Back-to-Back for Buntz

/in , /by

Stowe Buntz continued his winning ways in Toronto on Saturday, standing atop the field as the Hitkor Heritage Tournament Champion one day after securing his maiden CDC Title. Buntz defeated Alex Spellman in the finals for the second consecutive day, this time breaking Spellman’s throw in the last leg decider to capture the title 7-6. Both players are earning valuable points in the race to the Ally Pally with berths in the PDC PaddyPower World Darts Championship to be awarded at the conclusion of the 2023 CDC Tour.

Buntz was in even finer form on Saturday, starting his campaign with a 5-1 victory over Justin Fawcett before dismantling Gary Mawson 6-2. He was uncontested in the quarterfinals and semifinals, defeating top-seed Jacob Taylor 6-1 and 4th seed Leonard Gates 7-2, respectively, to set up the rematch with Spellman.

Spellman also never faced a match dart on his road to the final. He defeated Ross Snook 5-2, Joey Lynaugh 6-3, and Larry Butler 6-4 to reach the semis. Once there, Spellman made short work of the 7th seed, Danny Lauby, winning 7-2 and averaging nearly 89.

It was a second consecutive early exit for Chuck Puleo, who was again retired in the last-32. It was also the second consecutive date with no Canadians in the final – a rarity on the CDC Tour this year. If there were a “Man of the Match” award, it would have gone to Jules Van Dongen who fired a blistering 116.34 average against Jeremiah Millar in a 5-1 win. For his part, Millar averaged almost 95 in the losing effort – the second straight weekend he bowed out to a CDC record-setting average by The Dutch Dragon.

Van Dongen led the field in average on the day, with a 104.72 average across his two matches. He also set the pace for checkouts, converting 50% of his attempts with Stowe Buntz right behind with a 45% success rate. Leonard Gates and Doug Boehm each connected on 8x 180s, while Van Dongen had the high out with a 158.

Finals

Stowe Buntz (8)  7-6  Alex Spellman (3)

Semifinals

Stowe Buntz (8)  7-2  Leonard Gates (4)
Alex Spellman (3)  7-2  Danny Lauby (7)

Quarterfinals

Stowe Buntz (8)  6-1  Jacob Taylor (1)
Leonard Gates (4)  6-4  Jim Long (5)
Danny Lauby (7)  6-2  David Cameron (2)
Alex Spellman (3)  6-4  Larry Butler (6)

Article by Brian Fraser
August 12, 2023

Buntz Claims Maiden CDC Title in Toronto

/in , /by

American sharp shooter, Stowe Buntz, has secured his first Championship Darts Circuit title, winning the Cosmo Fit Flight Challenge. The event was number 7 of 12 of the 2023 tour, and the first in Canada. The 11th seeded Buntz, defeated the 4th seed – and reigning Continental Cup champion – Alex Spellman, 7-4, to grab the trophy. After holding his throw to pull ahead 5-4 in the finals, Buntz earned a critical break of throw in the tenth leg and followed it up with a 16-dart hold to close out the match.

The Virginia man started his day with a tight 5-4 victory over Jason Watt before overcoming a 2-0 deficit against Jeremiah Millar – winning six straight legs enroute to a 6-2 victory. After dispatching the 14th-seeded Doug Boehm, 6-3 in the quarters, Stowe faced the second seed, David Cameron, in an eventful semifinal that saw him grab a 5-3 lead only to suffer back-to-back breaks of throw as Cameron ran off three unanswered to pull within a win of the final. Unfortunately for the Canadian man, he ran into double trouble in a leg he should have won easily and then dropped the decider as Buntz produced a 14-darter, checking 78 in two and booking his spot in the final.

Spellman’s road to the final was less rocky, as he cruised to a 5-2 victory against Marlo Yanson before whitewashing 13-seed Steve Warnock 6-0 to advance to the quarterfinals. A back-and-forth affair with Jim Long resulted in a 6-4 victory for the American who then brushed aside top-seeded Jacob Taylor 7-1 in the semifinals, winning seven on the spin after dropping the first leg.

Overall, Jules Van Dongen had the highest average on the day with 92.36, narrowly edging out fellow Americans Doug Boehm and Alex Spellman. Spellman and Boehm also led the way, along with David Cameron, all of whom notched seven 180s. The Canadian duo of Jake MacMillan and Justin Fawcett each reeled in a big fish 170 finish.

