Salate Storms Past Guillin to Complete Panama Double

Jesus Salate continued his dominant start to the 2026 Championship Darts Latin America and Caribbean Tour on Saturday, defeating 2025 World Cup of Darts teammate Victor Guillin 6-1 in the Event #2 final in Panama City.

The top seed backed up his Event #1 title with another commanding run through the 75-player field, dropping just three legs from the quarterfinals through the final before claiming a second straight title of the weekend.

The victory also extends Salate’s remarkable CDLC winning streak to four consecutive titles dating back to 2025, further strengthening his position at the top of the early-season race.

Salate opened the final stages with a 6-0 whitewash of eighth seed Artur Valle before producing a 6-2 semifinal win over James Walkin, who had advanced to the last four with a 6-3 quarterfinal victory over Jonathan Quiros. His toughest test came earlier in the day, when Costa Rica’s Alex Gutierrez pushed the eventual champion to a deciding leg in the Last 32 before Salate survived to keep his title bid alive.

On the other side of the draw, Guillin delivered a strong knockout run of his own. After surviving a last-leg decider against Rashad Sweeting in the Last 16, the Argentine defeated Trinidad’s Dean Persad 6-1 in the quarterfinals and then ended Guillermo Soto’s run with a 6-3 semifinal win.

The final brought together two familiar faces, with Salate and Guillin having represented Argentina together at the 2025 BetVictor World Cup of Darts. The duo famously thrilled the crowd at Frankfurt’s Eissporthalle last year by winning their group on debut and advancing to the knockout round, but it was Salate who controlled Saturday’s all-Argentine final, running out a 6-1 winner to complete another dominant title charge.

It was a difficult day for the seeded players overall, with only three of the top eight reaching the quarterfinals. Sweeting, one of the players expected to contend deep into the event, struggled to find top form before falling to Guillin in the Last 16.

Soto, meanwhile, continued his strong start to the 2026 campaign by reaching a second consecutive semifinal. The Costa Rican has rediscovered the form that proved elusive toward the end of last season and has quickly established himself as one of the most consistent performers of the opening weekend.

Trinidad’s Dean Persad also enjoyed a breakthrough day, reaching his first CDLC quarterfinal before bowing out to Guillin.

Salate led the statistical charts as well as the results sheet, finishing the day with a tournament-best 82.08 average and a field-leading seven 180s. Guyana’s Norman Madhoo posted the second-highest average of the event at 77.82, while Walkin and Brazil’s Anderson Viera De Sousa each fired in five maximums.

Guillin produced the highest checkout of the day, taking out 136 during his run to the final.

Weekend 1 of the 2026 CDLC Tour concludes Sunday with Event #3 in Panama City, beginning at 1:00 PM local time / 2:00 PM US Eastern.

Results

Quarterfinals
Jesus Salate (1) 6-0 Artur Valle (8)
James Walkin 6-3 Jonathan Quiros
Victor Guillin 6-1 Dean Persad
Guillermo Soto (6) 6-3 Joshua Balfour

Semifinals
Jesus Salate 6-2 James Walkin
Victor Guillin 6-3 Guillermo Soto

Final
Jesus Salate 6-1 Victor Guillin

Balfour and Walkin Power Trinidad and Tobago to BetVictor World Cup of Darts

Joshua Balfour and James Walkin delivered a dominant final performance in Panama City, defeating Rashad Sweeting and Lorenzo Deveaux of the Bahamas 10-1 to win the CDLC BetVictor World Cup of Darts Qualifier and book Trinidad and Tobago’s place in the 2026 BetVictor World Cup of Darts.

The victory sends Balfour and Walkin to the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt, Germany, where they will represent Trinidad and Tobago at the Professional Darts Corporation’s BetVictor World Cup of Darts from June 11-14.

The qualifier featured 28 teams representing 12 countries, beginning with round-robin group play before the top two teams from each group advanced to the knockout rounds. By the end of the night, it was Trinidad and Tobago standing tall, with Balfour and Walkin capping their campaign with a clinical display against the first-time finalist Bahamian pairing.

