Scott Waites claimed his maiden Winmau Challenge Tour title on Sunday, defeating Michael Unterbuchner 5-2 in a high-quality Event 20 final in Leicester.
Waites rounded off the year’s third weekend of Challenge Tour action in style, winning eight consecutive matches to pocket the £2,500 top prize in Leicester.
The 48-year-old and former Grand Slam champion returned to winning ways in the PDC, and after reaching the Event 17 semi-finals on Friday, he continued his impressive form at the Mattioli Arena.
After dispatching of Conor Roberts in the opening round with a whitewash victory, Waites recorded three successive 5-2 wins against Petros Christodoulou, Michael Flynn and Graham Hall respectively to reach the Last 16, where he then overcame Lee Evans 5-3.
The Bradford star then cruised through the quarter-finals, beating Patrick Dekker 5-1, before beating Ted Evetts in the semi-final 5-3 to end the former World Youth Champion's hopes of climbing into second place on the Challenge Tour standings.
Waites stormed to his maiden Challenge Tour title in emphatic fashion - after losing the first two legs to Unterbuchner, the Englishman won five legs on the spin, averaging over 100 on his way to the title.
Unterbuchner - who had previously qualified for the European Darts Grand Prix this year in Sindelfingen - also looked to clinch his maiden Challenge Tour title, as the German posted two ton-plus averages in his first two games of the event.
The 37-year-old defeated the likes of Alexander Merkx, Ritchie Burnett and Event 19 winner Jamai van den Herik to progress to Sunday's showpiece, as he climbed up to just outside the top ten on the Challenge Tour rankings.
The year’s fifth and final weekend of Winmau Challenge Tour action will take place later this year, as Wigan’s Robin Park Leisure Centre plays host to Events 21-24 on October 25-26.
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 continues to occupy top spot ahead of Switzerland’s Stefan Bellmont, with former World Youth Champion Evetts currently £375 behind, with van den Herik a further £600 adrift in fourth spot.
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2025 Winmau Challenge Tour
Sunday August 17, Mattioli Arena, Leicester
Event 20
Quarter-Finals
Alexander Merkx 5-4 David Pallett
Michael Unterbuchner 5-4 Danny van Trijp
Scott Waites 5-1 Patrick Dekker
Ted Evetts 5-4 Andy Cass
Semi-Finals
Michael Unterbuchner 5-3 Alexander Merkx
Scott Waites 5-3 Ted Evetts
Final
Scott Waites 5-2 Michael Unterbuchner