8 DIFFERENT PLAYERS WIN ON OPENING PHASE 2 WEEKEND!
The eight Foundation Tour Phase 2 events across the weekend were won by eight different players to once again highlight the remarkable depth in junior darts.
With four Advanced Tour places for 2027 available from both the North and South England editions of the tour, it is already clear the race for those spots will be fiercely contested.
In Ellesmere Port in the North, Louis Jones, Mason Hale, Harley Lewis and Vinnie Hill all triumphed on the opening weekend, while in Bristol in the South, Ryan Mitchell, Henry Povey, Jacob Godber and Ryan Knight all won events.
NORTH
EVENT 1
Louis Jones is no stranger to the Foundation Tour – and he underlined his relative experience at this level to win the first event of the new season. He was consistent throughout the event, only once averaging less than 83.45, and dropping only six legs in his six matches as he claimed victory. Jones beat Mason Hale 5-3 in the final, overcoming an early break of throw to assert his authority and take the initiative with a brilliant 14-dart break to make it 4-3. There was much to admire about Jones’ performances on the day, not least the fact he did not drop a leg in either his semi-final or quarter-final, beating Freddie Argyle 3-0 in the quarters and Oscar Brierley 4-0 in the semis. Hale is also a regular at the business end of Foundation Tour events – and he produced some outstanding darts, notably a 93.94 average in his 3-0 quarter-final win over Sam Sneath. Hale wrapped up the win with a 14-darter, hitting 138 to leave 60, which he checked out at the first time of asking.
RESULTS:
Final:
Louis Jones 5-3 Mason Hale
Semi-finals:
Louis Jones 4-0 Oscar Brierley
Mason Hale 4-2 Noah Daly
EVENT 2
Mason Hale went one better in the second event of the new season, beating Noah Wardle 5-0 in the final to make up for his defeat against Louis Jones in the Event 1 final. While the final itself was a one-sided affair, the semis and quarters were anything but, with Hale coming through last-leg deciders in both matches to reach his second final of the new season. He beat Freddie Argyle 3-2 in the quarters, the highlight being a 13-darter to draw level at 2-2, before beating Thomas Williams 4-3 in the semis having trailed 3-1. Hale took out 60 in two darts with Williams waiting on Double 10, before taking out 72 to seal the win. Wardle impressed on his way to the final, notably in averaging 84.08 in his 3-1 last-16 win over Shaun Hale, while Charlie Thomason – who was beaten 4-2 by Wardle in the semis – delivered one of the most impressive performances of the event as he beat Event 1 winner Louis Jones 3-0 in the quarters with an 88.41 average.
RESULTS:
Final:
Mason Hale 5-0 Noah Wardle
Semi-finals:
Mason Hale 4-3 Thomas Williams
Noah Wardle 4-2 Charlie Thomason
EVENT 3
Harley Lewis won his first Foundation Tour event when he beat Charlie Thomason 5-3 in the Event 3 final in Ellesmere Port. Lewis trailed 2-0 and 3-2 before winning three legs in a row to seal the win, taking the honours by hitting Double 8. Thomason had earlier kicked off the final with a 112 checkout and soon followed up with a 100 – but Lewis fought hard for a first tour win. He played arguably his best darts of the event in the final – but also impressed in coming back from 2-1 down to beat Dylan Cowley 3-2 in the quarter-finals, taking out 96 to force a fifth leg. There were some outstanding performances throughout the event, but one that really caught the eye was Max Harris’ 3-0 win over Sam Jones in the last 16. Harris averaged 98.02, which included a 164 checkout followed by a 12-darter to win the match. Freddie Argyle also averaged 90-plus in his 3-0 win over Harvey Thompson in the last 64, with a 101 checkout and a 14-darter.
RESULTS:
Final:
Harley Lewis 5-3 Charlie Thomason
Semi-finals:
Harley Lewis 4-2 Josh Quinn
Charlie Thomason 4-1 Riley Emery
EVENT 4
Vinnie Hill claimed his first Foundation Tour win to wrap up the weekend in Ellesmere Port, beating Daniel Halliday 5-3 in the final. Hill averaged 80.09 in the final, securing the crucial first break of the match in the sixth leg to lead 4-2. Halliday had earlier taken out 107 – but it was Hill’s 75 checkout to break throw that turned the match. Halliday broke back to make it 4-3 – but Hill broke again to seal the win. Hill had earlier beaten Event 1 semi-finalist Noah Daly 4-2 to reach the final, having won three successive last-leg deciders to beat Freddie Argyle, Mason Hale and Declan Cragg on his way to the semis. Halliday produced some excellent performances on his way to the final, beating Archie Wright 4-1 in the semi-finals with an 83.28 average including two 14-darters.
