Earlier this week, Australia claimed their maiden Cazoo World Cup of Darts title on a historic night in Frankfurt. Australian pair Damon Heta and Simon Whitlock defeated Welsh duo Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton 3-1 in the final.
Simon Whitlock and Damon Heta shock Belgium, England and Wales on the route to landing their maiden World Cup of Darts title for Australia in Frankfurt. They become the fifth nation to lift the coveted title with a convincing win over the 2020 winners.
Heta and Whitlock produced a sensational doubles display to defeat the five-time semi-finalists Belgium before defeating four-time winners and top seeds England in the semi-finals.
The Australian duo then claimed the title with a 3-1 victory over Welsh duo Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton in the final.
“It is life-changing. I have dreamt about this moment my entire life and I’ve finally got there,” said Whitlock, one of four World Cup ever-presents.
“It feels amazing. I had a great partner. Damon has been amazing. He’s a great friend, and he’s the best player on the planet right now. He is going to be the next world champion.”
“Simon dragged me through the beginning,” admitted Heta, who defeated three of the world’s top eight on Sunday evening.
“I’m stoked for Simon and stoked for Australia with all the support we’ve had back home.
“Everything we are sacrificing being here and we’ve got the title in the bag. It’s an amazing feeling.”
Dedicated the win to Kyle Anderson
Emotions were understandably running high for Heta and Whitlock, but it was not just the joy of winning that caused this; it was as they remembered Kyle Anderson, who tragically passed away in August 2021. He represented Australia in this competition, reaching the semi-finals alongside Simon Whitlock, and ‘the Wizard’ dedicated the victory to his former partner.
Damon Heta, who was the driving force behind the fundraiser, which raised 30,000 pounds for Kyle Anderson’s family, also played a tribute discussing how he played Anderson’s walk-on song before his first match against Belgium to give him inspiration and how much it meant to him to lift the trophy in Kyle Anderson’s memory.
‘Kyle was amazing. A great guy, a great dart player, and it’s fantastic to lift the trophy for him,’: said Whitlock.
‘I played his walk-on song before I went on for my first game against Belgium, and that gave me a little bit of inspiration.’
‘To win it for Kyle and for Australia in general, it’s incredible.’: said Heta after receiving the title.
