Strike it Ritchie – Edhouse claims European Championship title ahead of Wattimena 

Rampant Ritchie rewarded for taking the opportunities presented to him by Wattimena.

The Dutchman’s three legs over Edhouse would all occur in the match’s opening five legs. Wattimena’s checkout rate of 10.34%, truly highlights his issues. The Madhouse definitely took advantage of this, as he won the European Championship after dominating the next nine legs.

Following a demanding weekend of games in the earlier rounds, Edhouse achieved his best win by margin rather than average.Wattimena, who had previously seen some of the major guns, had a rather lackluster performance, with an average of 84.64, so it was far from a fairy tale conclusion.

 

Edhouse’s Route to the European Championship Final

Ritchie Edhouse and Gary Anderson faced up in the evening’s second quarterfinal.

Before the former World Matchday Champion responded, the Madhouse had a flawless start, winning all three of the first legs. The next four legs would follow the same pattern, with Edhouse winning three of them and taking a six-leg lead to two. With an incredible 164 checkout in leg twelve put him on the brink of a spot in the final four.

The 41-year-old Englishman would finish the match with a checkout success percentage of 55.56% (10/18 attempts) after losing the next two legs. During the match, he averaged 103.91, three points more than the Flying Scotsman.

He faced Luke Woodhouse, a fellow Englishman, in the semifinals. Dirk van Duijvenbode, was defeated 10–4 by the in-form Woody in the previous round.

With Edhouse leading 6-2 after eight legs, it began as a perfect replica of his matchup with Ando. We witnessed the ruthless Ritchie in the quarterfinals, and it was on full display once again gave up just the five legs.

Woodhouse’s 150 checkout in the penultimate leg was the highest in the contest, but the Madhouse capped off victory in spectacular fashion by nailing a 147 checkout.

 

Wattimena’s way to the Final

In his quarterfinal matchup, the Machine Gun had the World Number One in his sights.

Many would have predicted that the outcome would have been different, especially because Luke Humphries once again shown flashes of his darting domination in the previous rounds. But Jermaine Wattimena would end up being the World Cup winner’s biggest obstacle.

Humphries had already won three of his four legs after leg seven, but Wattimena grabbed charge of the match by winning five straight, placing him only one leg away from a semifinal spot.

Humphries’ last leg in leg 13 was too little, too late, as Wattimena’s 65 checkout in the next leg would end the match. The World Champion endured a bad day recording his lowest tournament average and his first average below 100.

Danny Noppert, the former UK Open Champion, stood in the way of a spot in the final.

Given that the two would eventually go the distance, it was undoubtedly a treat. However, neither side would took control of proceedings; Wattimena would only hold a sizeable three-leg advantage (8–5) at one point.

It appeared like Wattimena’s perseverance and hard work would not go in vain after crucial 32 clinched the victory. Together, the two would miss 38 double attempts,  but in the end, the Machine Gun’s efficiency proved to be the decisive element.

 

Elsewhere on Day Four of the European Championship

Perhaps the highlight of the day was the matchup between Danny Noppert and Ricardo Pietreczko in the final quarterfinal. Together, they produced a total of 10 maximums, with both averaging around or above 100.

Even though Pikachu had a two-lead at one point and was on the verge of winning (9–7). It was Pikachu who was eliminated from the European Championships at the quarterfinals after Noppert would win three straight legs.

Luke Woodhouse and Dirk van Duijvenbode faced off in the day’s first quarterfinal.It was always going to be a mountain to climb for the Titan after losing the first four legs.

Only once, after a brilliant 146, would Dirk be able to cut the deficit to three. Consequently, Woodhouse would ultimately cross the finish line with ease.

 

Day Four Results – European Championships

 

Quarter Finals

Dirk van Duijvenbode 4-10 Luke Woodhouse

Ritchie Edhouse 10-5 Gary Anderson

Luke Humphries 4-10 Jermaine Wattimena

Ricardo Pietreczko 9-10 Danny Noppert

 

Semi Finals

Luke Woodhouse 5-11 Ritchie Edhouse

Jermaine Wattimena 11-10 Danny Noppert

 

Final

Ritchie Edhouse 11-3 Jermaine Wattimena