Scotland have won the World Cup of Darts, defeating Ireland in the final to bring to an end the cinderella run of Steve Lennon and William O'Connor.
Ireland were never supposed to reach the final, having entered the tournament unseeded and rated at 66/1 shots. They would go on to eliminate top seeds England in a huge upset, before taking down 8th seeds Austria in the quarter finals.
Many expected Michael van Gerwen and The Netherlands to put an end to their run, but our lads had other ideas. After the tie went to a deciding doubles game, Steve Lennon came up with two massive finishes en-route to a 4-0 drubbing.
IRELAND ARE INTO THE FINAL!
They've done it! The Republic of Ireland have whitewashed the reigning Champions in the doubles decider and they are into the final!
Who wins this now? Scotland or R. Ireland? pic.twitter.com/mKbogtPfzk— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) June 9, 2019
Despite their giant killings, they were still counted out by most in the final against Scotland. It proved to be a step too far.
Steve Lennon put on a show against world #3 Gary Anderson in the first doubles match, breaking the throw in the opening leg.
He would go on to win the match 4-2, giving Ireland the perfect start in the tie.
IRELAND LEAD THIS FINAL!
Steve Lennon lands a stunning 110 finish to wrap up a 4-2 win over Gary Anderson and give Ireland first blood in this final. #BVDarts pic.twitter.com/cPpI9uqhs1— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) June 9, 2019
William O'Connor took on Peter Wright next, and it was a tight affair. The Limerick man would miss two darts at double 16 to take a 3-2 lead, ultimately falling to a 4-2 defeat.
The Irish lads never really got going in the doubles, failing to replicate the big scores they had produced throughout the tournament. That resulted in Scotland coming away with a 4-0 win.
The wind was well and truly taken out of Ireland's sails at the point, with Scotland's quality beginning to tell. Anderson and Wright are two of the best players in the world, and they turned up the heat once they smelt blood.
Steve Lennon put up a massive fight against Wright in the deciding match, throwing some fantastic darts. He was unable to live with Wright's big scoring, however, and would lose the match 4-1. That meant we did not need to play the final singles match, with Scotland winning the best of five tie 3-1.
WORLD CUP CHAMPIONS!!
Scotland have won the 2019 @BetVictor World Cup of Darts... What an incredible display from Gary Anderson and Peter Wright!#BVDarts pic.twitter.com/ASan6C2VU1— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) June 9, 2019
Scotland are only the third country to win the World Cup, following England and The Netherlands. Gary Anderson paid tribute to the Irish team after the win:
These boys in the semi finals, mister Lennon was absolutely fantastic, and Willy against England was something else. The boys have been brilliant.
Lennon and O'Connor received a fantastic ovation from the German crowd, and the pair were positive in defeat:
Lennon: Obviously we were well beaten, but we did so well to get here. All we can do is take the positives from it. The lads (Scotland) were brilliant, and that's why they are two of the best players in the world.
But we showed what we can do and hopefully we will be back here next year.
O'Connor: I'll look back at the whole tournament positively. We were in the final of the World Cup, for myself and Steve it's a dream come true.
Massive respect to the two lads who were unbelievable in the final. A huge shoutout to the fans, who were absolutely fantastic.
Ireland's fairytale run may have ended in disappointment, but it was an incredible achievement to reach the final. Lennon and O'Connor are ranked 34th and 47th in the world respectively, meaning this was an amazing showing from our lads.
Hopefully they can use this platform for future success, and you can be sure that nobody will underestimate them heading into next year's tournament.
