ST HELENS darter Michael Smith was left to rue a missed dart at double tops which allowed five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld to clinch a place in the William Hill World Darts Championship semis at Alexandra Palace on New Year's Day.

Smith looked to be coasting at one stage, leading 3-0, but the game turned in the fifth set when he missed five darts at double to allow the Dutchman to break and consolidate his recovery.

All of a sudden the momentum - and the Ally Pally crowd - was with van Barneveld and credit to Smith for not wilting when it finally got to 3-3.

But leading 2-0 in the deciding ninth set, Smith crucially missed the double that would have secured the passage through to the last four.

Nine years to the day since he famously came from 3-0 down to defeat Phil Taylor in the legendary 2007 World Championship final, van Barneveld again overturned a three-set deficit before coming from two legs down in the decider to defeat Smith.

The 25-year-old from Clock Face hit 13 180s in a classic contest, but crucially missed a dart at tops to win the deciding ninth set 3-0 before van Barneveld took four straight legs for victory.

"It's all about belief," said van Barneveld, who hit four 121 checkouts on the way to a third consecutive deciding set victory.

"He hit so many good finishes and when I was 3-0 down it felt like it wasn't going to happen but I kept believing and hit some really crucial doubles.

"Maybe there is someone up there helping me. I can't describe my feelings right now. It could be my year again."

Smith was St Helens' last representative in the prestigious competition which ends on Sunday.

How the game unfolded.

SET ONE: 2-3.

Smith edged a sensational opening set, which he started the match with a 180 before pegging double five.

Van Barneveld levelled on tops before breaking with a brilliant 121 shot, finishing on the bull in a leg where both players hit maximums.

Smith broke straight back with an audacious 97 finish, hitting single 19, double 19 and tops. He then kicked off the deciding leg with a 180 and won it on tops - but only after the Dutch great had missed a dart at the bull when on a 170 checkout.

SET TWO: 1-3.

Smith took out 114 to break before landing double five. Van Barneveld pegged double eight but the 25-year-old fired in his fifth 180 and followed it with a 108 finish to double his lead.

SET THREE: 0-3.

Smith finished 45 and then defied van Barneveld's second 180 with a 94 checkout against the throw. He then completed a 121 finish of his own to move three sets clear.

SET FOUR: 3-0.

Van Barneveld pulled a set back when he landed double nine and then produced a brilliant 121 finish for the second time in the match before a fourth 180 helped him make it three legs on the bounce.

SET FIVE: 3-1.

Smith hit two 180s in the opening leg but missed five darts at doubles, allowing van Barneveld to break.

The Dutch ace then took out 76 despite another 180 from Smith, whose ninth 180 helped him pull a leg back. Van Barneveld clinched the set though, taking out 121 for the third time after both players had hit maximums.

SET SIX: 3-0.

Van Barneveld then finished 104 and 121, for an amazing fourth time in six sets, before cleaning up 25 to level the tie.

SET SEVEN: 3-1.

Van Barneveld continued his comeback despite dropping the first leg when Smith executed an 11-darter, but it proved to be a token leg as the Dutch star won the next three legs, including a crucial 64 checkout to break in leg three.

SET EIGHT: 1-3.

Smith took the first two legs before van Barneveld kicked off the third leg with back-to-back 180s as he pulled one back. Smith took the next leg on double ten, though, to force a deciding set.

SET NINE: 4-2.

Finishes of 40 and 130 saw Smith take a 2-0 lead in the final set but he missed a dart at tops for the match on a 113 checkout, and van Barneveld took out 96 to punish him before landing double eight again to make it two legs each, forcing a tie-break. With a margin of two legs required for victory, van Barneveld broke Smith's throw by pinning double 15 before claiming victory on double 16.

Van Barneveld will meet Lewis in the semi-finals after the 2011 and 2012 World Champion defeated number four seed Peter Wright 5-2.

The Stoke star won the first three sets and his opponent failed to recover but, after winning two of the next three sets, Wright missed a dart to make it 4-3 and a confident Lewis finished him off.

"It will take a tough opponent to beat me," said Lewis, after a high quality affair in which both players averaged over 102. "I'm up there trying my best all the time to win this title and my form is coming together nicely.

"I might not have knocked Michael van Gerwen or Phil Taylor out but you can only beat whoever is put in front of you. Barney is playing really well and I'll have to be at my best to beat him."

Reigning World Champion Anderson continued his excellent defence of the Sid Waddell Trophy with a 5-1 demolition of James Wade.

The world number two coasted to victory with an average of over 105, also wiring double 12 for a nine-darter on a day that saw the perfect leg possibility set up eight times after six darts.

The Scottish ace is now just two games away from becoming the third player to successfully defend his first World Championship title, and he said: "It's going alright so far and I'm happy.

"I've felt comfortable and confident ever since I got the first game out of the way. It was a good performance, although it would have been nice to have hit the nine-darter - but I'm sure that there will be one or two before the end of the tournament."

Klaasen produced a sensational five-leg burst to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against Ally Pally debutant Alan Norris, who also narrowly missed double 12 for a nine-dart-finish.

The classy Dutchman was a leg away from defeat - as he had been in his third round triumph over 16-time World Champion Taylor - when Norris led 2-1 in the eighth set but produced back-to-back 11-darters to force a deciding set, in which he romped to victory.

"In the last few years I've learned to play my best darts under pressure," said Klaasen, who became the first to player to win their next match after knocking Taylor out of the World Championship.

"I needed those two 11-darters but I always believe in myself and I'm happy to be through. If I continue to play like I have been this week, I can win this."

The thrilling battle between Klaasen and Norris also saw the pair set up five potential perfect legs between them after six darts had been thrown - but neither, like Anderson later in the day, were able to finish off a nine-darter to claim a £15,000 bonus.

The semi-finals will be played out on Saturday evening with van Barneveld and Lewis facing off in a repeat of last year's classic contest at the third round stage, which saw the Stoke ace hit a nine-darter, before Anderson takes on Klaasen in another repeat of a thrilling tie from 12 months ago.

Results.

Quarter-Finals.

Alan Norris 4-5 Jelle Klaasen.

Gary Anderson 5-1 James Wade.

Raymond van Barneveld 5-4 Michael Smith.

Adrian Lewis 5-2 Peter Wright.

Saturday January 2 (8pm.

Semi-Finals.

Raymond van Barneveld v Adrian Lewis.

Gary Anderson v Jelle Klaasen.

Best of 11 Sets.