10 MORE PLAYERS QUALIFY FOR VOLT NATIONALS

Ten more players qualify for Volt nationals after dramatic weekend of regional finals

Ten more players have qualified for the Volt national finals – and the opportunity to compete for an appearance on the PDC World Grand Prix stage – after Series 6 concluded with the regional finals.

In England, Addison Hefferon, Alfie Blunsdon, Stanley Smithson, Adam Bines, Tommy Brooks, Logun Godbeer and Codey Exall secured their places at the national finals in Bristol in September. Robert Sutherland Jr won the Scotland event and will be joined by Kyle Keegan (Ireland) and Rhys Evans (Wales) at the national finals.

EAST MIDLANDS

Addison Hefferon produced one of the most consistent performances of the weekend as he won in the East Midlands to book his spot at the national finals. Hefferon averaged 76.21 across the event, beating No 1 seed Logan Smith 4-1 in the final, having earlier beaten No 2 seed Riley Herbert. Hefferon, a multiple Advanced Tour quarter-finalist this year, reeled off four legs on the spin after going 1-0 down in the final, having earlier produced checkouts of 133 and 100 in his 4-2 semi-final win over Reece Smythe. He beat Herbert 4-2 in the quarter-finals with a 78.59 average, having averaged 79.13 in his 4-1 win over No 7 seed William Cliff in the previous round.

NORTH EAST

Stanley Smithson is on his way to the national finals after the No 22 seed battled his way through the field to beat top seed Jack Taylor 4-2 in the North East final. Smithson stated his intent when he beat No 11 seed Theo Grant 4-2 in the opening round, before averaging 88.41 in a 4-0 win against Cayden Jones, wrapping up the win with a 15-dart leg. He then averaged 80-plus again in a 4-0 win over Harland Newbegin, before a third straight 4-0 win over Alfie Robinson saw him into the final, where he ended Taylor’s hopes of reaching the national finals. The top seed had come through last-leg deciders against James Summers in the semis and James Britton in the quarters on his way to facing Smithson.

NORTH WEST

Adam Bines triumphed in the North West event after the No 11 seed beat James Parr 4-2 in the final, taking out 32 for the win against the 12th seed. Bines reached the final after a thrilling 4-3 win over No 2 seed Ben Lundstrom, racing into a 3-1 lead and then having to keep his composure when Lundstrom rallied to force a decider, throwing three ton-plus scores on his way to winning the final leg. Bines kicked off his campaign with a 4-2 win over Ollie Greenwood, before being Ralph Healing by the same scoreline and Seth Peverley 4-1. Top seed Harvey Thompson was beaten 4-2 by Parr in the semis, while No 3 seed Tom Partington was defeated 4-2 by 30th seed Charlie Thompson in the opening round.

NORTH

Alfie Blunsdon will represent the North of England at the national finals after beating three of the top six seeds on his way to triumphing in Seaham. The No 11 seed beat fourth seed Jack Slater 4-3 in the final, having earlier beaten No 3 seed Lennon Ruddock and No 6 seed Alex Stoddart. The final was level at 2-2 before Slater produced the first hold of throw in the fifth leg, only for Blunsdon to respond with a hold of his own to prompt a decider. With Slater waiting on Double 4 for the match, Blunsdon hit the same double to break throw and win the title. Blunsdon reached the final with a 4-2 win over No 10 seed Peter Clark, while Slater beat No 1 seed Oliver Meikle by the same scoreline in the other semi-final.

SOUTH EAST

Tommy Brooks won the South East event to book his place at the national finals, as the No 19 seed beat Riley Milligan 4-3 in the final. The match went with throw all the way until the deciding leg, which Brooks won by taking out 18 to beat the No 21 seed who was waiting on Double 2. Brooks also needed the full seven legs to win his semi-final and quarter-final, beating Josh Tan 4-3 in the semi and CJ Everrit by the same scoreline, having trailed 3-1, in the quarters. No 1 seed Freddie Greenwood was beaten 4-3 by Milligan in the semi-final having led 3-1. Greenwood took out 100 to break throw in the opener – and led 3-1 after taking out 90 in the fourth leg. But Milligan hit tops at the first time of asking with Greenwood waiting on the same double – and then won the next two legs to beat the top-ranked player.

