Nathan Aspinall ended a near two-year wait for a title and picked up his first European Tour Trophy with an 8-4 win over Ryan Joyce in the European Darts Trophy final in Gottingen.
The Englishmen threw five 180s and averaged 98.19 to win his first PDC title since the World Matchplay in July 2023.
Aspinall thrashed world number one Luke Humphries 6-1 in the quarter-final before hitting a 170 finish in his deciding leg win over Gary Anderson to get to the final, while Joyce dumped out Michael van Gerwen in the other semi-final.
Aspinall broke Joyce in the first leg to take command and rushed into a 4-1 lead over the 39-year-old.
However, Joyce fought back to 5-4 before Aspinall pulled away to clinch victory.
"It felt like it was written in the stars," admitted the former UK Open champion, who sealed the deal with a two-dart 72 checkout.
"Ryan is a great guy and a top player, and it was great to share the stage with him in the final.
"This is what I needed. This will help me believe in myself and it shows I'm still good enough to compete against the top boys.
"Because of the situation I’ve been in over the last few years with the injuries and the dartitis, this is probably my proudest moment.
"The crowd were unbelievable. The support I got was amazing. This honestly means so much to me."
