Neil Duff and David Davies make winning starts at ADC Global Championship as former Lakeside finalist Jeff Smith suffers 5-0 whitewash
ADC
The ADC Global Championship got underway in Portsmouth, England, on Sunday, with former WDF world champion Neil Duff and Welshman David Davies among the players to make winning starts. However, there was a major disappointment for another familiar name, as former Lakeside finalist Jeff Smith suffered a crushing first-round defeat.
ADVERTISEMENT
Duff came through a tricky encounter with Shaun Vernall, while Davies produced an emphatic victory over Deta Hedman. Brian Raman, Heine Uuldriks and Maxim Lemahieu were also among the players to progress as the opening day delivered several convincing wins alongside a handful of closely fought contests.
This year's ADC Global Championship features 128 players, all entering at the first-round stage in a straight knockout format. The eventual champion will take home £20,000 in prize money.
Duff progresses as Smith suffers humiliating early exit
The evening session featured several recognisable names from the international darts circuit, including Neil Duff. The Northern Irishman, who was crowned WDF men's world champion in 2022, faced England's Shaun Vernall in his opening match.
Duff was made to work for his victory, with Vernall taking three legs, but the former world champion ultimately came through 5-3 to book his place in the next round.
For Jeff Smith, however, it was an evening to forget. The Canadian, who reached the final of the BDO World Championship at Lakeside in 2016, faced England's Michael Wiles.
Smith was unable to find any rhythm against his opponent, with Wiles dominating the contest from start to finish. The Englishman completed an emphatic 5-0 whitewash, sending the former Lakeside finalist crashing out of the tournament at the first hurdle.
ADVERTISEMENT
Smith is a former Lakeside finalist
Davies impresses as Hedman crashes out
David Davies was another player to make a strong start to his campaign, producing one of the more convincing victories of the opening day.
The Welshman faced experienced England international Deta Hedman, but there was little opportunity for the veteran to establish herself in the contest. Davies claimed an impressive 5-1 victory to secure his place in the second round.
There were also opening-round victories for fellow Welshman Alex Williams, who defeated Jack Tweddell 5-1, and Croatia's Romeo Grbavac, who beat Scotland's Scott Winder 5-2.
ADVERTISEMENT
Elsewhere, Francesco Basili edged past Karl Coleman 5-4, while Mat Caste survived another deciding-leg encounter to defeat Canadian Stephen Russell by the same scoreline.
Raman and Uuldriks cruise through as Dutch players experience mixed fortunes
Brian Raman, a former PDC Tour Card holder and former WDF world number one, made an excellent start to his ADC Global Championship campaign. The 30-year-old Belgian produced a dominant display against Dutch opponent Arne Spee, securing a comprehensive 5-0 victory.
Heine Uuldriks, who recently made his debut on the PDC European Tour, was equally impressive against Natalie Gilbert. The Dutchman gave his English opponent little opportunity to settle into the match, running out a comfortable 5-1 winner.
Bradley van der Velden had to work considerably harder to secure his place in the next round. His encounter with England's Michael Powell proved a closely fought contest, with neither player able to establish a significant advantage. Van der Velden eventually edged the deciding leg to claim a 5-4 victory.
ADVERTISEMENT
Marcel Otter was also pushed all the way in his opening match against Gary Hayes. Like Van der Velden, he needed a deciding leg to get over the line, holding his nerve at the crucial moment to seal a 5-4 win.
Not every Dutch player enjoyed a successful start, however. Wesley van Trijp was beaten 5-2 by Belgium's Maxim Lemahieu, while Meinte Hibma narrowly missed out after losing 5-4 to England's Patrik Williams.
Lorenzo te Hennepe also failed to progress, suffering a 5-2 defeat against Sam Spivey. Marvin van Eenennaam endured an even more difficult evening, losing 5-0 to England's Carl Wilson.
Read also
ADC Global Championship opening-day results
ADVERTISEMENT
| Round | Player 1 | Player 2 | Result |
| First round | Wesley van Trijp (NED) | Maxim Lemahieu (BEL) | 2-5 |
| First round | Heine Uuldriks (NED) | Natalie Gilbert (ENG) | 5-1 |
| First round | Mat Caste (ENG) | Stephen Russell (CAN) | 5-4 |
| First round | Bradley van der Velden (NED) | Michael Powell (ENG) | 5-4 |
| First round | Marcel Otter (NED) | Gary Hayes (ENG) | 5-4 |
| First round | Marc Wilkinson (ENG) | Ultan McDyer (IRL) | 5-3 |
| First round | Meinte Hibma (NED) | Patrik Williams (ENG) | 4-5 |
| First round | Sam Spivey (ENG) | Lorenzo te Hennepe (NED) | 5-2 |
| First round | Romeo Grbavac (CRO) | Scott Winder (SCO) | 5-2 |
| First round | Deta Hedman (ENG) | David Davies (WAL) | 1-5 |
| First round | Karl Coleman (ENG) | Francesco Basili (ITA) | 4-5 |
| First round | Jack Tweddell (ENG) | Alex Williams (WAL) | 1-5 |
| First round | Shaun Vernall (ENG) | Neil Duff (NIR) | 3-5 |
| First round | Michael Wiles (ENG) | Jeff Smith (CAN) | 5-0 |
| First round | Brian Raman (BEL) | Arne Spee (NED) | 5-0 |
| First round | Marvin van Eenennaam (NED) | Carl Wilson (ENG) | 0-5 |
Kieran WoodDarts Journalist
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026
- Not even slightly interestedrick6730-10-2026
- And yet the PDC has decided to aggravate this problem by doubling the Players Championship Finals field from 2027. I can't imagine there will be fewer withdrawals next year with even less reason to turn up. I can only hope that a whole slew of Challenge Tour top-up players receive enough prize money in the absence of much of the elite, that some of the more complacent among them struggle to scrape into even a heavily diluted field! More semi-pro players will get to test their mettle, but the standard of competition will be much inferior. It could hardly be said that the Players Championship series will provide an opportunity for darts' second string to test their Tour Card credentials anymore, but at least it will underscore the achievements of those Challenge Tour players of current and previous years, who were able to prove themselves as more than capable of competing with, and beating, the elite of the sport on a consistent basis, and reaping the due rewards.Deduce635828-10-2026
- No point in being there? Champions want to win.Deduce635828-10-2026
- Littler lost to crabtree in the youth/junior/whatever you call it. He had no point in being there. He's unfortunately now got to the stage,he feels all he has to do is get on the stage to win. Well,I hope he realises part of his fear factor has gone. Happened to Taylor,then van gerwen,and it's causing him to realise pretty sharp,he isn't unstoppable. It's good for the sport,not 1 single player in my 60 years has ever,or will ever be, unbeatable.rick6725-10-2026
- I think it's great to see Mark Webster looking good,good ladrick6725-10-2026
- I agree,I can't believe the lack of coverage of this sad loss. Always enjoyed watching him,but I guess now it's all about littler,well it seems that way. Darts has sadly lost a good manrick6717-10-2026
- In the absence of a report regarding the death of Stefan Lord, I'll assist. An excellent player in the late 70s and early 80s, he actually won the now defunct 3rd place match at two World Championships and a couple of the News of the World Championships. A fabulous player and easily the best Swedish player ever. Rest peacefully Stefan.richieburnettrocks16-10-2026