2305: It's all over! Kevin 'The Artist' Painter is through to face John Part tomorrow and the match we all thought would be the closest of the day has ended in a comfortable 5-2 win for Painter!

What a day of darts, be sure to join us tomorrow from 1900GMT for the semi-finals - Kirk Shepherd v Wayne Mardle and John Part v Kevin Painter.

2250: But the Artist runs away with the sixth set and it's 4-2. Painter is now just one set away from a semi-final spot on what has been a thrilling day of darts!

2243: Lewis is really struggling here as Painter takes a 3-2 lead. The Jackpot has just not got going tonight but he's still in with a shout if he can steal this set to make it 3-3.

2233: Are we on for another 5-4 thriller? Adrian Lewis takes the fourth set to make it 2-2 and my hopes of nipping off early look increasingly unlikely.

2221: After a few technical problems our feeds are back up and running and it's now 2-1 to the Artist Kevin Painter.

2209: Early signs that this one could go the distance as Zig or Zag lets Lewis in to level things up at 1-1.

2158: Poetry in comm box, with Super Saturday dubbed "historical and hysterical" and "the night the Clown Prince became the Crown Prince". Hard to argue.

2152: Zig or Zag takes the first set comfortably. Look, I don't know which one was which. Painter's the one with the biege fur.

2150: Regular readers will know we're big fans of darting lookalikes here. Well here's a great shout from someone who is clearly struggling at the end of a long shift: Painter looks like Zig or Zag, erstwhile alien entertainers on dreadful Channel Four early-morning wrongcast The Big Breakfast. They do have undeniably similar-shaped heads.

2144: The Artist and Jackpot are up on the stage. Of all today's games, this perhaps looked the hardest to call at the start of the day. Given what we've seen, I'm not about to start now. Adrian Lewis is flying the Stoke flag now, while Kevin Painter has been - along with Part - the form player of the tournament in the early rounds.

2127: Mardle's secret: "Treat it like it means nothing, when it means everything." Taylor, gracious in defeat, backs his opponent to take the title. It's going to be a strange feeling on January 1 when, for the first time, a PDC World Final takes place without The Power.

2121: Mardle does it! Wonderful comeback, and Hawaii 501 is in tears here. Looked out of it at 3-0 down, but back he came. Every match today has somehow contrived to be better than the last. I'm going to stick my neck out (again) and say the last game will not be.

2119: The first break of throw in the set, and Mardle is now throwing for the match. He started that leg like a train and, despite a stutter, nails tops to move 5-4 in front.

2116: Mardle holds comfortably again. We're two legs away from a sudden-death leg for the match. Taylor threw some shocking darts in that leg.

2112: Mardle misses the bull for a 121, Taylor goes 4-3 up. He can smell the winning line here.

2111: Mardle fires in a 13-darter of his own for 3-3. Unbelievable quality now from both players.

2109: The Power holds for 3-2 with a 13-darter. Is he going to scrape through again?

2106: Mardle comfortably holds throw. For the third time today, it's 2-2 in a final set. Got to be two clear from here...

2103: Mardle bends the wire on the double 18 for a 141 outshot, and then misses with his next three. But Taylor fails with two darts at double eight. Mardle misses three more darts at double 18, and Taylor hits double four to move one leg from victory. Mardle has missed 10 darts at doubles on Taylor's throw in this set alone. Could have been all over.

2058: Mardle misses three darts at tops to break Taylor. The Power hits the middle of double 12. Massive moment early in this decisive set.

2051: Mardle breaks Taylor, and for the third time today we're into a decider. What a darting day. Mardle celebrates by gurning at the crowd and puffing out his cheeks. Taylor just shakes his head, apparently overcome by melancholy.

2049: Both players hit 180s in the next leg, but Mardle holds his throw to move within a leg of taking us to a decider. Mardle "rocking and rolling like Chuck Berry" according to Waddell.

2045: Mardle breaks straight back. He was offering a prayer to the darting gods as Taylor stepped up looking to take out 112. He didn't, and Mardle stepped in and took out 47 in two darts.

2042: Taylor takes the first leg of the eighth set against the darts. Mardle jumping and jerking around the stage in a rage. Face colour tips over from red to puce.

2039: With the banter in danger of tipping over into unpleasantness, it's Taylor who takes the seventh set with the darts.

2026: The theatricals from Mardle are clearly having an effect on Taylor, who is stood shaking his head while his opponent pantomimes away.

