“The Gentleman” Jim Long captured the A-Z Darts Trophy, narrowly defeating Leonard Gates 7-6 in a final that saw some absolute brilliance from the Canadian – including a stretch where he poured in four 180s and a 96 checkout in six trips to the oche.

Long opened the match with a 2-1 lead, but Gates responded with a surge, winning three legs on the trot to take a 4-2 advantage. Unfazed, Long fired back, winning three consecutive legs including a stunning 11-darter and a clinical 13-dart leg. The players traded blows from there, but it was Long who held his nerve, holding throw and hitting a crucial 76 checkout in the decider to claim his 4th CDC Main Event title. Long’s performance was underscored by an impressive 97.71 average in the final.

Seeded sixth, The Gentleman began his campaign with commanding 5-2 victories over Stephane Rousseau and Sean Mitchell. His last 16 clash against Jake Womack proved to be a test of resilience. After racing to a 3-0 lead, Long found himself behind as Womack took four legs on the spin. However, Long regained control, winning the last three legs to triumph 6-4.

In the quarterfinals, Long clashed with perennial fan favorite, Alex Spellman. In a match that lived up to its billing, both players averaged over a ton, but it was Long who prevailed 6-4; this marked the second time in Spellman’s CDC career that he was on the losing end of a match where both players averaged North of 100. Long then cruised past fellow countryman, Dave Richardson, in convincing fashion to earn his spot in the final.

Leonard Gates, the 4-seed, displayed dominant form early on, whitewashing Hossey Hicks 5-0 and Jack Robinson 6-0 in his first two matches. He continued his impressive run with a 6-3 win over Joey Lynaugh in the quarterfinals before facing a stern test in the semifinals against an in-form Jeff Springer. In a back-and-forth contest – where neither player won more than two legs in a row – Gates survived three match darts in the deciding leg before checking 73 on the third dart to break throw and claim the 7-6 victory.

Springer had already caused multiple upsets, defeating top seed Stowe Buntz, ninth seed Doug Boehm, and sixteenth seed Jake MacMillan before succumbing to Gates.

Ross Snook posted the highest total average of the day at 95.16. Long led the tournament with 18 180s, while Gates hit 13 maximums. Long also recorded the highest checkout of the day, a spectacular 167 against Dave Richardson in the semifinals, and boasted a 42% checkout rate, just behind leader Alex Spellman’s 46%.

Final:

Jim Long 7-6 Leonard Gates

Semifinals:

Leonard Gates 7-6 Jeff Springer
Jim Long 7-2 Dave Richardson

Quarterfinals:

Jeff Springer 6-0 Doug Boehm (9)
Leonard Gates (4) 6-3 Joey Lynaugh (12)
Dave Richardson 6-2 Brandon Goddard
Jim Long (6) 6-4 Alex Spellman (3)

The Championship Darts Corporation’s main circuit continues with the second half of their double-header, Main Event 6, the Boomerang Tours Fiesta, later on Saturday evening, August 3, in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois.

Article by Brian Fraser
August 3, 2024

David Cameron clinched the 2024 Magic Darts Masters title with a thrilling 7-6 victory over Jeff Smith in an all-Canadian final, marking his seventh overall win on the CDC circuit. He surged to a 6-3 lead before Smith launched a relentless comeback, surviving match darts to force a nervy deciding leg in which Cameron pinned tops in 18 darts to secure the win.

Smith and Cameron entered the weekend as the top two in the 2024 points standings but had not advanced past the quarterfinals until Event 5 on Sunday. Cameron was knocked out in the quarterfinals twice, while Smith didn’t make it past the last 16 on Saturday.

“The Silencer” began his Magic Darts Masters run with a 5-2 victory over Shane Meeks, followed by a 5-3 win against PDC tour card holder Jules Van Dongen. He then cruised through the next rounds, defeating fellow countryman and good friend Albert Anstey 6-1 and Leonard Gates 6-3, before facing Danny Baggish in the semifinals. Scoring and finishing on-form, Smith got to within one leg of victory at 6-3 before Baggish managed to claw back three legs on the trot to force a last-leg decider where Smith checked 14 for a 16-darter to book the clash with Cameron.

For his part, “Excalibur” navigated the early rounds smoothly, dispatching Brian Fenlon 5-1, Eugene Schmitt 5-0, and Anthony Cianciolo 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals. There, he faced a tough challenge from Gary Mawson, who had been in top form all weekend. In a seesaw battle, Cameron emerged victorious in a last-leg decider and then defeated fellow Canadian Jim Long to reach the final.

Throughout the tournament, Cameron posted the third-highest average at 88.58, just behind Jeff Springer and Adam Sevada. He also led with 12 180s. Daniel Baggish recorded the highest checkout of 160 and tied with Sevada for the highest checkout percentage, hitting 44% of his finishes.

Finals

• David Cameron 7-6 Jeff Smith

Semifinals

• Jeff Smith 7-6 Daniel Baggish
• David Cameron 7-2 Jim Long

Quarterfinals

• Daniel Baggish 6-4 Adam Sevada
• Jeff Smith 6-3 Leonard Gates
• David Cameron 6-5 Gary Mawson
• Jim Long 6-5 Jake Womack

The journey to the 2024 Continental Cup continues on August 3 & 4 with main events 6 to 8 in Chicago, IL.

Article by Brian Fraser
July 15, 2024