Connor Scutt and Wesley Plaisier secured two-year PDC Tour Cards on a dramatic day of Winmau Challenge Tour action on Sunday, as the 2024 season came to a close in Leicester.
The 2024 Winmau Challenge Tour concluded with a double-header at the Mattioli Arena on Sunday, as Andreas Harrysson and Sebastian Bialecki claimed a title apiece in the East Midlands.
Harrysson – also the Event 22 winner on Saturday – celebrated back-to-back Challenge Tour titles courtesy of a 5-3 victory against Scutt in the Event 23 decider.
The Swedish star produced successive legs of ten and 12 darts to clinch the £2,500 top prize, having whitewashed Germany’s Kai Gotthardt in the semi-finals.
Harrysson had earlier defeated former World Championship quarter-finalist Darius Labanauskas in the last eight, which was preceded by a 5-2 win over former World Youth Champion Bradley Brooks.
Bialecki – who earned a Tour Card via the 2024 Development Tour Order of Merit last month – then rounded off the year with Event 24 success, sealed with a deciding-leg win over Ted Evetts.
The Polish prospect overturned a 4-2 deficit in his second round tie against Peter Burgoyne, before averaging 104.47 to win through a high-quality encounter against Martin Grearson in the last 16.
The former UK Open quarter-finalist continued his progress with narrow wins over Callum Francis and Adam Paxton, before denying former World Youth Champion Evetts in a gruelling final.
Scutt and Plaisier were beaten midway through Sunday’s second event, but the pair still did enough to finish first and second respectively on the Challenge Tour Order of Merit, confirming their Tour Cards in the process.
Having relinquished his PDC Tour Card in January, Scutt will make his return to the professional circuit next year following a terrific campaign that has yielded a brace of titles.
The 28-year-old landed a trio of ton-plus averages to reach Sunday’s Event 23 showpiece, overcoming John Henderson, Darryl Pilgrim and Stefan Bellmont along the way.
Scutt’s run to a fourth Challenge Tour final of 2024 also helped him book a place at the upcoming Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts, as he fended off Plaisier to secure his debut in the unique 32-player event.
Plaisier – a winner on the PDC ProTour last month – has also won a brace of titles and competed in two further finals this year, which earned him a two-year Tour Card for the first time.
As Scutt and Plaisier had already confirmed their Paddy Power World Darts Championship qualification via the ProTour Order of Merit, ensuring a further two places at Alexandra Palace were up for grabs in Leicester.
As a result, Dutch duo Christian Kist and Alexander Merkx will both feature at Ally Pally after finishing third and fourth respectively on the Order of Merit.
Former Lakeside Champion Kist will make his sixth appearance in the sport’s flagship event later this year, having scooped a hat-trick of Challenge Tour titles throughout the year.
Merkx, meanwhile, will make his World Darts Championship debut following a breakthrough campaign that has seen him win a brace of titles – the second of which came at Event 21 on Saturday.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW DRAWS AND RESULTS
Live match stats from all events can be followed through DartConnect.
2024 Winmau Challenge Tour
Sunday November 3, Mattioli Arena, Leicester
Event 23
Quarter-Finals
Connor Scutt 5-3 Stefan Bellmont
Alexander Merkx 5-3 Richie Burnett
Andreas Harrysson 5-3 Darius Labanauskas
Kai Gotthardt 5-4 Wesley Plaisier
Semi-Finals
Connor Scutt 5-3 Alexander Merkx
Andreas Harrysson 5-0 Kai Gotthardt
Final
Andreas Harrysson 5-3 Connor Scutt
Event 24
Quarter-Finals
Darryl Pilgrim 5-3 Cam Crabtree
Ted Evetts 5-4 John Henderson
Adam Paxton 5-4 Carl Wilson
Sebastian Bialecki 5-4 Callum Francis
Semi-Finals
Ted Evetts 5-3 Darryl Pilgrim
Sebastian Bialecki 5-3 Adam Paxton
Final
Sebastian Bialecki 5-4 Ted Evetts