Phase Two of the 2025 Foundation Tour got off to an excellent start in Coventry – with four different players winning events on the opening weekend, and a fifth taking the overall lead of the rankings.
Jake Robinson, Senne Aerts (pictured), Kyle Gilding and Tony Harter won the events, while Harry Childs – who reached a semi-final, two quarters and a last 16 – tops the rankings by one point.
The second phase of the popular tour will provide eight more Advanced Tour cards for 2026 plus eight additional World Championship places for Gibraltar. Phase Two continues in Coventry on August 16-17.
EVENT 1
Jake Robinson was the first event winner in Phase Two – the 16-year-old from West Midlands Academy getting off to a flying start.
He beat Belgium’s Senne Aerts 5-3 in the final, setting the tone by checking out 84 for a break of throw in the opening leg, then holding for a 2-0 lead.
Aerts took out 94 to hold, then broke Robinson’s throw to spark a run of four consecutive breaks. Robinson edged back in front with a 105 checkout, before Aerts responded with a 120 checkout to draw level at 3-3.
When Robinson broke again by clearing 85, it was decisive, as he then held throw in six visits to see out the match and take the title.
Robinson performed well throughout the event, notably in a 3-0 win over Aiden Johnston early in the day, while he was a 4-0 winner over Woody Wheeler in the semis. He also had to show character in back-to-back 3-2 wins over Tony Harter and Milan Vanuytrecht.
Debutant Aerts, meanwhile, really stamped his mark on his first Foundation Tour event. In addition to reaching the final, he produced the highest average of the event, 86.72, in his win over compatriot Sander Nevelsteen.
He threw three averages of 83 or more as he gave the rest of the field fair warning of what was to follow in the next event.
RESULTS:
Final:
Jake Robinson (Eng) 5-3 Senne Aerts (Bel)
Semi-finals:
Jake Robinson (Eng) 4-0 Woody Wheeler (Eng)
Senne Aerts (Bel) 4-1 Bobby Welling (Eng)
EVENT 2
Belgium’s Senne Aerts, playing his first weekend of Foundation Tour darts and only his second event, followed up the impact he made in Event 1 and went one better by winning Event 2.
The 16-year-old did not repeat the high averages he produced in the earlier event but he did the one thing matters – won the tournament itself.
He beat Taylor James-Harding 5-4 in the final, storming into a 3-0 lead before James-Harding fought back to make it 3-3. After two holds of throw, Aerts needed to hold to win the event – and did so with confident, checking out 74 for an 18-darter.
He was taken to a deciding leg in the semi-finals too, eventually beating Hayden Wood 4-3 in a match that saw the Belgian trail 2-0 then lead 3-2 before Wood forced a dedicer.
James-Harding played some good darts along the way, particularly in a 3-0 quarter-final win against Harry Childs, in which he hit checkouts of 95 and 100 as well as clearing 48 in two darts.
The highest average of the event was recorded by 15-year-old Teddy Acott in his opening game. He recorded an average of 90.18 in a 3-0 win over Stanley Churchill, wrapping up the win with a brilliant 113 checkout to complete a 12-dart leg.
RESULTS
Final:
Senne Aerts (Bel) 5-4 Taylor James-Harding (Eng)
Semi-finals:
Senne Aerts (Bel) 4-3 Hayden Wood (Eng)
Taylor James-Harding (Eng) 4-3 Jake Robinson (Eng)
EVENT 3
Kyle Gilding celebrated his first ever Foundation Tour event win as he beat Sander Nevelsteen 5-3 to win Event 3.
The 15-year-old from Leicestershire Darts Academy produced his best average of the day – 80.91 – when it really mattered to see off the challenge of the Belgian.
An early break thanks to a 106 checkout gave Nevelsteen a 2-0 lead, only for Gilding to respond with a break of his own, taking out 112 to go out in 15 darts. The players then swapped holds of throw, before Gilding produced a 14-dart leg to draw level.
When he broke in the next leg, with Nevelsteen waiting on tops, it put him within one leg of the title – and he duly obliged with a 16-darter to seal the deal.
Gilding had averaged 80.16 in the semi-final, beating compatriot Mattie Ambage 4-0 with back-to-back finishes of 73 and 82.
Nevelsteen’s run to the final continued a strong weekend for the Belgian contingent, even though Event 2 winner Senne Aerts suffered a surprise 3-0 defeat to Zach Strong in the opening round.
RESULTS
Final:
Kyle Gilding (Eng) 5-3 Sander Nevelsteen (Bel)
Semi-finals:
Kyle Gilding (Eng) 4-0 Mattie Ambage (Eng)
Sander Nevelsteen (Bel) 4-1 Harry Childs (Eng)
EVENT 4
Tony Harter was the final event winner of the weekend, beating Hayden Wood 5-3 to secure the title.
The 16-year-old from Great Yarmouth improved significantly on his earlier showings by signing off on a high.
In the final, neither player held throw until the fourth leg, when Harter held to go 3-1 up. From there, the match went with throw, Harter wrapping up the win with a 15-dart leg.
Harter played consistently well to reach the final, beating Joshua Gregory 3-0 in the quarter-final and Dillon Moran 4-1 in the semis, before adding his third 75-plus average in a row when winning the final.
The highest average of the event was produced by Harry Childs, who averaged 88.36 in his last-64 match against Elijah Bale. Childs threw seven perfect darts in the second leg, missing the treble 15 for a dart at a perfect leg, before wrapping up the leg in 12 darts.
RESULTS
Final:
Tony Harter (Eng) 5-3 Hayden Wood (Eng)
Semi-finals:
Tony Harter (Eng) 4-1 Dillon Moran (Eng)
Hayden Wood (Eng) 4-2 Mason Hodgkinson
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