Derry's Daryl Gurney claimed his first European Tour title by defeating Ricky Evans in the final of the German Darts Championship on Sunday.
Gurney defeated Rob Cross, Stephen Bunting and Adrian Lewis before edging out Evans in an exciting decider at Halle 39 in Hildesheim.
The Northern Irishman, who won the 2018 Players Championship Finals, opened up a 5-1 lead in the final but was pegged back by fast-throwing Evans - who won five of the following six legs to level.
Former World Grand Prix champion Gurney closed out the win, however, with finishes of 46 and 96 to add a European Tour triumph to his two televised titles and a Players Championship success.
@Superchin180 Congratulations! 💪🏻@Winmau @OfficialPDC pic.twitter.com/Uxq6dzZClm
— Stefan Strassenburg (@s_strassenburg) April 1, 2019
The win moves Gurney up to a career-high third on the PDC Order of Merit, and saw the emotional Irish ace break down in tears on stage as he discussed the inspiration of his late friend Aaron McMenamin.
"It's amazing for me to win this title," said Gurney, who returns home to compete in the Premier League in Belfast on Thursday.
"Congratulations to Ricky on his run too. He is a phenomenal player and is so fast he makes me look slow.
"My best friend, the person who got me back into darts, passed away a few years ago and I dedicate all of my success to him."
ON THE WIRE!
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) April 1, 2019
German Darts Championship winner Daryl Gurney spoke to @DanDartsDawson and @TheAsset180 following his maiden European Tour triumph. pic.twitter.com/NaKVKJsMhi
