Jake Hobbs finished Phase One of the 2025 JDC Foundation Tour in style, claiming two titles across the final weekend to book his spot on next year’s Advanced Tour.
The 15-year-old from Surrey lifted the trophies in Event 17 and 20, bringing his season total to four and sealing third place in the final standings.
He wasn’t the only star of the weekend. Alfie Cook grabbed his second title in Event 18, while Lucas Milligan earned a storybook win in the following one – the 12-year-old from Cardiff claiming his first-ever crown after never previously getting past the last 32.
Arthur Allston, having already secured top spot, will be joined on the 2026 Advanced Tour by Hobbs, Cook, Kaleb Gascoyne, Ethan Baines, Addison Hefferon, Callum Ryan, and Junior Howard. Joshua Gregory and Hayden Ball both finished in the top eight but are ineligible due to age, while Jenson Macey missed out by a single leg on leg difference.
EVENT 17: Hobbs drop just two legs in his first five matches, averaging 89.48 and 88.41 along the way. He edged Macey 4–2 in the semi and defeated Cook 5–3 in a high-quality final. Charlie Nixon made his first semi-final of the season.
EVENT 18: Cook bounced back with a dominant run, including a 100 checkout and a 4–0 semi-final win over Jake Shipley. He came from 2–0 down to beat Callum Ryan 5–3 in the final. Ryan’s highlight was a brilliant win over Allston, featuring a 12-darter and a 126 checkout. Liam Rowe and Alex Hopkins also impressed.
EVENT 19: This one belonged to Milligan, who beat Cook 5–2 in the final after a 15-dart leg clinched his 3–2 quarter-final. Jack Divall made his first semi-final.
EVENT 20: Hobbs wrapped it all up in final one, beating Milligan 5–1 in the final. From the last 16 onwards, he posted three straight 83+ averages and nailed a 170 checkout. Theo Galea, who Hobbs beat in the semi-final, reached his first last four.
With Phase One done, the future of youth darts looks very bright indeed. Congrats to the eight who win their tour cards and will join the 2026 Advanced Tour
FINAL RANKINGS – TOP TEN
1: Arthur Allston (61 pts)
2: Alfie Cook (49 pts)
3: Jack Hobbs (47 pts)
4: Kaleb Gascoyne (37 pts)
5: Joshua Gregory* (32 pts)
6: Ethan Baines (31 pts)
7: Hayden Ball* (30 pts)
8: Addison Hefferson (25 pts)
9: Callum Ryan (24 pts)
10: Junior Howard (24 pts)
*Gregory and Ball are ineligible for the 2026 Advanced Tour due to age.
—–ENDS—–
Images: JDC
