Luke Woodhouse explains why he celebrated Damon Heta’s nine-darter in World Darts Championship showdown
Share:
Luke Woodhouse said he ‘couldn’t not celebrate’ after his ‘good friend’ Damon Heta produced a stunning nine-darter in their Paddy Power World Darts Championship thriller. The early rounds have produced a number of memorable moments and there were yet more wild scenes as Heta hit this year’s second perfect leg of darts on the first day back after the Christmas break.
![[2024/25 Paddy Power World Darts Championship - Day Seven]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/GettyImages-2190992831.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
After Woodhouse made it all square at 1-1, Heta sent the Alexandra Palace crowd into a frenzy with nine faultless arrows, with the Australian storming an imperious 3-1 lead in the capital. But Woodhouse fought back to secure his place in the fourth round with a 4-3 victory, winning nine consecutive legs against Heta in an inspired performance.
Christian Kist of the Netherlands earned himself £60,000 with his nine-darter in his second-round defeat to Madars Razma last week. At this year’s championship, Paddy Power have agreed to pay out a total of £180k for every nine-darter, with £60k given to both the player and a lucky fan in the crowd. The remaining £60k will be donated to Prostate Cancer UK, the official charity partner of the competition.
‘I have no words at all,’ Woodhouse told Sky Sports shortly after his win. ‘I don’t think it was the greatest game in the world but I managed to come through it. Onto the next round. ‘Everyone can score as well as anybody but hitting the doubles is the main focus so I am over the moon.
