Newton breaks title duck

Newton: First title success

I knew I had to produce just one big leg and treated it like it was just a normal leg down at my local pub, and luckily enough I won it.

Wes Newton
Quotes of the week

Also see

• Order of Merit
• On Sky TV
• Darts Schedule/Results
• Live on skysports.com

Wes Newton broke his ranking title duck with a slender 6-5 victory over Steve Beaton in the final of Saturday's Scottish Players Championship.

Both Newton and Beaton have been in flying form of late, and now Newton has finally landed his first title after some near misses recently.

Newton has reached three PDC Pro Tour finals since the summer without victory, but ended that run in a final-leg thriller with Beaton at the Magnum Centre in Irvine.

In-form Beaton had defeated the Fleetwood ace a fortnight ago to claim his first win for eight years, but missed one dart for another victory in the deciding leg of this clash.

Beaton took the final's opener and landed a 180 in the second, but missed doubles allowed Newton to level, and the pair also traded the next two before an 11-darter put the Warwickshire-based star 3-2 up.

Composed

Newton was the one who kept his composure in the decider though, with Beaton missing double 16 to allow Newton - who had hit scores of 139 and 137 in leaving 66 - back to snatch the win on double 18.

"I'm so relieved to have finally won a Players Championship," said Newton. "There was so much pressure on me in the final and I was trying not to think about it and just to play darts how I had throughout the day.

"I played awesome all day long - it's probably the best I've played consistently round on round - so I'm over the moon.

"I was 5-3 up and Steve got it back to five-all and had the darts in the last leg, and I thought I'd blown it!

"I knew I had to produce just one big leg and treated it like it was just a normal leg down at my local pub, and luckily enough I won it."

The win was a fine way for Newton to bounce back from the disappointment of a first round loss in Friday's qualifying tournament for the Grand Slam of Darts.