2021: Mardle does the business and against the odds it's now 3-3. The crowd and the momentum are behind the game's great entertainer. I'm sure I remember Mardle saying he was a Spurs fan. Figures. Sid, meanwhile, is getting over-excited again and starts whittering on about soggy eggs that are hard-boiled. Not sure where the Darts Laureate was going with that one.

2019: Taylor just holds his throw to take the set to a deciding leg, but it's Mardle with the darts. Mardle still acting up, reacting to another 180 with mock shock horror.

2016: There's some needle here. Taylor visibly riled by some of Mardle's antics - particularly that 'blind' third dart in a 180 a few legs ago. In a brilliant moment, Mardle hits a leg-winning double nine so quickly after a Taylor 180 that the announcer is still calling it. It could have been Taylor's fourth dart so quick did it fly.

2008: It's turning round here. Mardle has the crowd in his pocket, and starts celebrating a 180 before the final dart finds its mark. It does and, with 183 needed, he lands two more trebles to start his next visit. Mardle, grinning, almost goes for the third but checks himself. It would have shown some verve and nerve to leave three, but Mardle decides to hit 13 and leave 50 instead. He takes it out to make it 3-2 in sets. Great comeback from Mardle after losing nine of the first 10 legs in this match. His ever-redder face, though, continues to clash terribly with his Hawaiian outfit.

1957: Mardle looking to get the crowd going in the break, whooping it up and achieving his aim.

1954: Never rule out Wayne, who roars through the fourth set three-zip. Taylor's face one of genuine surprise, as are those of the Mardle fans in this packed crowd. They look a fraction happier about it, though.

1948: After the epics we saw earlier, this one's in danger of being a mismatch. Taylor 3-0 up, Mardle horribly off the pace. Nowhere near his best.

1936: Ominous early signs as Taylor makes it 2-0. After some early jitters on the doubles he's starting to find the middle of the double 16. Mardle's face slowly reddening, and clashing horribly with his orange shirt.

1930: We're back at the Pally, and Phil Taylor has already raced into a 1-0 lead over Wayne Mardle, who has already started screaming at the board, his darts and the world in general.

1711: Part takes out the match 4-2 in the decider with a 113 outshot. Breathtaking afternoon of darts, and fitting that the match was settled on a three-figure outshot, one of several that peppered a classic encounter. Both matches settled 4-2 in the decider, and this evening's clashes have much to live up to.

1706: After the best leg of the match, we're 2-2 in the final set. Wade started with 140; Part responded. Wade hit 180; Part responded. Wade held his nerve to take the leg.

1700: Part breaks straight back. This could take a while.

1656: Advantage Wade, as he takes the first leg of the deciding set against the throw.

1652: Part, increasingly animated, starts missing doubles; Wade keeps hitting them. The number-three seed races through the set 3-0 and we've got our second final set of the afternoon - one of the best sessions of darts you could wish to see.

1645: You'll have to excuse your correspondent for being mildly distracted by events at White Hart Lane. Having backed four or more goals in the game and watching Spurs move 6-4 ahead of Reading, there's a strangely bittersweet feeling. I didn't look at the price for 10 or more goals but one suspects the wallet might be stuffed with a rather more life-changing quantity of notes had I gone for that option. Part, meanwhile, holds the set with the darts to move back into the lead.

1630: Wade nails 106 to take the set and level the match at 3-3. Second best for much of the time, Wade's now got to be the favourite. Not long ago, Part looked set to move 4-1 clear.

1620: Part was two darts away from a 2-0 lead in the set, but another ton-plus finish from Wade saw him move 2-1 clear. Both the final two legs go against the darts and Wade closes the gap. Much excitement in the comm box when Wade, needing 60 for the leg, only just creeps inside the wire for single 20. For several seconds, they seem to genuinelybelieve he's missed. Right up to the point where Wade chucks his final dart into the middle of the double 20. Wade's hanging in there.

1604: Weak pun alert, as someone in the office pipes up with 'Parting of the Wade'. Names have been omitted to protect the guilty...

1602: Part makes it three legs against the throw in this set before holding to move 3-1 clear. He's value for the lead, and Wade looks troubled. Part heads off the stage for the break, while Wade stays for some practice.

1556: The outshot oneupmanship continues, as Wade comes from nowhere to break back with a 148, staying on the treble 20 and picking off double 14. Part pays the price for missing an open throw at double 16.

1553: Part follows up Wade's 141 outshot with a 127 of his own, clawing back a deficit of over 200 points at one stage to take the leg. This is the business end of the tournament now, and the quality is superb.

