Team England emerged victorious in both the Men’s and Women’s events, leaving South Wales with the WDF Six Nations Cup securely in their grasp.
The Penydarren Social Club in Merthyr Tydfil played host to the annual tournament, with national pride and individual glory hanging in the balance. After a long, gruelling weekend in the picturesque town of Glamorgan, it was England’s turn to smile.
Coming into the tournament, Wales held all the team gold, having claimed both trophies the previous year on the Emerald Isle. Returning as reigning champions, they were eager to keep the trophies firmly within their border. But England had other plans. In a rematch of the 2024 Men’s team final, the lads were itching to settle the score with their Welsh counterparts.
Enter Tom Sykes – who, with a tungsten in hand, did for his country what Ben Stokes does for cricket: delivering when it mattered. Wales led early, 3-2, but England soon showed their true mettle. Supported by the formidable Jarred Cole, Lewis Gurney, Chas Barstow, and Sean Holley, they grabbed the match by the scruff of the neck and charged to a 10-5 lead.
At that point, Wales faced a steep climb to reach the magical 13-leg target. Despite efforts from Liam Meek and Gareth Griffiths to keep the red dragons in the game, it was a task too tall. Barstow sealed the deal, handing England a 13-7 triumph.
Over in the Women’s final, the Lioness trio of Deta Hedman, Laura Turner, and Steph Clark were simply too strong for a Scottish team who, despite taking the opening leg, found themselves outmatched. England cruised to a comfortable 5-1 victory. It was the Caribbean Queen herself, Hedman, who continued her dominant form, nailing double tops to secure the win and complete a glorious double for England.
The final night in Merthyr also featured a couple of single tournaments. For the Netherlands, Jimmy Van Schie made sure it wasn’t a total washout for his nation, defeating Wales’ star Llew Bevan 5-2 to claim the title. Meanwhile, Laura Turner gave herself two reasons to celebrate, clinching victory in a dramatic last-leg decider against Priscilla Steenbergen, further compounding Dutch misery.
Undoubtedly, the stars of the South Wales show were both clad in England’s white. Tom Sykes, with a 95.83 average and an 83% winning percentage, certainly helped his country lift the major prize. As for the women, Laura Turner, proving she’s just as sharp with arrows as she is with a microphone, headed home with a couple more titles to add to her collection.
—–ENDS—–
Images: England Darts
