Two Time Continental Cup Glory for Gates

https://www.pdc.tv/news/2024/10/20/glory-gates-cdc-continental-cup

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

Cameron Finds Perfection but Sevada is Champion in Indianapolis

The final weekend of the 2024 Championship Darts Corporation season kicked off with some high-octane action across the field. At the center of the darting drama was Adam Sevada, who claimed his second career CDC title – the Winmau Darts Masters – in style, edging past Jim Long 7-6 in a thrilling final. Sevada’s win not only boosted his CDC ranking but also tightened the battle for the three coveted spots at the 2025 PDC PaddyPower World Darts Championship.

“The Undertaker” was in in ruthless control from the start. He blitzed through Jacob Brooks with a clinical 5-0 win, followed by a dominant 5-1 victory over Nick Linberg. The Canadian resistance fell short as well, with Sevada shutting out the 6th seed Jacob Taylor 6-0, before dismantling the 3rd seed David Cameron 6-1. A semifinal clash with Jeff Springer saw Sevada maintain his momentum, sealing a 7-4 victory to earn his place in the final.

On the other side, Jim Long was equally impressive. “The Gentleman” kicked off his campaign with a 5-1 win over Jack Robinson and a clean 5-0 sweep against John Liggett, before dispatching Rob Ethington 6-2. The quarterfinals saw him lock horns with Alex Spellman in a tightly contested battle, with Long scraping through 6-5 in a last-leg decider. He followed that up with a masterclass, whitewashing upstart Chris Caldwell 7-0 to set up the final showdown.

The real fireworks, however, erupted earlier in the day when David Cameron found perfection – hitting a 9-darter in his last-16 clash with Jake Womack and averaging just shy of 100 for the match. “Excalibur” needed every bit of that average to squeak through with a 6-5 victory but it wasn’t enough to carry him further, as Sevada ended his campaign soon after.

Main Event #12 – Winmau Darts Masters – Results:

Final
Adam Sevada (11) 7-6 Jim Long (5)

Semifinals
Jim Long (5) 7-0 Chris Caldwell
Adam Sevada (11) 7-4 Jeff Springer (10)

Quarterfinals
Chris Caldwell 6-2 Stowe Buntz (1)
Jim Long (5) 6-5 Alex Spellman (4)
Jeff Springer (10) 6-1 Jason Roker
Adam Sevada (11) 6-1 David Cameron (3)

The season rolls on with two high-stakes events on the horizon: Main Event 13: The CDC Ruckus at the Crossroads, kicking off September 21 at 12:00 PM Eastern, and Main Event 14: CDC Judgement Day, closing the season on September 22 at 10:00 AM Eastern. Both promise more drama as the race for the PDC World Championship and Continental Cup comes to its thrilling conclusion!

 

Article by Brian Fraser
September 20, 2024

Gates, Long and Spellman Victorious at the Falls

The 2024 Championship Darts Circuit continued over the weekend, with North America’s finest dart players congregating in Niagara Falls, NY, for Main Events 9, 10, and 11.

Saturday afternoon saw Leonard Gates win the Cosmo Darts Championship, defeating Adam Sevada 7-4 in the finals. Gates averaged 86.61 in Event 9, connecting on 37% of his finishes in his victories over Jeff McDonald, Stephen Krikorian (against whom he trailed 3-0 before storming back to win in a last-leg decider), Keith Way, Nick Linberg, Jim Long, and then Adam Sevada. The win was Gates’ third title of 2024 and 11th overall CDC Main Event crown – putting more daylight between he and Larry Butler who holds the second most titles with nine.

Saturday night’s contest, the CDC Bash at the Border, ended with Jim Long securing his second title this month, outlasting Jacob Taylor 7-3 in the finale. The victory, coming in a weekend that the London, Ontario man was originally planning not to attend because of other commitments, vaulted Long up to second on the Order of Merit for Canadian players. Long had to fight through the likes of an in-form Jeff Springer, Jake MacMillan, and Event #3 champion, Gary Mawson, to hoist the trophy.

