Jose de Sousa produced one of darts’ most unbelievable moments during the 2021 Premier League.
The Portuguese showed his class with a ridiculous checkout that left Wayne Mardle speechless and the crowd going wild.
Sky SportsDe Sousa produced a moment of magic during the 2021 Premier League[/caption]
Sky SportsThe Special One sent the crowd wild with his 120 checkout[/caption]
De Sousa had been facing Nathan Aspinall on night 16, the final night of the league phase four years ago.
Both players had already booked their place in the play-offs when they met at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes.
However, De Sousa was still able to produce a stunning performance as he averaged 103.25 on his way to an 8-3 victory.
The win began in exceptional fashion as he broke Aspinall’s throw in the opening leg.
As his opponent waited on 56, De Sousa pinned three double 20s to checkout 120.
The conventional route to 120 is treble 20, single 20, double 20 – but with nothing on the line – De Sousa opted for a bit of showmanship.
Aspinall could not help but smile and applaud the feat as the crowd erupted behind them.
Meanwhile, Mardle lost all composure on commentary, even losing his voice in the process.
As De Sousa hit the first of his three double 20s, Mardle exclaimed: “He’s not?! He’s not?! Oh he’s not! Oh stop it! Oh! Oh! Stop it! Stop it right now! That is… I’ve gone, I’ve gone, I’ve gone!”
The former PDC World Darts Championship semi-finalist’s voice could be heard cracking as he struggled to do the checkout justice.
Sky SportsDe Sousa pinned three double 20s to take the opening leg[/caption]
GettyMardle was left speechless as he lost his voice reacting to the checkout[/caption]
His co-commentator then added: “That is ridiculous. Jose de Sousa leaves Wayne Mardle lost for words.”
The Special One would follow up his heroics by beating Aspinall again in the semi-finals on play-off night the following day.
De Sousa eventually lost the final 11-5 to Jonny Clayton as he ended his only Premier League campaign as runner-up.
His appearance in the tournament followed victory in the Grand Slam of Darts the previous year and a run to seventh in the world by the end of 2021.
The 51-year-old also hit a nine-darter on night four of the Premier League, which also came against the Asp.
However, De Sousa has since slipped to 45th in the PDC Order of Merit.
As a result, he has only received a bye to the third round of this weekend’s UK Open at Butlins Minehead.
De Sousa will take on one of Jimmy van Schie, Adam Paxton, Simon Stevenson or Jules van Dongen in his opening match on Friday.
