HETA CLINCHES PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP 20
08/07/2025 By Aaron Nijjar
DAMON HETA clinched the Players Championship 20 title after beating Stephen Bunting 8-7 in the final.
‘The Heat’ claimed his second ProTour crown this year to continue his brilliant campaign.
Bunting pearled in a 13-darter to break the Heta throw and then pinged in a 70 checkout in the second leg of the match to gain a 2-0 lead.
Australian thrower Heta rattled off three consecutive legs to edge 3-2 in front.
World No. 10 Heta fired in two maximums in the sixth leg of the match and took out D16 to steer 4-2 ahead.
Former World Cup winner Heta smashed in a stellar 100 finish to lead 6-2 against Bunting.
Bunting reduced the deficit to 7-4 and followed up a brilliant 130 outshot with legs of 11 and 15 darts to force a last-leg shoot-out, but Heta kept his cool in the decider to secure his ninth Players Championship title.
Heta admitted the victory has given him heaps of confidence ahead of the World Matchplay next week.
He said: “To get the win today is a massive confidence boost.
“Stephen showed his class there, but I knew I had the throw in the last leg, and I’m really excited that I got the win today.
“I know I’m hitting the heights, and that’s where I need to be. It’s just a matter of taking my opportunities, and I was able to do that today.
“Today I just cruised through and that is how I felt. I am pretty happy with what is going on and we have some big stuff around the corner.
“I just need to keep my game at a good level.”
Heta averaged a whopping 109.14 to defeat Gerwyn Price 7-5 in the semi-final.
The 37-year-old dispatched Daryl Gurney 6-1 in the quarter-final.
Elsewhere, Bunting hit a nine-dart leg as he fought back from 6-2 down to triumph 7-6 against Rob Cross in the last four.
The world number four – a runner-up at last weekend’s Poland Darts Masters – also recorded averages of 103, 101 and 108 to defeat Cam Crabtree, Haupai Puha and Danny Noppert earlier in the day.
Image by Taylor Lanning.
