Mawson, Buntz & Cameron triumph on CDC circuit

Gary Mawson (CDC)

Gary Mawson and Stowe Buntz returned to winning ways on the Championship Darts Corporation circuit last weekend, as David Cameron clinched his second title of 2024.

The year's second weekend of Championship Darts Corporation action saw 64 players battling it out in Chicago, Illinois, with Cameron maintaining his strong start to the season.

However, it was former UK Open runner-up Mawson who kicked off proceedings with Event Three success on Saturday, sealed with a 7-4 victory against Jeff Springer.

Mawson eased past Chris Caldwell, Jacob Schaeffer and Sylvain Bourdeau to reach the last eight, before reeling off three consecutive legs to overturn a 4-3 deficit against Cameron.

The 61-year-old then defied a late rally from Jake Womack to run out a 7-5 winner in the semi-finals, while a mid-game burst against Springer catapulted him to his first CDC title since 2018.

Springer also impressed in reaching his first final since 2022, dumping out former North American Champion Jeff Smith, Cross Border Challenge winner Alex Spellman and former US number one Daniel Baggish en route.

Reigning Continental Cup champion Buntz captured the Event Four title on Sunday, defying a 98.58 average from Jacob Taylor to triumph 7-5 in a high-quality affair.

Following 5-1 and 5-2 wins against Levi Kransel and Ross Snook respectively, Buntz stormed into the semi-finals with successive whitewash wins over Womack and Jim Long, before edging out Mawson 7-6 in a gruelling semi-final.

Taylor averaged 103.43 in his quarter-final demolition of Leonard Gates, and despite denying Adam Sevada 7-6 in the last four, he surrendered a 5-4 advantage against the former Grand Slam quarter-finalist.

Canadian World Cup star Cameron then rounded off the weekend's action with Event Five victory, courtesy of a deciding-leg win against former Lakeside finalist Smith.

Smith - who overcame Jules van Dongen, Gates and Baggish to secure a place in Sunday's showpiece - recovered from 6-3 down to force a decider, only for Cameron to keep his cool and clinch his seventh CDC ProTour title.

Cameron conceded just three legs in demolishing Brian Fenlon, Eugene Schmitt and Anthony Cianciolo, and after fighting back from 5-4 down to topple Mawson in the last eight, the 54-year-old thrashed his compatriot Long 7-2 in the semi-finals.

View match stats from each event through DartConnect.

2024 CDC Tour - July 13-14
Event Three
Quarter-Finals

Jeff Springer 6-3 Danny Baggish
Nick Linberg 6-1 Jacob Taylor
Gary Mawson 6-4 David Cameron
Jake Womack 6-2 Jim Long

Semi-Finals
Jeff Springer 7-5 Nick Linberg
Gary Mawson 7-5 Jake Womack

Final
Gary Mawson 7-4 Jeff Springer

Sunday July 14
Event Four
Quarter-Finals

Adam Sevada 6-4 Alex Spellman
Jacob Taylor 6-2 Leonard Gates
Gary Mawson 6-5 David Cameron
Stowe Buntz 6-0 Jim Long

Semi-Finals
Jacob Taylor 7-6 Adam Sevada
Stowe Buntz 7-6 Gary Mawson

Final
Stowe Buntz 7-5 Jacob Taylor

Event Five
Quarter-Finals

Danny Baggish 6-4 Adam Sevada
Jeff Smith 6-3 Leonard Gates
David Cameron 6-5 Gary Mawson
Jim Long 6-5 Jake Womack

Semi-Finals
Jeff Smith 7-6 Danny Baggish
David Cameron 7-2 Jim Long

Final
David Cameron 7-6 Jeff Smith