The Simon Whitlock Trophy was taken out by Brody Klinge at the Commercial Club Albury on Sunday. The Winmau DPA Protour weekend was capped off with a win to the man who dominated across the weekend. Klinge joins Rob Modra (2024) and Darren Penhall (2023) as winners of the Simon Whitlock Trophy.
Klinge took out the final against Danny Porter three sets to nil. In the opening set both players held throw, Klinge twice in succession, before Porter dropped his throw to lose the set 1-3. The next leg saw both players lose their throw in the first three legs (Porter breaking the Klinge throw with a 100 check out in leg two,) When Klinge did hold throw in the next leg he had a two set lead. Klinge then went to a 2-0 lead in the third set before Klinge dropped his throw to Porter. Porter then held throw but when Klinge did the same in the deciding leg he secured the final.
Earlier Klinge had defeated GG Mathers in their semi-final three sets to nil as well (3-1, 3-2, 3-2), checkouts of 1-6 and 120 helping along the way. Porter defeated Mal Cuming three sets to two, with Cuming taking a 1-0 and 2-1 set lead before Porter won the last two. Each set went to a deciding leg with both players having match darts in the final leg. Set score: 2-3, 3-2, 2-3, 3-2, 3-2.
The quarter finals saw Klinge defeat Harley Kemp 2-1, Porter eliminate James Bailey 2-1, Cuming defeat Karl Schaefer 2-1, and Mathers eliminating Joe Comito 2-0.
In the Ladies tour the quarter finals of event 3 saw Chloe Kilpatrick win 3-0 over Bree Dixon, Jade Lock take out Sarah Turvey three nil, Maggie Cooper win by the same scoreline over Ann Booth. Tracey Rosenow won a deciding leg over Ann Hooton, 3-2 in the final quarter final. Rosenow then defeated Cooper 3-1 and Lock overcame Kilpatrick 3-0 in the semi finals.
The final was a match of two directions. Lock broke the Rosenow throw in the first leg, then held her own throw before taking a second break and quickly move a leg away from the match. Lock then threw away match darts in the next leg before Rosenow got a break back. She then held throw before both players missed multiple leg darts on the Rosenow throw before she held it to tie the match back up at three legs all. A nervy final leg was finally held by Rosenow for her to take the Sunday ladies event.
Twenty players participated in the DPA challenge tour. The quarter final stage of the competition saw the following results; Mark Anderson 3 Joel Hynd 2, Harry Pearce 3 Jim Kispay 1, Ryan Sim 3 Scott Neilsen 0, and Nathan Walsh 3 Jodie Oakley 1. Pierce then defeated Sim in a deciding leg, 3-2, before Andersen cleaned up Walsh 3-0.
The final was a best of seven leg affair. Andersen held throw before his opponent gave him multiple darts at a break, one of which he finally took. He then held throw before missing the bull for a 4-0 victory, Pearce able to hold throw on his next visit. Andersen then missed match darts on his next throw and Pearce broke before Andersen missed more match darts in the penultimate leg. Andersen had a good lead in the deciding leg and despite missing more chances at the match he finally threw a double to complete the required check out and win him event 3 of the DPA challenge tour 2025.
After the weekend’s events, and over 100 players participating in the broad range of events on offer, Joe Comito still leads the race to the PDC World Championship, with James Bailey close behind in second. Klinge, Danny Porter, Stuart Coburn and Harley Kemp are within 8 points of each other in places third to sixth. Brandon Weening is four points ahead of Klinge in the race to Auckland. The DPA table for places at the World Series of Darts in Wollongong sees Klinge, Bailey, Koha Kokiri and Darren Penhall in good position after the first three events of 12 for those positions with former World Series players Joe Comito, Mal Cuming and GG Mathers within four to six points of that top group.
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