EVERRIT AT THE DOUBLE ON ANOTHER THRILLING FOUNDATION TOUR WEEKEND
EVERRIT AT THE DOUBLE ON ANOTHER THRILLING FOUNDATION TOUR WEEKEND
CJ Everrit won back-to-back events on another rollercoaster weekend of Foundation Tour action. Everrit won the first two events of the weekend in the South of England, with Arjun Sharma taking the third and Spencer Edwards the fourth.
Everrit’s double success has catapulted him to fifth in the overall standings, behind leader Ryan Knight, Sharma, Jacob Godber and Henry Povey.
There were four different winners in the North, with Dillon Murphy, Ben Lundstrom, Dylan Cowley and Sam Sneath all tasting glory. After 12 events, though, Harley Lewis – a beaten finalist in Event 11 – leads the way.
SOUTH
EVENT 9
CJ Everrit won the first of his two weekend titles by beating Ryan Knight 5-3 in the Event 9 final. Knight threw first and led 2-1 before Everrit reeled off three legs in a row – including a checkout of 100 for the only break of the final – to lead 4-2. Knight held throw to make it 4-3 but Everrit was in no mood for a deciding leg and wrapped up the event win with a 98 checkout.
He had earlier beaten Jack Bellingham 4-2 in the semi-finals, averaging 73.73 with the highlight being a 16-dart break to make it 3-2. Everrit also had to come through two last-leg deciders, beating Robbie Spencer 3-2 in the last 64 and Rory Pearce by the same scoreline in the quarter-finals.
Knight impressed in reaching his fourth final of the tour, with his average only once dropping below 71 – unfortunately for him, that came in the final. He beat Harry Pewtner 4-3 in the semi-finals – having trailed 3-0. Knight appeared on the brink of defeat when he required 105 to win the fourth leg, with Pewtner waiting on 46, but he hit the three-figure checkout to stay in the match. An 82 checkout followed, then another break of throw, before hitting tops for the match.
Bellingham threw a 91.52 average on his way to victory over Jack Tidbury, who himself had earlier averaged 93.94 against Jackson Long.
RESULTS
Final:
CJ Everrit 5-3 Ryan Knight
Semi-finals:
CJ Everrit 4-2 Jack Bellingham
Ryan Knight 4-3 Harry Pewtner
EVENT 10
CJ Everrit made it two event wins in a day as he beat Jack Bellingham 5-3 to take the Event 10 crown. Everrit was never behind in the final as he backed up his earlier success, taking control when he secured the first break of the final in the sixth leg.
Bellingham, who had produced a 14-dart hold in the fourth leg, did break back immediately to make it 4-3 – but Everrit broke again by taking out 192 in five darts (134, 58) to deny Bellingham a deciding leg.
Everrit had earlier beaten Taylor Foster 4-1 in the semis and averaged 80.43 in a 3-1 quarter-final win over Henry Povey. Bellingham again impressed, averaging 86.71 in a 3-0 last-16 win over Aaron Martin, before beating Shay Goff 4-2 in the semis.
RESULTS
Final:
CJ Everrit 5-3 Jack Bellingham
Semi-finals:
CJ Everrit 4-1 Taylor Foster
Jack Bellingham 4-2 Shay Goff
EVENT 11
Having previously lost in two finals, Arjun Sharma claimed his first title of the tour – but was made to work for it by CJ Everrit. Sharma came back from 3-0 to beat Everrit 5-4 in a thrilling final and deny his opponent a third event win of the weekend.
Everrit broke throw, held, and broke again as he raced into a 3-0 lead, before Sharma began his fightback. He got on the scoreboard by hitting Double 1 to break throw, then held throw for 3-2, only for Everrit to move within one leg by holding his own throw. Sharma hit 171 to leave 12 as he held for 4-3, then hit a brilliant 132 checkout to break throw and force a ninth leg, which he won on Double 12.
Sharma’s semi-final was excellent preparation for the final, as he beat Ryan Knight 4-3, although in this one every leg went with throw. Everrit, who had averaged 88.41 in his 3-0 last-16 win over Rhys Evans, beat Jack Tidbury 4-2 in the semi-finals.
RESULTS
Final:
Arjun Sharma 5-4 CJ Everrit
Semi-finals:
Arjun Sharma 4-3 Ryan Knight
CJ Everrit 4-2 Jack Tidbury
EVENT 12
Spencer Edwards won his first event of the tour as he beat Harry Legg 5-1 in the Event 12 final. Edwards built a 3-0 lead before Legg held throw in the fourth, although any hopes of a fightback were short-lived as Edwards took out 77 to hold and then wrapped up the title.
