Simon Whitlock claimed his place in the Championship League Darts Winners Group by taking victory in Group Five at Crondon Park on Wednesday.
‘The Wizard’ defeated Australian World Cup team-mate Paul Nicholson 6-3 in the final, after competing in all five days of the Internet-streamed tournament so far.
The European Champion took four wins in the group stage before defeating Dave Chisnall 6-4 in a high-quality semi-final, in which Whitlock averaged over 107 and missed double 15 for a nine-dart finish.
Having been the only player to defeat an in-form Nicholson all day, ‘The Wizard’ found himself 2-0 down to ‘The Asset’, before checkouts of 104 and 121 helped him seal victory.
Whitlock told the PDC website: “I played really well today and I’m very happy with the result.
“It was great to finally make a final because I scraped through in a couple of the days, but I’ve been pretty consistent and all the players seem to produce their best darts here for some reason.
“I was pretty exhausted in the first week because it came just after the European Championship and I scrambled my way through, but I’ve hit some good form.
“After I lost in the World Grand Prix to Justin Pipe last week, I went home and have been practising really hard and that’s paying off for me. I can’t wait for the Winners Group in a couple of weeks!”
He added: “It’s always hard playing Paul because we’re good friends, and it’s good to see him playing his best darts again. It’s been quite a while since he’s played like this and I’m happy he’s playing well at the moment.”
By Chris Murphy