Mervyn King emerged triumphant at the opening Players Championship of 2011, defeating Vincent van der Voort 6-1 in Germany.
First title for 11 months for Englishman
Mervyn King emerged triumphant at the opening Players Championship of 2011, defeating Vincent van der Voort 6-1 in Halle, Germany.
King ended an 11-month wait for a title as he claimed victory in the first of two tournaments being staged in Germany this weekend.
The Englishman overcame Simon Whitlock 6-3 in the semi-final by taking five of the final six legs.
He then swept past van der Voort in the final itself, producing two 100 plus checkouts on the way.
After taking out 101 in the first leg, he found double four to lead 2-0 before van der Voort hit back to take the third with the aid of a 180.
But King then finished 120 for the fourth and punished three misses from the Dutchman for a 4-1 lead.
He landed two consecutive 180s in the next for six perfect darts before eventually winning the leg in 10 darts.
He sealed his success by taking out double four again in the next and expressed his delight, stating: "It means a huge amount to me because it's the first tournament I've won since losing my Dad last year, and this was for him.
"It's been a tough period for me but to win an event is a huge relief.
"I wanted to make a good start to the year after dropping out of the top 10 and I've done that. It's a huge boost and I'd love to keep this form going."
