After his heroics in the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace in London local hero Jamie Lewis has said a big thank you to thousands of friends and followers in the Cardigan, Carmarthen and other areas for messages of support as he stunned the darts world by becoming the first qualifier to reach the semi-finals of the biggest tournament on the planet.

There were euphoric scenes at watering holes in Cardigan and the surrounding district as 26-year-old Jamie roared into the semi-final where he finally lost against retiring legend and 16-times world champion Phil Taylor.

After the semi the Cardigan darter said “The occasion got to me a bit but I will learn from the experience and will be back next year.”

Many in the Cardigan area said they had not seen anything like the scenes in pubs and clubs since 1985 when local jockey Hywel Davies won the Grand National on 50/1 outsider Last Suspect.

Having been inundated with Facebook, Twitter and text messages, a large number from people with very little knowledge of the sport but could associate with the local hero, Jamie told the Tivy-Side “I couldn’t keep up with the messages – it was overwhelming and quite honestly it gave be a big boost and egged me on during the tournament.”

Now having a month off he said “I’d like to say a massive thank you to everyone who supported me, especially from the Cardigan area.

And recalling his success he added “Everyone had better get accustomed to it because there is more to come.”