The final group of the ADC Global Championship’s opening stage arrives with a distinctly Anglo-Irish flavour – a six-man parade of St George’s Crosses and Irish tricolours, interrupted only by one brave Dutchman attempting to gate-crash the party.
Look down the lineup and three names immediately jump off the page as the most likely to punch their ticket into stage two. First is Graham Hall, a man who only recently lit up the MODUS Live Lounge and walked out of Portsmouth carrying the ADC Winmau Championship trophy like it belonged in his hand the whole time. A Global title to go with it would complete a dream double, and few players look more comfortable on that stage. Hall has the pedigree, the experience, and the temperament — he’s rightly one of the favourites to go deep.
Then comes the Irish double act: Conor Heneghan and Niall Culleton, two men perfectly capable of derailing anyone’s campaign. Heneghan, still only 27, already has a PDC Development Tour title on his CV and famously rattled in four perfect legs on the MODUS stage. A player who thrives under the lights is always dangerous in this competition.
Culleton, a decade older and just as gritty, brings a wealth of Challenge Tour experience. Regularly floating around those mid-80s averages, he’s a classic “don’t give him a sniff” type — the moment you blink, he’s nicked a set and suddenly you’re in trouble. On his day, he can arm-wrestle with anyone in this field.
The remaining English trio — Jamie Owens, Jordan “Superbear” Matthews and Sean Holley — complete all but one of the septet. Owens is 36, steady, and more than capable of finding a purple patch when required. Matthews shouldn’t worry the front-runners too much on paper, but he was a real handful in his youth darting days and will hope some of that old spark resurfaces. Holley, meanwhile, is one of those mercurial types who can pound in a 90+ average when the planets align. With him, as with so many in this competition, it will come down to whether consistency arrives on the day — and perhaps whether a deflection or fortunate results elsewhere fall in his favour.
And finally, standing alone as the only outsider to the Anglo-Irish dominance, is Arne Spee. The Dutchman isn’t exactly a household name in the Netherlands darting scene, and on paper he shouldn’t trouble the favourites — but short-format races to four have a mischievous streak. They love an upset, and Spee’s job will be to try and spring one.
The group gets underway on Monday 8th December, with the two Irishmen colliding straight out of the gate at 9:35am GMT. A tasty way to start the day — and a group that promises more than enough chaos before the dust settles.
ADC GLOBAL CHAMPIONSHIPS – STAGE ONE – GROUP EIGHT
Arne Spee NED
Conor Heneghan IRE
Graham Hall ENG
Jamie Owens ENG
Jordan Matthews ENG
Niall Culleton IRE
Sean Holley ENG
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC
