Nathan Aspinall struggled to contain his emotions during a teary-eyed X-rated speech after claiming his first-ever European Tour title on Sunday night. The Englishman was paired against compatriot Ryan Joyce in the final, with Aspinall’s experience proving crucial during the 8-4 win.
Having beaten Ritchie Edhouse in his opening match on Saturday, Aspinall returned on Sunday afternoon to take victories against Jermaine Wattimena, Luke Humphries and Gary Anderson en route to the final. It wasn’t plain sailing for Aspinall, who had to ride his luck at times, but the 33-year-old had the crowd off their feet during the semi-final against Anderson when he took out a stunning 170 to keep his title hopes alive.
It might just have proved the tournament-winning checkout for Aspinall, as he went on to win the final-leg shootout against Anderson, before making no mistake in the final against Joyce. It’s only the third professional title Aspinall has won, having gone close to two years since his last at the 2023 World Matchplay.
Overcome with emotion after hitting the winning double, Aspinall dropped to his knees and was visibly teary-eyed throughout the trophy presentation. When quizzed on his victory, Aspinall replied: “Honestly, I’ve had a good day today, that 170 against Gary [Anderson]. Unbelievable… Ryan is a great guy, I’m happy to share the final stage with him.
“But for me personally, can I swear? To an extent? It’s been a s**t few years for me. This is what I needed, it was a big win. It makes me believe in myself that I’m still good enough to compete with these boys. It means a lot to me, roll on [Michael] van Gerwen on Thursday night [in the Premier League.”
He later added, with a smile on his face: “Honestly, final word for this crowd, you guys are unbelievable and if anyone wants to buy me a pint at the bar, I’ll see you later.”
Joyce, who stunned the likes of Joe Cullen, Dimitri Van den Bergh and Michael van Gerwen across the weekend’s play, reacted to his final defeat by saying: “I’m over the moon to get to my first-ever [PDC] final. I was just outclassed in the final, fair and square. I did well to win the four legs. Hopefully it’s the start of something good, hopefully I can make more finals.
“If I played like I can I’d have won 8-0. Fantastic, I’ve enjoyed it, I’ve enjoyed this European Tour more than any. The crowd has been fantastic.”
