David Davies won his first PDC title on Saturday afternoon in Leicester, whilst Jamai van den Herik picked up a second Challenge Tour title of the year at the Mattioli Arena
After an action-packed day on Friday, the Challenge Tour continued on Saturday in Leicester with back-to-back events taking place.
In the early afternoon, David Davies broke new ground by winning his first-ever PDC title - defeating Alexander Merkz 5-3.
The Welshman began Event 18 with a 5-3 victory over Lee Barrow, which was followed up by a routine 5-1 win against Adrian Gray.
From here, the 40-year-old defeated Dutchman Vinay Ramnath 5-3, and was forced into a last-leg decider by Jamie Atkins. Although the game was eventually won by a 23-dart leg, Davies progressed and advanced into the competition’s Last 16.
It was here where Davies produced a standout performance against Nathan Girvan, defeating the Scot 5-1, averaging just shy of 97 in the process.
Davies then beat compatriot Kurt Parry 5-3 in the quarter-finals, and produced another fine performance in the semi-finals against Jamai van den Herik - powering past the in-form Dutchman with a 5-2 victory.
In the final, the Welshman began the game in scorching hot form, winning the first three legs whilst averaging 102.59. From here, Merkz won three of the next four legs, but it was Davies who closed the game with a 92 checkout to clinch his first-ever PDC title.
In Event 18, six of the ranking’s top seven crashed out before the quarter-finals - excluding Beau Greaves, who didn’t compete in the event.
Graham Usher produced the best performance on Saturday across both events, averaging close to 109 in his Last 64 win over Ted Evetts.
Moving into Saturday evening, where Van den Herik came back from 4-0 down against Jenson Walker to win his second Challenge Tour title.
The Dutchman, who previously won Event 12 in Milton Keynes, kicked things off with routine victories over Patrick Dekker and Nicholas Ellis before winning a decider against Frenchman Nicolas Thuillier to earn his place in the Last 32.
The 22-year-old went on to average 96.75 over his next three games, powering past Shane McGuirk, Paul Rowley and David Pallett to confirm his spot in the semi-finals, where he beat Bruno Stoeckli 5-2.
In the final, Walker stormed into a 4-0 lead and looked set to clinch the title in Leicester. However, the 18-year-old’s scoring dropped off whilst Van der Herik clicked into form - winning five straight legs to win Challenge Tour 19 in Leicester
The Winmau Challenge Tour season continues with Events 20-21 in Leicester tomorrow, with £15,000 in prize money up for grabs in each event.
The top two players from the final 2025 Challenge Tour rankings will secure a PDC Tour Card for 2026/27, with the top three players set to secure qualification for the 2025/26 Paddy Power World Darts Championship.
Lithuania’s Darius Labanauskas still occupies top spot in the Challenge Tour Order of Merit, with Davies and Van den Herik moving up to 16th and third respectively.
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Live match stats from all events can be followed through DartConnect.
2025 Winmau Challenge Tour
Saturday August 16, Mattioli Arena, Leicester
Event 18
Quarter-Finals
Jamai van der Herik 5-0 Tom Lonsdale
David Davies 5-3 Kurt Parry
Charlie Manby 5-0 Lee Cocks
Alexander Merkz 5-1 Martin Thomas
Semi-Finals
David Davies 5-2 Jamai van der Herik
Alexander Merkz 5-3 Charlie Manby
Final
David Davies 5-3 Alexander Merkz
Event 19
Quarter-Finals
Bruno Stoeckli 5-2 Tommy Morris
Jamai van der Herik 5-1 David Pallett
Jenson Walker 5-1 Lewis Pride
Peter Burgoyne 5-4 Kurt Parry
Semi-Finals
Jamai van der Herik 5-2 Bruno Stoeckli
Jenson Walker 5-0 Peter Burgoyne
Final
Jamai van der Herik 5-4 Jenson Walker