Both teams were appearing in a World Cup Qualifier final for the first time, but the Trinidad duo settled into the occasion quickly. After taking the opening two legs, Balfour and Walkin briefly saw the Bahamas get on the board in the third, but that proved to be their only concession of the match. From there, Trinidad and Tobago reeled off eight straight legs to complete a 10-1 victory in 47 minutes.

Balfour and Walkin averaged 67.91 as a team, compared with 65.41 for Sweeting and Deveaux, and controlled the scoreboard throughout the contest. Their strongest legs came in Leg 2 and Leg 10, both won in 18 darts with 83.50 leg averages, while Leg 5 was a 17-dart hold that helped push the lead to 4-1 and fully swing the final in their favor.

Sweeting, who became one of the breakout stories of the 2025 World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace, had been solid throughout the day alongside Deveaux, but the Bahamian challenge went off the boil in the final. The Bahamas pairing managed just one leg despite several competitive visits, while Balfour and Walkin repeatedly found enough scoring and finishing pressure to keep the match moving in one direction.

Balfour also gained a measure of revenge along the way. In the quarterfinals, he and Walkin edged Argentina’s Jesus Salate and Victor Guillin 5-4, eliminating the reigning qualifier champions and turning the tables on Salate, who had beaten Balfour in the final of the CDLC Tour kickoff event the previous day.

Salate and Guillin had lifted this title in 2025 before making an immediate impression on the World Cup stage, thrilling the crowd at the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt by winning their group on debut and advancing to the knockout round. Their title defense in Panama City ended in a last-leg quarterfinal, but only after Balfour and Walkin survived one of the tournament’s defining matches.

That narrow win over Argentina proved to be the key hurdle. After sweeping Brazil’s Roberto Wentz and Claudio Domingues 5-0 in the Last 16, the Trinidad pair survived the quarterfinal thriller against Salate and Guillin before defeating Chile’s Mauricio Carcamo and George Patterson 8-4 in the semifinals. Once in the final, Balfour and Walkin produced their most complete performance of the tournament.

Sweeting and Deveaux also earned their place in the final with a strong knockout run. The Bahamians opened with a 5-1 win over Costa Rica’s Alex Gutierrez and Nelson Hernandez, then defeated fellow Bahamas representatives Nelson Rahming and Navarro Bastian 5-2 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, they knocked out 2024 qualifier champions Sudesh Fitzgerald and Norman Madhoo of Guyana, 8-5, to secure their place in the title match.

Fitzgerald and Madhoo’s title defense ended one step short of the final, while Argentina’s reign as defending qualifier champions ended in a quarterfinal deciding leg. The depth of the field was on display across the knockout bracket, with four Last-16 matches going the full distance, including Jamaica’s Michael Pinnock and Vasseon Roye edging Costa Rica’s Guillermo Soto and Jafet Vanegas 5-4, Guyana’s Christopher Lochan and Luis Ramirez-Merlano surviving Panama’s Barry Snyder and Jaime Cerrada 5-4, and Chile’s Carcamo and Patterson defeating Costa Rica’s Jonathan Quiros and Ernesto Jimenez by the same score.

But the night belonged to Trinidad and Tobago.

With a first-time finalist on each side of the stage, Balfour and Walkin seized the moment, powered through the final, and claimed the World Cup ticket with authority. The 10-1 scoreline left no doubt, and Trinidad and Tobago will now carry the CDLC banner to Frankfurt in June.

Knockout Results

Last 16
Rashad Sweeting/Lorenzo Deveaux def. Alex Gutierrez/Nelson Hernandez, 5-1
Nelson Rahming/Navarro Bastian def. Michael Rivas/Mikhael Achong, 5-0
Sudesh Fitzgerald/Norman Madhoo def. David Alzola/Kimberli Rivas, 5-3
Michael Pinnock/Vasseon Roye def. Guillermo Soto/Jafet Vanegas, 5-4
Christopher Lochan/Luis Ramirez-Merlano def. Barry Snyder/Jaime Cerrada, 5-4
Mauricio Carcamo/George Patterson def. Jonathan Quiros/Ernesto Jimenez, 5-4
Joshua Balfour/James Walkin def. Roberto Wentz/Claudio Domingues, 5-0
Jesus Salate/Victor Guillin def. Samuel Marcelo de Olivera/Anderson Viera de Sousa, 5-1

