Ross Smith beats Martin Schindler to win darts European Championship in Dortmund

Ross Smith has won the European Championship in darts for the second time, beating Germany's Martin Schindler 11-8 in the final at the Westfalenhallen in Dortmund. The event is a ranked major on the PDC (Professional Darts Corporation) circuit, and the victory earned Smith the £150,000 first prize.

A tense final

Smith edged a tight opening session and then won six legs in a row, almost building a 9-2 lead. Schindler took advantage of some wayward finishing to win a leg against the throw with a 20-dart break. He later won four legs in a row, including finishes of 116 and 127, to cut the gap to 9-7. Smith then won the next three legs and sealed the title with his fifth match dart.

The win makes Smith one of only five players to win the European Championship more than once, alongside Michael van Gerwen, Phil Taylor, Rob Cross and Peter Wright. He first won it in 2022, and his latest success follows a World Series of Darts title in September. It lifts him to sixth in the world rankings.

The road to the final

Smith beat Luke Woodhouse 10-6 in the quarter-finals and Wales' Gerwyn Price 11-7 in the semi-finals. Schindler beat Jonny Clayton 10-1 in the last eight and Poland's Krzysztof Ratajski 11-6 in the semi-finals.

Ratajski had earlier beaten world No 1 Luke Littler 11-6 in the quarter-finals. Littler was the pre-tournament favourite and still lacks the European Championship among the ranked majors.

Schindler became the first German to reach a televised final. He said he had qualified for the Grand Slam of Darts as a result. Smith admitted he had not played his best, but said he had fought hard to win.