INSPIRED WRIGHT TOPPLES LITTLER TO WIN GERMAN DARTS CHAMPIONSHIP
Peter Wright celebrated a stunning return to winning ways on an extraordinary night in Hildesheim, defeating a record-breaking Luke Littler 8-5 in Sunday's NEO.bet German Darts Championship final.
An emotional Wright defied the odds to topple Littler in one of the most remarkable European Tour finals of all-time, having trailed 5-2 in Sunday’s showpiece at Halle 39.
Teenage sensation Littler averaged 106.87 and hit ten 180s in a compelling contest, but it wasn’t enough to triumph, as Wright reeled off six successive legs to claim his second German Darts Championship crown.
Littler had made an ominous start to proceedings, recording legs of 11, 14 and 13 darts to lead 3-0 with a 118 average.
Wright showed signs of life with a clinical 110 kill in leg six after Littler had squandered two darts for a 5-1 lead, only for the 17-year-old to regain his cushion with a 12-dart leg in leg seven.
However, a sensational 146 checkout in leg eight turned the tide for Wright, as he capitalised on missed opportunities from Littler in three straight legs to establish an unlikely 6-5 lead.
Littler then missed double 15 for a spectacular 150 checkout in leg 12 as Wright pinned double one to move to the cusp of victory, before the Scot capped off a famous triumph with an 11-darter on tops.
“I just kept believing in myself,” reflected Wright, who defied a ten-point gap in the averages to lift his ninth European Tour title – a record only bettered by Michael van Gerwen.
“Luke is a fantastic dart player and he was blowing me off the board with 180s, but I thought if I could keep with him, I might get back into it.
“This means a lot to me. Luke is distraught because he wants to win. He’s a fighter, he’s a winner, and he’ll be back and beating us all again soon!”
Wright followed up an opening round win over Niko Springer with a thrilling second round win against Stephen Bunting on Saturday, as the Masters champion crashed out with a 103 average.
The Scot then backed up a gruelling 6-4 success against Gian van Veen with victory over Van Gerwen by the same scoreline in an epic quarter-final, averaging 108.90 to overturn a 4-2 deficit.
This set up a semi-final showdown against top seed Dave Chisnall, where Wright maintained his revival by pinning seven of his 12 attempts at double to move through to his first final of 2024.
Littler, meanwhile, was unable to add to his wins in Wieze and Graz, despite crashing in 31 maximums across the weekend – a new European Tour record.
The Warrington wonderkid kicked off his title bid with a six-leg blitz of Dylan Slevin on Saturday, before winning through a scrappy affair against Ryan Searle to reach the last eight.
The Premier League champion then fought back from 4-1 down to deny Damon Heta in a dramatic quarter-final, while he proved too strong for Daryl Gurney in the last four, averaging 107 and hitting eight 180s to advance to a meeting with Wright.
“Peter just wouldn’t go away,” conceded Littler, who was eyeing an eighth PDC title of 2024.
“I threw at my best, Peter threw at his best at the end, but maybe the game would have changed if I hit that 150 [checkout].
“Fair play to Peter. He’s played well all weekend, so I’ve got to take it on the chin.”
Chisnall defeated Wright to win the German Darts Championship in 2013, although he was unable to repeat the feat as he missed out on back-to-back European Tour titles.
The 43-year-old opened Sunday’s action with a six-leg whitewash of Joe Cullen, before defying a heroic fightback from Martin Schindler in a breathless quarter-final.
2019 champion Gurney also impressed in progressing to his first big stage semi-final of 2024, registering back-to-back ton-plus averages in wins over Krzysztof Ratajski and Nick Kenny on Finals Day.
Kenny ended the hopes of reigning champion Ricardo Pietreczko in reaching his maiden European Tour quarter-final, having also dumped out Ross Smith in Saturday’s second round.
Three-time winner Van Gerwen averaged 102 in his last 16 demolition of World Cup partner Danny Noppert, although a 104 average wasn’t enough to topple an inspired Wright in the last eight.
Heta defeated a spirited Andrew Gilding in his run to the quarter-finals while Schindler secured another big stage victory against Chris Dobey to reach his sixth European Tour quarter-final of the season.
The PDC European Tour continues next weekend, as the inaugural Flanders Darts Trophy (ET10) takes place in Belgium from September 6-8, with live coverage set to be streamed through Viaplay, and through DAZN for viewers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Coverage will also be shown on PDCTV (excluding Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and through bookmakers' worldwide.
2024 NEO.bet German Darts Championship
Sunday September 1
Afternoon Session
Third Round
Dave Chisnall 6-0 Joe Cullen
Martin Schindler 6-4 Chris Dobey
Michael van Gerwen 6-2 Danny Noppert
Peter Wright 6-4 Gian van Veen
Daryl Gurney 6-2 Krzysztof Ratajski
Nick Kenny 6-5 Ricardo Pietreczko
Damon Heta 6-4 Andrew Gilding
Luke Littler 6-2 Ryan Searle
Evening Session
Quarter-Finals
Dave Chisnall 6-5 Martin Schindler
Peter Wright 6-4 Michael van Gerwen
Daryl Gurney 6-3 Nick Kenny
Luke Littler 6-5 Damon Heta
Semi-Finals
Peter Wright 7-5 Dave Chisnall
Luke Littler 7-2 Daryl Gurney
Final
Peter Wright 8-5 Luke Littler
Credit PDC Europe
