Matthew Helyer, Alfie Baldwin and Callum Mitchell have completed the Series One qualifiers for the first ever JDC Volts national finals day in September after winning their regional finals to progress.
Helyer, from the North East, produced one of the stories of the Volts season when he won the Northern England final in Leeds despite having qualified for finals day in 26th place on the rankings.
He beat No 4 seed Bobby Haste 4-0 in the final, averaging 78.08 – the highest of the event – and throwing seven ton-plus scores and a 14-dart finish.
Helyer had earlier battled back from 2-0 down in the semi-final to beat No 3 seed Alfie Revill 4-2, after a 4-1 win over Joshua Watson-Slack in the quarters. He was a 4-2 winner over Mani Hewitson in the last 16 – after coming through a real test of nerve to beat No 7 seed Tom Phillips 4-3 in the opening round.
Baldwin won the West Midlands title in Halesowen to secure his spot at finals day. He went in as the No 12 seed but played some excellent darts during his run to the title.
He beat No 3 seed Harvey-Lee Nelson-Harris 4-2 in an entertaining final, hitting checkouts of 56, 90, 61 and 58 to underline his ability to play under pressure, while Nelson-Harris played his part by hitting a 180 on his way to a 13-dart leg.
Baldwin had earlier beaten Jake Robinson 4-3 in the semis, with both players hitting maximums as Baldwin produced the game’s first break of throw in the final leg to advance.
In fact, Baldwin had to come through three deciding legs to earn the title, with both his quarter-final and last-16 game going the distance.
After seeing off Thomas Bentley 4-1 in the opening round, Baldwin beat No 5 seed Eric Hawkins 4-3, before repeating the feat against No 4 seed Jay Cottier, taking out 53 to seal the win against the darts.
In the East Midlands, Mitchell came through to take the spoils and advance to the national finals.
The No 2 seed was victorious in Rushden, beating Harvey Lucas-Carter 4-2 in the final, sealing the win with an 80 checkout.
He was given a huge test in the semi-finals, fighting back from 3-1 down to beat Bobby Vickors 4-3. He also beat No 7 seed George Fenn 4-2, Jayden Lee 4-2 and Todd Fage 4-1 on his way to glory.
The first eight finalists are now known, with Helyer, Baldwin and Mitchell joining Jack Nankervis (South West), Jack Johnson (South East), Logan Paterson (Scotland), Sean Hutchinson (Republic of Ireland & Northern Ireland) and Nico Adams (Wales) for the chance to compete on the big stage at the PDC’s World Grand Prix in October. Eight more players will qualify via Series Two, which kicks off shortly.
RESULTS:
East Midlands
Final:
Callum Mitchell 4-2 Harvey Lucas-Carter
Semi-finals:
Callum Mitchell 4-3 Bobby Vickors
Harvey Lucas-Carter 4-2 Jack Divall
West Midlands
Final:
Alfie Baldwin 4-2 Harvey-Lee Nelson-Harris
Semi-finals:
Alfie Baldwin 4-3 Jake Robinson
Harvey-Lee Nelson-Harris 4-2 Sonny Jones
Northern England
Final:
Matthew Helyer 4-0 Bobby Haste
Semi-finals:
Matthew Helyer 4-2 Alfie Revill
Bobby Haste 4-0 Will Myers
Add comment
Comments