After the Ruckus, Womack Stands Alone

When all was said and done at the inaugural DJD Ruckus at the Crossroads, it was Jake Womack as the man left standing after edging out Jim Long 7-6 in a nervy final. Long, who struggled to score effectively early in the match, capitalized on consistent double-trouble from Womack before finding form and firing in an 11-darter to move to within one leg of capturing his third title of the season. But it was not to be for “The Gentleman” as the Colorado man showed his mettle by taking the last two legs, landing D1 in the decider to claim the second CDC title of his career. For Long, it was a heartbreaking repeat of Friday night’s final – his second consecutive runner-up finish in a deciding leg.

Womack’s journey to the title began with a 5-1 dismantling of Nathan Humphries, followed by a hard-fought 5-3 win over Albert Anstey. He then stormed past an out-of-form Sean Mitchell, posting a dominant 6-0 whitewash. From there, Womack caught fire, averaging a scorching 101 in his 6-3 victory over Jacob Taylor before brushing aside Gary Mawson 7-1 to secure his place in the final.

Long’s path was equally impressive. He breezed through his early rounds, defeating Jacob Schaeffer 5-1 and Joey Lynaugh 6-2. That set the stage for a rematch with Alex Spellman, their encounter from Friday fresh in everyone’s minds. Once again, Long triumphed, this time in a nail-biting 6-5 win. His semifinal clash against Doug Boehm proved another tough battle, but Long edged it 7-5 to reach his second straight final.

Friday’s winner, Adam Sevada, continued his form, leading all players with a 95.3 average on Saturday. Womack was on fire from the oche, racking up 13 maximums, just one more than Long and Taylor. Taylor also showed his finishing prowess, hitting 42% of his checkouts, while Boehm produced the highlight checkout of the day with a stunning 170 in his semifinal loss to Long.

Final
Jake Womack (14) 7-6 Jim Long (5)

Semifinals
Jim Long (5) 7-5 Doug Boehm (8)
Jake Womack (14) 7-1 Gary Mawson (7)

Quarterfinals
Doug Boehm (8) 6-3 Jason Brandon (16)
Jim Long (5) 6-5 Alex Spellman (4)
Gary Mawson (7) 6-5 Gino Florian
Jake Womack (14) 6-3 Jacob Taylor (6)

Long’s strong run has put him in a solid position to book his ticket to Ally Pally for the 2025 PDC World Championship with one event remaining. Fans will be eagerly watching as the 2024 Championship Darts Corporation season wraps up on Sunday, September 22, at 10:00 Eastern with Event #14 – CDC Judgment Day. Not only will the final three CDC representatives for the World Championship be determined, but the 16 qualifiers for the 2024 Continental Cup will also be finalized.

 

Article by Brian Fraser
September 22, 2024