Quarterfinals
Rashad Sweeting/Lorenzo Deveaux def. Nelson Rahming/Navarro Bastian, 5-2
Sudesh Fitzgerald/Norman Madhoo def. Michael Pinnock/Vasseon Roye, 5-2
Mauricio Carcamo/George Patterson def. Christopher Lochan/Luis Ramirez-Merlano, 5-1
Joshua Balfour/James Walkin def. Jesus Salate/Victor Guillin, 5-4

Semifinals
Rashad Sweeting/Lorenzo Deveaux def. Sudesh Fitzgerald/Norman Madhoo, 8-5
Joshua Balfour/James Walkin def. Mauricio Carcamo/George Patterson, 8-4

Final
Joshua Balfour/James Walkin def. Rashad Sweeting/Lorenzo Deveaux, 10-1

Salate Storms to Event #1 Title as 2026 CDLC Tour Opens in Panama City

Jesus Salate made the perfect start to the 2026 Championship Darts Latin America and Caribbean Tour on Friday, dropping just two legs from the quarterfinals onward as he powered to the Event #1 title in Panama City, Panama.

The top seed from Argentina led the 71-player field with an 83.13 tournament average across six matches and finished the day in emphatic style, whitewashing Trinidad’s Joshua Balfour 6-0 in the final to claim the opening title of the new CDLC season.

Salate’s dominant march through the closing rounds began with a 6-1 quarterfinal win over Artur Valle, before he brushed aside fourth-seeded Guillermo Soto by the same scoreline in the semifinals. Soto had earlier produced one of the day’s most convincing last-eight performances, eliminating fifth seed Roberto Wentz 6-0.

On the opposite side of the draw, Balfour produced the comeback of the day — and one of the most remarkable escapes in recent CDLC play — in his semifinal clash with fellow Trinidadian James Walkin. Trailing 5-0, Balfour survived 13 match darts from Walkin before completing a stunning 6-5 turnaround to reach the final.

Balfour had already ended the run of Victor Guillin in the quarterfinals, defeating the Argentinian 6-2 and denying Guillin the chance to keep pace with Salate at the top of the early points race. Guillin, Salate’s Team Argentina partner at last year’s World Cup of Darts, entered the weekend as one of the key names to watch, but was stopped short of the semifinals by Balfour’s strong run through the bottom half of the bracket.

Walkin also impressed on the day, defeating third seed Norman Madhoo 6-2 in the quarterfinals before narrowly missing out on a place in the final. He finished level with Salate atop the 180 count, with both players firing in four maximums across the tournament.

Second seed Sudesh Fitzgerald was another notable casualty, falling in the Last 16 as the opening event delivered early movement in the race for CDLC ranking points.

For Salate, however, Event #1 was a statement performance. The top seed controlled the business end of the bracket, led the field statistically, and closed the tournament with a clean-sheet victory in the final to take the first title of the 2026 campaign.

The CDLC Tour continues Saturday from Panama City with the region’s World Cup of Darts Qualifier at 3:00 PM local time, followed by Events #2 and #3 of the Tour on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Quarterfinals

Jesus Salate (1) def. Artur Valle, 6-1
Guillermo Soto (4) def. Roberto Wentz (5), 6-0
Joshua Balfour def. Victor Guillin, 6-2
James Walkin def. Norman Madhoo (3), 6-2

Semifinals

Jesus Salate def. Guillermo Soto, 6-1
Joshua Balfour def. James Walkin, 6-5

Final

Jesus Salate def. Joshua Balfour, 6-0

Canada Claims Nations Cup while Cameron Denies Sevada for Cross-Border Crown

David Cameron capped a brilliant weekend for Team Canada on Saturday night, defeating Adam Sevada 7-3 to win the Fourth Annual CDC Cross Border Darts Challenge in Deer Lake, Newfoundland.

