The opening weekend of the Concierge UK Senior Darts Tour burst into life in emphatic fashion, and when the dust finally settled, it was Simon Stevenson in his native Plymouth enveloped in a euphoric haze of dominance, quite literally floating the short journey home on a cloud of sustained excellence.
Competing on familiar territory within his home county, the 54-year-old produced a sequence of performances that bordered on the imperious, sweeping aside all opposition to claim an extraordinary clean sweep of the three main events across the Dorset weekend.
Remarkably, the only title that eluded him was Saturday’s consolation tournament – a competition he was ineligible to enter by virtue of not having suffered a single defeat. Such was the extent of his supremacy.
Friday evening provided the initial statement of intent. Stevenson delivered a series of sublime, technically assured displays, combining clinical finishing with relentless scoring power. His reward was a hard-fought victory over Michael Huntley in the final, edging a finely balanced contest to secure the first instalment of what would evolve into a truly memorable hat trick of titles.Saturday saw The Mirror Man live up to his moniker in almost poetic fashion, replicating the previous day’s triumph with striking symmetry.
Across five matches, he conceded a mere seven legs – an astonishing statistic that underlined both his composure and his unyielding consistency. The run culminated in a commanding 5-1 victory over Paul Ablett, a performance that exuded control and quiet authority.Any lingering hopes within the field that Stevenson might begin to falter on the final day were emphatically extinguished on Sunday.
If anything, he elevated his level even further. In the semi-finals, he produced the standout performance of the weekend, registering a colossal 104.02 average in his victory over Giri Sreedharan – a display of such precision and fluency that it left little room for resistance.
The final provided a fittingly dramatic conclusion. Once again facing Michael Huntley, Stevenson found himself embroiled in a tense and finely poised encounter that ultimately required a deciding leg. In keeping with the theme of the weekend, he held his nerve at the critical juncture, edging the contest to complete a flawless and utterly commanding treble.Attention now turns to the next chapter of the Concierge UK Senior Darts Tour, which heads overseas at the end of April, with Spain set to host the second weekend of the season.
Stevenson, meanwhile, arrives as the man to beat – a player in formidable form and brimming with confidence after a truly exceptional opening salvo.
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