Puha and Teinaka capture titles at WDF New Zealand Open

Haupai Puha and Mary-Anne Teinaki secured a starting spot for the 2024 WDF World Cup last weekend by taking the titles at the New Zealand Open.

Puha proved the best of the bunch in a field of 2019 players and took the eighth WDF title of his career with a victory over Darren Herewini.

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Puha, winner of the previous two WDF events in New Zealand this year, raced to a 3-0 lead in the final with fine finishes. