Ross Smith beats Martin Schindler 11-8 to win his second European Championship

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Ross Smith is the European champion again. Darts World reports that Smith beat Germany's Martin Schindler 11-8 in Sunday's final at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, adding to the title he won in 2022

Smith beat Karel Sedlacek, Damon Heta, Luke Woodhouse and Gerwyn Price on his way to the final. Schindler made history by becoming the first German to reach a PDC televised major final, beating Wessel Nijman, Jermaine Wattimena, Jonny Clayton and Krzysztof Ratajski in front of a passionate home crowd

The final swung both ways. Smith led 3-2 at the first interval and pulled clear to 8-2 with checkouts of 86 and 91. Schindler then won four legs in a row, including a 116 finish, to cut the gap to 9-6. Smith responded with a 16 dart leg and hit his tenth 180 of the match, then missed four championship darts before finally winning on double 5

Smith beat Price 11-7 in the semi finals after trailing 4-1, while Schindler beat Ratajski 11-6 in front of almost 7,000 fans. Smith collects £150,000 and climbs to sixth on the Order of Merit. He said he was absolutely over the moon, admitted he was nervous going into the last break, and praised Schindler as a fighter. He dedicated the win to his parents

Smith has quietly become one of the most dangerous big stage players in darts. Schindler's run will be a huge moment for German darts, even in defeat. The atmosphere for that final must have been extraordinary

Was this Ross Smith's finest performance? And can Schindler go one better at a major soon?

Rock-Solid Smith Secures Second European Championship Crown | Darts World Magazinedartsworld.com