The PDC's Tier Tour system was back at Leicester’s Mattioli Arena once again this weekend, it’s not just a fancy Italian sounding sports hall but is in fact, a popular and regular darts venue and home to the penultimate weekend of the 2025 Winmau Challenge Tour.
Five events, over 190 hopefuls, and bags of drama as the field shuffles looking for Ally Pally spots - and even better - golden tickets in their burger bun. Otherwise known as a Tour Card.
Friday 15th August (Events 16 & 17)
As always, the weekend swung into action with a Friday double-header, and it was Joe Hunt who made headlines by finally bagging his maiden PDC title.
Hunt – who had never before sniffed a PDC trophy – strung together eight wins on the spin. He survived two last-leg deciders early on, then upped the gears with near-ton averages against David Evans and Ultan McDyer. A semi-final nail-biter against Ashley Coleman set up a clash with Scotland’s Derek Maclean. Hunt went 3–2 down, reeled off three straight legs, and sealed it with a tidy 15-dart finish to pocket £2,500 and a very relieved grin.
Not to be outdone, Lee Cocks grabbed the second event of the afternoon– his second Challenge Tour title after a gap of over a year. The 42-year-old bulldozed through the field, whitewashing Reece Colley en route to the semis, where he edged David Pallett in a decider. In the final, Cocks handled Jack Tweddell 5–3 to complete the day’s honours. Not bad for a man who’s name offers itself to many X-rated journalistic innuendos.
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Saturday 16th August (Events 18 & 19)
Two more events – and two new names in the winner’s column. First off, perhaps the most Welsh sounding name possible - David Davies - claimed his first PDC crown. The Denbigh man produced his best darts when it mattered, including a near-97 average dismantling of Nathan Girvan in the last 16. He then dispatched compatriot Kurt Parry, before brushing aside the in-form Jamai van den Herik in the semis.
In the showdown, Davies hit the ground running with three legs on the trot at a 102+ average, and although his opponent Alexander Merkx threatened a fightback, Davies closed it out 5–3 with a composed 92 checkout. At 40 years old, patience finally paid off – darts is, after all, a game of stamina.
But the story of event 19 belonged to Jamai van den Herik, who proved comebacks aren’t just for skint boy-bands. The Dutchman found himself 0–4 down in the final against 18-year-old Jenson Walker, who must have been rehearsing his celebration dance already. Unfortunately for Walker, Van den Herik decided to flick the switch and rattled off five straight legs to win 5–4. His second Challenge Tour title of the year, and possibly the best Houdini act Leicester has seen since Gary Lineker left town.
Sunday 17th August (Event 20)
The weekend wrapped up with a familiar name finally putting his stamp on proceedings. Scott Waites, a man who has lifted the PDC's Grand Slam of Darts, and two Lakeside World championships, but somehow never a Challenge Tour trophy, corrected that quirk by taking the final event of the batch.
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Waites, now 48 and proving age is just a number emphatically stormed through the field like a man on a mission. After cruising past Patrick Dekker in the quarters, he ended Ted Evetts’ hopes of climbing the rankings with a 5–3 semi-final win. In the final, he lost the opening two legs to Michael Unterbuchner before deciding enough was enough, rattling off five straight legs with a three-figure average.
Unterbuchner, who had looked sharp all day with ton-plus efforts of his own, could only watch as Waites reminded everyone that class is permanent – even if consistency sometimes isn’t.
Order of Merit Update
With just one weekend (Events 21–24 in Wigan) left on the 2025 calendar, Lithuania’s Darius Labanauskas still clings to top spot. Stefan Bellmont and Ted Evetts remain in hot pursuit, while Jamai van den Herik’s heroics have launched him into third. Hunt, Davies and Cocks all climbed into the top 20, proving one good weekend really can change everything – or at least get you closer to a shiny Tour Card.
The stakes? Top two secure 2026/27 Tour Cards, while the top three bag Ally Pally spots for the next World Championship. In other words, it’s squeaky-bum time in Wigan this October.
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