Chris Clarke is the Geoff Jones Runcorn Darts League Individual Champion for the 2024/25 Winter League following a great night of darting action at Lockdown Bar & Kitchen on Friday evening.
Clarke, who plays from Halfway Mixed, won a thrilling final against George Hough from The Willies to pick up the trophy. The final saw Clarke storm into a two leg lead before Hough hit back to level. Clarke then regained the lead to go a leg away from victory, with Hough levelling once more with a tremendous 128 finish when Clarke was sat on a two dart finish. The deciding leg saw Hough win the bullseye, but it was Clarke who secured victory, hitting double ten to seal the title.
The road to the final was difficult for both players. Clarke went through 2-1 against fellow Halfway Mixed player Anton Conroy in the First Round, before overcoming Linnets Chuckers Harley Lewis in the Second Round. The Third and Fourth Round saw him beat Windy Hill Bully's players Ryan McDonald 2-1 and Sasha Oria 2-0, before a 2-0 win over Bogey Flickers' Josh Bury in the Quarter Final. It was an all Halfway Mixed affair in the Semi Final, with Clarke winning 3-0 against Wayne Conway to move into the final.
Hough received a bye in the First Round before beating Windy Hill Bully's Adam Turrell 2-1 in the Second Round. The Third Round saw him beat promising youngster Max Ashcroft from Halfway There, with a 2-0 win over Total Confusion's Reece Lloyd putting him into the Quarter Finals. In the last eight he overcame Bogey Flickers' Ben Webster 2-1, and he had to dig deep to come from behind in the Semi Final with a 3-2 win over Wilsons Woodchuckers' Ste Roberts.
The night saw a record number of entries, with 83 players from all six sections of the league turning up to participate, highlighting once again the resurgence in darts across the country. The league would like to thank Lockdown Bar & Kitchen for their sponsorship of the competition.
The regular season of the 2024/25 Winter League is on Thursday evening, with the Preliminary Round of the Town Championships and Executive Competition taking place the following Thursday. This Friday evening is the 2024/25 Winter League Doubles Competition at Lockdown. Entry is from 6.00pm to 7.00pm and is open to all signed on players in the Geoff Jones Runcorn Darts League.
