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From Stockport Express online:

Stockport favourite Darryl Fitton is hoping that his superb effort in reaching the Winmau World Masters final in Bridlington last weekend can provide a timely lift he may need now that the Lakeside World Championships are just seven weeks away.

Fitton was in cracking form on Saturday and Sunday as he reached his first-ever major final, where sadly he went down 7-5 in a thriller against Scot Robert Thornton. Fitton did pick up a welcome ?10,000 in prize money to help soften the blow though.

?The Dazzler? Fitton told the Express: ?I was really delighted to have finally got to a major final. I played well all weekend, but it?s up to me to step up a gear now, especially with the Lakeside now only just round the corner.

?I now know that I am capable of mixing it with the best, so hopefully I can now go on and have a good run at the Lakeside again.?

Thanks to being seeded number six for the tournament, Fitton entered the Masters at the last 16 stage on Saturday.

He edged past Finland?s Jarkko Komula at that stage 3-2 in sets, before turning in a blistering display in the quarter-finals. There Fitton turned in a superb average of 33.56 per dart to put out Australian Simon Whitlock 3-0.

In the semi-finals on Sunday afternoon, Fitton then came up against former BDO world champion John ?Boy? Walton.

A cracking all-English clash went right to the wire with Fitton emerging victorious 6-5.

Read the entire article on StockportExpress.co.uk.