PHASE 2 of the Foundation Tour is wide open after another thrillingly unpredictable weekend, in which four different players won events – three of them first-time winners for the season.
Ridley Ladigus, Charlie Greensmith and Louis Jones (pictured) all enjoyed their first victories, while Kyle Gilding became the first player to win more than one event in Phase 2 so far.
Alfie Armitage leads the rankings with 23 points, two clear of Jones and Harry Childs, with one weekend of events to play – on September 20-21.
EVENT 9
Ridley Ladigus became the ninth different event winner in Phase 2 of this year’s Foundation Tour when he beat Lennon Wharf 5-2 in the Event 9 final on Saturday.
The 15-year-old from North East England underlined the competitive nature of the tour when he added his name to the honours board, fighting back from 2-0 down to take the title.
Wharf started the final confidently, with a hold of throw and a 16-dart break, before Ladigus broke back and then took control, sealing the win with a 15-dart break.
Ladigus performed impressively throughout the day, winning in a number of different ways, and his best performance arguably came in his 3-0 win over Lewis Unsworth in the last 16. Ladigus averaged 88.41, including a 104 checkout and a 15-dart leg.
Wharf also impressed during the event, notably in his 4-3 semi-final win over Thomas Elliott, which was arguably one of the matches of the weekend.
Both players averaged north of 81, with Wharf averaging 84.42 and coming up trumps with a 14-dart break – the first break of the match – in the deciding leg. With Elliott waiting on tops to book a place in the final, Wharf, who had opened with visits of 100, 121 and 140, took out 58 to win an outstanding contest.
RESULTS:
Final:
Ridley Ladigus (Eng) 5-2 Lennon Wharf (Eng)
Semi-finals:
Ridley Ladigus (Eng) 4-1 Dillon Moran (Eng)
Lennon Wharf (Eng) 4-3 Thomas Elliott (Nir)
EVENT 10
Kyle Gilding became the first player to win multiple events in Phase 2 of this year’s Foundation Tour when he backed up his Event 3 win by taking the Event 10 title.
The 15-year-old from Leicestershire dominated in the latter stages of the event, winning his quarter-final, semi-final and final without dropping a leg.
He saved his best performance for the final, beating Louis Jones 5-0 with an 86.38 average. Gilding kicked off with a 15-dart hold thanks to a 157 checkout, and did not look back.
He had earlier beaten Will Fisher 4-0 in the semis, wrapping things up with 103 finish in the third leg and an 84 to clinch the victory, and was a 3-0 quarter-final winner over Theo Galea.
After winning his opening three matches 3-0, Gilding had to come through two last-leg deciders in the middle of the event, beating Harry Childs and Harry Legg 3-2.
Jones impressed in reaching the final – his first of the tour – and was in particularly fine form in the semi-final, beating Thomas Elliott 4-0 including a 14-dart break of throw.
RESULTS
Final:
Kyle Gilding (Eng) 5-0 Louis Jones (Eng)
Semi-finals:
Kyle Gilding (Eng) 4-0 Will Fisher (Eng)
Louis Jones (Eng) 4-0 Thomas Elliott (Nir)
EVENT 11
Charlie Greensmith won Event 11 to become the tenth different player to win an event in Phase 2 of this year’s Foundation Tour.
The 16-year-old from Newark beat Teddy Acott 5-0 in the final to improve on his previous best performance of two quarter-finals.
Greensmith dominated the final from start to finish, with the highlight being a 170 finish to complete a 15-dart leg.
He had earlier beaten Event 10 winner Kyle Gilding 4-2 in the semi-final, fighting back from 2-0 down. The comeback was sparked by a 110 checkout to break throw in the third leg, with Gilding waiting on double 16.
Greensmith had to show plenty of character during the middle of the event, winning back-to-back last-leg deciders against Jack Divall and Mattie Ambage.
For Acott, his run to the final was a significant improvement on his previous best performance, when he reached three last 32s.
The highlight of his run to the final was a 4-3 win over Event 9 winner Ridley Ladigus in the semis. Ladigus threw first, and the match went with throw until the final leg, when Acott broke in 16 darts to clinch his place in the final.
RESULTS
Final:
Charlie Greensmith (Eng) 5-0 Teddy Acott (Eng)
Semi-finals:
Charlie Greensmith (Eng) 4-2 Kyle Gilding (Eng)
Teddy Acott (Eng) 4-3 Ridley Ladigus (Eng)
EVENT 12
Louis Jones won Event 12 to claim his first title of Phase 2 of this year’s Foundation Tour, going one better than his run to the final the previous day.
The 16-year-old from Manchester beat Robert Anderson – playing in his first final – 5-1 to clinch the title.
Jones produced his second 88 average of the event in the final, winning all five of his legs in six visits or fewer, with a 14-dart finish the highlight of a very accomplished display.
He had earlier beaten Lewis Unsworth 4-2 in the semi-final, having delivered his highest average of the event in a 3-0 quarter-final win over Elijah Bale, the highlight being a 15-dart break he clinched with an 86 checkout.
Anderson beat two previous event winners, Senne Aerts and Ridley Ladigus, on his way to the final and will rightly take plenty of encouragement from his run.
RESULTS
Final:
Louis Jones (Eng) 5-1 Robert Anderson (Eng)
Semi-finals:
Louis Jones (Eng) 4-2 Lewis Unsworth (Eng)
Robert Anderson (Eng) 4-0 Edward Dunham (Eng)
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