Windy City Magic for Spellman
The 2022 Continental Cup champion, Alex Spellman, put on a brilliant display in Event #5 on the 2023 Championship Darts Circuit – the Winmau 180 Extravaganza – defeating David Cameron 7-4 in the final with a 99.84 average and five 180s. Alex came out of the gate blazing, opening up a 6-1 lead that included a 10-dart opener followed by six perfect darts to start leg 2 (in which he pinned tops to finish in 13 darts). He then fired in a 15-darter in the third leg to leave Cameron reeling and searching for answers. The Canadian man attempted a firey comeback – earning 3 straight wins on the spin from 6-1 down – but in the end the deficit was just too large to overcome as the North Carolina man finished 79 to claim the victory with Cameron all the way back on 237.
Cameron’s road to the finals began with a 5-2 victory over Brian Fenlon followed by a 6-2 victory over Steve Warnock. He earned his spot in the semifinals after winning a last leg decider against Larry Butler, then absolutely smothered Leonard Gates 7-2 in a match where one of the most prolific scorers on the CDC circuit – and the reigning World Seniors Darts Masters champion – had no answers.
For his part, Spellman also cruised to the finals virtually unscathed. After dispatching an out-of-sorts Jason Watt 5-0, he outclassed Dave Fatum 6-3 with a 96.42 average. He then took out Jim Long with an even better 99.32 average to reach the semifinals. He continued his strong play in the semifinals against Event #4 finalist, Danny Lauby, earning his spot in the finals with a 7-2 victory.
The second event of the day proved to be a redemption of sorts for the seeded players, with seven of the top nine making it into the quarterfinals. However, Main Event #4 winner, Jules Van Dongen, saw his attempt at back-to-back titles end at the first hurdle with a shocking loss in the last 32.
Spellman was truly in a class of his own in this event, leading the way with a 95.08 average across 5 matches. He tallied a tournament-high 12 180s, and converted 46% of his checkouts, which was only bested by his finals opponent, David Cameron, who was successful on 47%.
Finals
Alex Spellman (4) 7-4 David Cameron (3)
Semifinals
Alex Spellman (4) 7-2 Danny Lauby (9)
David Cameron (3) 7-2 Leonard Gates (2)
Quarterfinals
Danny Lauby (9) 6-4 Elliot Milk
Alex Spellman (4) 6-1 Jim Long (5)
Leonard Gates (2) 6-3 Gary Mawson (7)
David Cameron (3) 6-5 Larry Butler (6)
The Cosmo Darts Classic, Event #6 on the the 2023 Championship Darts Circuit, concludes the weekend on Sunday. Coverage begins at 11:00am CT, from Chicago, Illinois.
Article by Brian Fraser
July 15, 2023