Event outsider Ritchie Edhouse secured a maiden main title on the European Championship in Dortmund courtesy of an 11-3 rout of Jermaine Wattimena within the ultimate.
Edhouse stormed to his maiden televised title with a crushing 11-3 victory over Jermaine Wattimena.
He fulfilled his darting desires on a rare day of motion in Dortmund, as the 2 lowest-ranked gamers within the event went head-to-head in a exceptional ultimate.
Nevertheless, it was Basildon-born Edhouse who clinched the £120,000 prime prize, as he reeled off 9 consecutive legs to dispatch Wattimena and cap off a well-known weekend on the Westfalenhalle.
“This is unbelievable,” mirrored ‘Madhouse’ Edhouse, who had not progressed past the final 32 of a televised occasion previous to his arrival in Dortmund.
“I simply wished to get a few wins below my belt and see what occurred, so this can be a dream come true.
“I think this could be a stepping stone for me, because confidence breeds confidence, and now I am really confident and hungry for more!”
Edhouse took centre stage within the first and final match of this 12 months’s European Championship, having kicked off the event with a shocking 109.48 common in his 6-1 demolition of Gian van Veen.
He additionally overturned a 4-1 deficit to stun world No 2 Michael Smith in Saturday’s second spherical, earlier than averaging virtually 104 to finish a well-known 10-5 win over Gary Anderson within the final eight.
The 41-year-old continued his groundbreaking run with an 11-5 victory towards Luke Woodhouse within the semi-finals, and he wasn’t to be denied towards one other shock finalist in Wattimena.
The Dutchman made a vivid begin to Sunday’s showpiece, however his doubling unravelled halfway via the match, with Edhouse reeling off 9 consecutive legs to take the title.
Wattimena led Edhouse 3-2 on the first interval, defying back-to-back 76 and 110 mixtures from the Englishman to grab the early initiative.
Edhouse refused to look again from there, nevertheless, punishing a large number of missed alternatives at double from Wattimena to prevail in resounding style.
Having powered in a 106 checkout to guide 5-3, Edhouse took out 92 and 144 to maneuver to the cusp of glory, which he sealed with one other 92 checkout, pinning a brace of double 18s to seal it in type.
Edhouse now strikes into the world’s prime 32 for the primary time, climbing 10 locations to a career-high of twenty ninth on the PDC Order of Advantage, whereas additionally securing Grand Slam of Darts qualification within the course of.
Wattimena additionally sealed his place in Wolverhampton with a sensational run to the ultimate, having dumped out 4 main winners to pocket the £60,000 runner-up prize.
The 36-year-old had begun his marketing campaign with a whitewash win over reigning champion Peter Wright on Friday, earlier than accounting for 2018 winner James Wade in a deciding-leg thriller in spherical two.
Wattimena then produced arguably the efficiency of his profession in his quarter-final victory over world No 1 Luke Humphries, averaging over a ton to romp residence by a 10-4 scoreline.
This arrange an all-Dutch semi-final showdown towards Danny Noppert, and Wattimena held his nerve to sink the previous UK Open champion in one other gripping last-leg shoot-out.
“I’m really happy to reach the final,” mentioned Wattimena, who was stuffed with reward for Edhouse post-match.
“I lost to the better player in Ritchie. On the stage we are enemies, but after the match we’re good friends. I’ve known him for a long time, so congratulations to Ritchie.
“It is a enormous second in my profession, however there may be going to be extra. I am happy with what I’ve achieved this weekend.”
2024 Machineseeker European Championship
Sunday October 27
Afternoon Session
Quarter-Finals
Luke Woodhouse 10-4 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Ritchie Edhouse 10-5 Gary Anderson
Jermaine Wattimena 10-4 Luke Humphries
Danny Noppert 10-9 Ricardo Pietreczko
Night Session
Semi-Finals
Ritchie Edhouse 11-5 Luke Woodhouse
Jermaine Wattimena 11-10 Danny Noppert
Closing
Ritchie Edhouse 11-3 Jermaine Wattimena
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