Budapest belonged to Jimmy van Schie, who claimed the historic WDF Masters Open crown in style, thumping Jeff Smith 7–2 in the final.
For the last two hostings, that rather shiny trophy has lived quite comfortably on Wesley Plaisier’s mantelpiece. But it won’t be travelling far – Van Schie has ensured it stays safely on Dutch soil, where the tulips bloom and the averages are terrifying.
As one of the favourites heading into this year’s Lakeside World Championships, Van Schie showed exactly why. He dropped just ten legs in the knockout stages and joined Dutch darting royalty – Barney and MVG – as a Masters champion. Not bad company, is it?
After cruising through the group stages in what could only be described as third gear, the Breda man hit the accelerator. Once the knockout rounds began, he was averaging around 90 and looked as relaxed as a bloke on a canal boat.
Johan Engström from Sweden was swiftly brushed aside, before Van Schie flattened the American Jason Brandon to cruise into the final.
It was a similar story for the silver-haired Canadian fox, Jeff Smith, who silenced most of his opposition on his way to the big dance. Having breezed through Group BU – and yes, there were that many groups that we’d already reached the alphabet’s tail end – he saw off Dylan van Dijk in a tight one before dumping out Cliff Prior, who was probably still floating somewhere above Budapest after his World Open win the day before.
Fans expected a tight, high-quality final. What they got was more of a one-man show. Van Schie flew out the traps like a Dutch rocket, while Jeff took a little too long to get the engine running. By the time he did, the match was practically done.
Jimmy didn’t just win – he dominated, cruising to a 7–2 victory that was more stroll than scrap.
Over in the Ladies, there was a little slice of history – and a tartan twist. Lorraine Hyde ended nearly three decades of waiting for a Scottish champion, edging Norway’s Rachna David in a tense last-leg decider.
Hyde’s campaign had the full Netflix arc: group-stage strolls, a heart-stopping last-16 clash with Czech star Jitka Cisarova that went the distance, then two ruthless whitewashes (including one over fellow Scot Sophie McKinlay) to reach the final.
When it mattered most, her composure and experience saw her home – and ensured Scotland finally got another name etched on the trophy.
And speaking of Scottish success – the boys absolutely owned Budapest. The all-tartan final between Mitchell Lawrie and Craig Devlin was as good as it gets.
Lawrie, already on cloud nine after his World Open win, completed a glorious double with a 6–3 victory in a match that saw both young guns averaging in the 90s.
Wee Sox, as he’s affectionately known, was outstanding throughout – banging in ton-plus averages and surviving a nail-biter in the semis against Adam Craik, who pushed him to the brink before Lawrie nicked it in the decider.
Once in the final, Mitch was all business, securing his second title of the weekend and confirming that Scottish darts’ future is looking bright – and a bit noisy.
Not to be outdone, the girls’ title had an Irish twist. Rebecca Allen matched Lawrie’s feat by pulling off her own Masters and Open double, defeating Ruby Grey 5–3 in a cracking final.
Most expected Paige Pauling to take it – the teenage sensation was the hot favourite after falling just short the day before – but darts doesn’t do scripts.
After Pauling was surprisingly dumped out by Macy Gibbons in the last 16, the door swung wide open.Allen took full advantage. She didn’t just play well – she obliterated the group stage, winning all three matches without conceding a leg.
From there, she barely dropped her focus, cruising through the knockout rounds, exacting revenge on Gibbons, and then brushing past Germany’s Marie Huber to book another final spot.It was tight early on, but once Allen got her nose in front, she never looked back – cool, clinical, composed. Two trophies in one weekend? Not bad for a 16-year-old.
So, a weekend of records, doubles, and drama in Budapest. Coming soon … Lakeside. And if this was the warm-up, we’re in for a treat.
—–Ends—–
Images: Chris Sargeant
