Damon Heta sent out Alexandra Palace into crisis on Friday afternoon after he struck a sensational nine-dart finish triggering a ₤ 60,000 payment to a random fan in the crowd at the PDC World Darts Championship.
The spectacular minute came during his second-round clash against English player Luke Woodhouse.
But the Australian could not ride his momentum, with British darts star, Woodhouse coming back from going 3-1 down to clinch nine straight legs of darts and advance to the last 16 at the World Darts Championships for the very first time in his career.
Despite the defeat, Heta will leave with ₤ 60k in his pocket, following his epic nine-dart task.
For this year's PDC World Darts Championship, are paying a total of ₤ 180k for every nine-darter scored during the competition, with the funds to be divided three ways.
The gamer who tosses the best leg will receive ₤ 60k, a fortunate fan at Alexandra Palace will also be handed a ₤ 60k cheque, while the wagering business are likewise set to donate ₤ 60k to Prostate Cancer UK, the official Charity partner of the tournament.
A fan in the audience who was wearing a yellow trilby hat and a Christamas-themed blazer was selected as the lucky winner of the huge prize money.
Damon Heta struck a mind-blowing nine-dart finish on Friday afternoon at Alexandra Palace
HEROIC HETA HITS THE NINE! UNBELIEVABLE SCENES! Damon Heta lands the 2nd nine-darter of the competition to raise the roof at Alexandra Palace! #WCDarts pic.twitter.com/DW6rhvFqez
- PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 27, 2024
The World No 9 won himself ₤ 60k with the ideal leg, with Paddy Power also now set to donate another 60k to charity and to a random fan in the crowd at Ally Pally
Hilariously another fan had been seen holding an indication behind the guy that read Wayne Mardle's renowned 'I can't spake' line, which the famous darts analyst had stated following Michael Smith's nine-darter at the 2023 World Championships.
Paddy Power are likewise contributing ₤ 1,000 for every single 180 tossed during this Year's champion as part of their Bigger180 project.
Heta's perfect leg was the second nine-dart finish at the competition. Since this early morning, Paddy Power had actually raised over ₤ 500,000 for charity with 462 180s having been struck at the competition prior to the start of this afternoon's session.
bet9ja.com
The Australian started badly against Woodhouse, with Heta conceding the first set, being broken by his challenger in the last leg of the very first set.
He struck back in the second term with an outstanding passage of play, racking off two 180s and the final 141 in style.
The 37-year-old Australian, who comes from Perth, jumped around the stage in festivity and at one point even appeared to jump off the stage.
His challenger, Woodhouse, looked simply as excited as Heta did, jumping up and down on the phase before revealing his class, providing the Aussie star a hug and raising his hand in the air to celebrate the sensational task.
The Brit, 36, has actually been hailed for his reaction to the minute online, with one fan writing: 'Luke Woodhouse's celebration after Heta's nine-darter is class.'
Paddy Power later revealed the gentleman who had actually won the ₤ 60,000 prize pot
bet9ja.com
The minute among the audience discovered they were ₤ 60,000 richer pic.twitter.com/G0eYn9n2ln
- Sky sports betting Darts (@SkySportsDarts) December 27, 2024
Heta (left) and Luke Woodhouse (ideal) embraced on phase after the legendary moment
After Heta had gone a set down in the first exchange, his nine-dart surface saw him get better versus his British challenger to draw level at 1-1
'Big props to Luke Woodhouse - he's genuinely buzzing for his mate! Love the sportsmanship and enjoyment!' another wrote on X.
'The method Luke Woodhousecelebrates Damon Heta's nine-darter and raises his hand afterwards is what makes this sport so great,' one composed.
bit.ly
'The camaraderie in darts is unbelievable. Just look at the method Luke Woodhouse, celebrated his challenger's nine-darter earlier,' another stated.
After the match, Woodhouse reflected on the mind-blowing minute that saw his good pal Heta leave with ₤ 60k.
'Me and Damo are buddies,' he told Sky sports betting. 'We play golf together a lot. We hang out and practice a lot ...
'I understand he was gutted when he missed his double twelve in the very first game.
'So, yeah, when he hit that nine-darter the crowd went wild.
bet9ja.com
'You couldn't not celebrate with him!'
Luke Woodhouse pic.twitter.com/Oza4ZK63yV
- Martin (@martin_kcr) December 27, 2024
Elated by the marvelous finish, the Australian, who comes from Perth, jumped off the stage in elation
Woodhouse was applauded for his response to his challenger's nine-dart surface, with some lauding his 'sportsmanship'
Heta would go on to dominate in the 3rd set, winning 3-2 and once again dominating the fourth, breaking his opponent twice.
But Woodhouse, who is ranked No 35 in the world, bounced back, winning all three last sets to turn things around on his challenger and progress through to the next round.
A noticeably emotional Woodhouse said after the match: 'I'm over the moon.'
'It's not just me it's my wife, my family and my boy. So [I'm doing] truly good.'
1
Aussie Darts Star Damon Heta Hits a NINE-DARTER At Alexandra Palaec
bettinaprevost edited this page 2025-01-02 01:23:41 +01:00