Ritchie ‘Madhouse’ Edhouse Claims European Championship in Surprise Victory

Ritchie ‘Madhouse’ Edhouse, participating in his inaugural televised final, achieved the most significant victory of his career by defeating Jermaine Wattimena 11-3 to claim the European Championship title. The competition included 28 of the top 32 players globally; however, a succession of unexpected results led to two less-favored competitors reaching the final. In Dortmund, England’s Ritchie Edhouse, ranked 39th in the world, capitalized on the opportunity by securing a decisive win against the 40th-ranked Dutch player, Wattimena. Following his receipt of the £120,000 first prize and his initial major title, the 41-year-old Edhouse stated, “It’s unbelievable, it will change my life. Confidence breeds confidence and I’m now hungry for more.” Edhouse had previously overcome two-time world champion Gary Anderson with a 10-5 score in the quarter-finals; concurrently, Wattimena caused an upset by defeating world number one Luke Humphries 10-4. Bookmakers had assigned Edhouse 250-1 odds as an outsider prior to the event, marking him as another unexpected champion, following Mike de Decker’s victory at the World Grand Prix a fortnight earlier. In the final match, Edhouse initially fell behind 3-2, but then proceeded to win nine consecutive legs. His average score of 90.55 ultimately secured his triumph, which was concluded with a 144 checkout. He commenced the tournament by achieving an impressive 109.48 average in a dominant 6-1 win against Gian van Veen. The player, who hails from Basildon, overcame a 4-1 disadvantage to defeat world number two Michael Smith during the second round on Saturday. As a result, Edhouse has entered the world’s top 32 rankings for the first time, ascending ten positions to reach a personal best of 29th, and has also qualified for the Grand Slam of Darts scheduled for November. Wattimena, too, secured his spot in Wolverhampton, having eliminated four television title holders en route to the final. The quarter-final results were as follows: Luke Woodhouse 10-4 Dirk van Duijvenbode Ritchie Edhouse 10-5 Gary Anderson Jermaine Wattimena 10-4 Luke Humphries Danny Noppert 10-9 Ricardo Pietreczko In the semi-finals: Ritchie Edhouse 11-5 Luke Woodhouse Jermaine Wattimena 11-10 Danny Noppert The final match saw: Ritchie Edhouse 11-3 Jermaine Wattimena