The ADC will soon crown their 2025 Winmau Championship Tour Champion, with Grand Final Day fast approaching on the horizon. On Saturday 18th October, eight hopefuls will converge upon the now-famous MODUS Live Lounge, all chasing that prestigious title. But only one will leave Portsmouth with the honours.
The action begins at 12:30pm, and it’s a complete sell-out in Pompey. Don’t worry though – Pluto TV has you fully covered, ensuring you won’t miss a single dart of what promises to be another high-octane tungsten thriller.
There’ll be no Andy Boulton this year to defend his crown – the Scot’s PDC Tour Card made him ineligible to compete on this year’s circuit. Even so, the field is stacked with talent, and the lone Welshman, Kurt Parry, will be aiming to upset the odds surrounded by English opposition. It’s a £5,000 prize for the winner – quite the pot for an amateur event.
Jamie Hughes (above) may have an advantage in being the player with the most big stage and high stakes match experience over his roller coaster career.
But it’s not just the cheque that makes this so enticing. The title also comes with a golden ticket to the ADC Global Championships, where the champion will compete for a staggering £60,000. Not too long ago, a payday like that was unthinkable for anyone outside the PDC.
So, let’s take a look at the runners and riders. Those handy little numbers in brackets? Each player’s seeding.
(1) Jack Tweddell v Jamie Hughes (8)
Former cinema manager Jack Tweddell will be hoping for a movie-script ending as he faces former PDC Tour Card holder Jamie Hughes. Yozza earned his spot after Christian Perez’s withdrawal, and with a PDC Czech Darts Open title on his résumé, he certainly has the pedigree. Should be a cracker.
(4) Chas Barstow v Kurt Parry (5)
The only Welshman in the field – in fact, the only non-English competitor – Kurt Parry will be hoping to take the title back to Bridgend. Of course, Chas Barstow will have other ideas. If it’s a literal race to the Live Lounge, Chas wins hands down – he already lives in Hampshire.
(3) Robbie Martin v Graham Hall (6)
The Dorset thrower Robbie “Martz” Martin clearly puts more energy into his darts than the originality of his nickname, but against Graham Hall, this could be one of the tightest contests of the afternoon. Both are capable of throwing ton-plus averages on their day – it’s all about who delivers when it matters most.
(2) Carl Wilson v Shaun Fox (7)
Known as Gok – for his striking resemblance to the TV chef rather than any culinary prowess – Carl Wilson goes head-to-head with Shaun Fox. Wilson starts as the favourite, but there’s very little to separate any of these quarter-finalists, and they all know it. Will the man from Tunbridge find his well has run dry, or can he outfox Shaun? Time will tell. Dreadful puns will not.
So, where’s your ten pence going? With such a close-knit field, it really could go either way – so perhaps toss the coin instead to decide – it’s that kind of a tournament.
Coach’s Note: An interesting player this year has been Shaun Fox. From early in the year – claiming a UK Open spot – throughout the season – winning various amateur and open events – and right through to these stage finals, he has been catching the attention of anyone looking. It will be interesting to see if he can channel all this success and his ever growing experience into a strong performance on the big stage.
——ENDS——
Images: Graphics – ADC, Photo: PDC
