Nathan Aspinall clinched his maiden European Tour title with an 8-4 victory over Ryan Joyce in Sunday’s Elten Safety Shoes European Darts Trophy final.
Aspinall – roared on by a capacity crowd in Gottingen – produced a series of heroic displays on Finals Day to claim his first PDC title since his World Matchplay triumph in July 2023.
The Stockport star averaged 98 and crashed in five 180s to defeat Joyce and pocket the £30,000 top prize at the Lokhalle, as he became the 38th different player to win a European Tour event
Having kicked off his campaign with a last-leg victory over European Champion Ritchie Edhouse, Aspinall came through another decider to sink Jermaine Wattimena in an exhilarating last-16 affair.
He then averaged 106.72 in a 6-1 demolition of world No 1 Luke Humphries, before edging out Gary Anderson in an epic semi-final – aided by a skin-saving 170 finish in the penultimate leg.
Aspinall continued from where he left off to race into a 4-1 lead against Joyce, and although the Newcastle thrower reduced the arrears to a solitary leg at one stage, Aspinall proved too strong.
“It felt like it was written in the stars”, admitted the former UK Open champion, who sealed the deal with a two-dart 72 checkout. “Ryan is a great guy and a top player, and it was great to share the stage with him in the final.
“This is what I needed. This will help me believe in myself and it shows I’m still good enough to compete against the top boys.
“Because of the situation I’ve been in over the last few years with the injuries and the dartitis, this is probably my proudest moment.
“The crowd were unbelievable. The support I got was amazing. This honestly means so much to me.”
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Watch Aspinall stunning 148 checkout during his 6-4 defeat to Michael van Gerwen on Night Six of the Premier League in Nottingham
Joyce – like Aspinall – also broke new ground this weekend, defeating four televised title winners to advance to his maiden European Tour final.
The 39-year-old kicked off his campaign with a whitewash victory against Joe Cullen on Friday, before dumping out Belgian number one Dimitri Van den Bergh in round two.
Joyce continued his charge with hard-fought wins over world number four Rob Cross and Cameron Menzies, which he followed with a superb 7-5 success against Michael van Gerwen in the semi-finals.
Menzies booked his place in the quarter-finals with a remarkable deciding-leg victory over Mike De Decker.
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Cameron Menzies hit the wrong double and collapsed to the floor in anguish, but still went on to edge out Mike De Decker regardless! (Video courtesy of PDC)
The PDC ProTour will resume with Players Championships 9-10 in Leicester on March 31-April 1, before the European Tour season continues with the International Darts Open in Riesa from April 4-6.
Elten Safety Shoes European Darts Trophy
Sunday March 23
Afternoon Session
Third Round
Cameron Menzies 6-5 Mike De Decker
Ryan Joyce 6-4 Rob Cross
Gerwyn Price 6-3 Wessel Nijman
Michael van Gerwen 6-4 Gian van Veen
Ross Smith 6-4 Dave Chisnall
Gary Anderson 6-5 Martin Schindler
Nathan Aspinall 6-5 Jermaine Wattimena
Luke Humphries 6-5 Michael Smith
Evening Session
Quarter-Finals
Ryan Joyce 6-3 Cameron Menzies
Michael van Gerwen 6-4 Gerwyn Price
Gary Anderson 6-5 Ross Smith
Nathan Aspinall 6-1 Luke Humphries
Semi-Finals
Ryan Joyce 7-5 Michael van Gerwen
Nathan Aspinall 7-6 Gary Anderson
Final
Nathan Aspinall 8-4 Ryan Joyce
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Take a look at both of Luke Littler’s Premier League nine-darters in London and Cardiff
Where does the Premier League head next?
The Premier League continues on Thursday March 27 from the Utilita Arena in Newcastle where Luke Littler will face Stephen Bunting in a top vs bottom of the table clash. You can watch Night Eight of Premier League Darts live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Action from 7pm on Thursday – stream with NOW.
Sky Sports will once again be the home of the Premier League in 2025, with every night exclusively live along with the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and more! Stream darts and more top sport with NOW
