Shane McGuirk followed up his brilliant participation in the 2024 WDF World Championship at Lakeside by qualifying for the men's final. That was at the expense of Francois Schweyen, who saw a strong tournament run aground in the semifinals.
McGuirk had already emerged as the most stable player among the men this week. McGuirk dealt with Mark Barilli (2-0), Edwin Torbjörnsson (3-0), Brandon Weening (3-0) and Peter Machin (4-0). McGuirk was thus still without a set loss after four matches.
The Irish darter retained that status. In the first set of the semifinals, McGuirk handled his chances a lot more effectively. Schweyen missed doubles in the first and third leg, and then saw the set go 3-1 to his Irish opponent.
A 49 finish then gave McGuirk the lead in set two, before Schweyen evened the score with a 17-darter. The next two legs also went with the darts, making a fifth leg necessary. McGuirk started that leg and secured the set with a 72 finish.
McGuirk then managed to win both the third and fourth sets 3-0. The highlight was a 102 check-out to take the fourth set. He then grabbed the lead in set five with a 13-darter, before Schweyen tied for 1-1. McGuirk then finished it off with a 15-darter and a 19-darter.
𝗠𝗰𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗸 𝗽𝘂𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝘄𝗲𝘆𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹
— WDF Darts (@DartsWDF) December 7, 2024
Shane McGuirk has still not dropped a set at Lakeside 2024! He keeps his clean sheet in tact to reach tomorrow final as he averages 92.72 and drops just four legs. #Lakeside2024 pic.twitter.com/uow0TlCnJa