In Darts World’s recent print issue (579) we were introduced to the three-sided triangle that makes up the Amateur Darts Circuit’s structure for players without a PDC Tour Card. Since then the first of the Championship level events have taken place. To quote Chairman Steve Brown:
“It’s fair to say that the ADC has delivered”
The first weekend of the Winmau Championship Tour took place in the Rainton Area in the North East of England,- a current hotbed of darting success – a featured a pair of £1000 events with additional qualifications and ranking points at stake.
Adam Atkinson and Tony Newell became the first ADC/Winmau Championship winners of the year after winning the opening events in Sunderland. Atkinson beat Tony Wood 6-4 in the Final of event one and included an 83.40 average in beating his English opponent, whilst Newell won on Sunday defeating former PDC tour card holder Gary Blades 6-3 in the final with an 87.80 average.
Wood (Left below) also contributed with the 1st 9-Dart leg of the ADC Championship Tour which saw him collect the board for his souvenir.
Atkinson joined the ADC earlier this year and won the ADC Knack preseason competition in March earning him 64 points. However, the top points here was a different ball game and rocketed Adam into the top two on the ADC’s overall ranking list.
Newell included a fourteen-dart leg in the fifth leg to take a 3-2 lead in the Final, whilst Blades took out 90 in the second leg in just two darts to level the match after his opponent held to win the opening leg. This was Newell’s first appearance in the ADC this year and his 256 points earnt puts him seventh in the rankings.
Local man, and multiple PDC champion, Colin Osborne had a solid, if unspectacular, weekend with two Qtr-final appearances, despite not showing his best form. The Wizard was impressed with the professionalism of the staging and the vent itself and was looking forward to the rest of the year’s events:
“Everything was very seriously undertaken, I play darts, it’s what I have done for decades and this is as good an amateur event as I have played in….”
—–ENDS—–
Words: JR Lott and Harry Masterson
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