Beveridge and Williams pick up Challenge Tour wins

Darren Beveridge and Jim Williams made winning starts as the PDC Unicorn UK Challenge Tour began on Friday with a double-header in Milton Keynes.

Scotsman Beveridge kick started his run to glory with a brilliant whitewash victory over Callum Goffin.

He then followed this with a 5-3 victory over Coni Singh Nagi, before beating history-maker Fallon Sherrock 5-2.

From here, the 29-year-old really had to show his resolve as he won his next four matches in last-leg deciders.

The first to fall was David Pallet, before taking out John Imrie, Keelan Kay and Conan Whitehead to reach the final.

And there, he proved too strong for Welshman Martin Thomas as he ran out a 5-2 winner to secure the first UK Challenge Tour title of 2021.

There was success for a Welshman in the second event, however, as Jim Williams scooped the title.

Like Beveridge in the opener, the former Lakeside Championship runner-up kicked off his surge with a 5-2 win over Goffin.

This was followed by a 5-1 win over Jack Neary, before seeing off Stephen Burton 5-2.

Next followed two wins over his compatriots as 37-year-old Williams breezed past Barrie Bates 5-1 and Robert Owen 5-3.

He then brought an end to Beveridge’s winning run - as he chased back-to-back titles - with a 5-2 victory in the Quarter-Finals.

Arguably his most impressive display of the day followed as he whitewashed Northern Irishman Nathan Rafferty 5-0 to reach the final

And there, he recovered from 2-0 down to squeeze past the impressive Adam Smith-Neale to seal the title in a last-leg decider.