New Zealand Darts Masters

The 2023 New Zealand Darts Masters was held on August 4-5 at the Globox Arena in Hamilton. Victory goes to Rob Cross. He beats compatriot Nathan Aspinall in the final.

The tournament has quite a few surprises. That starts in the first round when Haupai Puha throws the best match on TV of his career. He beats Dimitri Van den Bergh in a top game 6-2. Puha is not the only 'regional' player to win. Jonny Tata makes his T debut and crowns his debut with a win over Peter Wright, who has been out of shape for a while.

Both players are unable to win their second game, although Tata comes very close. He loses in a decisive leg to Rob Cross. In the semi-finals, Cross beats Gerwyn Price surprisingly easily 7-3. In the other semi-final, Nathan Aspinall beats world champion Michael Smith with the same numbers.

In the final it is Nathan Aspinall who starts best. He leads 5-2 and then has a two breaks lead, but Cross fights back excellently and at 6-6 they are level. Aspinall then breaks Cross again in the thirteenth leg, but the last two legs of the match Cross is the better player. Therefore he wins a World Series tournament for the second time in his career, after Brisbane in 2018.