Night Two began with seven Canadians and one American still standing, with Sevada carrying the Stars and Stripes into the quarterfinals as the lone remaining U.S. player. The American #1 seed continued his strong run with a 5-3 victory over Jim Long to book his place in the semifinals, while Darryl Christie defeated Jacob Taylor 5-2, Cameron won 5-3 against Jeff Smith, and Kiley Edmunds powered past Albert Anstey 5-1.

Sevada then reached his first Cross Border Darts Challenge final by defeating Christie 6-4 in the last four, improving on last year’s semifinal finish. On the other side of the bracket, Cameron delivered a convincing 6-2 win over Edmunds to advance to the final for the second time in the event’s history after finishing runner-up in 2024.

That set the stage for a championship clash between the tournament’s top two seeds, and Cameron rose to the occasion. The Canadian #1 seed pulled away for a 7-3 victory over Sevada to claim the title, making this the first Cross Border Darts Challenge in which both #1 seeds reached the final. Cameron also completed a standout statistical weekend, leading all players with an 89.73 tournament average, while Sevada finished second on 89.09. Sevada led the event with six 180s, narrowly ahead of Cameron’s five.

In the final itself, Cameron averaged 94.80 in the 7-3 win, with Sevada posting 88.67 across the 10 legs. Sevada was strong out of the gate, landing back-to-back 14-dart legs to lead 3-2 at the break, but it was Cameron who returned to the stage rejuvenated, winning the last 5 legs in blistering fashion beginning with a 12-darter in the sixth leg and repeating the feat minutes later to prevent the American from recapturing any momentum.

The weekend also belonged to Team Canada in the international team contest, as Captain John Part guided his side to a third Nations Cup title over Team USA, captained by Larry Butler. The trophy was presented by special guest Derian Hatcher, captain of the 1999 Stanley Cup champion Dallas Stars and a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.

With the Nations Cup already locked up after Friday’s play, Saturday night became the finishing touch on a memorable weekend for Team Canada, capped by David Cameron’s run to the Cross Border Darts Challenge title securing both individual and team glory for the hosts.

The 2026 Championship Darts Circuit begins in just a few short weeks as players descend on Niagara Falls May 8-9 with the first two Main Events of the season and an open qualifier for the bet365 US Darts Masters.

Deer Lake Delivers as Canada Seals Nations Cup on Opening Night

Team Canada fed off a raucous home crowd in Deer Lake, Newfoundland on Friday night, storming to seven wins from eight matches in the Last 16 of the Fourth Annual CDC Cross Border Darts Challenge to officially clinch the Nations Cup.

With every opening-round clash contested between the United States and Canada, the hosts delivered a statement performance on home soil, with Adam Sevada the lone American to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals.

Canada’s charge was led by top seed David Cameron, who turned in the performance of the night in a dominant 5-0 win over CDC Hall of Famer and USA Team Captain, Larry Butler. Cameron also posted the highest average of the session at 92.78.

Second seed Darryl Christie also moved through for the hosts with a 5-3 victory over Jason Brandon, while fourth seed Jim Long ran out a 5-2 winner over Doug Boehm. Third seed Kiley Edmunds completed a strong night for the seeded Canadians with a 5-3 win against Nick Linberg.

Albert Anstey and Jacob Taylor then gave the Newfoundland crowd two unforgettable moments in a pair of dramatic deciding-leg victories. Anstey survived six match darts from USA number two seed, Stowe Buntz, before producing a stunning 100 finish on single 20, double 20, double 20 to seal a 5-4 win and ignite the home support. Taylor followed with a thriller of his own, pinning double 1 in a last-leg decider to defeat USA number three seed Leonard Gates 5-4, having survived nine match darts along the way.

Elsewhere, Jeff Smith opened the evening with a 5-2 win over USA fourth seed Gary Mawson, while PDC and CDC Hall of Famer and Canadian Team Captain, John Part, saw his run ended by USA top seed Adam Sevada, who claimed the Americans’ only victory of the night with a 5-2 success.

Adding to the occasion in Deer Lake, legendary referee and PDC Hall of Famer Russ Bray made his CDC stage debut, taking charge of six of the evening’s eight matches.

On the scoring front, Smith, Anstey, Sevada and Linberg each landed two 180s.

