Damon Heta sent Alexandra Palace into crisis on Friday afternoon after he struck a sensational nine-dart surface triggering a ₤ 60,000 payout to a random fan in the crowd at the PDC World Darts Championship.
The stunning minute came during his second-round clash versus English player Luke Woodhouse.
But the Australian couldn't ride his momentum, with British darts star, Woodhouse coming back from going 3-1 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 profession.
Despite the defeat, Heta will win ₤ 60k in his pocket, following his legendary nine-dart task.
For this year's PDC World Darts Championship, Paddy Power are paying a total of ₤ 180k for every scored throughout the competition, with the funds to be divided three ways.
The player who throws the best leg will get ₤ 60k, a fortunate fan at Alexandra Palace will also be handed a ₤ 60k cheque, while the sports betting company 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 sports betting jacket was picked as the fortunate winner of the huge prize money.
Damon Heta struck a marvelous nine-dart surface on Friday afternoon at Alexandra Palace
HEROIC HETA HITS THE NINE! UNBELIEVABLE SCENES! Damon Heta lands the second 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 actually been seen holding an indication behind the male that read Wayne Mardle's iconic 'I can't spake' line, which the famous darts commentator had actually said following Michael Smith's nine-darter at the 2023 World Championships.
Paddy Power are likewise donating ₤ 1,000 for each 180 thrown throughout this Year's champion as part of their Bigger180 campaign.
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Heta's ideal leg was the 2nd nine-dart finish at the tournament. Since today, Paddy Power had actually raised over ₤ 500,000 for charity with 462 180s having actually been struck at the competition prior to the start of this afternoon's session.
The Australian started badly versus Woodhouse, with Heta conceding the first set, being broken by his opponent in the final leg of the very first set.
He hit back in the 2nd term with an outstanding passage of play, racking off 2 180s and the final 141 in design.
The 37-year-old Australian, who comes from Perth, leapt around the stage in festivity and at one point even appeared to leap off the phase.
His challenger, Woodhouse, looked simply as excited as Heta did, leaping up and down on the phase before showing his class, providing the Aussie star a hug and raising his hand in the air to celebrate the sensational feat.
The Brit, 36, has been hailed for his response to the moment online, with one fan writing: 'Luke Woodhouse's event after Heta's nine-darter is class.'
Paddy Power later on exposed the gentleman who had won the ₤ 60,000 prize pot
The minute among the audience discovered out they were ₤ 60,000 richer pic.twitter.com/G0eYn9n2ln
- Sky sports betting Darts (@SkySportsDarts) December 27, 2024
Heta (left) and Luke Woodhouse (ideal) accepted on stage after the legendary minute
After Heta had actually gone a set down in the first exchange, his nine-dart finish saw him recover against his British challenger to draw level at 1-1
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'Big props to Luke Woodhouse - he's genuinely buzzing for his mate! Love the sportsmanship and excitement!' another composed on X.
'The way Luke Woodhousecelebrates Damon Heta's nine-darter and raises his hand later on is what makes this sport so terrific,' one composed.
'The sociability in darts is extraordinary. Just take a look at the way Luke Woodhouse, celebrated his challenger's nine-darter earlier,' another said.
After the match, Woodhouse assessed the mind-blowing moment that saw his buddy Heta win ₤ 60k.
'Me and Damo are good 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 first game.
'So, yeah, when he struck that nine-darter the crowd went wild.
'You couldn't not celebrate with him!'
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Luke Woodhouse pic.twitter.com/Oza4ZK63yV
- Martin (@martin_kcr) December 27, 2024
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Elated by the sensational surface, the Australian, who hails from Perth, leapt off the phase in elation
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Woodhouse was applauded for his reaction 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 again dominating the fourth, breaking his challenger two times.
But Woodhouse, who is ranked No 35 on the planet, got better, winning all three final sets to turn things around on his challenger and development 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 household and my kid. So [I'm doing] truly excellent.'
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Aussie Darts Star Damon Heta Hits a NINE-DARTER At Alexandra Palaec
arturoperales4 edited this page 2025-01-03 01:08:10 +08:00