Dimitri Van den Bergh retains World Youth Championship title with victory over Martin Schindler
Friday 14 December 2018 12:03, UK
Dimitri Van den Bergh retained his PDC Unicorn World Youth Championship title with a brilliant 6-3 victory over Martin Schindler in Sunday's final at the Butlins Minehead Resort.
Van den Bergh overcame Josh Payne 6-3 in the 2017 final, and he defeated Schindler by the same scoreline to make history by becoming the first player to win two PDC World Youth Championship titles.
The pair had won through to the decider earlier in November when they came through a 96-man field in Wigan, with play initially beginning in a round-robin group stage following the tournament's expansion.
However, it was Van den Bergh who scooped the £10,000 title after producing another vintage display in Minehead.
The Belgian's 101.23 average against Payne 12 months ago was the highest in a World Youth Championship final, but he almost usurped his own record against 'The Wall'.
The 24-year-old was averaging 111 at one stage, before eventually prevailing 6-3 with a 100.44 average, four maximums and a 40% checkout success rate.
Van den Bergh, who landed a magical nine-darter en route to reaching last week's Grand Slam of Darts quarter-finals, kicked off proceedings with an early maximum for a 15-dart hold.
He then capitalised on two missed doubles from the German to extend his cushion on double 18, before converting a majestic 151 checkout for a 12-darter and a 3-0 lead.
Schindler responded with a classy 107 kill to open his account, but Van den Bergh restored his three-leg cushion after following up his second maximum with another 12-dart hold.
The next two legs were shared, before Schindler fired in a 13-darter on double ten to reduce the arrears to 5-3, but Van den Bergh wasn't to be denied.
'The Dream-Maker' had the advantage of throw and crashed in a brace of maximums to leave 60 after nine darts, before sinking double ten to clinch the title thanks to his third 12-dart leg of the contest.
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