RESULTS:
Final:
Vinnie Hill 5-3 Daniel Halliday
Semi-finals:
Vinnie Hill 4-2 Noah Daly
Daniel Halliday 4-1 Archie Wright
SOUTH
EVENT 1
Ryan Mitchell kicked off the new phase of Foundation Tour competition in style with a 5-1 win over Jack Bellingham to claim the title. Mitchell broke throw in the first leg of the final and did not look back, building a 3-0 lead before Bellingham broke for 3-1, only for Mitchell to win the next two legs, sealing the win with an 86 checkout. He earlier showed his character by coming through his semi-final against Arjun Sharma with a 4-3 win, leading 3-0 only to see his opponent reel off three legs in a row to force a decider, which Mitchell won with a brilliant 126 checkout. Runner-up Bellingham also impressed throughout the day, beating Taylor Foster 4-1 in the semi-finals after averaging 88.89 in his 3-1 quarter-final win over Belgium’s Sander Nevelsteen. If ever a snapshot of the depth within the JDC was needed, Jack Tidbury averaged 90.18 in his 3-0 win over Otto Hookham in the last 128, before losing 3-0 to Charlie Mossman in the next round.
RESULTS:
Final:
Ryan Mitchell 5-1 Jack Bellingham
Semi-finals:
Ryan Mitchell 4-3 Arjun Sharma
Jack Bellingham 4-1 Taylor Foster
EVENT 2
Henry Povey added his name to the roll of honour with a 5-1 win over Arjun Sharma to claim the Event 2 title in Bristol. Povey broke in the first leg, then clinched a scrappy second, before breaking again for 3-0. Sharma broke back by taking out 50 in two darts – but Povey regained his three-leg advantage with a brilliant 114 checkout. He then took out 32 to clinch the title. Sharma was impressive on his way to the final, with an 83.38 average in a 3-1 win over Rhys Evans in the last 32 and a 4-1 win over Riley Milligan in the semis. Arun Grewal produced some good performances, the highlight being a 92.02 average against Kenzie Watkins including a 12-darter with a 164 finish, before losing 3-2 to Sharma in the quarters.
RESULTS:
Final:
Henry Povey 5-1 Arjun Sharma
Semi-finals:
Henry Povey 4-1 Jack Powell (Wal)
Arjun Sharma 4-1 Riley Milligan
EVENT 3
Jacob Godber won a first Foundation Tour event as he beat George Humphreys 5-4 in a thrilling Event 3 final. Godber trailed 2-1 and then led 4-2 before Humphreys’ rally forced a deciding leg, which Godber won on Double 1 to take the title. Godber had beaten Jackson Gripton 4-2 in the semi-finals, racing into a 3-0 lead before Gripton won two legs on the spin, only for Godber to close out the win with a 55 checkout. Wales’ Humphreys was superb on his way to the final, averaging 85.06 in his 3-0 last-16 win over Mason Dower and 82.96 in his 3-1 quarter-final win over Cai Redman. He then beat Jack Turner 4-0 in the semi-final with a 142 checkout in the second leg.<
br> RESULTS:
Final:
Jacob Godber 5-4 George Humphreys (Wal)
Semi-finals:
Jacob Godber 4-2 Jackson Gripton
George Humphreys (Wal) 4-0 Jack Turner
EVENT 4
Ryan Knight won Event 4 with a 5-4 victory against Tyler Garrett in the final to ensure all eight Foundation Tour events across the weekend were won by different players. Knight led 3-1 with checkouts of 57, 94 and 99, before Garrett made it 3-3 to set up a thrilling end to the final. Knight also had to come through a last-leg decider in the semis, beating Jackson Gripton 4-3 with a 91 checkout in the decider. Wales’ Garrett was a 4-0 winner over Event 3 champion Jacob Godber in the semis, hitting a 124 checkout for a 12-darter in the second leg.
RESULTS:
Final:
Ryan Knight 5-4 Tyler Garrett (Wal)
Semi-finals:
Ryan Knight 4-3 Jackson Gripton
Tyler Garrett (Wal) 4-0 Jacob Godber
