16,000 fans, emotional moments, and sporting highlights – the Winamax PDC European Darts Tour has returned to Göttingen for the first time since 2018, bringing pure darts spectacle. Nathan Aspinall emerged as the shining champion, claiming the ELTEN Safety Shoes European Darts Trophy for the first time.
“It took me 10 years. This is unbelievable. The fans were getting me through this. I am so thankful. This means so much to me”, says Aspinall after his win.
On his path to his maiden title, in what was his second final, The Asp defeated reigning European Champion Ritchie Edhouse, Jermaine Wattimena, world number one Luke Humphries, and two-time world champion Gary Anderson. In the final, the Englishman secured the trophy with a victory over Ryan Joyce. He only narrowly missed out on the big coup.
Joyce, on his way to his first final on the European Tour, overcame high-profile opponents, including former world champions Rob Cross and Michael van Gerwen. However, he fell just short of clinching his first title.
“Of course, I am a bit disappointed but I really enjoyed this European Tour so much. Hopefully, this is the start of something”, says Ryan Joyce.
A total of eight German players had qualified for the first PDC Europe Tour stop of the season in Germany, including three debutants on Europe’s biggest darts stage: Paul Krohne, Laurin Welk, and Dominik Grüllich. However, all three were eliminated in the first round. Krohne lost 5–6 to Wessel Nijman, Welk suffered a 0–6 defeat against Ryan Searle, and Dominik Grüllich was beaten 4–6 by Luke Woodhouse.
Niko Springer delivered an impressive performance, defeating Daryl Gurney in an exciting match 6–4. In his second-round clash against Michael van Gerwen, the Meenzer Bub took early leads of 3–0 and 5–3, but ultimately lost in a decider after van Gerwen sealed the match with a 14-darter. The defending champion later had high praise for the German Tour Card holder, saying: “We all know how good Niko Springer is, and I really had to fight hard.”
Germany’s number one, Martin Schindler, started strong with a 6–2 win over Adam Hunt in the first round. In the second round, he played an outstanding average of 106.78 points, defeating fourth seed Jonny Clayton 6–1. However, his journey ended in the last 16 when he was stopped by The Flying Scotsman, Gary Anderson.
The title was ultimately contested between eighth seed Nathan Aspinall and unseeded Ryan Joyce, with Aspinall emerging victorious.
Thus, an eventful weekend at the legendary Lokhalle Göttingen comes to an end. But darts fans won’t have to wait long for the next big event.
Next Saturday, six of the biggest stars of the sport will take part in the European Darts Gala at the Nürburgring, before the Winamax PDC European Darts Tour moves on to Riesa a week later – the very place where Martin Schindler made history by winning his first European title.