Finals

Stowe Buntz (11)  7-4  Alex Spellman (4)

Semifinals
Alex Spellman (4)  7-1  Jacob Taylor (1)
Stowe Buntz (11)  7-6  David Cameron (2)

Quarterfinals

Jacob Taylor (1)  6-1  Gary Mawson (8)
Alex Spellman (4)  6-4  Jim Long (5)
David Cameron (2)  6-0  Danny Lauby (7)
Stowe Buntz (11)  6-3  Doug Boehm (14)

The Championship Darts Circuit continues on Saturday, August 12, with the Hitkor Heritage Tournament. Coverage begins at 12:00 Eastern, from Toronto, Ontario.

Article by Brian Fraser
August 11, 2023

CDLC Kicks Off Inagural Tour in Costa Rica

/in , , /by

Championship Darts Latin America and Caribbean (CDLC) – the regional affiliate of Championship Darts Corporation – kicks off its inaugural season in San Jose, Costa Rica this weekend with two Tour events that represent the first steps on the road to the PDC PaddyPower World Darts Championship for players in Central and South America and the Caribbean.

The action begins at 2:00 PM local time on Saturday with players from across the region toeing the oche at the Radisson Hotel San Jose. Among the field will be Norman Madhoo and Sudesh Fitzgerald who partnered as Team Guyana for the World Cup of Darts in Frankfurt this past June, earning their berth via a one-off qualifying event held by the CDLC in May. Tour event #2 will be staged on Sunday at the same time and rounds-out the first Professional Darts Corporation-sanctioned Tour weekend in the history of the region. CDLC action then moves to Chile with two additional events to be held at the Hotel Torremayor in Santiago on October 14-15, marking the first time the PDC has had a sanctioned event in South America outside of Brazil.

At the conclusion of the final event in Chile, the player on top of the points standings will qualify for the World Darts Championship to be held at the Alexandra Palace, London in December. Live match scoring for all CDLC-tour events can be found on DartConnect, the official scoring app of CDC and CDLC.

Lauby Back in the CDC Winner’s Circle

/in , /by

Danny Lauby overcame a furious comeback attempt by the top-seeded Jacob Taylor to capture the Cosmo Darts Classic Title – his fifth CDC Tour crown – on Sunday in Chicago. The win capped off a strong weekend for the Indiana man fresh off a successful stint of competition in the UK. After losing the finals in Event 4, and falling in the semifinals in Event 5, Danny was not to be denied in the final event of the weekend.

Danny was the ninth seed on the day and began his road to the finals with comfortable wins over Michael Nguyen 5-2 and Dave Fatum 6-2. He would fall behind 2-0 in his quarterfinal match against Doug Boehm, but then responded with 6 legs on the trot to take the match 6-2. He continued his win streak against David Cameron in the semifinals by winning the first 4 legs en route to a 7-2 scoreline that is certainly not reflective of the quality of this hotly-contested match.

Taylor – as he had been doing all weekend – opened up with a whitewash, this time 5-0 against John Liggett. He continued with a 6-3 victory over Gino Florian, and then won a back and forth affair against Chuck Puleo, 6-5, taking the last leg decider with a 13-darter. Taylor exploded into the semifinals against Stowe Buntz, opening up a 4-0 lead, and despite some double troubles, sealed a 7-4 victory and a spot in the finals.

Despite his quarterfinal defeat to David Cameron, Jules Van Dongen led the pack with a 90.72 average during Event #6, while runner-up Jacob Taylor pounded in 12 180s. American sharpshooter, Chuck Puleo, converted 44% of his checkouts to lead the way, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Jacob Taylor in the quarterfinals.

Final

Danny Lauby (10)  7-5  Jacob Taylor (1)

Semifinals

Jacob Taylor (1)  7-4  Stowe Buntz (13)
Danny Lauby (10)  7-2  David Cameron (3)

Quarterfinals

Jacob Taylor (1)  6-5  Chuck Puleo (8)
Stowe Buntz (13)  6-2  Jim Long (5)
Danny Lauby (10)  6-2  Doug Boehm (15)
David Cameron (3)  6-4  Jules Van Dongen (11)

The road to the Continental Cup continues with events #4-6, to be held August 11-13 in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada.

 

Article by Brian Fraser

July 16, 2023

Windy City Magic for Spellman

/in , /by

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

Delight for the Dutch Dragon in Chicago

/in , /by

With his recent positive results from Europe in his back pocket, an in-form Dutch Dragon, Jules Van Dongen, stormed into Chicago and won the Boomerang Tours Fiesta – Event #4 on the Championship Darts Circuit – with a 7-4 defeat of Danny Lauby in the finals. Van Dongen came out gunning, winning four of the first five legs in the finals, however Lauby would battle back, getting within one at 5-4. Van Dongen stepped it up another notch, flirting with a 9-darter in the tenth leg. He would wrap that leg up in 11 darts and then clinch his first CDC title in the next with a brilliant 142 finish.

