EAST Yorkshire’s Steve Rice turned in a top-class performance to win the Yorkshire Masters Darts Open at Huntington WMC in York.

The event, run by York Darts Promotions, consisted of eight qualifying stages organised across Yorkshire, with 64 players reach contesting the grand finals.

Bridlington-based Rice toppled York’s Lutz Leutzsch 8-4 in the best of 15-leg final to take the first prize of £1,000.

Legs of 17, 21 and 17 darts helped Rice into a 3-2 lead over Leutzsch, who hit 17 and 18-dart legs in reply.

In leg six, Leutzsch left 140 after nine darts with Rice way back on 278, but managed to bust 140 and Rice won the leg in 27 darts.

Leutzsch won two further legs, both in 18 darts, but was put off by his error as Rice streaked clear to win with legs of 21, 16, 19 and 15 darts.

Rice had earlier beaten York’s Mark Hartley in the first semi-final which saw both players averaging more than 90 a throw.

Rice fired a 161 finish for a 12-dart leg and he hit 27 tons and one 180 in a 7-3 victory.

The second semi-final saw Leutzsch beat Nottingham’s Matt Padgett in a 13-leg thriller.

Padgett had a 13-dart leg and a 180, but Leutzsch took the decider in 19 darts.

The ‘furthest youth’ prize was won by 17-year-old Jake Patchett, and the prize for the ‘furthest woman’ went to York’s Denise Fowler.

The third Streamline Taxis York Open Darts Championship starts at Huntington WMC on Saturday, February 9.