Tournament outsider Ritchie Edhouse secured a maiden major title at the European Championship in Dortmund courtesy of an 11-3 rout of Jermaine Wattimena in the final.
Edhouse stormed to his maiden televised title with a crushing 11-3 victory over Jermaine Wattimena.
He 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 in a remarkable final.
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.
“This is unbelievable,” reflected ‘Madhouse’ 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!”
Edhouse took centre stage in the first and last match of this year’s European Championship, having 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 No 2 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 groundbreaking 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 match, with Edhouse reeling off nine consecutive legs to take the title.
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 it in style.
Edhouse was a massive outsider at the start of the weekend
Edhouse now moves into the world’s top 32 for the first time, climbing 10 places to a career-high of 29th on the PDC Order of Merit, while also securing Grand Slam of Darts qualification in the process.
Wattimena also sealed his place in Wolverhampton with a sensational run to the final, having dumped out four major 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 No 1 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.”
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
What live darts is next on Sky Sports?
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