WES NEWTON thought that he was the victim of a prank call when PDC Chairman Barry Hearn told him he would compete in the McCoy's Premier League Darts this year!
Newton, the world number seven, is one of three new faces included in the expanded ten-man Premier League, which kicks off in Belfast on Thursday as he takes on 2009 champion James Wade.
The 35-year-old has spent the past two years ranked inside the world's top ten, but missed out on a wildcard 12 months ago after Kevin Painter won his first major title and Andy Hamilton reached the World Championship final.
The runner-up in the 2012 European Championship to Simon Whitlock, Newton reached three other televised quarter-finals and landed a nine-darter in the World Matchplay to press his Premier League credentials.
However, he has revealed that he thought a call from PDC Chairman Barry Hearn telling him of his inclusion in this year's £520,000 event was a joke being played by friends.
"I thought it was someone winding me up - I didn't believe it at first," he admitted. "I even had to ask Barry if he was saying what I thought he was.
"I didn't sleep that night and when I went round to my parents' house I was shaking with excitement when I was telling them!
"It will be a new experience for me and I can't wait to get on stage for the first game of the season. Every player wants to be World Champion, but the Premier League is up there with it now.
"In some ways I thought that the longer I took to get into the Premier League, the better player I'll be, and I'm delighted it's this year.
"It's something I wanted so much and I've finally got it so I'm over the moon. I suppose it will finally seem real when I go up on stage for the first time."
The Premier League seemed a long way off for Newton when he slipped down to 36th in the world during 2009, but he left his job in accounting to become a full-time professional and has not looked back since by winning seven ranking events and reaching two televised finals.
"It shows where I've come in the last few years," said Newton, who made his name by reaching the Las Vegas Desert Classic semi-finals in 2005 and 2006.
"It was a really hurtful time and you do question yourself and wonder if you're going to get back up there. I put a lot of hard work in and I've achieved it.
"The challenge now is to go even higher and I think playing in the Premier League could be the final piece in my jigsaw to help me go on to win a major.
"I'll be a lot more used to the big crowds after playing in this and playing the top players in the world week-in and week-out can only improve me as a player."
The opening Premier League night, to be held at a sold-out Odyssey Arena in Belfast, sees reigning Premier League champion Phil Taylor play debutant Michael van Gerwen in a repeat of the World Championship final.
Adrian Lewis, who won the Betfair World Cup of Darts alongside Taylor in Hamburg last weekend, plays 2012 Premier League runner-up Simon Whitlock, while Raymond van Barneveld meets Gary Anderson and the other newcomer, Robert Thornton, faces Andy Hamilton.
McCoy's Premier League Darts
Night One - Thursday February 7
Odyssey Arena, Belfast
Andy Hamilton v Robert Thornton
James Wade v Wes Newton
Raymond van Barneveld v Gary Anderson
Simon Whitlock v Adrian Lewis
Phil Taylor v Michael van Gerwen
Live on Sky Sports HD from 7pm