Sealed with a Kist

Christian Kist 7 – 5 Tony O’Shea

Dutch road worker Christian Kist completed a remarkable journey from rank outsider to World Champion by defeating Tony O’Shea in the Lakeside final.

Kist was ranked 106th in the world before the tournament and had defied the odds just to qualify. The Lipstick performed fabulously all week to become a worthy winner of the title.

O’Shea looked like he might have launched an amazing comeback from 6-2 down but his major final heartache continued. Silverback has now been beaten at that stage five times in as many attempts.

O’Shea started stronger than his opponent, taking all three legs in the opening set. Kist missed six darts at a double to take the second set by the same margin but eventually won it 3-2 to level the match.

The Dutchman took the lead by taking the third set against the throw but O’Shea bounced back, holding his nerve to take out 68 in the deciding leg of set four with his opponent waiting on his double.

The Lipstick brilliantly checked out 121 for a break of throw on his way to winning the next set. A neat 120 finish in set six helped him double his advantage and he soon raced into a 5-2 lead.

Silverback hit a superb twelve dart leg against the throw but Kist took the next three legs to move to just a single set from victory. O’Shea showed he wasn’t quite finished as he took the next six legs in a row to reduce the deficit to just one set, hitting a fabulous 116 checkout in the process.

Kist stopped the rot by holding his throw in the first leg of the twelfth set. O’Shea then miscounted at the worst possible moment and went for the wrong double after two perfect darts, allowing The Lipstick to break his throw and leave himself a leg away from claiming the title.

He hit double 16 to be crowned as an unlikely World Champion and joins fellow countrymen Jelle Klassen and the great Raymond van Barneveld, who have also lifted the BDO title, in the Lakeside hall of fame.