In the heart of the Big Apple, Canada’s Matt Campbell became the first player to retain the Bet365 North American Darts Championship title, ensuring that the trophy – and the continent’s bragging rights – remain politely but firmly north of the border.
In a final that doubled as a friendly sparring session between two long-time pals, Campbell saw off compatriot Jim Long 6-3 to take the honours.
And yes, history was made – though don’t expect Campbell to shout about it. The 35-year-old quietly went about rewriting the record books with the tournament’s first ever ton-plus average, clocking in at 103.98 in a clinical quarter-final win over Jason Brandon. No fist pumps, no roaring – just a shrug, a sip of water, and a few more treble 20s.
The Ginger Ninja – who ironically possesses zero martial art skills – followed it up with a 6-2 dismantling of Stowe Buntz in the semi-finals, successfully hitting over half of his attempts on the outer ring.
The final itself was less of a firework show and more of a thoughtful game of chess between two mates who didn’t really want to take each other’s queen. Campbell went a leg down early but rattled off four of the next five to put Long on the back foot. A couple of signature tops checkouts sealed the deal, and with it, a nice $10,000 cheque.
“It’s awesome,” said Campbell, in a tone suggesting he may have also just discovered his hotel offers free breakfast.
“The final was a bit rough, playing a good buddy. I think Jim was waiting for me to get going, and I was waiting for him to do the same … but such is life. Every game is different, every day is different – but today I won the darts tournament.”
Philosophical stuff there Matt – right out of the Socrates play book. Despite becoming the first back-to-back champion in the tournament’s history, Campbell was in no rush to crown himself the King of the Continent:
“I don’t classify myself as the best North American player – there are tons of great players who just don’t have the chances to come and do this.”
“It’s so expensive to travel across this big continent, so I’ll never say I’m the top player until everybody gets the same fighting chance I did.”
Humble as ever. Meanwhile, Jim Long’s run to the final may not have ended with a trophy, but it did include a tasty semi-final win over Danny Lauby – featuring a 132 checkout that was bull, bull, double 16. For the uninitiated, that’s a pretty tough ask.
But in the final, Long ran out of steam and his post-match thoughts were as honest as his throw:
“I feel terrible, to be honest. I just couldn’t get it going – maybe I was trying too hard.”
“Matt and I are great buddies. We played together for years before he got his Tour Card and practiced together – that was just a hard final to play.”
Elsewhere, Stowe Buntz booked his semi-final spot cruising past Jules van Dongen without concession. It was another difficult night for The Dutch Dragon, who continues to fight the dreaded dartitis. Danny Lauby, meanwhile, thumped Leonard Gates 6-1 in his quarter-final – reeling off five straight legs and reminding everyone that, when in form, he’s a handful.
One minor twist in the tale: Campbell’s ranking inside the world’s top 64 means he’s ineligible to snatch the qualifying spots for the World Championship or Grand Slam of Darts via this win. Right now – he won’t care.
That means the PDC Worlds ticket will go to the top-ranked non-qualified player on the final 2025 CDC ProTour Order of Merit – and the Grand Slam slot will be reserved for the winner of the 2025 CDC Continental Cup. In other words, there’s still everything to play for – assuming you’re not already too good.
Quarter-Finals
Matt Campbell 6-1 Jason Brandon
Stowe Buntz 6-0 Jules van Dongen
Danny Lauby 6-1 Leonard Gates
Jim Long 6-4 Adam Sevada
Semi-Finals
Matt Campbell 6-2 Stowe Buntz
Jim Long 6-1 Danny Lauby
Final
Matt Campbell 6-3 Jim Long
——ENDS—–
Images: Matt Heasley/PDC
