Terriffic Taylor Wins the 9/11 Memorial

Canada’s Jacob ‘The Truth’ Taylor wins the final event of the season, the 9/11 Memorial tournament, with a 7-5 victory over Gary Mawson in Waterdown, Ontario.

Mawson was in fine form all day. He opened his run with a win over Jason Watt 5-3, before breezing past Larry Butler 6-2 in round two. He followed that up with a 6-4 win over Stowe Buntz – the runner up in event 10 and 11 – then won a last leg decider against John Norman, Jr. in the semifinals to secure a 7-6 win and a berth in the final.

Jacob Taylor, however, was the man to beat. His day began with a 5-1 victory over Steve Warnock then a 6-1 dismantling of Joey Lynaugh in the second round. Taylor shot a tournament high 103.0 average during that second round matchup. The Newfoundland man would then proceed to the quarterfinals, where he defeated David Cameron 6-4 to set up a semifinal clash with Event 11 champion, Jim Long. Taylor would overcome an onslaught of six 180s and a 99 average by Long to advance to the finals 7-4.

Cashmere Ventura secured the highest average for the day with a 95.6. Jacob Taylor led the way with 48% checkout success on his way to the title, while his finals opponent, Gary Mawson, topped the 180 table with 11.

Today’s event completed the season and cemented the qualifiers for the 2023 PDC World Championship. American Danny Baggish (“The Gambler”) and Canadian David Cameron (“Excalibur”) both fell in the quarterfinals, but their results were enough to secure their qualification for Alexandra Palace in December. They will be joined by the North American champion, Leonard Gates, who secured his spot during the PDC US Masters in June.

Qualifiers will be announced shortly for the 2022 CDC Continental Cup, which will be held in New York City on October 22, 2022.

Article by Brian Fraser
September 11, 2022

The Gentleman Has His Day

It was vintage Jim Long in Event 11, as he won the Galaxy Gold Cup and secured his second career CDC title with a 7-3 win over Stowe Buntz, who fell in the finals of both tournaments today. The London, Ontario man qualified for his first final since 2019 by sneaking by Louis Vessels 5-4 in an underwhelming first round tie, before hitting his stride and going 12-1 over his next 13 legs, easily dispatching both Gary Mawson and Justin Fawcett. He then fought off Dave Cameron 7-5 in a back-and-forth semifinal to book his tie with Buntz.

Buntz, for his part, proved that revenge does not always have to be served cold as he dispatched Danny Baggish 7-2 in the semifinals, ending the Florida man’s hopes of back-to-back titles and avenging the defeat he suffered in the final of Event #10. Prior to that, Buntz began the nightcap with a 5-4 defeat of Nick Linberg before seeing-off 2021’s top Canadian, John Norman Jr, 6-2 in the second round and then going on to brush-aside the 2022 PDC North American champion, Leonard Gates, 6-3, to set-up his rematch with “The Gambler.”

Jacob Taylor, who is second on the points list for Canadian players, was upset in the first round, despite averaging 97.6 for the match. Danny Baggish once again led the way in 180s with 13, giving him a total of 24 across the two events today. Ryan Vander Weit had the high out in Event 11, reeling in a 170 in leg 6 versus Jacob Taylor.

With his semifinal run this evening, Dave Cameron has positioned himself well to claim the Canadian spot at the 2023 PDC/Cazoo World Darts Championship, this December at the Alexandra Palace, London.

The 2022 Championship Darts Corporation season ends Sunday, with Event 12, the CDC 9/11 Memorial, beginning at 11:00 am from Waterdown, Ontario. At the conclusion of tomorrow’s tournament, the representatives for the World Championship will be finalized, and the CDC Continental Cup qualifiers will be determined.

 

by Brian Fraser
September 10, 2022

“The Gambler” Doubles His Winnings

Danny Baggish secured his second title of 2022, winning the Magic Darts Derby 7-3 over Stowe Buntz.

Baggish was in excellent form from the get-go, averaging 95.9 for the tournament. He opened with a 5-0 win over James Solek and followed it with a 6-3 win over Keith Way. He then dispatched two of the top ranking Canadians, David Cameron 6-2 in the quarterfinals and his fellow PDC tour card holder, Matt Campbell, 7-5 in the semifinals.

For his part, Stowe Buntz had an impressive day as well. He defeated North American champion, Leonard Gates, 5-1 in the first round, and followed it with a 6-0 victory over Rob Ethington and a 6-1 win over Alex Spellman to reach the semifinals. His semifinal matchup against John Norman Jr would be a back and forth affair, with Buntz prevailing 7-5 to reach his first final.

Statistically, Danny Baggish was in a league of his own, topping the table in average (95.9), 180s (11), and checkout percent (50%), on his way to the title. Matt Campbell converted the highest checkout of the day with a 167 against Baggish in their semifinal match, and David Cameron had the high match average of 100.6 in his opening round against Doug Boehm.

The victory for Baggish also seals his position as the #1 American on the Tour Points List and, thus, his return to the Alexandra Palace for the 2023 PDC/Cazoo World Darts Championship in London this December. The race for the Canada World Championship berth, as well as CDC Continental Cup qualifying (top 16 players) continues with event 11 this afternoon.

 

–Brian Fraser
September 10, 2022

David Cameron Slays the Field to Claim Back-to-Back Titles

David “Excalibur” Cameron won his second consecutive CDC event this afternoon, hoisting the Magic Darts Masters trophy. He defeated “The Ginga Ninja”, Matt Campbell, 7-2 in the final with two 180s. Indeed, he shot lights-out all day, averaging 94.84 over 46 legs, second only to John Norman Jnr’s 95.18.

Cameron reached his second consecutive final after overcoming a relentless comeback from Leonard “Soldier” Gates (who he dispatched in the Event 5 final) in what can only be described as a legendary semifinal match. The Canadian watched his comfortable 6-2 lead evaporate as Soldier turned up the heat with big trebles and clinical finishing to level the match at 6 and force a decider. The Canadian survived a match dart before stepping to the line with 25 remaining, which he finished S5 D10 to punch his ticket to the final. Prior to the semi, Cameron defeated Danny Lauby (6-1), Steve Warnock (6-2) and Jake Womack (in a match he actually trailed 3-0 and 4-2 before coming back to win in a deciding leg). He was consistently on-form all day, averaging 94.8 for the event, with 49% success on his checkouts.

Matt Campbell’s route to the finals began with a 5-1 victory over Howard Minor and 6-2 victory over Joey Lynaugh. He then dispatched the number eight seed (and 2021’s top-ranked Canadian), John Norman Jr, 6-2 with a 97 average. In the semifinals he opened up a 5-1 lead over Jules Van Dongen, averaging over 100 over that span. Van Dongen’s comeback attempt fell short, and Campbell finished up the 7-3 victory.

The road to the Cazoo World Darts Championship continues as the CDC Tour returns for weekend #3, August 12-14, in Indianapolis.

 

By Brian Fraser

June 26, 2022