The inaugural Trans-Tasman Championship delivered a weekend of thrilling darts action, pitting Australia’s and New Zealand’s best players against each other. New Zealand’s Jonny Tata clinched the Open Singles, while the Kiwi pair of Mark Cleaver and Jaymie Hilton-Jones won the Pairs event. However, Australia dominated the team competition, winning the Trans-Tasman Test Match. The main event, the Trans-Tasman Championship, saw Australia’s Mal Cuming emerge victorious, defeating favorite Raymond Smith. This hard-fought win earns Cuming a coveted spot at the World Darts Championship at London’s Alexandra Palace and a debut in the ANZ Premier League.
Open Singles: Tata Triumphs in Thrilling Opener
The weekend kicked off on Friday with the Open Singles, attracting 73 players from both regions. The semi-finals saw a fierce Australia vs. New Zealand showdown. Ultimately, New Zealanders Jonny Tata and underdog Seamus Lynch advanced, both winning in deciding legs.
- Jonny Tata (New Zealand) defeated Mal Cuming (Australia).
- Seamus Lynch (New Zealand) upset Mark Cleaver (New Zealand).
Jonny Tata went on to win the title, showcasing an impressive performance, including a remarkable 96.94 average in his semi-final victory over Mal Cuming – the highest average of the event.
Key Open Singles Results:
- Quarter-Finals:
- Mal Cuming (93.1) 6-1 Tim Pusey (83.1)
- Jonny Tata (86.0) 6-1 Howard Jones (80.2)
- Seamus Lynch (80.8) 6-5 Harley Kemp (78.0)
- Mark Cleaver (77.9) 6-3 Jordan Bennett-Davies (76.8)
- Semi-Finals:
- Jonny Tata (96.9) 6-5 Mal Cuming (93.0)
- Seamus Lynch (77.4) 6-5 Mark Cleaver (76.1)
Pairs Perfection: Kiwis Claim Second Title
Saturday began with the Pairs event, featuring 37 teams. After a group stage and knockout rounds, the final saw Australia’s Joe Comito and Tim Pusey face New Zealand’s Mark Cleaver and Jaymie Hilton-Jones.
The Kiwi pair, Mark Cleaver and Jaymie Hilton-Jones, secured New Zealand’s second title of the weekend, comfortably defeating Comito and Pusey 6-1 in the final.
Key Pairs Results:
- Quarter-Finals:
- Pullen & Bennett-Davies (84.4) 5-0 Cassar & Kempt (74.6)
- Hilton-Jones & Cleaver (76.4) 5-1 King & J Kime (76.7)
- Comito & Pusey (83.9) 5-2 Puha & Tata (83.2)
- Walters & Sheppard (87.5) 5-2 Fagg & Rundle (80.7)
- Semi-Finals:
- Hilton-Jones & Cleaver (77.9) 5-4 Pullen & Bennett-Davies (78.4)
- Comito & Pusey (88.4) 5-2 Walters & Sheppard (86.3)
- Final:
- Hilton-Jones & Cleaver (86.4) 6-1 Comito & Pusey (79.7)
Team Australia Dominates Inaugural Trans-Tasman Test Match
The action continued on Saturday with the inaugural Trans-Tasman Test Match, a captivating team competition. The top 8 senior players and top 4 youth players from each nation battled for national bragging rights.
Team Line-ups:
- Team Australia: Jose Comito, Mal Cuming, Raymond Smith, Tim Pusey, James Bailey, Jeremy Fagg, Michael Bajowski, Stuart Coburn, and youth players Jayden Randall, Jayden Wedemeyer, Ky Smith, Mitchel Beswick.
- Team New Zealand: Ben Robb, Haupai Puha, Jonny Tata, Mark Cleaver, Craig Pullen, Jack Sheppard, Jaymie Hilton-Jones, Jordan Bennet-Davies, and youth players Hunter Eyles, Jovan Tipuna, Livarno du Plooy, Zacarno King.