1552: Wade gets his first set on the board in fine style, taking out 141 to clinch it. He's got the darts in the fourth set and can level up the match after a poor start.

1543: An ironic 'whoop-de-doo' celebration from Wade as ne snaps a four-leg losing streak. It's a big leg to win, though, breaking the throw at the start of a set you'd think Wade has to win.

1537: Part in control at the moment, breaking Wade again to take the set 3-0. He now has what no player had at any stage in the first match: a two-set cushion. Wade still below his best, with neither his stubble nor his darts convincing at this stage.

1531: Wade misses seven darts at a double in the opening leg of set two; Part nails his first to break the throw. An early but potentially crucial moment in this match.

1524: Part races into a 2-0 lead in the first set, breaking Wade's throw with a 10-darter. An unshaven Wade hits back to level and both men miss darts at tops for the set. Part takes it out at his third attempt - early signs are that this could be another classic encounter on Super Saturday.

1510: Now we turn to a clash between a former world champion and a future one: John Part v James Wade. On paper the pick of the afternoon clashes; on the oche, it's going to have to be pretty special to live up to that. Darth Maple has been in cracking form this week, while Wade - many people's tip for the title - has been short of his best. But getting through tournaments when not at your best is the sign of a champion, and Wade will surely add this title to his collection. But will it be this year?

1501: The first sign that this all might be getting to Shepherd as he insists he's not worried about facing Taylor or Barney in the last four. Barney's gone home, Kirk. He then goes on to stress that he's not bothered if his next game is "against Taylor or some bloke from down the pub". Is that a dig at Wayne Mardle?

1457: Shepherd, the 21-year-old qualifier who'd never played on TV before, secures the Understatement of the Tournament gong, claiming if someone had offered him a last-four spot before the tournament started he would have "settled for it".

1451: No nine-darter, but Shepherd won't mind. His third attempt at double five finds the middle of the bed, sparking massive celebrations. Huge upset here at the Ally Pally, and the Shepherd fairytale continues. The pre-tournament 500/1 shot is into the last four. There are three more mouthwatering last-eight clashes to come today but we've surely seen the high point of the day. Shepherd collapses to the floor in joy and disbelief. He'd never played on TV before this tournament.

1450: Manley looks shellshocked. Shepherd moves 3-2 up and starts the sixth leg with six perfect darts. Surely not a nine-darter for victory?

1445: "If I get a chance, I won't miss." So said Manley in the build-up to this game, in reference to the seven match points missed by Terry Jenkins and Mick McGowan against Shepherd in the first two rounds. Manley has just missed two darts at an open double to wrap up a 3-0 final-set victory. Three minutes later, Shepherd makes it 2-2 and we're into sudden death. Manley is, according to Dave Lanning, "sweating like a bull".

1436: Manley tries it on for the first time, walking leisurely up to the board to carefully and precisely extract his arrows. Shepherd waits patiently, hits 140 and takes out the set. The Shepherd clambers alongside his opponent on the hill. Another final-set decider on the cards, and it's anyone's game. There's no doubt who the packed crowd are rooting for.

1431: Once again, just as Shepherd looks beaten, he hits back. Manley misses three darts at double 12, and Shepherd takes the leg against the darts. For good measure, he nails a 180 and a 140 in an 11-dart leg to confirm the break. Superb stuff.

1428: Brilliant set of darts from Manley, breaking the throw in the fifth leg to take it. He's now throwing for a semi-final spot in the eighth. There's been little of the gamesmanship he'd promised - just pure high-quality darts. Love him or hate him, you've got to admire him. And not just for the shirt.

1417: Sure enough, it's 3-3 as Shepherd wins both his legs with the darts. Time and again we've seen Manley get inside the heads of young, inexperienced players - but he's getting no joy this time. He's tried to slow the game down, but we've still raced through six sets in little over an hour. Shepherd scoring heavily and taking out the doubles in fine style. This one could go the distance.

1412: Manley busts gunning for double two, Shepherd steps in to nail double 18 and takes the initiative early in set six. He won't go away...

1410: Manley takes the fifth set against the darts to move ahead for the first time in the match. Could that be the defining moment? First to five in the last eight, remember.

1400: A cracking start to quarter-final day at the Ally Pally, with the surprise package Kirk Shepherd currently locked at two sets all with Peter Manley, pretty in pink as always. It's a high-quality match so far, and it looks like Shepherd's determination to avoid Manley in the practice area to prevent the wily veteran getting in his head is paying off.