PDC Tour Card holders impress with high averages during a trip to the USA

Last weekend, the prestigious Philadelphia Open was on the calendar in the United States. This tournament has enjoyed a strong reputation within the American darts scene for years and once again attracted an internationally flavoured field.

Notable was the presence of two English PDC Tour Card holders: Cameron Crabtree and Owen Bates. Their decision to cross the Atlantic proved an excellent move, as both Englishmen left a major mark on the tournament weekend with several outstanding performances.

Crabtree and Bates have been close friends for years. Together with their good friend Zac Griffiths, they traveled to America for a weekend full of darts and competition. Participation was possible because the Philadelphia Open is not WDF-ranked and is not streamed. Those are key factors, as PDC Tour Card holders are bound by strict rules and are therefore barred from many events.

In addition, the PDC calendar has relatively few commitments in January, except for players competing in the World Series of Darts in the Middle East. For Crabtree and Bates, this was an ideal moment to gain match practice elsewhere.

Although both players have long been known in Europe as major talents, they also made a big impression in the United States this weekend. In the main event, Crabtree and Bates both reached the final. That made for an all-English title match, to the surprise of many American spectators. In that final, Cam Crabtree left no doubt about who was the strongest on the day. Averaging an impressive 109.98, he swept past his good friend Bates 3-0 to claim the title in style.

The English success, however, was not limited to the main tournament. Owen Bates, together with American Brian Rudel, won the blind pairs event, a format in which players do not know their partner in advance. In addition, Bates and Crabtree reached the final of the mixed triples alongside Layla Buntz.

The Englishmen also made their presence felt in the various Cricket events. Despite American players generally having more experience with this format, Cam Crabtree still captured the title in the individual Cricket tournament. Moreover, Crabtree and Bates together reached the semifinals of the pairs Cricket event, another fine performance on foreign soil.

For Owen Bates, the weekend ended with an extra golden touch. He also claimed the men’s tournament. The semifinals produced a fresh showdown with Cam Crabtree. This time, Bates took revenge for the defeat in the main final. With a 2-0 victory, in a match where both players averaged over 107, Bates came out on top. He then beat American Mark Francks 2-0 in the final to secure the title.

Top-level darts in the United States will continue. The gold-ranked WDF Las Vegas Open is on the schedule next weekend. Several familiar names will make the trip, including Tom Becker, Matt Clark, Aaron Turner, Deta Hedman, and the Dutchwoman Anca Zijlstra. That promises another compelling, high-quality event in which European and American players will go head-to-head.