Team Australia took an early lead, winning all three ‘fours’ matches and the first two pairs matches. New Zealand fought back in the remaining pairs to keep the score tight at 5-4 to Australia at the break. However, Australia pulled away in the singles matches, with key wins from Ky Smith, Raymond Smith, Mal Cuming, and Jayden Randall. Despite efforts from Mark Cleaver, Haupai Puha, and Jack Sheppard for New Zealand, Australia maintained their advantage.
Ultimately, wins from Mitchel Beswick and Michael Bajowski sealed the deal for Australia, giving them an 11-7 lead with three matches to play. Team Australia secured the title as the inaugural Trans-Tasman Test Match Champions with a final score of 13-8.
Main Event: Mal Cuming Claims Trans-Tasman Championship and World Stage Return!
Sunday’s main event, the Trans-Tasman Championship, saw the top 16 from Australia’s ADA rankings pitted against the top 16 from New Zealand’s DPNZ rankings. The stakes were high: the winner would secure a coveted spot at the 2027 World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace (often affectionately known as ‘Ally Pally’) and a place in the 2026 ANZ Premier League.
Tournament favorite Raymond Smith, who had an outstanding year on the ADA tour, was expected to dominate. However, the tournament began with a challenging start for New Zealand, as only Haupai Puha, Ben Robb, and Jordan Bennett-Davies managed wins in the first round, leaving 13 Australians in the Last 16.
The Australian dominance continued, with Ben Robb being the last Kiwi standing before being knocked out in the quarter-finals by Harley Kemp. This confirmed an all-Australian final four.
Key Quarter-Final Results:
- Raymond Smith (87.1) 3-2 Jeremy Fagg (82.6) (Smith survived 9 match darts!)
- Howard Jones (84.7) 3-1 Joe Comito (86.3)
- Harley Kemp (81.5) 3-1 Ben Robb (81.9)
- Mal Cuming (95.8) 3-0 Tim Pusey (84.0) (A dominant performance from Cuming)
In the semi-finals, Raymond Smith overcame Howard Jones in a deciding set, while Mal Cuming delivered another brilliant performance to defeat Harley Kemp.
The grand final was set: ADA #2 Raymond Smith against ADA #8 Mal Cuming. After taking an early lead, Mal Cuming stormed through to win the title 4-2 against the favorite Raymond Smith! This magnificent victory marks Cuming’s return to the World Darts Championship, having previously debuted in 2023, and guarantees his debut in the ANZ Premier League in September. Cuming’s 95.77 average in his quarter-final whitewash over Tim Pusey was a highlight of the event.
The Road to the World Championship Continues: Three More Oceania Spots Up For Grabs
While Mal Cuming has secured his spot, three additional places for Oceania players at the World Darts Championship are still available, promising more thrilling competition:
1. New Zealand DPNZ Tour Spot
- To be decided this coming weekend in New Zealand.
- Ben Robb holds a significant advantage over Jonny Tata in second place on the DPNZ Tour. Just reaching the Last 16 and Last 32 in upcoming events would likely secure his qualification.
2. Australian ADA Tour Spot
- To be decided the following weekend.
- The winner of the ADA Tour will qualify. This race is incredibly close: Brody Klinge currently leads with $16.5k, while Raymond Smith is close behind with $14.95k. With $1,600 on offer for the winner of each of the four remaining events, the title is still wide open.
3. ANZ Premier League Winner Spot
- To be decided at the end of October.
- The winner of the ANZ Premier League qualifies for both the World Championships and the Grand Slam.
- Six of the eight player field are already confirmed:
- Simon Whitlock (reigning champion)
- Mal Cuming (Trans-Tasman Champion)
- The top 4 ADA players: Brody Klinge, Raymond Smith, and Tim Pusey are already safe. Joe Comito currently holds the final spot with a $2,000 lead over Michael Bajowski.
- The top 2 DPNZ players: Ben Robb is already safe. Jonny Tata has a 1,450-point lead over Mark Cleaver, meaning Cleaver would need to win one event and reach the final of another to overtake Tata.
- The ANZ Premier League begins on September 26th, with league nights in Canberra, Adelaide, Melbourne, Auckland, and Newcastle. Finals Night will take place on October 31st in Brisbane.
Source: Based on an article from Darts World Magazine.
