Collon’s Damien Grimes Wins All Ireland Darts Championship in Stunning Debut Year
Ardee News and Sport – Collon’s Damien Grimes Wins All Ireland Darts Championship in Stunning Debut Year
A County Louth man has been crowned an All Ireland darts champion in just his first year competing at the national level.
Damien Grimes, from Collon, claimed the prestigious title with a thrilling 5-4 victory over former PDC tour card holder Ciaran Teehan in the final. The win, secured at the Gleneagle Hotel in Killarney, is still sinking in for the newly crowned champion.
“In all fairness, it still hasn’t sunk in yet,” Damien said. “All the messages that were coming in last night and this morning, I can’t even reply to them all yet. It hasn’t sunk in properly what I’ve done. I know it was a massive achievement and to do it in just my fourth INDO event is something a little bit special.”
Grimes had to overcome a series of highly skilled opponents to lift the trophy, including Limerick’s Michael Flynn, who recently made headlines for defeating Michael van Gerwen in the PDC Players Championships.
His remarkable feat is even more impressive considering it was only his fourth event on the Irish National Darts Organisation (INDO) circuit. Grimes, who plays for the Louth county darts team and represents Matthews Pub in Collon, battled through a challenging draw to claim the title.
His tournament run began with a first-round victory over top Cork county player John O’Donovan before surviving a last-leg decider against Limerick’s Jimmy Murphy. He then defeated fellow Louth player Robert Smith 4-1 and whitewashed Latvian international Dimitry Zhukov in the last 32.
Grimes continued his impressive streak by overcoming Cork’s William Fouhy, setting up a quarter-final showdown with Michael Flynn. Trailing 3-2, he showed his resilience to win 4-3. In the semi-finals, he secured another dominant victory, blanking Cork’s Kenneth Murphy before facing off against Ciaran Teehan in a nail-biting final.
The Collon man admitted he felt nerves throughout the tournament but managed to stay composed under pressure.
“Right from the very first game, the very first leg, my legs and arms were shaking, I couldn’t really think. But I powered on through and went on to win some tough games.”
His success will see him rise significantly in the INDO men’s rankings, potentially earning him a call-up to the Irish international team.
Speaking about the possibility of representing Ireland, he said: “It’s something I know I can do, but it’s a lot of time and a lot of effort and travelling to play at all the ranking events. But with the support behind me now, I’d like to give it a go and see how I get on over the next year or two.”
With his first national title secured and a bright future ahead, Damien Grimes has firmly established himself as a rising star in Irish darts.