EVANS REVEALS STAR WHO GOT INSIDE HIS HEAD

RICKY EVANS revealed ex-pro Jim Walker managed to get inside his head on the oche by speeding up his throw.

‘Rapid Ricky’ is known for playing at a relentless pace that few can live with but in a rare-twist his rhythm was disrupted by the Scotsman. 

World No.45 Evans explained his natural flow was thrown off, not by slowing down, but by being forced to go even faster. 

He told talkSPORT: “I’ve had the odd person try and speed me up. He’s a friend of mine, do you know Josh Rock and Scott Williams’ driver?

“Jim Walker, I used to share with Jim back in the day when he was on tour. He said I’m the only person ever where, in one event, he sped me up and slowed down Brendan Dolan. 

“I love Jim to bits. He sped me up and slowed down Brendan Dolan in the same day, and he won both games. 

“Jim Walker used to speed me up. How do you speed me up?” 

The Kettering thrower reached the third round of the World Championship before losing to debutant Charlie Manby. 

Evans lifted the lid on the quirky superstitions that creep in when the stakes are highest at the PDC Premier events. 

He added: “Bigger games I put my socks on before my pants. I do wash them, but I have to wear the same ones. 

“I think Chris Dobey says it; he uses the same toilet cubicle. If someone’s there, I am like, hurry up, hurry up, I need to use that one. 

“I didn’t do that this year when I lost, and that is not the reason I lost to Charlie Manby, let’s be honest.

“But it was in my head after I thought I didn’t use the same toilet. Stupid stuff like that. My playlist is always the same random rubbish music I love. 

“It never works though, so maybe I should get rid of these.”

Image by Taylor Lanning.