SCOTLAND

Robert Sutherland Jr advanced from the Scotland finals to take his place in the national finals in Bristol, beating Alfie Walker in the decisive match. The No 3 seed beat Walker 4-2 and was made to work for his win, having trailed 2-0. He had earlier beaten Callum Wood 4-3 in a semi-final that ebbed and flowed. Sutherland kicked off the event with back-to-back 4-0 wins over Lennox Sutherland and Lewis Philbin. Top seed Logan Paterson was beaten in the quarters by Walker, going down 4-2 after Walker broke throw in the first leg and then took out 100 in the second.

SOUTH WEST

Logun Godbeer – the No 21 seed – emerged victorious from the South West regional final after beating the third, fourth and fifth seeds on his way to the title. Godbeer defeated Cooper Cornish, ranked third, 4-0 in the final – with the highlight being a 105 checkout in the third leg. In fact, Godbeer didn’t drop a leg after the last 16, winning 4-0 against both No 4 seed Josh Rea in the quarters and George Miller in the semis. Godbeer had earlier beaten No 5 seed Cody Kibble 4-2 with checkouts of 116 and 89. No 24 seed Miller reached the semis after producing one of the surprise results of the weekend when he beat No 1-ranked Tai Anderson 4-2 in the quarters.

WEST MIDLANDS

Codey Exall was the only No 1 seed to advance to the national finals as he triumphed in West Midlands with a 4-2 win over Tyler Shuck. The match went with throw for the first five legs, before Exall broke in the sixth to claim victory. He had earlier beaten No 4 seed Lucas Kelly 4-0 in the semi-final, after a 4-1 quarter-final win over No 4 seed Ollie Smith. Shuck, the No 22 seed, reached the final after beating No 2-ranked Harvey-Lee Nelson-Harris 4-3 in a thrilling semi-final. Shuck led 2-0 before Nelson-Harris took out 140 with Shuck waiting on tops. Nelson-Harris then moved 3-2 in front, only for Shuck to take out 107 to force a decider, in which he threw three ton-plus scores and broke throw to win the match.

WALES

Rhys Evans will represent Wales at the national finals after he defeated Jenson Swift 4-1 in the regional final. Evans, the No 5 seed, got a key break in the third leg with a 15-darter to lead 3-1, before closing out the win on his own throw. He had earlier beaten Oliver Fowler (who defeated No 1 seed James Prettyjohn in the last 16) 4-3 in the semi-final, coming back from 3-2 down and winning the match with a break of throw. Evans showed character from the first round, beating Harley Glycos 4-3 to get his campaign off and running, and then beat Rowan Fielding and Evan Haines both by scorelines of 4-0.

IRELAND

Kyle Keegan went into the Irish finals as the No 2 seed – and booked his place in Bristol in September after beating No 4 seed Shayden Harris 4-2 in the final. Keegan produced two brilliant finishes to seal the win, taking out 115 for a 3-2 lead and then nailing a 124 checkout against the darts to take the title. He had earlier beaten No 6 seed Luke Maher 4-2 in the semis, including a 14-dart leg, after a 4-1 win over Stan Krysik in the last eight which included checkouts of 114 and 108. No 1 seed Cillian Grace reached the semi-finals, where he was beaten 4-2 by Harris.

QUALIFIERS

East Midlands: Addison Hefferon
Ireland: Kyle Keegan
North: Alfie Blunsdon
North East: Stanley Smithson
North West: Adam Bines
Scotland: Robert Sutherland Jr
South East: Tommy Brooks
South West: Logun Godbeer
Wales: Rhys Evans
West Midlands: Codey Exall