DARTS: Basildon’s Ritchie Edhouse was almost lost for words after winning the first televised tournament of his career in the European Championship.

The 41-year-old defeated Jermaine Wattimena of the Netherlands 11-3 in the final in Dortmund, having also beaten former world champions Michael Smith and Gary Anderson in the earlier rounds.

“I just wanted to get a couple of rounds under my belt and see what happened, but this is unbelievable,” Edhouse told Sky Sports.

“It’s just a dream come true. I don’t know what to say now. It’s ridiculous. We’ll see what happens from now on.

“It’s a step up because confidence breeds confidence and now I’m really confident and hungry.”

Edhouse hit a brilliant 144 checkout to win the 12th leg and finished with an average of 90.55 against Wattimena, who had earlier thrashed world champion Luke Humphries 10-4 in the quarter-finals.

Edhouse picked up £120,000 for the win and now moves into the world’s top 32 for the first time