Nathan Aspinall clinched his third European Tour title of the season with a hard-fought 8-6 victory over Dirk van Duijvenbode in Sunday’s Elten Safety Shoes German Darts Championship final.
The Stockport ace delivered a phenomenal weekend performance to secure top position in the European Tour rankings, completing a German treble after earlier triumphs in Göttingen and Leverkusen.
Aspinall was at his best from the outset at Halle 39, averaging 103 and 107 in early-round wins against Maximilian Czerwinski and Ross Smith. His form continued into Finals Day, producing a stunning 110 average to sweep past Steve Lennon before overcoming Jermaine Wattimena and Gian van Veen in later rounds.
After defeating Wattimena 6-4 in the quarter-finals, Aspinall came from 6-3 down to stun Van Veen in the semi-finals, hitting seven 180s during a remarkable four-leg comeback.
In the title decider, Aspinall faced another in-form Dutchman as Van Duijvenbode chased his first European Tour crown in front of an enthralled Hildesheim crowd. The Dutch star, who hit a nine-darter on Day One, came close to repeating the feat in leg two but ultimately settled for a ten-dart leg.
The match was evenly balanced early on, but Aspinall pulled clear midway through, stringing together three consecutive legs of 14, 13, and 14 darts to take command. He extended his lead to 6-2 with a superb 121 checkout before Van Duijvenbode fought back with four straight legs to level at six-all.
Aspinall held firm under pressure, holding throw in the 13th leg and sealing victory with a precise 74 finish to end the European Tour season on a high.
“I took a 6-2 lead but Dirk did to me what I usually do to others—he came back fighting, ” said Aspinall, who averaged 101 for the tournament. “I’ve loved every minute of this weekend. It’s amazing to win my third title, and being top seed going into the European Championship gives me huge confidence.”
Aspinall joined the elite ranks of Michael van Gerwen, Peter Wright, Luke Humphries, and Dave Chisnall as just the fifth player to win three European Tour titles in a single year. “I’m in great company, ” he added. “It took me ten years to win my first, but I’ve found the formula now. The last few months have been tough since the World Matchplay, but I’ve worked hard and it’s brilliant to lift another trophy.”
Despite missing out on the £30, 000 top prize, Van Duijvenbode impressed throughout, reaching his third European Tour final—and first since June 2023. The Dutchman opened with a nine-darter against Karel Sedlacek, then averaged an incredible 117.74 in his win over Chris Dobey. He went on to edge past Martin Schindler and defending champion Peter Wright before defeating Krzysztof Ratajski 7-3 in the semi-finals.
Ratajski’s semi-final run confirmed his place at the upcoming European Championship, after a weekend that included victories over Felix Springer, Ryan Searle, Ryan Joyce, and Dave Chisnall.
Gian van Veen also had a standout weekend, thrashing Jonny Clayton 6-1 and averaging over 105 in victory against his World Cup partner Danny Noppert. Noppert, meanwhile, mounted a comeback win from 4-0 down to beat Gerwyn Price earlier in the day. Wattimena, Wright, and Chisnall also enjoyed resurgent showings, with Wattimena averaging 111 in a memorable Round Three all-Dutch clash with Wessel Nijman.