Lauby, the ninth seed, started his campaign with a 5-1 dismantling of Jason Brandon in the last-32 before playing his former PDC World Cup of Darts partner, Chuck Puleo. After falling behind 5-3 with a couple of missed opportunities, the Indiana man found his stride to see off Puleo in a deciding leg thriller. In the quarterfinals, Danny pounced early, opening up a 5-2 lead against David Fatum before losing a bit of steam just as The Scorpion found his sting to roll-off three consecutive legs and tie it at 5. Yet again, however, Danny proved too strong in a last-leg decider, checking 101 and stranding his opponent on tops after 12 darts. He then defeated Jeff Springer 7-4 in a semifinal contest that was a lot closer than the scoreline indicates.

Van Dongen, for his part, was unhindered on his march to the finals. He opened his day with a 5-1 defeat of Jeremiah Millar with a blistering 114.38 average. He followed that with a 98.25 average against his own partner at the 2023 PDC World Cup of Darts, Leonard Gates, which culminated in a 5-3 victory. He continued his brilliance with comfortable wins over Doug Boehm (6-2), Keith Way (6-1), and then Jake MacMillan (7-2) in the semifinals to book his tie with Lauby in the final.

It wasn’t to be for the majority of the top-16 seeds, with seven seeded players falling in the last 16, including top seeded Jacob Taylor, third seed David Cameron, as well as Alex Spellman (4), Jim Long (5), Gary Mawson (6), and Chuck Puleo (8). Only ninth seed Danny Lauby and tenth seed Keith Way earned spots in the quarterfinals.

Jeremiah Millar had the highest average on the day with 97.38, however, his 1 match was against Van Dongen, who ended up with the second highest average on the day, with 94.47 across his 6 matches. Canadian Jake MacMillan and American Jeff Springer each notched 14x 180s, while Anthony Cianciolo converted 50% of his check outs, to lead the way.

 

Finals

Jules Van Dongen  7-4  Danny Lauby (9)

Semifinals

Danny Lauby (9)  7-4  Jeff Springer
Jules Van Dongen  7-2  Jake MacMillan

Quarterfinals

Danny Lauby (9)  6-5  David Fatum
Jeff Springer  6-2  Sylvain Bourdeau
Jules Van Dongen  6-1  Keith Way (10)
Jake MacMillan  6-4  Roger Carter

The 2023 Championship Darts Circuit continues in Chicago this afternoon with the second event of a double header, the Winmau 180 Extravaganza.

 

Article by Brian Fraser

July 15, 2023

Championship Darts Corporation Partners with US Integrity to Responsibly Introduce Gaming to Events

/in , , /by

LAS VEGAS, NV (July 11, 2023) – Today U.S. Integrity (“USI”) and Championship Darts Corporation (CDC) – North America’s Professional Darts Tour – announce a comprehensive partnership to protect the integrity of the sport and introduce gaming to future events. The agreement will span the entirety of the 2023 calendar year and carry into 2024.

U.S. Integrity will provide integrity monitoring services via its proprietary dashboard to CDC that will encompass data intelligence and fraud prevention. U.S. Integrity conducts analysis across dozens of data sets to proactively identify irregular contest-level & wagering patterns.

“As the North American partner of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), it is imperative that we enter the wagering space with clear eyes on preserving the integrity of our game. This partnership with U.S. Integrity aligned perfectly with our goals and vision in which the protection of our sport and its fans are of utmost importance in our next growth phase. As sports betting evolves for consumers and our fans around the states, we feel integrity protection, data monitoring and fraud prevention will be a key driver for sustained growth here at CDC.” Said Peter Citera, CDC CEO.

“U.S. Integrity is proud to partner with CDC as fan engagement and wagering interest on their events continues to elevate in mature and new jurisdictions,” says Matthew Holt, U.S. Integrity’s CEO & co-founder. He continued, “U.S. Integrity’s mission is to provide conflict-free, best in class insights & compliance solutions to our clients. This partnership continues to take steps forward and it starts with the commitment and collaboration of Peter and his outstanding team at CDC team.”

ABOUT U.S. INTEGRITY:

U.S. Integrity is a leading technology-driven sports wagering monitoring company, providing the highest level of protection against betting-related fraud and corruption. U.S. Integrity’s mission is to grow the legal, regulated sports betting market by providing solutions that ensure sports betting integrity in every play, every game, every sport. Supported by investors including SeventySix Capital and Las Vegas Sands, U.S. Integrity partners with a number of the largest professional sports leagues and collegiate conferences in the U.S., as well as licensed sports-betting operators and regulators. U.S. Integrity is based in Las Vegas and New York.

