Kim Huybrechts took a marathon six-hour round trip in his stride after a surprise late call-up to the European Championship.

The Belgian was at home in Antwerp when he received a phone call on Thursday morning telling him he had received a place in the tournament following Luke Humphries’ withdrawal due to illness.

He set off for a three-hour drive to Dortmund in the afternoon but showed no signs of fatigue as he produced a sublime performance to beat Ryan Searle 6-1.

Huybrechts threw six 180s and averaged 103.81 before making the return journey home into the early hours of Friday morning.

“I got a phone call this morning, 9.30am, I think,” he said. “I was like dancing around the house just before I picked up. So happy days.

“I set off at 2pm, three-hour drive. Had something for food, and actually, it was a good practice.

“It was like calm, relaxed, no pressure. I’m going to drive home now, three hours back. We haven’t got a hotel because Friday’s free.

“I’ll decide on Friday what to do to.…