Damon Heta sent Alexandra Palace into meltdown on Friday afternoon after landing a sensational nine-dart finish that sparked a £60,000 payout to a random fan in the crowd at the PDC World Darts Championship.
The surprising moment came during his second round clash against English player Luke Woodhouse.
The 37-year-old had lost a set to Woodhouse, who broke him in the fifth match to take the first exchange 3-2.
For this year’s PDC World Darts Championship, Paddy Power will pay a total of £180,000 for every nine darts scored during the tournament, with the funds split three-way.
The player who bowls the perfect leg will receive £60,000, one lucky fan at Alexandra Palace will also receive a check for £60,000, while the betting company will also donate £60,000 to Prostate Cancer UK, the tournament’s official charity partner. .
A fan in the audience wearing a yellow trilby hat and a Christmas themed jacket was chosen as the lucky winner of the huge cash prize.
Damon Heta scored a sensational nine-dart finish on Friday afternoon at Alexandra Palace
The world number 9 won £60k with the perfect leg, and Paddy Power is now also set to donate another 60k to charity and a random fan in the crowd at Ally Pally.
Amusingly, another fan had been seen holding a sign behind the man that read Wayne Mardle’s iconic “I can’t talk” line, which the legendary darts commentator had said after Michael Smith’s nine-dart throw at the World Championships. 2023.
Paddy Power will also donate £1,000 for every 180 thrown during this year’s championship as part of its Bigger180 campaign.
Heta’s perfect leg was the second nine-darter finish of the tournament. As of this morning, Paddy Power had raised £522,000 for charity and 462,180 had been minted in the tournament before the start of this afternoon’s session.
But Heta, ranked ninth in the world, responded in the second period with an excellent pace of play, leading 2-1 with a stunning nine-dart finish, before drawing level with Woodhouse to win the second set 3-1.
The 37-year-old Australian, originally from Perth, jumped around the stage in jubilation, even appearing to jump off the stage at one point.
Her opponent, Woodhouse, looked just as excited as Heta, jumping up and down on stage with glee, before showing his class, giving the Australian star a huge handshake.
Heta’s best result at the World Darts Championship came earlier this year, where he was eliminated in the round of 16 in January.
Paddy Power later revealed who had won the £60,000 prize.
Heta (left) and Luke Woodhouse (right) embraced on stage after the epic moment.
After Heta lost a set in the first exchange, her nine-dart finish allowed her to rally behind her British opponent to draw 1-1.
Excited by the sensational finale, the Australian, originally from Perth, jumped off the stage excitedly.
More to follow…