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Top Darts Stars Converge on Michigan City for the Second Annual Cross Border Darts Challenge

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HEADLINE EVENT IN NEW VENUE REIGNITES RIVALRY BETWEEN US AND CANADA, AIMS TO ATTRACT DIE-HARD SUPPORTERS AND CASUAL FANS ALIKE

TICKETS ON SALE AT TICKETSOURCE.US/CHAMPDARTS

MICHGAN CITY, INDIANA – Uptown Social, Michigan City’s premier historic entertainment venue, will play host to the best darts players on the continent for the second annual Cross-Border Darts Challenge, presented by Championship Darts Corporation, April 12 and 13, 2024. Eight Americans and eight Canadians will take the stage to compete for national glory, a minimum of $12,000 in prize money, and a berth in the largest darts event in North America – the US Darts Masters –taking place in New York City May 31 – June 1.

This invitational event kicks-off the tenth year of the Championship Darts Circuit – North America’s professional darts tour – and will provide darts enthusiasts and new fans alike the opportunity to experience the energy and passion that makes darts truly “the biggest party in sports!”

VIP ticketholders will have exclusive access to a Friday afternoon pre-tournament reception to meet players like three-time World Champion, John “Darth Maple” Part, World Grand Slam Quarterfinalist, Stowe “The Neon Nightmare” Buntz, and World Seniors Darts Masters Champion, “Excalibur” David Cameron.

“We’re excited to work with Uptown Social and the City of Michigan City to bring this headline event to a fantastic new home,” said Peter Citera, CEO of Championship Darts Corporation, “the rich history and intimate nature of Uptown Social is the ideal backdrop to showcase our players and the top darts competition North America has to offer.”

Friday evening will feature eight first-round “USA vs. Canada” clashes with the winners advancing. The action will resume on Saturday with the quarterfinals and conclude with the crowning of an individual champion and the awarding of The Nations Cup to the country with the most match wins in the tournament.

“Being chosen to host the second annual Cross-Border Darts Challenge is a true honor,” said Jeremy Rossi, COO of Uptown Social, “the upcoming tournament promises to showcase our premier venue and our wonderful city, propelling it into the spotlight it rightfully deserves.”

Terry Greetham, Director of Special Events for the City of Michigan City adds, “Michigan City is proud to play host to the Cross-Border Darts Challenge and the Championship Darts Corporation. Uptown Social is the perfect venue to launch what we believe will be a long-standing event in our community.”

Uptown Social will also be featured as the home of the World Championship in the upcoming feature film, Bulls, directed by Dan Meyer with filming set to begin at the venue immediately following the conclusion of the Cross Border Darts Challenge.

Tickets for the Cross-Border Darts Challenge start at $22.50 plus applicable fees and are onsale to the general public at ticketsource.us/champdarts.

About Championship Darts Corporation:
Championship Darts Corporation (CDC) owns and operates the Championship Darts Circuit, North America’s professional darts tour, consisting of 14 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). Further information is available at www.champdarts.com. 

About Uptown Social:
Uptown Social provides a unique blend of historical luxury and contemporary comfort, offering a versatile space where individuals can gather, socialize, and tailor their experience. Guests have the opportunity to explore various areas such as the lounge, event space, covered patio, and iconic courtyard. Within these spaces, patrons can savor signature cocktails, book the venue for private events or weddings, and partake in live concerts or other special events.

About Bulls

Set in the beautiful and picturesque Uptown Arts District in Michigan City, IN, “Bulls” tells the hilarious and inspiring story of how two brothers, who own a struggling bar and play on their mediocre pub dart team, end up with a chance to play for the World Darts Championship. Hank and Austin are certain that they have no chance against the best Darts Team in the world, but with the help and support of family, friends and their community, they not only start to believe in themselves, but that they may have a chance to win.

“The Gambler” Doubles His Winnings

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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

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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

Excalibur Continues Magical Run with Win in Boomerang Tours Fiesta

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The 5th Event of the Championship Darts Corporation’s 2022 campaign, the Boomerang Tours Fiesta, featured a marquee final between two of North America’s biggest stars, both of whom have enjoyed major recent successes. Canada’s David Cameron won the World Seniors Darts Masters in May, and American Leonard Gates won the North American championship in New York earlier this month. On this day, it was David Cameron who emerged victorious with a 7-3 victory, averaging 97.1 over the ten legs.

“Soldier” Gates’ had the more difficult trip to the finals, having to get through Kevin Luke (5-4), Steve Warnock (6-4), and Gary Mawson (6-3) to reach the semis where his run almost ended against Event 4 winner, Jake Taylor. Taylor led 6-5 and had match darts to win, but Gates punished those misses, winning the last two legs on the spin to take the match 7-6.

Cameron’s run was more straightforward, with comfortable wins against David Fatum, Ryan Vander Weit, and James Solek, to reach the semifinals. He did have a hard fought, back and forth matchup vs Keith Way at that stage, eking out a 7-5 victory to book his place in the final.

Leonard Gates produced the highest average on the day, despite the loss in the finals, shooting a 92.9 over 51 legs. He was one of six players to average in the 90s on the day. David Cameron’s finishing was excellent all day, converting 46% of his checkouts. Jake Taylor’s run to the semifinals included an event high twelve 180s.

Article by Brian Fraser

June 25, 2022

“The Truth” Reigns in Cambridge

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Canadian sharpshooter, Jake “The Truth” Taylor erased a 5-3 deficit and survived a match dart to defeat “The Gambler”, Danny Baggish, 7-6 in the final of Event #4 on the 2022 Championship Darts Circuit in Cambridge, Ontario on Saturday afternoon. With an event average of 83.03, the ‘Cosmo Classic’ (presented by the CDC’s longest-running partner, Cosmo Darts) saw top-quality darts and big finishes throughout from the Tour Card holders in attendance.

The eventual champion began his day with a convincing 5-1 victory over first year cardholder, Michael Nguyen, in the round of 32 before running into a tough test in Canadian Jim Long in the final 16. 5th-seeded Long opened up a seemingly insurmountable 5-1 lead but never managed an opportunity at a match dart as Taylor found his groove and poured on the pressure to win the final 5 legs and seal the victory. The Newfoundland man followed up that shocker with a convincing 6-1 victory over the event’s 4-seed (and newly-minted North American champion), Leonard Gates before seeing off Steve Warnock 7-3 in the semifinals.

Baggish, who was runner-up to Gates in the North American Championship at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden earlier this month, opened his run to the finals against his World Cup of Darts teammate, Jules Van Dongen, whom he dispatched 5-1 with a strong performance. He then took care of the 2021 CDC top Canadian, John Norman Jr, with a 6-1 victory and a 104.06 average. He would go on to defeat Cashmere Ventura 6-4 and then Shaun Narain 7-1 in the semifinals.

PDC Tour Card Holder, Baggish, led the event with a 92.31 average on the day and had the most 180s with ten. Jake Taylor finished second in both categories with an 89.36 average and eight 180s. Jim Long and Jason Watt each finished with a 44% checkout success rate to top the table.

The round-of-32 was NOT kind to the seeded players on the day, with top stars like Matt Campbell, Danny Lauby Jr, Chuck Puleo, Gary Mawson and the Seniors Matchplay champion, David Cameron, all falling before the last-16. They’ll be looking to rebound later on Saturday Event #5 – The Boomerang Tours Fiesta – begins at 4:00 Eastern. Points earned across all 12 Tour events will determine the American and Canadian representatives at the Cazoo World Darts Championship in London, England, in December.