WONDERFUL WAITES WINS SECOND PDC TITLE AFTER 15 YEARS

By Aaron Toubian

The race for ‘Ally Pally’ began to heat up at the penultimate PDC Challenge Tour weekend of 2025, in Leicester.

Each of the five events resulted in a different winner, and young Dutch star Jamai van den Herik catapulted himself up into a provisional World Championship spot, following a spectacular weekend.

The weekend began with a surprise, as Joe Hunt clinched a maiden PDC title, with an impressive tournament average of 90.64. Hunt saw off names including David Evans, Scott Campbell and Ashley Coleman, before a dramatic 5-4 victory over Derek Maclean, in a topsy-turvy contest which saw Hunt comeback from 4-2 down and checkout 116 to seal the title.

Later in the day, there was more Southern success as Lee Cocks picked up his second career Challenge Tour win, producing averages of 98 & 97 en-route to the final, where he saw off the Event 15 champion Jack Tweddell, 5-3.

Saturday afternoon produced a similar story to 24 hours prior, as Welshman, David ‘Dai’ Davies also won his first ever title on the PDC circuit. An average of 91.50 and a 92 checkout sealed the deal for the man from Denbigh, as he beat Alexander Merkx 5-3 in the final. A success like this won’t come as much surprise to those who have been following Dai’s exploits on the MODUS Super Series, in recent months.

Later in the day, it was recent Pro Tour quarter-finalist, Jamai van den Herik who continued to make headlines. The Dutchman produced a tournament average in excess of 94 and fought back from 4-0 down to stun Jenson Walker 5-4 in the final. The victory, together with an earlier run to the semi-final, means the 22 year-old now finds himself in a provisional spot for the PDC World Championship in December.

Sunday afternoon saw Scott Waites roll back the years on the oche. The two-time BDO World Champion and 2010 PDC Grand Slam of Darts champion secured the final title of the weekend, capping off a perfect day with a 5-2 final victory over Michael Unterbuchner, where he averaged over a ton.

Following the weekend’s five events, Darius Labanauskas is still in pole position to claim a Tour Card and a place at the World Championship, alongside Swiss, Stefan Bellmont who sits in second on the Order of Merit.

‘Laban’ and ‘Belli’ are followed by Ted Evetts, Jamai van den Herik, Mervyn King, Jack Tweddell, Beau Greaves, Scott Waites, Alexander Merkx and Danny van Trijp, who make up the top ten.

The Challenge Tour season, as well as the fight for a Tour Card and an Ally Pally spot, concludes in Wigan on 25 & 26 October.