Saturday around the country saw some great darts thrown and at least one final, if not two, end in surprise.
In Victoria Brandon Weening made it two from two events at Melton Dart Club. He progressed past Tommy Hyland 5-1 in the semi final phase. Mal Cuming, meanwhile, made his second final of the weekend, dismissing the challenge of Brody Klinge 5-0. Weening v Cuming was the fourth time the two players had met in finals of the Satellite series this year. Weening would break the Cuming throw on the first attempt before holding throw and then breaking the Cuming throw in 15 darts in the third leg. As in the previous night’s final Cuming fought back and broke the Weening throw in the fourth leg. On his own throw he then stood behind Weening needing only tops but had to watch as Weening checked out 96 to retake a three leg lead. Both players then held throw to move the scoreline to 5-2 before Cuming broke a second time, this time in 14 darts with a 64 check out. However, for the second time he could not hold throw straight afterwards as 15 Brandon Weening darts later he was crowned dual champ over the weekend, this time the score finishing 6-3.
In Queensland Robbie King made 6th final of 7 Queensland events after beating Bill Aitken 5-1 in the semi final (the second semi final of the weekend for the Queensland legend.) The other losing semi finalist was Dewayne Turner who could not overcome the challenge of Peter Wilmott, Wilmott winning 5-1. In the final Robbie King and Peter Wilmott opened their accounts by holding throw and then King did the same at his second attempt on throw. Wilmott was broken in the fourth leg to fall 1-3 behind before King lost his own throw immediately back to his opponent. Wilmott threw to put the match back into equity and despite chasing around the board for a check out he finally got the double 3 at the first attempt to go 3-3. Despite Wilmott not being in the leg much he then had a throw at a break but missed and King pounced to throw a double 10 and move to a 4-3 lead on throw. Wilmot then held throw before a 14 dart leg from King restored his lead. With Wilmot on 225 he threw a 140 to leave 85 and then watched as King moved from 165 to 32 with a 133 visit. Wilmott then checked out 85 to put the match into a deciding leg. That leg could not have started any more differently. King opened with 134, 180, 100 and 79. Wilmot scored 25, 26, 73 and 50. Needing 8 King busted as Wilmot moved from 327 to 187 with a 140. King then moved from 8 to 4 before Wilmot hit a second successive 140 to pile on the pressure. King busted the 4 on his next visit to the oche and remarkably Wilmot checked out the 47 to win the match 6-5 on a leg he never gave up on despite the scoreline. Wilmott became the fourth person to win on the Queensland DPA tour this year.
In NSW Dave Marland became the first person in the state to win three DPA events this year. He had whitewashed Darren Carson 5-0 in his semi final and faced off against Daniel Pearson in the final, Pearson having eliminated the winner from the night before, Dave Hanel, 5-1 in his semi final. The final was hard fought as Marland held throw in 14 darts before his opponent also held throw at the first attempt. Pearson then had a shot at 60 for the break but left 20 as Marland checked out 86 to hold his throw. Pearson then moved the match back to parity before both players held throw once more to move the match to 3-3. Pearson could not get to a check out from 132 in the next leg and Marland was able to convert the 25 he had left from his attempt at the bull on his previous visit. With Marland behind him on 100 and ready to break Pearson slammed home a 112 check out before visits of 121, 140 and 140 and a 100 check out gave Marland a 12 dart check out and a 5-4 lead. He then checked out a remarkable 147 to break the throw of Pearson and win the match 6 legs to 5, the second final scoreline like that on the night.
In South Australia Danny Porter made yet another final after defeating the evergreen Colin Edwards 5-2 in the first semi final. In the second semi final Steve Letts tasted defeat at this stage for the second time on the weekend, this time losing 3-5 to Phillip Rowland. The final saw Porter hold throw before Rowland did the same. They then replicated this result with their next visits before Porter went 3-2 up with a 100 check out in the fifth leg (and Porter needing 5.) On throw Rowland then busted a shot at 31 and Porter pounced to pick up a break in the sixth leg. He then held throw to lead 5-2 before Rowland held throw to start an unlikely comeback. That was dashed in the next leg though as he failed to secure 40 for the leg and Porter put away the 5 he required to put away the match 6-3 and secure his fourth final in a row, and 7th in total this season (he has been a part of all ten South Australian finals.)
In Western Australia Koha Kokiri was attempting to make a final for the first time in the DPA this year only for Tim Pusey to stop his progress in the semi finals with a 5-3 win over Kokiri. The other semi final went the way of Howard Jones (5-4 over Dave Burke) and thus Jones entered his second, and Pusey his fourth, final of the DPA year. Pusey was immediately broken in the final only to return serve on Howard in the second leg. Both players then broke again as the scoreline read 2-2 but all four legs had been breaks. Jones had broken in 15 darts (checking out 105) and then busted an attempt at 34 as Pusey checked out ten. Pusey then held throw in 17 darts before Jones bettered it holding in 15 darts with a 65 check out. Jones then opened with 140 and 180 and went on to break the Pusey throw once again, this time in 14 darts. He led 5-3 but it was the Pusey throw and he opened with a 140. Jones opened with the same before visits of 121 and 180 left him requiring 60, something he completed with his 11th dart to win the final of the event 6-3, becoming the 5th player to win in 10 events at the Port Kennedy Tavern this year.
Thus Saturday saw three 6-3 wins and two 6-5 wins in finals across Australia. Sunday will see the penultimate weekend of the Winmau DPA Satellite series conclude across the country (although Queensland also have to catch up 3 events on the rest of the country later in the year.)
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