Tommy Lishman and Joe Hunt shared the spoils as the 2026 Winmau Challenge Tour got underway in Milton Keynes on Friday.
The opening day of the 2026 Challenge Tour saw Lishman defeat Tommy Morris 5-2 to triumph in Event One, before Hunt downed Jose Justicia by the same scoreline to claim Event Two glory.
Lishman claimed the opening event of the 2026 Challenge Tour and his maiden title after seeing off Tommy Morris 5-2 in a high-quality final, with both players averaging north of 98.
Morris initially led 2-1, kicking off the match with an 11-dart break, but Lishman rallied to win the next four consecutive legs - all in 16 darts or less - to wrap up his first Challenge Tour title.
The 30-year-old began the day by accounting for Rob Channing, Jozsef Szlanyina and John Brown before bettering English duo Callum Francis and Jamie Hughes.
Lishman then saw off Luke Smith 5-3 and battled through a last-leg decider against Lewis Pride, before dispatching Morris to claim the Event One crown.
Morris himself impressed on the way to the final, whitewashing Karl Coleman and defeating 5-3 Graham Rackstraw before dispatching Danny Jansen with a ton-plus average.
The 33-year-old then went on an incredible run of three whitewash victories in a row, taking the scalps of Pat Scurfield, Robbie Martin and Jenson Walker - averaging a whopping 107.36 against Walker.
Morris then survived match darts against Derek Coulson to emerge 5-4 winner, before falling short to Lishman in what would have been his first Challenge Tour title.
Elsewhere, Hunt claimed his second Challenge Tour title of his career by picking up the Event Two crown after a dominant string of displays.
The Isle of Wight star kicked off proceedings with 5-2 wins against Andy Courtney and Bradley van der Velden, averaging north of 91 and 97 respectively.
Hunt then dispatched Shaun Griffiths 5-1 before emerging the winner of a last-leg decider against former World Championship runner-up Andy Hamilton.
A Players Championship quarter-finalist in 2025, Hunt then accounted for English duo Ellis Hadfield and Matthew Dennant, winning four legs on the spin to record a 5-4 comeback win against the latter.
Hunt averaged over 93 in his quarter-final victory over Walker and 5-1 demolition of Dylan Dowling in the semi-finals to set up a final clash against Spanish World Cup star Justicia.
The Englishman produced his best performance of the day in dispatching his opponent, recording a 99.49 average in his 5-2 win over the Spaniard to safely secure the Event Two title.
Justicia’s run to the final was also noteworthy, beginning with a whitewash win over Llewellyn Roberts before recording 93 averages to see off Mike Warburton and Event One winner Lishman.
Averages of 99 and 93 from the Spaniard aided his victories over Patrick Tringler and Pride, which were followed by 5-2 wins over Jamie Key and Martijn Dragt to reach the final, which Justicia ultimately fell short in.
Three nine-darters were taken out on Friday, as Steve Beaton and Harrison Leigh both struck perfection in their match-winning legs against Ryan O’Connor and Bailey White respectively, whilst in Event Two, Thomas Cromwell took out a perfect leg in his third round tie against Kirk De Ruyter.
The Winmau Challenge Tour continues on Saturday with another bumper double-header session, as Events Three and Four take place at Arena MK for non-PDC Tour Card Holders who competed at 2026 Qualifying Schools.
The top two players from the final 2026 Challenge Tour Rankings will secure a PDC Tour Card for 2027/28, with the top three players earning qualification for the 2026/27 Paddy Power World Darts Championship.
Click here to view Event Draws & Results.
Live match stats from all events can be followed through DartConnect.
2026 Winmau Challenge Tour
January 16, Arena MK, Milton Keynes
Event One
Quarter-Finals
Derek Coulson 5-3 Nathan Potter
Tommy Morris 5-0 Jenson Walker
Lewis Pride 5-1 Jack Aldridge
Tommy Lishman 5-3 Luke Smith
Semi-Finals
Tommy Morris 5-4 Derek Coulson
Tommy Lishman 5-4 Lewis Pride
Final
Tommy Lishman 5-2 Tommy Morris
Event Two
Quarter-Finals
Dylan Dowling 5-4 Christopher Wickenden
Joe Hunt 5-2 Jenson Walker
Jose Justicia 5-2 Jamie Kay
Martijn Dragt 5-2 Scott Campbell
Semi-Finals
Joe Hunt 5-1 Dykan Dowling
Jose Justicia 5-2 Martijn Dragt
Final
Joe Hunt 5-2 Jose Justicia
Nine-darters! Steve Beaton struck perfection in the winning leg in his round two clash against Ryan O’Connor.
Harrison Leigh also hit a nine-darter in Event One in the match-winning leg, in his round three tie against Bailey White.
Thomas Cromwell was the third player of the day to hit a nine-darter during Event Two, taking out a perfect leg in his third round tie against Kirk De Ruyter.