The WDF pitched up in Italy last week, which sounds glamorous until you realise most of the players spent their time indoors lobbing darts instead of sipping Aperol Spritz on the Adriatic coast. Riccione – a beautiful seaside town in the province of Rimini, famed for beaches, pasta, gladiatorial history and operas that last longer than most WDF tournaments. Truth is, culturally, it probably deserved better than being invaded by dart players armed with flight cases. But hey, tungsten waits for no man.
Benny Bags the Grand Masters
Slovenia’s Benjamin Pratnemer made the trip worthwhile, happily swapping a surfboard for the oche to storm his way to the Italian Grand Masters title. After brushing aside a Belgian, seeing off two Germans, and squeezing past Switzerland’s Thomas Junghans, Benny faced yet another German in Paul Krohne. Unfortunately for Paul, it wasn’t third time lucky for Deutschland – Benny thumped him 5-1 to walk away with the trophy and one hell of a grin.
Irina Enters the Winners’ Circle
There was German joy in the Women’s Grand Masters though. Irina Armstrong breezed through the eight-strong field (yes, only eight, but let’s not spoil her party) and dispatched Lerena Rietbergen 5-2 to take the title. Three wins, job done, trophy in the bag. Efficiency – very German.
Young German talent Florian Preis added to the weekend’s haul with victory in the Boys Youth, beating Kaya Baysal 4-1. The Girls final gave the home crowd something to cheer about – Nicole Sescu Gal taking out fellow Italian Giada Macchi 4-1. Molto bene.
Day Two: Italian Open
Sunday meant a reset, a new tournament, and another chance to swap sunbathing for score-checking. Enter Jenson Walker – the Coventry teenager known as The Interceptor. He tore through the field and made sure poor Paul Krohne’s weekend turned into one long Groundhog Day, beating him 5-3 in the Italian Open final. That’s two runners-up medals in two days for Paul. At this point, he may want to start charging appearance fees for losing finals.
Another semi-final Swiss miss for Junghans – again fell just short, this time to Walker. Jenson already has a MODUS Super Series title to his name, and the Italian Open win is another feather in his cap. Certainly the Coventry chucker is one to keep an eye on, unless you’re Paul Krohne, in which case maybe just look away.
Irina’s Italian Job
While Krohne was enduring another dose of silverware blues, compatriot Irina Armstrong was at it again, repeating her 5-2 win over Rietbergen to complete a classy weekend double. If Lerena ever needed comfort, she only had to glance at Krohne and see a fellow two time bridesmaid of the weekend. Misery loves company, after all.
The Boys’ Italian Open final brought a sense of revenge for Kaya Baysal, who turned the tables on Florian Preis to claim the title. Meanwhile, in the Girls, it was déjà vu – Nicole Sescu Gal once again beat Giada Macchi 4-1. Same players, same scoreline. Not exactly shocking when they were the only two girls in the tournament. At least they got plenty of stage time.
Sunshine and Silverware
All told, it was another successful WDF jaunt abroad – trophies handed out, players sun-deprived, and a coastal paradise once again ignored for a dimly lit hall. Still, I’d wager those who left with trophies found a way to enjoy the Italian beaches afterwards. As for the runners-up, well… the shade might have suited them better anyway.
——-ENDS—–
Images: Target
