Coventry duo Macy Gibbons and Lucy Shepherd shared the spoils as the 2026 Girls Series got underway at the JDC’s new home in Bristol.
Gibbons, 16, and Shepherd, 14, won an event apiece at Hangar61 to capitalise on the absence of reigning Junior Power League champion Rebecca Allen, who missed the opening weekend of action.
After two events, Gibbons tops the table along with Wales’ Yazmine Ruck-Havard, who reached one final and a semi-final. Shepherd is one point further back, ahead of a chasing pack that includes Ella Hannaford, Katie-Lee Parish and Maisey Jones.
EVENT 1
Macy Gibbons won the first event of the new Girls Series season, beating Yazmine Ruck-Havard 4-0 in the final.
Gibbons held throw in the opening leg when she hit 140 to leave 44, which she cleared at the first time of asking, before breaking throw in a leg in which she hit a 171. Gibbons moved within one leg of the title with a 57 checkout, before tidying up 32 to seal the win.
The 16-year-old had not dropped a leg in either her semi-final or quarter-final either, beating Harley Glover and Lola Wheeler by scorelines of 3-0.
After beating Wheeler, in which she threw three ton-plus scores in the third leg, Gibbons kicked off with a 90 checkout to break throw and did not look back against Glover.
Including the round-robin stage earlier in the day, Gibbons won all seven of her matches, dropping only two legs, to Layla Shaw and Abbi Ettridge.
Ruck-Havard can be proud of her day’s work too, dropping only two legs in six matches before running into the in-form Gibbons.
She played some of her best darts in her 3-1 round-robin win over Lilly Wheeler, including an 18-dart leg (85, 95, 100, 100, 81, 40), while producing an 89 checkout against Olivia Goddard.
RESULTS
Final:
Macy Gibbons (Eng) 4-0 Yazmine Ruck-Havard (Wal)
Semi-finals:
Macy Gibbons (Eng) 3-0 Harley Glover (Eng)
Yazmine Ruck-Havard (Wal) 3-0 Katie-Lee Parish (Eng)
EVENT 2
Lucy Shepherd followed her fellow Coventry player, Macy Gibbons, in winning a Girls Series event when she triumphed in Event 2 on Sunday.
She beat Ella Hannaford 4-0 in the final, breaking throw in the opening leg and producing a strong and consistent performance to clinch the event win.
Shepherd had earlier fought back from 2-1 down to beat Miley Morgan 3-2 in the semis, breaking throw by finding double 8 with her opponent sitting on tops.
The 14-year-old displayed plenty of promise throughout the day, dropping only one leg – to Maisey Jones – in the group phase, before beating Maisie White 3-1 in the last 16.
She then beat Event 1 winner Gibbons 3-1 in the quarter-finals, producing arguably her finest performance of the event, taking out high-pressure finishes to win each of her three legs with Gibbons waiting on a one-dart finish.
Hannaford should take confidence from her run to the final, coming through deciding legs in both the semi-finals and quarters, against Yazmine Ruck-Havard and Maisey Jones, respectively, to reach the final.
RESULTS
Final:
Lucy Shepherd (Eng) 4-0 Ella Hannaford (Eng)
Semi-finals:
Lucy Shepherd (Eng) 3-2 Miley Morgan (Wal)
Ella Hannaford (Eng) 3-2 Yazmine Ruck-Havard (Wal)
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