Jack Sheppard and Jonny Tata take titles at DPNZ ProTour in New Zealand
PDCTuesday, 29 April 2025 at 08:20
Jack Sheppard and Jonny Tata captured their first DPNZ ProTour titles of the season during the darts weekend in Nelson, New Zealand on April 26 and 27.
Young promise Sheppard kicked off the weekend with a win in Event 5 on Saturday. The 18-year-old won the tournament after a 7-4 victory in the final against Charles Hautapu. En route to the title, he eliminated five-time World Cup contender Ben Robb, among others, in the semifinals after posting a 91 average against Mark Cleaver earlier in the quarterfinals. Sheppard started the tournament strong with convincing wins over Stu Irwin and Connor Nolan, after an undefeated group stage in which he defeated Nick McGrane, Craig Osgood, Wayne McRae and Damien Unuka.
On Sunday, it was Jonny Tata's turn to shine. The former World Series participant won Event 6 after a comeback against New Zealand's number one Haupai Puha. Tata was down 4-3, but then won four legs in a row to eventually take the title 7-4. Thanks to this win, he climbed to fourth place on the DPNZ Order of Merit.
The 32-year-old Tata had few problems in the group stage, qualifying for the knockout phase with five wins in a row. After a whitewash against Stephen Campbell in the last 16, he defeated Stu Irwin, Mark Cleaver and Jaymie-Hilton Jones, with impressive averages of 96 and 95 in the quarter and semifinals, respectively.
Despite the defeat, Ben Robb remains number one on the DPNZ Order of Merit, followed by Cleaver, John Hurring and now Tata. Hilton-Jones, who started the season strongly earlier with two finishes, dropped to fifth, while Sheppard is now sixth thanks to his breakthrough victory.
It was also an important weekend for Mark Cleaver: his performance over the past 12 months has allowed him and Puha to represent New Zealand at the upcoming World Cup of Darts.
The DPNZ ProTour continues on May 24 and 25 in Hamilton, where Events 7 and 8 are scheduled.
DPNZ Tour 5
Quarterfinals
Charles Hautapu 5-3 Kayden Milne
Haupai Puha 5-3 John Hurring
Jack Sheppard 5-3 Mark Cleaver
Ben Robb 5-3 Jaymie Hilton-Jones
Semi-final
Charles Hautapu 6-2 Haupai Puha
Jack Sheppard 6-4 Ben Robb
Finale
Jack Sheppard 7-4 Charles Hautapu
DPNZ Tour 6
Quarterfinals
Emilio Hovell-Grace 5-2 Scott Menzies
Haupai Puha 5-3 John Hurring
Jonny Tata 5-2 Mark Cleaver
Jaymie Hilton-Jones 5-3 Ben Robb
Semi-final
Haupai Puha 6-3 Emilio Hovell-Grace
Jonny Tata 6-2 Jaymie Hilton-Jones
Finale
Jonny Tata 7-4 Haupai Puha
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