Damon Heta wins fan £60k with Ally Pally nine-darter but crashes out of World Championship
Share:
Australian star Damon Heta hit a nine-darter to win himself and a fan £60,000 but still crashed out of the World Darts Championship. Heta took on Luke Woodhouse in the third round of the tournament, with the duo playing the first match following the Christmas break. The 37-year-old entered the championship as the ninth seed.
A record number of seeded players were knocked out before Christmas Eve, including former champions Gary Anderson, Michael Smith and Rob Cross. It was a difficult start for Heta on Friday as he lost the first set to Woodhouse. The second set was finely poised at one leg all when Heta stepped up to the oche. He proceeded to hit two 180s and then checkout from 141, with a treble 20, treble 19 and a double 12.
The nine-darter was just the second of the entire tournament, with Heta having gone one dart away from the feat in his first game. It also banked him a £60,000 bonus from the tournament's title sponsors Paddy Power. The bookmaker will also donate £60,000 to Prostate Cancer and to a fan in attendance at the Alexandra Palace. The fan was picked following the game's fourth set and he could be seen dancing on a table.
Heta went on to win the set before then taking a commanding 3-1 lead in the race to four sets. But things quickly went downhill, with Woodhouse winning nine successive legs to complete a remarkable comeback victory. HAVE YOUR SAY! Who do you think will win the World Darts Championship? Comment below.
