Championship Tour Climax Approaches

Budgen Leads With 2 To Go

Just two ADC Championship Tours now remain before the line-up for the Grand Finals is announced, with the top two in the tour table also qualifying for the World Darts Open as seeded players. Championship Tour 6 winner Lee Budgen currently tops the table closely followed by former PDC tour card holder Gary Blades who trails by just a point.

The first year of the Amateur Darts Circuit has certainly been an entertaining one and the introduction of the Championship Tours with setups that the pro’s receive, such as the new Winmau Blade 6 boards that were used for events such as the World Matchplay and the Premier League. 

There have been six different winners across the events that have taken place in Newcastle, Bristol, and Manchester, including the likes of ADC Number 2 Steve Brown who claimed Tour 3 in his hometown after beating Dan Read in the Final at the Thornbury Conference Centre.

Dan the Man came back the next day and won Tour 4 securing the available Red Dragon Champion of Champions place, putting the disappointment of the previous day behind him by beating Welshman Michael Huntley 6-3 with an average just shy of 90. 

Adam Atkinson beat Tony Wood in the Final of the first event in Newcastle at the end of April before Tony Newell claimed the £1000 prize on the Sunday, beating Gary Blades 6-3 despite Razor throwing three maximums in the Northeast.

Adam Smith-Neale is the only player to have won a Final by a whitewash score line, taking apart Simon Preston 6-0 in the Final to win Championship Tour 5 at the Forum Hall in Manchester. Big Dog came through matches against the likes of ADC Number 5 Adam Warner in the Quarter Finals before beating Steve Brown on the main stage in the Last 4. 

The remaining two events will see a return to Bristol with half the competitions taking place in the West of England, as the race for Reading reaches its conclusion. The top 64 players on the Championship Tour table qualify for the event scheduled to take place on the 22nd and 23rd of October. 

Matt Jackson the number 1 ranked player in the Amateur Darts Circuit requires strong performances in September as he sits 136th in the table, and five points off the man who currently occupies the last qualifying spot, Mark Kidman.

All six winners of a Championship Tour are all but guaranteed to qualify for the Grand Finals with Adam Smith-Neale the lowest positioned player in tenth with 22 points, level with Winmau star Colin Osborne and a point clear of three-time event Semi-Finalist James Richardson.

Championship Tours 7 and 8 are scheduled for the 24th and 25th of September and with these being the last tournaments of the year, expect drama and quality on the oche as many look to guarantee their spot at Reading whilst players like Tony Wood, Steve Brown and Adam Warner look to push the top two for the highest seeded spots at the World Darts Open where £10,000 is up for grabs. 

Tour Details: Here

Full Tour Ranking Table: Here

Events 7 & 8 : Here

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Words: Harry Masterson