The Englishman Nathan Aspinall has won the second most important title of the darts year.
The two-time World Cup semi-finalist defeated Welshman Jonny Clayton 18:6 in the World Matchplay on Sunday evening and thus triumphed for the first time at the major tournament in Blackpool’s famous Winter Gardens.
After a balanced start to the game – after ten legs it was 5:5 – Aspinall became more and more accurate. The 32-year-old picked up 11 straight legs, set the ball straight and secured £200,000 (€230,000) in prize money after a surprisingly one-sided final. Clayton struggled a lot on the doubles and was far from his usual level.
The big favorites had already fallen by the wayside in the previous rounds. Defending champion Michael van Gerwen (Netherlands) failed at the start. World champions Michael Smith (England), Peter Wright (Scotland) and Gerwyn Price (Wales) had to leave after the round of 16. The two German participants, World Cup semi-finalist Gabriel Clemens (Saarwellingen) and Martin Schindler (Strausberg), were eliminated in the first round of the Empress Ballroom.
The World Matchplay, held since 1994, is the oldest and most important tournament of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) alongside the World Championship.