The Fourth Annual CDC Cross Border Darts Challenge concludes on Saturday night in Deer Lake, with the quarterfinals, semifinals and final set to decide the individual title. Doors open at 6:00 PM local time, followed by the inaugural CDC Hall of Fame induction ceremony at 6:20 PM. Quarterfinal action begins at 7:00 PM Newfoundland time / 5:30 PM Eastern.

LAST-16 RESULTS
Jeff Smith 5-2 Gary Mawson
Jason Brandon 3-5 Darryl Christie
Larry Butler 0-5 David Cameron
John Part 2-5 Adam Sevada
Doug Boehm 2-5 Jim Long
Albert Anstey 5-4 Stowe Buntz
Jacob Taylor 5-4 Leonard Gates
Nick Linberg 3-5 Kiley Edmunds

SATURDAY NIGHT QUARTERFINALS ORDER OF PLAY (7:00 PM Newfoundland Time / 5:30 PM Eastern)
Adam Sevada v Jim Long
Darryl Christie v Jacob Taylor
David Cameron v Jeff Smith
Albert Anstey v Kiley Edmunds

CDC/CDLC Agree to Three-Year Extension of PDC Affiliate Tour Agreement

NEW AGREEMENT SEES BOOST TO PRIZE FUND, INCREASED OPPORTUNITIES FOR INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION ACROSS THE HEMISPHERE

LONDON/CHICAGO, December 24th, 2025 – Championship Darts Corporation (CDC) and its subsidiary, Championship Darts Latin America and Caribbean (CDLC), in conjunction with the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) today announce a three-year extension of their Affiliate Agreement. This extension, part of a large-scale initiative by the PDC to increase support for the game of darts at the highest levels across the globe, will see CDC (in North America) and CDLC (in Latin America and the Caribbean) remain at the center of professional darts across the hemisphere until at least 2028.

With the agreement comes an immediate increase to the prize fund on the CDC circuit, with a minimum of $250,000 paid-out across 16 events, the Cross Border Challenge and Continental Cup in 2026 and eyes towards further increases in the coming years. In addition, the following international opportunities are available to players in the CDC/CDLC ecosystem:

  • The CDC Tour Points leaders from the US and Canada at the conclusion of each year will receive a berth in the PaddyPower World Darts Championship, to be joined by the CDLC Tour Champion, CDC Continental Cup and CDC Cross Border Darts Challenge champions and the winner of the North American Darts Championship.
  • The top 8 players at the conclusion of each CDC and CDLC season will receive complimentary entry to PDC Q-School, with both Tour Champions receiving an exemption through to the second stage.
  • The Winmau World Masters will see the top-8 players on each tour compete in the preliminary round, vying to earn a spot in the main event to join the top-24 on the PDC Order of Merit on one of the biggest stages in darts.
  • Berths in the BetVictor World Cup of Darts for select nations as-available

“This is a huge show of support for all our Global Affiliate Tours and possibly the most significant announcement ever for the worldwide growth of darts,” said PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter. “We have worked hard alongside our local partners in each region to build their calendars and provide increased opportunities and pathways for their players – and the results we are starting to see in our Premier events, plus the growing spread of Tour Card Holders, shows that we are heading in the right direction to achieve our goal of truly globalizing professional darts.

Peter Citera, CEO of Championship Darts Corporation, said “We continue to see exponential growth in our sport across this hemisphere. This agreement provides certainty for our player base and demonstrates the shared commitment that the PDC, CDC and CDLC have in continuing to bring darts into the mainstream of the sporting landscape in North America, Latin America and the Caribbean. I believe the next three years will truly be the brightest in the history of the sport on this side of the globe and look forward to working with Matt, Dave Allen and the rest of the PDC staff to take the game into the stratosphere.”

The 2026 CDC Tour will kick-off in Deer Lake, NL, Canada with the Cross Border Darts Challenge on April 17-18 and CDLC play will commence with weekend 1 on the CDLC Tour in Panama City April 23-26. Further details on both Tours will be released shortly.

The full announcement from the PDC can be found at: https://www.pdc.tv/news/2025/12/24/global-boost-pdcs-new-ps3-million-plus-investment-affiliate-tours

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