Beaton Masters King to land long-awaited title

The 49-year-old completed a brilliant weekend of darts in the European Tour event at the Glaspalast in Sindelfingen by taking the £20,000 first prize in dramatic fashion.

Beaton had dropped only four legs in his run to the semi-finals, whitewashing Mick Todd in the first round, defeating Paul Amos and Jamie Caven 6-2 and then seeing off Brendan Dolan 6-2 in the quarter-finals.

The former world champion then averaged 100 in a superb performance to defeat world number four Simon Whitlock 6-3 in the semi-finals as he set up a decider against King.

King actually broke throw with a 13-darter in the final’s opening leg before Beaton levelled by punishing five missed doubles from his opponent and then taking out 70 to lead 2-1.

King finished 116 to take the fourth, with Beaton edging back ahead with an 11-darter before being punished for a miss at tops in the sixth as the former Southam thrower levelled at three-all.

Beaton moved back ahead at 4-3 and then broke in a dramatic eighth leg as King bust his score on 134 before seeing his opponent take out a huge 160 finish.

King responded superbly by hitting 180s in the next two legs as he sent the game into a decider but Beaton scored 140, 95 and 100 in being first to a finish before finishing 76 on tops for the title.

“It’s very special,” said Beaton, who had reached at least the quarter-finals in the last three European Tour events. “I’ve been knocking on the door all year but it’s great to finally win one.

“I’d seen Mervyn laughing when he bust the 134 but I thought to myself that I could really rub it in by finishing the 160, which I did to go 5-3 up.

“I’ve had so many great battles with Merv down the years and I knew he would come back at me so it was important I didn’t give him a chance in that final leg.”