Gurney Grabs ADC Vault National Title

Facing match darts in a last-leg decider with £10,000 on the line, Lewis Gurney found a way out and into the history books. He is the 2026 ADC Vault National Champion.

Gurney beat Joe Quiney 6-5 in the final at Bradmoor Farm, after surviving match darts at the other end. The Win capped a long day in Aylesbury, with the final event of the National Finals weekend drawing a field of more than 300 players chasing the £10,000 first prize.

It was far from a showcase of high scoring in the end. Quiney held an 81.57 average to Gurney’s 80.32, but it was the latter who found Double nine when it mattered.

His route to the trophy was a different story. Gurney came through eight rounds, dropping just 22 legs in 64 played, and his tournament average finished at 88.07 with a first-nine average of 97.95, with 13 maximums thrown in for good measure.

He opened with a 5-2 win over C-Jay Pipe, averaging 91, then a 95 average swept aside Callum Page 5-1. Darren Brown was beaten 5-2 in the last 64, Zac Prince 5-3 in the last 32 and Asa Cansdale 5-3 in the last 16.

Jamie Owens was next in the quarter-finals. Fresh from averaging over 96 in a deciding-leg loss to Chas Barstow in Saturday’s UK & Ireland Classic semi-finals, Owens ran into a Gurney averaging 91.73 and went out 5-2. A 6-4 win over Michael Wiles in the semis, with Gurney averaging over 91, set up the final.

It is the latest high point for a player who has been around the ADC for a while. The Sussex thrower won Event One of the ADC Open Series in 2023, and earned a PDC UK Open appearance that same year.

At the other end of the draw, there was heartbreak for the defending champion. Chas Barstow’s defence of the title ended in the quarter-finals, when Gary Hayes averaged over 91 to win 5-3.

It was a tough weekend for Barstow, who had also lost the UK & Ireland Classic final to Lewis Cook on Saturday. He beat Martin Grearson 6-3 in last year’s Vault National final to win the title.