The Winmau Championship returned for 2026, and on the opening weekend for the Southern section in Aylesbury, Dai Davies and Graham Hall were the opening two event winners at Bradmoor Farm.
The Championship has been revamped for this year, with the tour split into two sections, with the northern edition being held over Middlesborough over three weekends, and Aylesbury also hosting three weekends. Players can choose to participate in whichever events they choose, regardless of region, giving them multiple options to qualify for the Grand Finals in October. The field for those finals in Portsmouth will increase to 16 rather than eight, and prize money has also been increased.
Over 300 players made it to the start line in Aylesbury for the first pair of events of four across the two days of action, and the last man standing at Event One was Dai Davies of Wales, who defeated Sam Spivey 5-0 in the opening final of the weekend.
Davies, who qualified for the PDC World Championships at the back end of 2025, banked four straight 4-0 wins to move serenely into the last 16, most notably whitewashing former PDC Tour Card holder Keegan Brown in the last 32.
With the last 16 onwards being streamed via ADC’s YouTube channel, Davies then took to the main stage, and eased past Reece Colley 5-2 to make the last eight, where he returned to the floor to edge past another former Tour Card holder in Brett Claydon, needing a final leg to make the final four.
Surprise package Jamie Rollinson would await, and Davies proved too good for the Midlander, emerging a 5-2 winner.
Facing Davies in the final would be ‘Seaside’ Spivey, who had to come through no less than three straight deciders from the last 16 onwards to make the final, seeing off Kevin Lane, Jake Hobbs and Ash Ling to clinch a place in the final.
Davies proved too good in the end though, not dropping a leg as he waltzed to the £1,000 first prize.
Spivey’s run took a toll as he exited in his Event Two opener, and it was 2025 Championship Tour Champion Graham Hall that took the spoils, thrashing Thomas Banks 5-0 to win the first prize on offer.
Hall dropped two legs in making the last 64, where he needed a 4-3 win to eliminate Mark Stafford, and wins over Jamie Chaplin and Martin Tonks moved ‘G-Man’ into the last eight, where he dismissed Joshua Burksfield 5-1.
Hall had to dig deep though to make the final, dodging match darts in the decider to edge past Mike Huntley, and young talent Banks would await him.
After coming through two deciding legs in his first two matches, ‘Bulldog’ Banks made calmer progress from there, and a 5-3 win against Connor Levett sealed a quarter final place, where a 5-2 win over Mason Teese on the big stage put him a win away from the final. He duly confirmed that place in good style, emerging a 5-2 winner against Lee Williams.
Banks was no match for a rampant Hall in the final though, as an early 147 finish set the tone, and he ended with a 98.88 average to win to nil, and carry on from where he left off in Portsmouth at the end of 2025.
Events Three and Four conclude the weekends action on Sunday.
Picture: Tip Top Pics
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