Heta Holds Nerve to Edge Aspinall and Clinch PC13 Title
- Darts Central
- Apr 14
- 7 min read
The Players Championship season resumed on Monday with the first of a double-header at the Autotron in Rosmalen, Netherlands.
Four Premier League stars opted out of the event: Luke Humphries, Luke Littler, Rob Cross,, and Stephen Bunting. They were joined by eight other absentees from the tour card ranks being Gary Anderson, William Borland, Brett Claydon, Joe Cullen, Ryan Joyce, Adam Paxton, Tim Wolters, and Jules van Dongen.
Their places in the draw were filled by Challenge Tour call-ups: Darius Labanauskas, Stefan Bellmont, Ted Evetts, Carl Sneyd, Scott Campbell, Mervyn King, Dragutin Horvat, Kevin Burness, Tom Sykes, Graham Usher, Alexander Merkx, and Andreas Harrysson.
Early Rounds: Nijman’s Nine-Dart Leg & MvG's Woes
In Round 1, Wessel Nijman, playing on home soil, delivered an impressive performance, averaging 111.33 in a dominant 6-0 whitewash of Rob Owen. To cap off his victory, Nijman hit a perfect 9-dart leg in the final leg, sealing his win in style.
Elsewhere, Dylan Slevin (103.66) and Ross Smith (102.48) also recorded 6-0 wins with ton-plus averages, defeating Adam Warner and Stephen Burton, respectively.
Meanwhile, Dutch legends Michael van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld both suffered early exits on home turf. Van Gerwen underperformed, averaging just 85.73 in a 6-4 loss to Mario Vandenbogaerde.
Van Barneveld also struggled, averaging 84.94 in a defeat to fellow Dutchman Marvin van Velzen. For MvG, it marked his fifth consecutive loss in Players Championship events, a worrying trend for the Green Machine, who once dominated these competitions in his prime.
Gian van Veen, Josh Rock, and Gerwyn Price all secured routine wins in Round 1, averaging over 100. Meanwhile, José de Sousa advanced after Dimitri van den Bergh withdrew due to a minor illness.
In Round 2, there were three more whitewashes. Cameron Menzies cruised to a 6-0 win over Sebastian Bialecki. Leon Weber, a new tour card holder this season, recorded his personal best of 102.48 in a 6-0 demolition of Joshua Richardson. Andrew Gilding also posted an excellent 106.09 average, defeating Graham Usher 6-0.
Josh Rock continued his stellar form with a 6-4 victory over Connor Scutt, averaging 109.51, while Scutt impressed with a 103.52 average. However, Premier League stars Gerwyn Price and Chris Dobey were both eliminated in Round 2. Price fell 6-4 to Max Hopp, and Dobey lost 6-3 to Dominik Gruellich.
Welsh duo Jonny Clayton and Nick Kenny both advanced to Round 3 with convincing wins over Dutchmen Jitse Van der Wal and Marvin van Velzen. Meanwhile, PDC title winners this season, Gian van Veen, Martin Schindler, Nathan Aspinall, and Cameron Menzies, all progressed to the third round.
Round 3 saw Jermaine Wattimena deliver a sensational performance, averaging 107.73 in a dominant win over Darius Labanauskas. Josh Rock (104.14) and Mike De Decker (101.50) continued their strong Pro Tour form, defeating Kevin Doets and Michael Smith, respectively, to make the last 16.
Leon Weber’s fine run continued as he averaged 101.67 to defeat Ted Evetts 6-4 and book his spot in the next round. Gian van Veen and Wessel Nijman advanced with ease, securing wins over Niels Zonneveld and Benjamin Reus.
Nathan Aspinall and Martin Schindler both navigated tough encounters, overcoming Cameron Menzies and Bradley Brooks to reach the last 16, while Jonny Clayton beat fellow Welshman Nick Kenny 6-2.
Last 16: Weber’s Run Ends & Two Players Survive Match Darts
Leon Weber’s impressive run came to an end in the Last 16, as he was defeated 6-3 by ‘Smash’ Martin Lukeman. Weber’s performance dipped, averaging just 83.43.
Nathan Aspinall, Martin Schindler, and Damon Heta all navigated tough encounters, each securing a 6-4 win. Aspinall saw off Dirk van Duijvenbode, Schindler overcame Mike De Decker, and Heta defeated Jermaine Wattimena to reach the quarter-finals.
Wessel Nijman and Jonny Clayton both triumphed in last-leg deciders, winning 6-5. Nijman denied Ricardo Pietreczko, while Clayton edged out Mario Vandenbogaerde, neither allowing their opponents a shot at victory.
The final two players to secure spots in the quarter-finals were Andrew Gilding and Karel Sedlacek. Gilding survived a match dart from Gian van Veen, coming from 5-3 down to win 6-5 in a deciding leg.
Sedlacek, on the other hand, incredibly survived five match darts before narrowly defeating Josh Rock 6-5, securing his second quarter-final appearance of the season on the Pro Tour.
Quarter-Finals: Dutch Disappointment & The Clayton Comeback
As the quarter-finals began, five of the eight remaining players had already tasted success on the PDC Pro Tour, while the other three were chasing their first Pro Tour title.
Nathan Aspinall comfortably dispatched Martin Lukeman 6-2 in a lackluster encounter, with both players well below their usual standards. Aspinall averaged 84.17, while Lukeman posted a PDC career-low 74.05.
Damon Heta showed his class, recovering from a 2-0 deficit to reel off six straight legs and defeat Karel Sedlacek 6-2. Heta showcased his finishing prowess with high checkouts of 152, 151, and 135, making a decisive surge to reach the semi-finals.
Andrew Gilding put an end to any hopes of a Dutch winner in Rosmalen, overcoming Wessel Nijman 6-4 with an average of 95.41.
Meanwhile, Jonny Clayton mounted a thrilling comeback from 5-4 down to defeat Martin Schindler 6-5. Clayton sealed the win with a 15-dart hold and a 14-dart break, booking his spot in the semi-finals.
Semi-Finals: Heta Turns Up the Heat & Aspinall Sees Off Clayton
The first semi-final saw Damon Heta face off against Andrew Gilding. After the pair were level at 2-2, Heta produced a stunning five-leg burst to secure a 7-2 win and a place in the final. Gilding struggled to keep pace with Heta, who averaged 101.20, his highest of the day.
In the second semi-final, Nathan Aspinall took on Jonny Clayton. The match swung back and forth, with Aspinall holding a 3-1 lead after four legs, only for Clayton to respond with three consecutive legs to take a 4-3 advantage. However, Aspinall regained control in the final stages, winning four legs in a row to seal a 7-4 victory and his spot in the final.
Road to the Final:
Damon Heta and Nathan Aspinall battled their way through a competitive 128-player field to reach the showpiece final at Players Championship 13. Here’s how they got there:
Round | Damon Heta | Nathan Aspinall |
Last 128 | 6-5 vs Adam Hunt | 6-5 vs Adam Lipscombe |
Last 64 | 6-3 vs Berry van Peer | 6-2 vs Andy Boulton |
Last 32 | 6-4 vs Andy Baetens | 6-3 vs Cameron Menzies |
Last 16 | 6-4 vs Jermaine Wattimena | 6-4 vs Dirk van Duijvenbode |
Quarter-Finals | 6-2 vs Karel Sedlacek | 6-2 vs Martin Lukeman |
Semi-Finals | 7-2 vs Andrew Gilding | 7-4 vs Jonny Clayton |
🏆 The Final: Heta Survives Scare to Claim PC13
Nathan Aspinall was aiming for his first Players Championship title since August 2022, while Damon Heta sought to add a third PC title to his collection after two victories last year.
Heta took control early, leading 4-1 after five legs. The pair exchanged holds of throw for the next four legs, leaving the scoreline at 6-3 in Heta’s favour.
However, Aspinall mounted a strong comeback, rattling off three consecutive legs to level the match at 6-6, turning it into a best-of-three contest with momentum on his side.
In a dramatic twist, Aspinall missed two darts at double to go 7-6 up, allowing Heta to break back with a clinical 57 checkout in 20 20-dart hold. Aspinall then had another chance to force a deciding leg but missed two more darts at the outer ring in the 14th leg. Heta capitalised, hitting a 70 checkout in three darts to seal the win in 15 darts, claiming an 8-6 victory.
🏅 Champion: Damon Heta
Tournament Average: 94.56
180s: 15
Prize Money: £15,000
Highlight Performance: 7-2 Semi-Final vs Andrew Gilding (101.20 average)
Talking Points & Highlights
🇳🇱 MvG’s Woes Continue: Michael van Gerwen’s struggles continued as he averaged just 85.73 in a 6-4 loss to Mario Vandenbogaerde in the 1st Round. This marked his fifth consecutive defeat in Players Championship events, matching his worst losing streak since 2011, the year he first earned a PDC tour card.
🔥 Nijman’s 9 Dart Leg: Wessel Nijman made a statement with a 6-0 whitewash of Rob Owen in Round 1, averaging 111.33. He finished the match in style, hitting the perfect 9-dart leg to seal his dominant win.
🏴 Aspinall’s Final Run: Nathan Aspinall, despite not averaging above 97, made his first Players Championship final since August 2022. His gritty performances throughout the tournament almost saw him snatch the title, marking a much-needed resurgence on the Players Championship circuit.
🏆 Heta wins his 8th PC Title: Damon Heta secured his 8th Players Championship title and 10th PDC title overall with today’s victory. Despite not being at his best, the Australian proved his class, continuing to impress and showing he can compete for major titles.
🎙️ Post-Final Interview: Damon Heta’s Reaction:
“I didn’t know when my next win was coming, so I’m really stoked to win today,” he told PDC.tv.
Looking back on his performance, Heta admitted that sometimes darts can be unpredictable, noting: “For some reason in darts you sometimes get wins when you’re not playing great and don’t get what you deserve when you are playing well.”
On his preparation, the Australian shared that he’s been working on improvements: “I’ve been working on a few things to do with my darts set-up, looking for those one per cents to take my game to the next level.”
Reflecting on the bigger picture, Heta added, “I’m a hard worker, I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing and hopefully turn up at the big events and get my rewards.”
📅 What’s Next?
Players Championship 14: April 15th, Autotron, Rosmalen (Live on PDC.tv)
Premier League Night 11: April 17th at Rotterdam Ahoy, Rotterdam (Live on Sky Sports)
Stay tuned to Darts Central for all the latest coverage!
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