Scotland’s Ross Montgomery claimed his second World Seniors Darts title in style, defeating Richie Howson 8–5 in a high-quality final to be crowned Champion of Champions.
Sharing a nickname with a certain Bruce Springsteen, The Boss once again proved he was Born to Throw. With the World Seniors Championship already in his trophy cabinet, Montgomery now has another prize for the shelf following a thrilling night at the MODUS Live Lounge.
The event had taken on a cauldron like atmosphere with the crowd close to the stage and a high temperatures outside.
The heat was certainly turned up on Steve Beaton as the former lakeside World champion, who surely should thrive in the heat, went down in the day’s opening salvo, to the legendary Trina Gulliver.
The 62-year-old Montgomery then opened his campaign with a tense 5–4 win over ten-time World Champion Gulliver. It looked like a formality when Montgomery surged into a 4–0 lead, but The Golden Girl battled back to force a decider. Of course, Montgomery held firm, or this report would have started quite differently.
After a brief break, it was on to a highly anticipated semi-final clash with Raymond van Barneveld. The Dutch legend had dispatched Neil Duff in his WSD debut, but against Monty, the doubles deserted him. Or more accurately, they landed – but not in the spots he was aiming for. Montgomery’s, meanwhile, found their mark with ruthless efficiency, sealing a famous 6–3 victory and a place in the final.
Richie Howson, the reigning WSD Champion of Champions, was also in fine form, cruising past Mervyn King 5–1 before edging out former BDO World Champion Richie Burnett in a colourful semi-final. Burnett, always the entertainer, combined superb scoring with his signature routine of leg flicks, back-of-the-oche wandering, and facial expressions worthy of a stage play.
That set up a fitting finale: the reigning World Seniors Champion versus The Owl, seeking to retain his Champion of Champions crown. It was the Owl who started stronger and eanred an eaerly lead. But ‘The Boss‘ rallied and hit back hard.
After a fiercely competitive and thoroughly enjoyable contest, it was Montgomery who came out on top – heading back to East Kilbride with silverware in hand. Well, to be fair, most places in the UK are north when you’re leaving Portsmouth.
Congratulations to Ross Montgomery – The Boss and, without question, The Pride of Kilbride (or at least the East part of the town)
—–ENDS—–
Images: Chris Sargent
