Defending champion Jack Johnson is heading back to the JDC Volts national finals after winning the South East Series 5 final.
The 14-year-old, who beat Alfie Hutton on the big stage last October, is eyeing a second Volts title after beating Jacob Seal 4-2 in the South East final.
Johnson broke throw in the opening leg with an 80 checkout, then held for a 2-0 lead. Seal held throw to cut the deficit in half, only for Johnson to hold for 3-1. Seal held on to force a sixth leg but Johnson got the job done to book his place in the national finals in September.
Junior Power League star Johnson was given a scare in the semi-final, coming through 4-3 against Toby Clements, with the highlight being a 124 checkout in the third leg for a 15-dart leg.
Joining Johnson at national finals day will be Finlay Cleave (South West), Oscar Rumsey (East Midlands), Alfie Moore (West Midlands), Benjamin Smith (North), Elijah Bale (North West), Jacob Siddons (North East), Jamie Cunningham (Ireland) and Ondre Ali (Wales).
In the North West, Bale averaged 82.45 as he beat Lewis Unsworth 4-1 in the final. Bale broke with a 108 checkout in the second leg to take the upper hand, and although Unsworth broke straight back, another break of throw in the fourth put him 3-1 up. He got the job done in 16 darts on his own throw to advance.
In the North East, Siddons – who went into the day seeded 16th – booked his place at finals day by beating Sam Hurst 4-3 in the final. Siddons took out 108 in the third leg – but, after Hurst held and then broke to lead 3-2, Siddons needed a big response. He duly obliged, breaking back and then taking out 84 to win the event.
Moore won the West Midlands event by beating Jake Whitehead 4-0 in the final while averaging 85.89. Moore broke throw in 15 darts in the second leg to take charge of the final, then took out 100 to move within one leg of glory. He sealed the win with a 71 checkout against the darts.
Top seed Smith triumphed in the North – and was the only No 1 seed to reach national finals day. He beat Lennon Ruddock 4-2 in the final with a 76.46 average, fighting back from 2-0 down to win, with a 13-dart leg putting him 3-2 up and then taking out 78 against the throw to win the event. He had earlier averaged 87.13 in his quarter-final win over Jack Hodgson.
Rumsey secured his place at national finals day by beating Owen Howard 4-2 in the East Midlands regional final. Howard won the first leg against the darts but Rumsey responded with an instant break of his own before holding and then breaking again for a 3-1 lead. Howard broke back in 15 darts after kicking off the leg with 100, 180 and 100, but Rumsey broke back on Double 2 to win the event.
In Wales, Ali triumphed over Harley Glycos 4-2 in the final to secure his place at the national finals day. Ali broke in 14 darts in the third leg to take the upper hand, only for Glycos to break straight back. But Ali broke again for a 3-2 lead – and then held throw to see it out.
Cleave, who qualified for regional finals day in 25th, will be representing the South West at national finals day following his 4-1 win over Zachary Petty, who was seeded 27th. Cleave averaged 75.61, wrapping up the win with a 17-dart break.
Cunningham won the Ireland qualifier to advance to finals day, beating Tommy Holden 4-0 in the final, having beaten No 1 seed Tyler O’Connor 4-2 in the semis.
Harris will be representing Scotland at finals day after he beat Robert Sutherland Jr 4-1 in the final in Glenrothes, hitting 60 at the first time of asking to seal the win.
RESULTS
(Players seeding in their regional rankings in brackets)
South East
Final: Jack Johnson (3) 4-2 Jacob Seal (5)
South West
Final: Finlay Cleave (25) 4-1 Zachary Petty (27)
West Midlands
Final: Alfie Moore (5) 4-0 Jake Whitehead (10)
East Midlands
Final: Oscar Rumsey (14) 4-2 Owen Howard (12)
North
Final: Benjamin Smith (1) 4-2 Lennon Ruddock (7)
North East
Final: Jacob Siddons (16) 4-3 Sam Hurst (2)
North West
Final: Elijah Bale (3) 4-1 Lewis Unsworth (5)
Scotland
Final: Riley Harris (1) 4-1 Robert Sutherland Jr (2)
Wales
Final: Ondre Ali (15) 4-2 Harley Glycos (12)
Ireland
Final: Jamie Cunningham (12) 4-0 Tommy Holden (18)
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