The final day of the 2020 Betvictor World Cup of Darts offered the excitement that yesterday’s round of the last sixteen had lacked. In the afternoon all quarter finals were decided in the decisive pairs match and in the evening Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton won the World Cup of Darts for Wales for the very first time.
In the final, the Welsh lived up to their role as favorites, a role in which they had been seen by the bookmakers from the very beginning. In the end it was a clear 3-0 win for Wales over England, with Gerwyn Price defeating “Bully Boy” Michael Smith 4-1 in the first singles match, before Jonny Clayton doubled the lead by defeating Rob Cross. “The Ferret” played a sensatinal average of 105 points and left the 2018 world champion no chance.
In the final the winner needed three points to win and so a pairs match followed. Smith and Cross were able to keep it tight, but had to admit defeat to the 103 average of the Welshmen.
In the tenth edition of the World Cup of Darts this is the first title for Wales, after England and the Netherlands (four titles each) and Scotland had been victorious before.
“I’ve won some big titles in singles competitions before, but to win this trophy alongside Jonny for our country is simply incomparable,” said a visibly moved Gerwyn Price after the triumph.
In the last quarterfinal of the afternoon session Gabriel Clemens and Max Hopp were able to write darts history. For the first time ever a German team managed to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup of Darts. In the decisive pairs match the Netherlands were defeated by 4:3.
Previously, Gabriel Clemens had beaten Danny Noppert 4:3 and thus laid the foundation for the German success.
Max Hopp did not perform well against Michael van Gerwen, who suffered with back problems. An average of just 77 points could not endanger the number 1 of the world and MVG equalized with a clear 4:1 to make the overall score 1:1.
The Dutch had the better start in the pairs match and took a 2-0 lead, but the German team fought back with great darts and won three legs in a row, before MVG equalized to make it 3:3. In the last leg Gabriel Clemens then had his nerves under control best and hit the double 10 with the last dart in hand to reach the semi-finals.
“I am so proud of Gabriel! He played fantastic and played a big part in the fact that we are now in the semi-finals”, said the long-time, former German number one Max Hopp.
In the quarterfinal between Belgium and Canada, the favored Belgians were able to prevail after a great fight of the Canadians. Kim Huybrechts won the first singles match for Team Belgium with a 4-1 victory, a great performance and an average of over 108 against Jeff Smith.
Matt Campbell then equalized with a 4-1 win over Dimitri Van den Bergh. Campbell was particularly strong in finishing the legs and underlined this with finishes of 120 and 160.
In the pairs match, Canada could have walked away with a much better result than the 2:4 defeat that eliminated them from the tournament. Opportunities for a 3-1 and 3-2 lead were missed and in the end Kim Huybrechts in particular kept his nerves well for Belgium.
“This tournament simply brings out the best in me. Here I can still shift up a gear or two,” said Huybrechts after the narrow victory.
The most painful defeat of the day was probably suffered by the host nation Austria today. In the match in the round of the last eight against the Englishmen who were seeded on one, it looked for a long time as if the upset was on.
Mensur Suljovic put Austria on the front foot with a great comeback against Michael Smith. “The Gentle” had already gone 0:3 behind before he could turn the match into a 4:3 victory and achieved an average of 109 points.
Rowby-John Rodriguez then brought England to the brink of defeat in his match against Rob Cross: the young Austrian had already been ahead 2-0 and 3-1, even missing four match darts before the 2018 World Champion somehow managed to drag England into the pairs match.
Here it was similarly close and nerve-racking. Both teams missed many chances on the doubles and at 3:3 it was Rob Cross again who sealed the elimination of the Austrians.
“That was not pretty and in the end it was just a fight. But you also have to win such matches and tonight is a new game,” said “Bully Boy” Michael Smith after the thriller.
This was followed by the clash of Wales and Australia, which was opened by the two team captains Gerwyn Price and Simon Whitlock. The “Iceman” and the “Wizard” offered a high-class match with many 180s and an absolute neck-and-neck contest. In the seventh leg, Whitlock did almost everything right, getting five match darts, which he all missed. Price was on hand with a 72 finish and snatched the Australian’s victory away.
Damon Heta then equalised the match with a 102 average against Jonny Clayton, confirming his strong WCOD debut.
In the pairs the missed chances from the first singles match seemed to be playing on Simon Whitlock`s mind. The former World Championship finalist couldn’t find his A game and so Wales was able to secure a 4:2 victory and reach the semi-finals.
“If Simon had taken his chances on the doubles against me, we could have been eliminated 2-0 here. We were a bit lucky, but now we want to win the cup,” said Price in an interview with Sky Sports.
England and Belgium kicked off the last session of the Betvictor World Cup of Darts in the evening with the first semi-final. Michael Smith and Kim Huybrechts delivered a thrilling match in the first singles. Both players always managed to hold their throw and thus Michael Smith, who was allowed to start the odd numbered legs, went away as 4:3 winner.
The second singles match was just as exciting. Rob Cross managed to turn a 2:3 deficit against Dimitri Van den Bergh into a 4:3 victory. Especially painful: Van den Bergh had five match darts in the last leg, all of which he could not use – one of them even fell out of the targeted double 12 and thus England stood in the final.
In the second semi-final, the tournament favorites from Wales lived up to their role against Germany and followed England into the final after the two singles matches.
Gabriel Clemens was able to keep his match against Gerwyn Price close at the beginning. But in the end, an average of a good 90 points was not enough to trouble “The Iceman” and the first point went to Wales by a score of 4:2.
Max Hopp then faced Jonny Clayton in top form in the second game. “The Ferret” averaged over 104 and won the match comfortably by 4:2. Thus the Welsh completed the final against England.
2020 Betvictor World Cup of Darts 2020, Sunday, Quarter finals / Semi finals/ Final
Afternoon session, Quarter finals
Belgium 2:1 Canada
England 2:1 Austria
Wales 2:1 Australia
Netherlands 1:2 Germany
Evening session
Semi finals
England 2:0 Belgium
Wales 2:0 Germany
Final
England 0:3 Wales
