The Junior Darts Corporation’s Advanced Tour saw four different winners crowned on its opening weekend in Coventry on March 11-12.
The JDC's Advanced Tour will feature three weekends in 2023, which each include four individual events, with a £10,000 prize fund available across the year.
Last weekend’s action in the West Midlands saw 32 of the sport’s finest junior talents battling it out, with emerging star Thomas Banks claiming the opening tournament of the 2023 season.
Banks announced his big-stage arrival at the recent UK Open at Butlin’s Minehead Resort, winning through to round four as a Rileys Amateur Qualifier before succumbing to Gerwyn Price on the Main Stage.
The 16-year-old maintained his fine form to claim the spoils in Event One, averaging 90 to defeat Belgium’s Robbe Dasseville, before overcoming Ryan Branley in the semi-finals.
Banks saw off former Advanced Tour winner Henry Coates in the final, although Coates celebrated victory in the second event of the day, whitewashing Banks in the semi-finals to gain his revenge.
This set up a mouth-watering showdown against Leighton Bennett in the Event Two showpiece, but Coates held his nerve to prevail 6-5 in a high-quality affair, with both players averaging over 90.
Sunday’s second day of action saw Bennett claim his maiden title, after he followed up a quarter-final victory over Banks with a 6-3 success against Kieran Thompson in the final.
In the fourth and final event of the weekend, Jenson Walker clinched victory to move top of the Advanced Tour Order of Merit following Event Four.
Walker dispatched Hungary’s Almos Kovacs and rising US star Kaden Anderson en route to the final, before seeing off Jersey’s Lewis Bell 6-3 in Sunday’s showpiece.
The JDC Advanced Tour will continue on April 22-23, with Events 5-8 in Coventry. For more details, visit juniordarts.com.
The full list of JDC tour dates and more information on the Junior Darts Corporation is available here: https://www.juniordarts.com/index.php/jdc-tour/tour-dates-2020
2023 JDC Foundation Tour
Events 1-4 - February 25-26, Coventry
Events 5-8 - March 25-26, Coventry
Events 9-12 - April 29-30, Coventry
Events 13-16 - May 6-7, Netherlands (venue TBC)
Events 17-20 - June 17-18, Coventry
2023 JDC Advanced Tour
Events 1-4 - March 11-12, Coventry
Events 5-8 - April 22-23, Coventry
Events 9-12 - May 27-28, Coventry
2023 JDC Greenzone Tour
Event 1 - March 18, Halesowen
Event 2 - April 22, Carlow
Event 3 - May 7, Portsmouth
Event 4 - June 10, Lampeter
Event 5 - July 15, Paignton
Event 6 - August 5, Forest of Dean
Event 7 - September 9, Stockport
Event 8 - October 21, Stafford
JDC European Open
July 29-30, Ireland
JDC Super 16
Qualifiers 1-4 - September 23-24
Qualifiers 5-8 - October 14-15
Finals Day - November 4
JDC World Junior Championship
TBC