Ritchie Edhouse shocked the darting world as he lifted the darts European Championships in Germany on Sunday.
‘Madhouse’ ran riot over Jermaine Wattimena in the 11-3 demolition to claim his first major tournament. The European Championships featured 28 of the world’s top 32 ranked-players but the final was contested by then-No.39 ranked Edhouse and No.40-ranked Wattimena in Dortmund.
After defeating Gian van Veen in round one, Edhouse beat former world champions Michael Smith and Gary Anderson to book his semi-final place against Luke Woodhouse in a final four that featured only one player in the top 32 – No.12 ranked Danny Noppert.
Edhouse beat Woodhouse 11-5 in the semi-final before lifting the title late on Sunday against Wattimena, who beat Noppert in a last-leg decider in the semis. The 41-year-old collected £120,000 in prize money, almost doubling his currently earned £153,000 prize money over the previous two years.
The 250-1 outside shot before the tournament had never been beyond the last 32 in any major tournament and was understandably overwhelmed during his interview after his success. “It’s just a dream come true, I don’t know what to say,” ‘Madhouse began.
“I just wanted to get a couple of rounds under my belt and see what happened. The missus kicks my butt all the time. It’s a step up and confidence breeds confidence and hunger. It’s a busy time and the confidence will be up so we’ll see what happens.”
The European Championships threw up a number of shocks with former world champions Gerwyn Price and Peter Wright both dumped out in the first round alongside Luke Littler. Smith fell to Edhouse in the last 16, with Michael van Gerwen also heading home before the quarter-finals.
Reigning world champion and No.1 ranked Luke Humphries suffered a shock elimination against Wattimena in the quarter-finals, leaving three players in the semi-final who hadn’t previously won a major.
Having become the second shock major winner in two weeks after Mike de Decker won the World Grand Prix, Edhouse has moved into the top 32 for the first time, climbing to 29th in the Order of Merit. His new rank qualifies him for a space in November’s Grand Slam of Darts.
If he can retain his place in the top 32, Edhouse will be seeded into the second round of the World Darts Championship at Ally Pally in December.