THE Junior Darts Corporation Scott Farms International Tour returned on Saturday as two new teenage winners were crowned at Riley's Wolverhampton.
Leighton Bennett produced the goods on just his second time entering the UK Tour, while Harry Gregory averaged 98 in his 5-0 whitewash victory of James Beeton.
With the JDC Tour now expanded to incorporate two events into one day, the players would have two shots at winning JDC all-star status in the opening event of the calendar.
Bennett, a 13-year-old from Lincoln, had a tournament average of 86.91 as he romped to victory over Nathan Care in a high-quality final.
He got the ball rolling in round one with a whitewash victory over Adam Conway and would follow it up with a relentless display to defeat Kyle Manton.
Bennett - who also won the Lakeside Youth Championship title last week - would live up to his "Boom Boom" nickname as he defeated Derby’s Henry Coates in double quick time to reach the final.
Bennett would hit ten scores of 140 plus ending his afternoon in spectacular fashion, defeating Lancashire’s Care in an electrifying final, running away a 5-3 winner to top the early Order of Merit tables.
In the second event of the day, Gregory dropped just five legs en route to claiming his second JDC title in the last three months.
The St Helens-based star set the standards for the remainder of the season by averaging 98 in what was a monumental effort by the 13-year-old.
His final opponent, Beeton, would average just south of 88, but Gregory’s superior doubling would mean he made light work of the final.
2018 JDC World Championship finalist Lennon Cradock pushed "The Hawk" to the brink in their semi-final contest, with Gregory holding his nerve in a last leg decider to progress to the day’s second final.
There will be a further four double-headers on the 2019 JDC circuit ahead of the season-ending Junior World Championship, World Cup and European Open in Gibraltar from September 24-26.
The events will be played ahead of the PDC European Tour event in Gibraltar, giving a six-day festival of darts on "The Rock".
The European Darts Open will remain an open event for under-18s, while the early rounds of the Junior World Championship will be followed in December by the final, to be played on stage at Alexandra Palace during the William Hill World Darts Championship.
"We are delighted to be able to announce that our major events will be held in Gibraltar in 2019," said JDC Chairman Steve Brown.
"The passion and interest in sport in Gibraltar is infectious. We are extremely excited about this annnouncement and I have seen first-hand the facilities this territory has to offer.
"It will prove to be a momentous week of darts as we play out our events in the same week as the Gibraltar Darts Trophy."
The events are being staged in partnership with the Ministry of Sport and Gibraltar Darts Association, and follows the formation of a JDC Academy in the country.
JDC Gibraltar's Alex Nunez said: "This is a great opportunity for us to promote the game locally and we feel this is perfect timing for our local youth national team.
"We would like to thank the Government of Gibraltar for their ongoing support and developing opportunities for the game locally."
2019 Scott Farms International Junior Darts Tour
Events 1&2: January 12, Rileys Wolverhampton
Events 3&4: February 16, The George Albert Hotel, Dorchester
Events 5&6: March 16, Rileys Solihull
Events 7&8: April 27, Rileys Chorlton
Events 9&10: May 18, Rileys Worcester
Grand Finals: Sep 24-26, Gibraltar
For further information, visit www.juniordarts.com or follow @JDCDarts on Twitter.
Written by Josh Green