Mervyn King secured his maiden Winmau Challenge Tour title on Friday, as nine-dart star Jamai van den Herik also joined the winner’s circle in Milton Keynes.
The year’s third weekend of Challenge Tour action began with a double-header at Arena MK, as a bumper field of over 220 players went head-to-head in Events 11 and 12.
King – who relinquished his PDC Tour Card in January - kicked off Friday’s proceedings with Event 11 glory, winning eight consecutive matches to pocket the £2,500 top prize.
Having swept aside Danny Trueman in his opener, King recovered from 3-1 down to deny Tom Sykes, before whitewashing Mike Warburton to progress to the fourth round.
The 59-year-old then posted averages of 100.76 and 99.46 to account for Charlie Martin and Arno Merk respectively, which was followed by a routine last eight victory against Sam Spivey.
Following a deciding-leg win over Ted Evetts in the semi-finals, King captured the title with a whitewash victory over Henry Coates, averaging 101 and converting a 170 checkout along the way.
Coates – a winner on the Development Tour in 2024 – overcame the likes of Graham Hall, Scott Baker and Nathan Girvan to reach the Event 11 showpiece, having earlier averaged 102 against Oliver Mitchell.
Dutch youngster Van den Herik then took centre stage in Event 12, producing a sensational nine-dart leg en route to a breakthrough victory in Milton Keynes.
The 22-year-old ran out a convincing 5-2 winner against Graham Hall to complete a milestone triumph, after demolishing Ireland’s Ciaran Teehan in the semi-finals.
Van den Herik had booked his place in the last four with a thumping 5-2 victory against Carl Sneyd, having produced perfection in the opening leg of their quarter-final showdown.
This was preceded by wins over Martin Grearson, Stuart Wares, Andrew Cass and Coni Singh Nagi, while he also edged out Welsh icon Richie Burnett in a last-leg decider in round two.
King’s 13-match winning run was ended by Hall in the quarter-finals, with two-time Women’s World Matchplay champion Beau Greaves also featuring in the last eight of Event 12.
The Winmau Challenge Tour season continues with Events 13-14 in Milton Keynes on Saturday May 3, with £15,000 in prize money up for grabs in each event.
The top two players from the final 2025 Challenge Tour Order of Merit will secure a PDC Tour Card for 2026/27 and a place in the 2025/26 Paddy Power World Darts Championship.
At the halfway point of the season, Lithuania’s Darius Labanauskas occupies top spot on the Challenge Tour Order of Merit above Evetts and Greaves, with King and Van den Herik rising to fourth and seventh respectively.
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2025 Winmau Challenge Tour
Friday May 2, Arena MK, Milton Keynes
Event 11
Quarter-Finals
Henry Coates 5-3 Nathan Girvan
Patrick Quinn 5-4 Martin Thomas
Ted Evetts 5-3 Jenson Walker
Mervyn King 5-2 Sam Spivey
Semi-Finals
Henry Coates 5-2 Patrick Quinn
Mervyn King 5-4 Ted Evetts
Final
Mervyn King 5-0 Henry Coates
Event 12
Quarter-Finals
Sietse Lap 5-4 Keegan Brown
Graham Hall 5-4 Mervyn King
Jamai van den Herik 5-2 Carl Sneyd
Ciaran Teehan 5-3 Beau Greaves
Semi-Finals
Graham Hall 5-4 Sietse Lap
Jamai van den Herik 5-1 Ciaran Teehan
Final
Jamai van den Herik 5-2 Graham Hall