Reece Colley booked a Lakeside return as he and the incomparable Beau Greaves won the senior World Open titles in Budapest.
Colley made the Last 32 of the Men's World Championship on debut in 2023 and now 'Chaos' will look to go further on his return to 'The Home of World Darts' later this year after sealing automatic qualification.
A winner of two previous WDF ranking events, Colley claimed his third with an Open final victory over Jimmy van Schie. The flashy Dutchman had pinged in a 112.16 average in the semi-finals but it was Colley that started the final. The Black Country native pinned back-to-back 15-darters as he swept into an early 4-1 lead.
Van Schie won three on the spin to level but it was at 4-4 that Colley found a second win. Colley took the ninth leg in 20 darts before reeling in the big fish to seal a 6-4 victory with an 86.93 average.
Colley was enormously consistent all day in Budapest, with just 11 points between his averages across eight matches. Having started his day with wins over Jens Larsson and Richard Wery, 'Chaos' swept past Neil Duff, Dave Ladley and Daniele Petri to reach the quarter-finals.
He trailed 3-0 against Mark Barilli in the last eight but never faced match darts, winning four legs on the spin to prevail 4-3. He then beat Poland's Krzysztof Kciuk 5-0 in the semis to book his final clash with van Schie.
Glorious Greaves on another level
Beau Greaves added yet another trophy to her ever-expanding collection with a faultless run to the World Open Women's title.
Greaves skipped the event two years ago but lived up to her billing as top seed this time round. The two-time World Champion began with 90+ averages in her first two games before firing in a 107.36 against Kelly Streef in the Last 32.
Her standard dipped a bit against Rachna David in the Last 16 before normal service resumed in the quarters, a 98.6 more than enough to take her past the Dutchwoman Anneke Kuijten 4-1.
Greaves then matched her highest-ever record average, 113.43, in blasting past Kosuzu Iwao in the semi-finals. That set up a final clash with close friend Rhian O'Sullivan, which Greaves won handily 5-0 with a 102.95 average.
Teese on top to move closer to Lakeside debut
Mason Teese picked up a valuable haul of points in his bid for a Lakeside debut by winning the Boys World Open in Budapest.
The talented 16-year-old enjoyed a comfortable run through the tournament prior to the semi-finals, beating Conor Harkness, Max Kamp, Louis Merkle, Mats Theobald and Lenny Schlueter without much resistance.
Teese had to survive match darts in the final four against compatriot Archie Self, but they only seemed to fire him up. Back-to-back 18-darters won him that game 4-3 and he made it six legs on the spin by racing into a 4-0 lead in the Boys final.
Belgium's Lex Paeshuyse avoided the whitewash by winning the fifth leg but he couldn't mount a greater comeback, with Teese winning the sixth leg in 17 darts to triumph 5-1 and claim his third WDF Youth ranking title of the year.
Pauling continues dominance with another title
Paige Pauling has been the dominant force in Girls darts this year, topping the rankings and winning 12 ranking titles prior to her trip to Budapest. In the Girls World Open, the top seed made that tally 13.
In the final, Pauling threw two 180s and won four legs on the spin as she beat Italy's Nicole Sescu Gal 5-1 with a 75.92 average. Pauling dropped just four legs in five matches before the final, accounting for the likes of Hannah Meek, Zehra Gemi and Ireland's Rebecca Allen.
