UNHELRALDED RICHIE WINS MACHINESEEKER EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP
Ritchie Edhouse stormed to his maiden televised crown with a crushing 11-3 victory over Jermaine Wattimena in Sunday’s Machineseeker European Championship final.
Edhouse fulfilled his darting dreams on an extraordinary day of action in Dortmund, as the two lowest-ranked players in the tournament went head-to-head for the title in a remarkable turn of events.
However, it was Basildon-born Edhouse who clinched the £120,000 top prize, as he reeled off nine consecutive legs to dispatch Wattimena and cap off a famous weekend at the Westfalenhalle.
Edhouse took centre stage in the first and last match of this year’s European Championship, after he kicked off the tournament with a stunning 109.48 average in his 6-1 demolition of Gian van Veen.
He also overturned a 4-1 deficit to stun world number two Michael Smith in Saturday’s second round, before averaging almost 104 to complete a famous 10-5 win over Gary Anderson in the last eight.
The 41-year-old continued his ground-breaking run with an 11-5 victory against Luke Woodhouse in the semi-finals, and he wasn’t to be denied against another surprise finalist in Wattimena.
The Dutchman made a bright start to Sunday’s showpiece, but his doubling unravelled midway through the decider, with Edhouse converting a host of superb combination finishes to triumph.
“This is unbelievable,” reflected Edhouse, who had not progressed beyond the last 32 of a televised event prior to his arrival in Dortmund.
“I just wanted to get a couple of wins under my belt and see what happened, so this is 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!”
Wattimena led Edhouse 3-2 at the first interval, defying back-to-back 76 and 110 combinations from the Englishman to seize the early initiative.
Edhouse refused to look back from there, however, punishing a multitude of missed opportunities at double from Wattimena to prevail in resounding fashion.
Having powered in a 106 checkout to lead 5-3, Edhouse took out 92 and 144 to move to the cusp of glory, which he sealed with another 92 checkout, pinning a brace of double 18s to seal the title in style.
Edhouse now moves into the world’s top 32 for the first time, climbing ten places to a career-high of 29th on the PDC Order of Merit, while also securing qualification for November’s Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts in the process.
Wattimena also sealed his place in Wolverhampton with a sensational run to the final, having dumped out four TV title winners to pocket the £60,000 runner-up prize.
The 36-year-old had begun his campaign with a whitewash win over reigning champion Peter Wright on Friday, before accounting for 2018 winner James Wade in a deciding-leg thriller in round two.
Wattimena then produced arguably the performance of his career in his quarter-final victory over world number one Luke Humphries, averaging over a ton to romp home by a 10-4 scoreline.
This set up an all-Dutch semi-final showdown against Danny Noppert, and Wattimena held his nerve to sink the former UK Open champion in another gripping last-leg shoot-out.
“I’m really happy to reach the final,” said Wattimena, who was full of praise 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.
“This is a huge moment in my career, but there is going to be more. I’m proud of what I have done this weekend.”
Sunday’s remarkable conclusion to the European Championship saw the four lowest-ranked players in this year’s 32-player field making up the final five, alongside world number 15 Noppert.
Noppert overturned a 9-7 deficit to edge out Germany’s Ricardo Pietreczko in a dramatic quarter-final, only to succumb in the semi-finals for a second consecutive year.
Woodhouse, meanwhile, performed superbly on his European Championship debut, overcoming Ross Smith, Ryan Searle and Dirk van Duijvenbode across the weekend to reach his maiden televised semi-final.
Humphries was an overwhelming favourite to clinch a first European Championship crown heading into Finals Day, only to be swept aside by a brilliant Wattimena in the last eight.
Two-time World Champion Anderson suffered the same fate at the hands of an inspired Edhouse, while home favourite Pietreczko and a resurgent Van Duijvenbode also lost out at the same stage.
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
Evening Session
Semi-Finals
Ritchie Edhouse 11-5 Luke Woodhouse
Jermaine Wattimena 11-10 Danny Noppert
Final
Ritchie Edhouse 11-3 Jermaine Wattimena
——-ENDS—–
Images: Kelly Deckers/PDC Europe
