Neil Duff edges Thibault Tricole in dramatic final to clinch 2022 WDF Lakeside Championship
- Planet Sport writer
- 11 April 2022
Neil Duff won in dramatic fashion on Sunday evening, lifting the title after coming back to win 6-5 against France's Thibault Tricole.
Northern Ireland's Neil Duff rose to the ocassion for Sunday's showpiece, mounting an impressive comeback to win the inaugural WDF World Championship and pocket a £50,000 winners cheque.
However it was actually the 32-year-old Frenchman who started the brighter of the pair, as he raced to a 2-0 lead in Surrey as Duff's nerves started to show.
Tricole took the lead after landing a double four in the first leg, before clinching the second with a finish of 41.
Duff was able to regain his composure to take the third leg, before Tricole then battled back to take a 3-1 lead - Duff missing a crucial 93 checkout to level the scores.
NEIL DUFF IS A WORLD CHAMPION!
— WDF Darts (@DartsWDF) April 10, 2022
Northern Ireland's Neil Duff defeats Thibault Tricole 6-5 in the 2022 Lakeside WDF World Championship Final to be crowned a World Champion! #WDFDarts pic.twitter.com/upJMgy2Mch
The Northern Irishman eventually did claw it back to 3-2 after a comfortable 80 checkout, and he carried that momentum with him into the sixth set which he this time won with an 81 checkout to level the score at 3-3.
With the tides beginning to turn, Duff won a third successive leg to take a 4-3 lead in the match, landing a D17 to go ahead.
Despite the pressure mounting from Duff's comeback, Tricole put on a clinical eighth set, landing a neat D20 to level the scores up at 4-4 and set up a dramatic finale.
Tricole stormed into the lead in the ninth set as it looked like the Frenchman would go one away from winning the tournament, but Duff rallied to turn the set around from 2-0 down, with the 49-year-old landing two 180s en route to taking a 5-4 lead in the clash.
"He said it was his destiny!"
— Eurosport (@eurosport) April 10, 2022
An emotional Neil Duff falls to his knees after becoming the new world champion 🏆🎯#WDFDarts | @DartsWDF pic.twitter.com/svgpFnV0mx
But the Frenchman again came roaring back to level it up at 5-5, landing a D8 to seal the leg.
In the final and deciding set, the 'Duffman' stormed to a 2-0 lead and then showed no signs of nerves as he nailed a checkout of 50 to lift the trophy.
