Alex Spellman will make his Paddy Power World Darts Championship return in December, after claiming his second CDC Continental Cup crown on Saturday evening.
Spellman - who joins Leonard Gates in becoming the second North American star to win multiple CDC Continental Cup titles - will also make his debut in next month’s Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts following wins over Gates, Adam Sevada and David Cameron on Finals Day in Philadelphia.
The American kicked off his title challenge with a 5-3 victory over Nick Linberg in Friday’s opening round, before overturning a 5-2 deficit to deny Gates in a dramatic last-leg shoot-out.
Spellman was guaranteed a place at Alexandra Palace when the semi-final line-up was confirmed, with Sevada, Stowe Buntz and Cameron having already clinched their qualification via the CDC rankings.
However, the 36-year-old continued his pursuit of glory with a 7-5 success against top seed Sevada, producing 13 and 11-darters in the latter stages to set up a showdown against Canadian veteran Cameron for the title.
Cameron raced into a commanding 5-1 lead and looked poised to stretch that lead to 6-1 at the interval, only for Spellman to double his tally with a majestic 146 checkout.
That moment of magic proved decisive, with Spellman then embarking on a remarkable seven-leg winning run to reclaim the title he lifted for the first time back in 2022.
“My throw felt good today, and if my throw feels good, I always feel I can reel off six or seven legs in a row,” reflected Spellman, who competed at the World Darts Championship in 2023/24.
“I think I’ve struggled over the last year because I knew what people were expecting of me, and I was trying so hard.
“It wasn’t until the beginning of this year when I stopped trying so hard, and I think that’s when I have started seeing more consistent success.”
The North Carolina native will return to Alexandra Palace in this year’s expanded 128-player event, while he will also feature in the upcoming Grand Slam of Darts, which takes place in Wolverhampton from November 8-16.
Cameron was denied a Grand Slam debut of his own, having followed up a quarter-final win against his fellow countryman Darryl Christie with a semi-final victory over Stowe Buntz - a Grand Slam quarter-finalist back in 2023.
Buntz overcame former UK Open runner-up Gary Mawson in the last eight, while top seed Sevada accounted for three-time World Champion John Part and World Series of Darts Finals Qualifier Jason Brandon in his run to the semi-finals.
2025 CDC Continental Cup
Saturday October 19
Quarter-Finals
Adam Sevada 6-3 Jason Brandon
Alex Spellman 6-5 Leonard Gates
Stowe Buntz 6-3 Gary Mawson
David Cameron 6-3 Darryl Christie
Semi-Finals
Alex Spellman 7-5 Adam Sevada
David Cameron 7-4 Stowe Buntz
Final
Alex Spellman 8-5 David Cameron