The WDF English Classic is another tournament steeped in amateur darting tradition, dating back to 2009. The very first edition was held at the Winter Gardens – no, not the famous Blackpool one where dreams are born in the July heat – but the slightly more modest Eastbourne version, where Scott Mitchell and Trina Gulliver took home the inaugural titles.
Fast forward to today and while the venue may have changed, the ambition certainly hasn’t. This past weekend, a small army of tungsten hopefuls descended upon Seal Bay Resort in Selsey, all hoping to etch their names alongside a list of previous champions that includes Lakeside royalty and PDC major winners like Stephen Bunting and Glen Durrant.
Darts World’s very own Gemma Hayter enjoyed a barnstorming weekend by the seaside, bagging not one but two major titles – her first pieces of WDF silverware. It’s been a hugely productive year for Gemma, and this was the icing on what’s already a very well-decorated cake.
The Eastleigh ace began by nicking the England Masters in a last-leg decider against Priscilla Steenbergen, before returning later in the day to break more Dutch hearts – this time whitewashing Aileen de Graaf to claim the England Classic. Her name now joins the likes of Trina Gulliver, Deta Hedman, and Lisa Ashton on one of the most iconic trophies in the women’s game. Not bad for a weekend’s work.
After a gruelling England Classic event, it was David Pallett who emerged as the last man standing ( in the Open Catagory) edging out Jimmy Bristow in a thrilling final. The match swung back and forth like a pub toilet door during happy hour – neither player able to pull clear. In the end, a clinical 15-darter from Pallett sealed the deal – with Bristow sat waiting on a double, silently muttering what we all assume was polite encouragement. The Shropshire man adds another fine line to his darting CV and a shiny bit of silverware to his collection.
Meanwhile, Neil Duff was busy reminding everyone of his pedigree as a big dog in the yard. The 2022 Lakeside Champion pocketed two titles for his efforts. First, Duffman clinched the Cove Open after a high-quality tussle with Joe Croft that went the full distance. Then, to cap off a tidy weekend, the Northern Irishman defeated Harry Lane 5–3 to add the England Masters crown to his growing pile.
In the youth competitions, which included a first Gold ranked youth event – Jack Nankervis took home the England Classic Boys title, beating Mongolian prospect Tergel Khurelkhuu 5–2 in impressive fashion. On the girls’ side, stop us if you’ve heard this one before – Paige Pauling won. Again. If there’s a youth event and Paige’s name is on the draw sheet, just hand her the trophy and save everyone the trouble. She cruised to a 5–1 victory over Abbi Ettridge, continuing her unrelenting dominance.
There were also the familiar pairs and mixed events to be enjoyed. Here’s a quick rundown of the winners:
– Mixed Triples: Geoffrey Heath, Jason Heaver & Anca Zijlstra edged JoJo Rolls, Chas Bristow & Jarrad Cole 3–2.
– Ladies Doubles: The Welsh pairing of Eve Watson & Rhian O’Sullivan overcame England’s Marcie Woodrow & Trina Perry 3–1.
– Men’s Open Pairs: “Superman” Matt Clark & North American powerhouse David Fatum pipped Cori Wiltshire & Scottish teenage talent Mitchell Lawrie 3–2.
And that wrapped up another action-packed weekend by the Sussex coast. The weather may not have been particularly Mediterranean, but the darts were red hot – and as every player will tell you, that’s what really matters.
—–ENDS—–
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