Edwards had beaten fellow Welsh player Rhys Evans 4-0 in the semis, opening with a brilliant 157 checkout. His highest average of the event came against another Welsh opponent as he averaged 81.98 in a 3-0 win over Toby Cook.
Legg reached the final by beating Taylor Foster 4-2, with Foster hitting a 118 checkout to make it 3-2 before Legg sealed the deal.
RESULTS
Final:
Spencer Edwards (Wal) 5-1 Harry Legg
Semi-finals:
Spencer Edwards (Wal) 4-0 Rhys Evans (Wal)
Harry Legg 4-2 Taylor Foster
NORTH
EVENT 9
Dillon Murphy picked up the title on his first tour appearance, beating Dylan Cowley 5-4 in the final. Murphy led 3-0, then saw Cowley draw level, before getting over the line in a thrilling contest.
When Murphy hit a 14-darter to lead 3-0, he looked well on his way to victory, only for Cowley to win three in a row himself. Murphy stopped the rot with a hold, taking out 48 in two darts, before Cowley took it to a decider, which Murphy won by hitting 140 to leave 32 – and taking it out in two darts.
Murphy showed his willingness to roll up his sleeves and scrap when he beat Riley Emery 4-3 in the semis from 3-2 down – nailing a 13-darter to force a decider – and Jack Martin 3-2 in the quarters from 2-0 down.
Cowley was superb on his way to the final, producing five 80-plus averages including 87.97 in his win over Matthew Heyler and 86-plus averages in both his semi-final and quarter-final wins. His 4-1 semi-final win over Declan Mainwaring was arguably the pick of his performances, as he hit a 12-darter, a 14-darter and a match-winning 103 checkout.
RESULTS
Final:
Dillon Murphy 5-4 Dylan Cowley
Semi-finals:
Dillon Murphy 4-3 Riley Emery
Dylan Cowley 4-1 Declan Mainwaring
EVENT 10
Ben Lundstrom won his first event of the tour as he beat Jack Taylor 5-1 in the Event 10 final. Lundstrom had not previously got past the quarter-final stage – but celebrated victory after a dominant performance against Taylor.
After losing the opening leg, Lundstrom took command, winning the match on Double 10 and with an 80.92 average. He had earlier won both his semi-final and quarter-final without dropping a leg, beating Oscar Monkton 4-0 and Oscar Sullivan 3-0.
However, arguably his best performance came in his 3-2 last-16 win over Harley Lewis, in which Lundstrom averaged 86.63 and hit a 120 checkout to draw level before breaking throw in the decider.
RESULTS
Final:
Ben Lundstrom 5-1 Jack Taylor
Semi-finals:
Ben Lundstrom 4-0 Oscar Monkton
Jack Taylor 4-0 Aaron Hustwaite
EVENT 11
Having been denied in the deciding leg the previous day, Dylan Cowley claimed a deserved event victory – his first of the tour – by coming out on the right side of a nine-leg thriller against Harley Lewis.
Cowley led 2-0 after opening with a 93 checkout to break, then holding throw, only for Lewis to hold and break too. Cowley nudged back in front with another break, then held to lead 4-2. But a timely 13-darter from Lewis prolonged the final, before he broke to force another decider, in which Cowley broke to seal the title.
It capped another run of consistent darts, in which he hit three 80-plus averages and never once dipped below 77. Cowley underlined his class in his 4-0 semi-final win over Thomas Williams, hitting a 12-darter with a 167 checkout in the second leg.
Lewis reached the final by beating Declan Mainwaring 4-2, sealing the win with a 13-dart finish after kicking off the leg with visits of 134, 120 and 140.
Archie Wright produced a noteworthy performance in the last 32 as he beat Nathan Rolfe 3-0 with an average of 95.94.
RESULTS
Final:
Dylan Cowley 5-4 Harley Lewis
Semi-finals:
Dylan Cowley 4-0 Thomas Williams
Harley Lewis 4-2 Declan Mainwaring
EVENT 12
Sam Sneath won his first event of the tour, ensuring Jack Taylor was a runner-up twice during the weekend, winning 5-2 in the Event 12 final.
Sneath gained the early initiative when he broke in the opening leg and then held for a 2-0 lead. Taylor then held throw, as did Sneath, but another break put the first-time finalist 4-1 up. Taylor took out 88 to break and keep the contest alive, only for Sneath to break again and seal the title.
Sneath beat Charlie Thomason 4-2 in the semis, while Taylor was a 4-3 winner against Daniel Halliday, sealing the win with an 87 checkout.
Taylor had earlier hit averages of 88.41 against Tommy Cowburn and 86.71 against Declan Cragg.
RESULTS
Final:
Sam Sneath 5-2 Jack Taylor
Semi-finals:
Sam Sneath 4-2 Charlie Thomason
Jack Taylor 4-3 Daniel Halliday
