAILS it! 🎯
John O'Shea is making it happen on his World Championship debut ✨ pic.twitter.com/yEZwqW9ReD— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) December 21, 2022
"SURPRISE!" 🃏
O'Shea needs a bull and GETS it! 🎯👏 pic.twitter.com/Hb2QAd76Bi— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) December 21, 2022
THE JOKER RISES AGAIN! 😱 pic.twitter.com/mfsTdBWzMT
— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) December 21, 2022
READ HERE: World Darts Championship: When An Irishman Was At The Heart Of One Of Darts' Most Iconic Moments
In a recent interview, O'Shea discussed the pressures of being a lower ranked player in the PDC.
"You must remember, you have to win a game in the PDC to get paid.
"If you're drawing the likes of Gerwyn Price or Michael van Gerwen in the first round and you lose, you don't get paid. It's not like there's a pot there that you get £30,000 a year before you even throw a dart. It doesn't work like that.
"There are some guys there that have played for two years with their tour card and barely broke £10,000 in earnings. That's tough going. That doesn't make them bad players ,it's just that the results have not gone their way.
"It's a different sort of pressure.
"I'll be honest with you, it was never on the cards at the start of the year," said O'Shea on qualifying for the 2023 PDC World Darts Championship.
"A run at Ally Pally opens up a whole load of new doors. I'm actually playing well. I'm not practicing as much because I'm happy with my darts, my setup, my throw, I'm scoring well."
SEE ALSO: Cinderella Runs, Trophy Disputes, & Dartitis: John O'Shea's Long Road To The PDC World Championships
