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A Week In Darts UK Open Van den Bergh

Delight For Dimitri At The UK Open

Alex Moss |

A Week In Darts – March 4, 2024 – Van Den Bergh Claims Second Major At The UK Open

There was a thrilling finale at the UK Open on Sunday night as Dimitri Van den Bergh and Luke Humphries battled it out for the trophy at Butlin’s Minehead. Here’s our round-up of all of last week’s darts action in the latest ‘A Week In Darts’…

VAN DEN BERGH CROWNED UK OPEN CHAMPION

Dimitri Van den Bergh held off an incredible comeback from Luke Humphries to win the UK Open in Minehead on Sunday night.

The 2020 World Matchplay champion had raced into a 7-2 lead in the best of 21 leg final, only to miss six match darts as his opponent fought back to force a decider at 10-10.

A breathless last leg saw the reigning world champion Humphries squander two match darts of his own, before Van den Bergh stepped in to check out 64 to scoop the £110,000 top prize and his second major title.

“Luke showed again why he is a world champion,” said Van den Bergh, who has climbed up to world number seven following his victory at Butlin’s Minehead.

“I lost my composure. I knew Luke wasn’t going to make it easy, but you have to dig deep, and all of a sudden it turned around.

“My grandad passed away two years ago, and that’s my first major win since then, so it’s a really special moment for me.”

The 22nd staging of the UK Open, often referred to as ‘The FA Cup of Darts’ provided plenty of shocks and surprises over the weekend, as three-time winner Michael van Gerwen bowed out in the fourth round to Mensur Suljovic on Friday night.

Last year’s UK Open winner Andrew Gilding saw his title defence come to an end in the fifth round, losing 10-1 to another former champion Peter Wright.

Martin Lukeman was the star of the sixth round on Saturday night, producing a clinical display of finishing to get past Gary Anderson 10-5 and reach his second major quarter-final.

‘Smash’ saw his Minehead bid come to an end in Sunday afternoon’s quarter-finals as he lost 10-5 to Van den Bergh. The Belgian would go on to beat Damon Heta 11-6 in the semi-finals to book his place in the final.

Earlier on finals day, Heta and Luke Littler served up a UK Open classic, with Heta averaging 106 and Littler 104 in a thriller that ended 10-8 in the Australian’s favour.

Meanwhile, Humphries’ quest for a fifth TV ranking title on the spin gathered pace as he ended the hopes of Ricky Evans with an 11-2 win in the semi-finals, before falling short in the final to Van den Bergh.

ASPINALL TRIUMPHS IN PREMIER LEAGUE NIGHT IN EXETER

Nathan Aspinall climbed into the Premier League play-off spots after winning the title on Night 5 in Exeter on Thursday night.

The World Matchplay champion had gone the first three nights of the season without a win, before reaching the final of Night 4 in Newcastle.

And the Stockport star continued his resurgence with a five-point haul at the Westpoint Exeter, beating Rob Cross 6-2 in the decider to move up to fourth in the table.

“I was a bit down after the first three weeks, but I’ve dug deep over the last two nights,” the 2020 Premier League runner-up said.

“It was a slow start to the season, but last week was massive for myself. I have been fighting with demons in my own head, but I love this game, and I love the opportunity I’ve been given.

“Everyone knows I’m a fighter, and I’m over the moon with the win tonight.”

Aspinall overcame a trio of world champions in Peter Wright, Luke Humphries and Cross to take home the £10,000 winner’s bonus in the south-west, as he became the third different nightly winner in the first five weeks of the season.

The Premier League roadshow rolls into Brighton on Thursday, with Aspinall facing Luke Littler and current leader Michael van Gerwen taking on Cross in the quarter-finals.

LITTLER COMPARED TO LIVERPOOL’S YOUNGSTERS

Luke Littler’s stardom reached new heights last week as the Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp compared his academy players to the teenage darts sensation.

On Wednesday night, Klopp watched his side beat Southampton 3-0 in the FA Cup, thanks to goals from teenagers Lewis Koumas and Jayden Danns, the latter the son of Colchester United promotion winner Neil Danns.

The Liverpool boss mentioned Littler in his post-match press conference when he said: “It’s a little bit like the new darts sensation. They have a lot to improve and learn and they will have their moments. They’re exceptional talents.”

Pictures: PDC

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