Damon Heta’s opponent Luke Woodhouse has revealed why he celebrated his friend’s nine-dart finish so wildly.
The duo met in an incredible clash in the first match back since the Christmas break at the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace.
The pair have had a well-documented friendship during their time in the sport, but were forced to save pleasantries until after their oche magic.
During the match, Heta pinned the perfect leg [nine-dart finish] with a double-12 to send the raucous crowd into raptures in a simply incredible moment.
He had scooped the £60,000 prize – the prize awarded to players for the unique checkout – but it was his opponent and eventual conqueror Woodhouse’s wild celebrations that caught the eye.
The English star fist pumped and charged down the stage with Heta, delighted that his opponent and friend had hit the finish despite it’s importance in the match.
And in an exclusive interview with talkSPORT after the match had concluded which he went on to win 4-3, Woodhouse explained how he felt like he had hit the finish himself.
He said: “Yeah I mean we haven’t practiced loads together. I’ve been to his house, we play golf together.
“We are good friends so it is always tough. He fell off and I managed to capitalise it.
“But the nine-dart finish was amazing, I knew he had missed the double for it in his first match.
“I was just thinking ‘what if this goes in?’, but as soon as he pinned it it felt like I had hit it myself.
“My head had gone. Maybe looking back at it, I should have left it to his moment.
3
“But I was celebrating as much as he was, to do it in a World Championship is a huge achievement.”
Heta unfortunately suffered a huge decline after the jubilation and emotional scenes, as he unfortunately lost nine-straight legs.
It was an incredible captiulation, but Woodhouse turned around his fortunes and played some scintillating stuff.
On the victory he added: “I felt really good before hand. But the first couple of sets I couldn’t get going.
“But I came back out and I thought I played really well.
“To come back and beat a player of Damon’s calibre is really good.
3
“It means everything [to be in the last 16], I have spoken about this thing with my family.
“I’ve been on the tour 16 years, but this last 12 months I’ve started to really believe I can go far.
“It’s a sport that I just took as a hobby, then I want to say I can be in the top 32 in the world. I’m chuffed.”
The talkSPORT commentary team had shared the jubilation at the scenes that unfolded.
talkSPORT’s Ian Danter had remarked: “The place has gone potty and nobody is celebrating that nine-darter more than his opponent Luke Woodhouse.
“He embraced Heta and Heta ran across the stage and did the David Brent dance, absolutely loved it. Magnificent.”
Woodhouse will now hope he can go on to a surprise deep run in the tournament, given seeds have continued to tumble in the competition.
Where to buy Luke Littler’s darts range
*If you click on a link in this boxout we will earn affiliate revenue
Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler has released a collection with Target Darts, with prices starting at just £14.95.
Choose from darts, hardware and accessories endorsed by the Grand Slam of Darts Champion 2024, or pick up The Nuke’s purple playing shirt, on the Target Darts website.
Highlights include: