Jonny Tata returned to the winner’s circle on Night Five of the Dabble Darts ANZ Premier League, defeating Simon Whitlock 5-2 to become the first player to claim two nightly wins in the inaugural season.
After winning Night One in Melbourne, Tata had slipped to fourth place in the table following a run of three consecutive quarter-final exits, but he found his range in front of a brilliant crowd of 4,000 fans at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
The New Zealander overcame Brody Klinge, James Bailey and Whitlock to pocket the weekly $2,000 prize and climb to second in the standings with just two rounds remaining before Finals Night.
“This crowd was amazing,” Tata reflected post-match. “Adelaide's awesome. I love these guys.
“Playing Simon in the final, he's a legend. It was always going to be hard, and I knew that the crowd was going to be with him, so I'm happy to get the win.
“The goal is to try and make Finals Night over in Brisbane. I was just hanging in there [the top four], so now it should boost me up a little bit more.”
The 33-year-old Wellington truck driver began the evening with a 5-2 win over Night Four winner Klinge, before breezing past James Bailey 5-1, in a game which featured a brilliant 158 finish.
Tata then found himself 2-1 adrift against Whitlock in Saturday’s showpiece, before reeling off four straight legs to a secure victory with a 85.30 average.
For Whitlock, his run to a second nightly final sees him jump into third in the standings on eight points, two behind Tata, while Raymond Smith still leads the way on 15.
Whitlock produced a 95.58 average - the highest of the evening - when he beat Tim Pusey 5-3 in their quarter-final clash, before crushing Smith 5-1 in their semi-final showdown.
“I needed to win a couple of games tonight to try and edge my way to the top four, and it was a good night apart from the final,” Whitlock said.
“Fair play to Jonny. He was the best player tonight.”
The other quarter-finals saw Smith beat Joe Comito 5-1, while Bailey battled back to beat Robb 5-4 in a last leg decider.
The action heads to New Zealand next week, as Night Six of the ANZ Premier League takes place in Wellington.
Smith will look to continue his unbeaten run in quarter-finals when he faces Klinge, before Comito searches for a much-needed win against Tata. Bailey then faces Whitlock, with Pusey and Robb battling it out in the other quarter-final clash.
The Dabble Darts ANZ Premier League is being broadcast live on Fox Sports and Kayo Sports in Australia, Sky Sport in New Zealand, with live coverage also available on PDCTV for Rest of the World Subscribers.
Click here for match stats & results.
2025 Dabble Darts ANZ Premier League
Night Five
Saturday November 1, Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Quarter-Finals
Simon Whitlock 5-3 Tim Pusey
Raymond Smith 5-1 Joe Comito
James Bailey 5-4 Ben Robb
Jonny Tata 5-2 Brody Klinge
Semi-Finals
Simon Whitlock 5-1 Raymond Smith
Jonny Tata 5-1 James Bailey
Final
Jonny Tata 5-2 Simon Whitlock
Night Six
Saturday November 8, TSB Arena, Wellington
Quarter-Finals
Raymond Smith v Brody Klinge
Joe Comito v Jonny Tata
James Bailey v Simon Whitlock
Tim Pusey v Ben Robb
Semi-Finals
Smith/Klinge v Comito/Tata
Bailey/Whitlock v Pusey/Robb
Final
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