ABOUT CHAMPIONSHIP DARTS CORPORATION:

Championship Darts Corporation (CDC) owns and operates the Championship Darts Circuit, North America’s professional darts tour, consisting of 12 regular season tournaments leading into The Continental Cup Tour Finals Championship. We are the official North American affiliate of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) – the global head of professional darts, which stages events across the world with over $17 million in prize money. CDC provides the exclusive path to the World Darts Championship, World Series of Darts, World Cup of Darts and other major international events for US and Canadian players. The company also focuses on the next generation of players, running two youth tours to provide exclusive opportunities to play internationally via our affiliation with both the PDC and Junior Darts Corporation (JDC).

Spellman Magical in Indy

/in , /by

The 2022 Continental Cup champion, Alex Spellman, came through an all-American final four to win his first tour title of the year, defeating Jason Brandon 7-5 in the finals to win the 2023 A-Z Darts Duel. Spellman averaged 95.78 in that final matchup, and ended the day with an overall average 91.82 and a first 9 average of 100.76, taking out a 170 finish along the way.

In the quarterfinals, Daniel Baggish was victorious over Keifer Durham 6-2, and Leonard Gates defeated Keith Way 6-1, to join Jason Brandon, who beat top seed Jacob Taylor, and Alex Spellman, who knocked off third seed David Cameron, in securing all four semifinal spots for the American players.

Main Event #1 winner, Jake Womack, was beaten in the last 16 by Jacob Taylor, who exacted some revenge against Womack for his defeat the previous night. Jim Long and American snipers Doug Boehm, Joey Lynaugh, and Chuck Puleo, all stumbled in the last 16 as well, while Danny Lauby, John Norman Jr, Gary Mawson, and 3-time World Champion John Part, failed to get past the last 32.

Danny Lauby, despite his loss in the last 16, was the top scorer, ending with a 94.61 average, while 9 players, including Spellman and Lauby, exceeded 40% on their checkout success. Spellman popped in ten 180s on his way to the title.

The evening closed with the first of two qualifiers for the PDC bet365 US Darts Masters and North Amercian Championship at Madison Square Garden in two weeks. Tennesee’s Jason Brandon booked his spot on the big stage with a 5-1 win over the reigning Ontario Provincial Champion, Jake Macmillan.

CDC Indianapolis darting action concludes on Sunday with the final US Darts Masters qualifier, followed by Championship Darts Circuit Main Event #3 – the HitKor Indianapolis 501.

 

Article by Brian Fraser

May 20, 2023

Jacob Womack Victorious in Indianapolis

/in , /by

The much anticipated start of the 2023 Championship Darts Corporation main event season began on Friday night with Main Event 1, the 2023 Galaxy Barrel Bash in Indianapolis, Indiana. Emerging victorious from a star-studded field of North America’s finest players was Jake Womack, the 2019 Evolution Tour champion who earned his first title on the main tour.

 

Womack opened his season with a hard fought 5-4 victory over Ryan Vander Weit, and followed that with a 5-0 victory over Hossey Hicks. He then rattled off three consecutive victories over top-10 ranked players, defeating 2022 top Canadian, David Cameron (6-3), American legend Larry Butler (6-4), and Jacob Taylor 7-6 in the semifinals, where both players played outstanding.

 

In the finals, Womack came out on fire and took advantage of a slow start by Stowe Buntz to create a 6-0 lead. Buntz found his form and tried to mount a comeback, but he could not overcome the lead and Jake Womack earned the 7-2 victory.

 

Prior to the finals, Stowe Buntz was perhaps the on-form player of the day. Last year’s two-time finalist event earned a victory over John Steinhofer in the last 64 before dismantling Sylvain Bourdeau with a 95.94 average. He then defeated the reigning North American champion, Leonard Gates, in the last 16, the reigning Continental Cup champion, Alex Spellman, in the last 8, and the 2022 points leader, Danny Baggish, in the semifinals.

 

Danny Lauby, after taking time off from the tourn last season, had a nice return to CDC action, defeating Chuck Puleo, Chris Lawson, and Elliot Milk, before succumbing to Jacob Taylor in the quarterfinals.

 

It was a strong showing for many players today. Alex Spellman, despite his defeat in the last 8, led the way with a 97.68 average on the day, with a staggering 51% checkout success. Stowe Buntz led the way with 14x 180.

 

Play continues on Saturday, May 20, with Main Event #2, the A-Z Darts Duel, which will be followed by the first qualifier for a spot in the 2023 US Darts Masters.

 

Article by Brian Fraser

May 19, 2023