There’s electricity in the air after homegrown battlers Simon Whitlock and Damon Heta claimed Australia’s maiden PDC World Cup of Darts title in a thrilling 2022 showdown.
The dynamic duo ran through Belgium before besting four-time winners and top seeds England in an incredible upset during the semi-finals. The Wizard and The Heat would then seal the deal with a 3-1 victory over Welshmen Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton. But it wasn’t exactly a cakewalk.
The opening singles tie saw our very own Damon Heta trouncing Gerwyn Price 4-0 to gain an early advantage for Australia. Price would be restricted to just two attempts at a double after scraping together an average of 80.
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Simon Whitlock, on the other hand, overcame a 2-1 deficit to leave Jonny Clayton in the dust with a commanding 4-2 lead during the second singles rubber, but only after missing six darts at double top in the sixth leg.
“The Wizard was playing nerveless darts until that point,” recaps Chris Hammer of Sporting Life.
“Clayton failed to take advantage of Whitlock’s troubles on tops in the next leg as the Aussies moved one point away from glory.”
To Price and Clayton’s credit, they held on long enough to force a nail-biting extended drama. One that’s certainly for the books. The green and gold, however, put on a nerveless display. Heta dictated the outcome by pinning a double 16 against Clayton to seal the deal. They weren’t walking away without hoisting a trophy. Not this time.
“It is life-changing,” said an emotional Simon Whitlock, who has competed in every World Cup since 2010; and famously experienced heartbreak when he missed two match darts during the 2012 finals against England.
“I have dreamt about this moment my entire life and I’ve finally got there.”
“It feels amazing. I had a great partner. Damon has been amazing. He’s a great friend, and he’s the best player on the planet right now. He is going to be the next world champion.”
“Simon dragged me through the beginning,” Damon Heta admitted of his 53-year-old teammate.
“I’m stoked for Simon and stoked for Australia with all the support we’ve had back home. Everything we are sacrificing being here and we’ve got the title in the bag. It’s an amazing feeling.”
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“We weren’t at our best in the final but Simon and Damon played fantastic,” said Gerwyn Price, who featured in his second final across three years.
“I said at the beginning of the tournament we’d play Australia in the final, but I predicted that we would win — so I was wrong there!”
“We didn’t fire tonight, but we’ll be back and we will be stronger next year.”
In addition to bringing home the 2022 PDC World Cup of Darts title for Australia, Simon Whitlock and Damon Heta claimed the £70,000 / $123,000 top prize at the Eissporthalle. How good.
Anyone keen on witnessing the newly-crowned world champions in person will get the chance this August when The Wizard and The Heat compete in Townsville and Wollongong this August. Find out more here.
Keen to take a punt on the fellas next time they storm the circuit? Hit the link below to get in on the action.
