Paul Lim’s fairytale continued on Saturday evening as Beau Greaves, Sophie McKinlay and Archie Self completed the WDF World Championship final lineups.
Lim’s fairytale run continues
Paul Lim produced another remarkable display to reach a first-ever World Championship final at the age of 70, defeating Jason Brandon 5-0 in the semi-finals.
Brandon opened the match with a 76 finish for a 15-darter but then lost 14 consecutive legs on the spin as Lim raced into a four-set lead and a 2-0 lead in the fifth.
The American stopped the rot with a 16-darter before winning a second successive leg after Lim had missed five match darts. Brandon was unable to make further inroads though, missing set darts and being punished by a sensational 88 out on the bull by Lim.
‘The Singapore Slinger’, who threw six 180s in the semi-final, will face Ireland’s Shane McGuirk in the final.
McGuirk hadn’t lost a set going into the last four and he still hasn’t lost one going into the final, averaging 92.73 in a clinical 5-0 victory over Belgium’s Francois Schweyen.
‘The Arrow’ won the first set 3-1 and then doubled his lead by taking the second 3-2, every leg going with throw and McGuirk sealing with a 15-darter.
McGuirk went to another level after the break, winning the third and fourth sets to nil, with the fourth coming in just 43 darts with 117 and 102 outs along the way.
The County Monaghan man extended his run to eight legs by taking the first leg of set five in 13 darts, only for Schweyen to stop the rot with a two-dart 78 finish. McGuirk went back in front with an 89 checkout before pinning double six for the match.
Greaves to face McKinlay in youngest ever senior World final
Beau Greaves produced her best performance of the week to defeat Deta Hedman in straight sets and reach her third consecutive Women’s World Championship final.
A sensational 148 finish was the highlight of the first set for Greaves, who took it 3-1, and the second went the same way with Greaves producing a 14-dart break to double her lead.
Set three followed the same pattern, with Greaves winning the first leg before Hedman levelling it up by taking the second. Greaves went back in front, before sealing victory with a 120 checkout.
It was an 86.16 average for the two-time World Champion, who’ll face Scotland’s Sophie McKinlay in the youngest senior final in darts history after McKinlay beat Lerena Rietbergen 3-1 in the first semi-final.
A 16-darter saw McKinlay get off to a good start but three legs on the bounce saw Dutch talent Rietbergen take the first set.
Set two went all the way, the first four legs going with throw before McKinlay broke in the decider with a 20-darter to level up the contest.
McKinlay took a scrappier third set 3-0 to move in front before repeating her feat of set two in the fourth, holding throw twice before breaking in the last leg to seal a 3-1 win.
All English-showdown in Boys final between Walker and Self
It’ll be a battle between former England Youth teammates in the 2024 WDF Boys’ World Championship final with Jenson Walker taking on Archie Self.
Top seed Jenson Walker had a tricky battle in the first semi-final but came through it well to defeat Florian Preis of Germany 2-1.
The first set was scrappy and went all the way, with Walker going 2-0 up before being pegged back by a 107 finish and 14-darter from Preis. The decider went Walker’s way, the 18-year-old taking out 112 against the darts.
Preis had shaded the first set in terms of averages and was rewarded in the second set, triumphing 3-1 to force a deciding set.
The German was unable to keep it going in set three though, Walker opening up with a 13-darter before sealing victory with a 108 finish.
Facing Walker will be 15-year-old Archie Self, who downed Boys’ World Master Lex Paeshuyse 2-0 with a hugely impressive showing.
There were three consecutive breaks of throw to start the match, with Self breaking his Belgian opponent twice before holding throw in 18 darts to take it 3-1.
Set two was simply blistering from ‘The Archer’, who took it 3-0 courtesy of successive finishes of 110 and 145.
Pauling and McKinlay to meet in Girls’ final
Sophie McKinlay secured a second Girls’ World Championship final on Saturday evening, defeating 2023 champion Aurora Fochesato in straight sets.
—–ENDS—–
Images: Chris Sargeant
