Damon Heta sent out Alexandra Palace into disaster on Friday afternoon after he struck a mind-blowing nine-dart finish triggering a ₤ 60,000 payment to a random fan in the crowd at the PDC World Darts Championship.
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The spectacular minute came during his second-round clash against English gamer Luke Woodhouse.
But the Australian could not ride his momentum, with British darts star, Woodhouse coming back from going 3-1 down to clinch 9 straight legs of darts and advance to the last 16 at the World Darts Championships for the first time in his career.
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Despite the defeat, Heta will stroll away with ₤ 60k in his pocket, following his legendary nine-dart accomplishment.
For this year's PDC World Darts Championship, Paddy Power are paying an overall of ₤ 180k for every nine-darter scored during the tournament, with the funds to be split three ways.
The player who tosses the ideal leg will receive ₤ 60k, a fortunate fan at Alexandra Palace will likewise be handed a ₤ 60k cheque, while the sports betting company are also set to donate ₤ 60k to Prostate Cancer UK, the main Charity partner of the competition.
A fan in the audience who was using a yellow trilby hat and a Christamas-themed blazer was picked as the lucky winner of the substantial prize money.
Damon Heta hit a marvelous nine-dart finish on Friday afternoon at Alexandra Palace
HEROIC HETA HITS THE NINE! UNBELIEVABLE SCENES! Damon Heta lands the second nine-darter of the competition to raise the roofing at Alexandra Palace! #WCDarts pic.twitter.com/DW6rhvFqez
- PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 27, 2024
The World No 9 won himself ₤ 60k with the perfect leg, with Paddy Power also now set to contribute another 60k to charity and to a in the crowd at Ally Pally
Hilariously another fan had actually been seen holding a sign behind the man that checked out Wayne Mardle's renowned 'I can't spake' line, which the legendary darts commentator had stated following Michael Smith's nine-darter at the 2023 World Championships.
Paddy Power are also donating ₤ 1,000 for every 180 tossed throughout this Year's championship as part of their Bigger180 campaign.
Heta's ideal leg was the 2nd nine-dart finish at the competition. As of today, Paddy Power had actually raised over ₤ 500,000 for charity with 462 180s having actually been struck at the competition prior to the start of this afternoon's session.
The Australian began improperly versus Woodhouse, with Heta conceding the very first set, being broken by his opponent in the last leg of the first set.
He hit back in the second term with an impressive passage of play, racking off 2 180s and the final 141 in style.
The 37-year-old Australian, who hails from Perth, leapt around the stage in festivity and at one point even appeared to leap off the stage.
His challenger, Woodhouse, looked just as delighted as Heta did, leaping up and down on the stage before revealing his class, giving the Aussie star a hug and raising his hand in the air to celebrate the spectacular accomplishment.
The Brit, 36, has been hailed for his reaction to the moment online, with one fan writing: 'Luke Woodhouse's celebration after Heta's nine-darter is class.'
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Paddy Power later on exposed the gentleman who had actually won the ₤ 60,000 prize pot
The minute among the audience found out they were ₤ 60,000 richer pic.twitter.com/G0eYn9n2ln
- Sky sports betting Darts (@SkySportsDarts) December 27, 2024
Heta (left) and Luke Woodhouse (right) welcomed on phase after the legendary minute
After Heta had actually gone a set down in the first exchange, his nine-dart finish saw him bounce back against his British opponent to draw level at 1-1
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'Big props to Luke Woodhouse - he's really buzzing for his mate! Love the sportsmanship and enjoyment!' another wrote on X.
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'The method Luke Woodhousecelebrates Damon Heta's nine-darter and raises his hand later on is what makes this sport so excellent,' one composed.
'The friendship in darts is unbelievable. Just take a look at the method Luke Woodhouse, commemorated his challenger's nine-darter earlier,' another stated.
After the match, Woodhouse assessed the spectacular minute that saw his good pal Heta win ₤ 60k.
'Me and Damo are buddies,' he told Sky sports betting. 'We play golf together a lot. We hang out and practice a lot ...
'I know he was gutted when he missed his double twelve in the first game.
'So, yeah, when he struck that nine-darter the crowd went wild.
'You couldn't not celebrate with him!'
Luke Woodhouse pic.twitter.com/Oza4ZK63yV
- Martin (@martin_kcr) December 27, 2024
Elated by the sensational finish, the Australian, who comes from Perth, leapt off the stage in elation
Woodhouse was applauded for his response to his opponent's nine-dart finish, with some lauding his 'sportsmanship'
Heta would go on to control in the third set, winning 3-2 and once again dominating the 4th, breaking his challenger twice.
But Woodhouse, who is ranked No 35 in the world, recovered, winning all 3 final sets to turn things around on his challenger and development through to the next round.
A visibly emotional Woodhouse stated after the match: 'I'm over the moon.'
'It's not just me it's my better half, my family and my boy. So [I'm doing] truly great.'
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Aussie Darts Star Damon Heta Hits a NINE-DARTER At Alexandra Palaec
karolinheidenr edited this page 2025-01-02 05:44:59 +00:00