The CDC Galaxy Grand Prix, Main Event #11, wrapped up the weekend on Sunday afternoon. Alex Spellman defeated fellow American, Stowe Buntz, 7-4 to return to the winners’ circle. With Buntz up 3-2, Spellman won 4 straight legs to pull ahead, before taking the title with a brilliant 12-darter in the eleventh leg. Spellman averaged 86.23 with 10 180s.

Main Event 9 – The Cosmo Darts Championship

Finals

Leonard Gates  7-4  Adam Sevada

Semifinals

Adam Sevada  7-2  Alex Spellman
Leonard Gates  7-4  Jim Long

 

Main Event 10 – The CDC Bash at the Border

Finals

Jim Long  7-3  Jacob Taylor

Semifinals

Jacob Taylor  7-5  Kiley Edmunds
Jim Long  7-4  Gary Mawson

Main Event 11 – The Galaxy Grand Prix

Finals

Alex Spellman  7-4  Stowe Buntz

Semifinals

Alex Spellman  7-5  Adam Sevada
Stowe Buntz  7-4  Leonard Gates

The Championship Darts Corporations main circuit concludes September 20-22, in Brownsburg, IN. The final weekend will feature Main Events number 12, 13, and 14, and points earned will decide the CDC participants in the 2024 CDC Continental Cup, as well the 2025 PDC World Championship.

Article by Brian Fraser
August 26, 2024

Buntz Storms to Victory in Boomerang Tours Fiesta

After early exits in the A-Z Darts Trophy in the afternoon, the Championship Dart Circuit’s top two ranked players delivered a thrilling showdown at the Boomerang Tours Fiesta on Saturday night. In a tense match that saw both players struggle at times, top-seeded Stowe Buntz triumphed over #2 seed David Cameron, claiming his fifth CDC Main Event trophy with a 7-5 victory.

The final began with Cameron in blistering form, racing to a 4-1 lead. But Buntz, known for his tenacity, roared back, capitalizing on some missed doubles from the Canadian to win six of the last seven legs and hoist the trophy. His completed the comeback victory with a spectacular 12-darter, pinning tops on the third dart from 100 to end Cameron’s hope for a comeback of his own.

“The Neon Nightmare” largely dominated his bracket, opening with a 5-0 demolition of Dustin Holt, followed by a 6-2 win over CDC Associates’ List player, Davey Mayne. The Virginia man did find himself in trouble in his quarterfinal match, trailing Doug Boehm 4-2 before mounting a fierce rally to run out a gritty 6-5 victory. His semifinal performance was commanding, dispatching Jacob Taylor 7-1 to book his place in the final.

Cameron’s journey to the final was equally impressive. “Excalibur” overcame a stunning 101.5 average from Jeff Springer in the second round to win 5-3, then defeated Steve Warnock 6-2 and Adam Sevada 6-3 to reach the semifinals. There, he faced three-time world champion John Part who has once again found form on the CDC Tour this year. Despite falling behind 3-1, Cameron staged a remarkable comeback to win 7-4, setting up the final clash with Buntz.

Jeff Springer led the event with a 92.05 average across his matches, while David Cameron edged out Stowe Buntz 12-11 for the most 180s. Springer also topped the charts for checkout percentage, hitting 46% of his attempts, narrowly besting Adam Sevada’s brilliant 160 checkout.

FINAL
Stowe Buntz 7-5 David Cameron

SEMIFINALS
Stowe Buntz 7-1 Jacob Taylor
David Cameron 7-4 John Part

QUARTERFINALS
Stowe Buntz 6-5 Doug Boehm
Jacob Taylor 6-5 Leonard Gates
David Cameron 6-3 Adam Sevada
John Part 6-5 Jack Robinson

CDC Tour action continues with the final tournament of weekend 3, the Dart Connect Challenge, beginning at 1:00pm on August 4, in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois.

Article by Brian Fraser
August 3, 2024