By Keith Falkiner
Waterford darts star Dean Finn has secured one of the biggest wins of his career as he was crowned the weekly winner of the Modus Super Series in the UK.
The Republic of Ireland international’s win in the televised event means he will be back for the Modus Champions Week at the Live Lounge in Portsmouth this week for the chance to be crowned the overall Series 12 Champion and land the £30,000 first prize.
The 29-year-old, from Waterford city, has already pocketed £5,000 for coming through Week 12 of an event where reigning PDC world champion Luke Littler first made his name by winning it twice back-to-back when only 16 years old.
Finn entered Week 12 of the Modus Super Series, which is aired daily on the Pluto TV channel in the UK, on Thursday and made it through to finals night by coming second in Group B.
He showed himself to be the form player on finals night, as he stormed through to the semi-finals by winning his group after defeating England’s Martyn Turner 4-2 and whitewashing veteran pro, Mervyn King, 4-0, to set up a last four clash with Tommy Lishman.
Finn made no mistake in that semi-final, defeating Lishman 4-2, to put him into the final against young English whizkid Archie Self.
Having already lost twice to Self during the week, Finn ensured it would be third third lucky for him in the final, as he secured a 4-2 win by hitting a winning double 16.
The Waterford man was full of emotion afterwards, breaking into tears after his big win, which was all the sweeter after he lost in a weekly final to Holland’s Danny van Trijp in Series 11 earlier this year.
He said it ensured a “spectacular” end to a year in which he suffered disappointment with the Ireland men’s team when they went out of the WDF World Cup at the last 16 stage in South Korea in September.
Finn said: “To be honest, just all year it just hasn’t been going my way.
“Every time I come into this building I just do enough. The last time I didn’t feel like I did enough and Danny smashed me in the last final but I didn’t feel like I played well all that week. This time I played well.
“Jesus, I don’t know what else to say,” he added.
Finn joked that he will now need to get some more days off work, as he will be back in Portsmouth for Champions Week on Thursday.
He quipped: “I don’t know if my boss is watching, but I’m going to need two more days off work, Ger. Just the Thursday and Friday, that’s all.”
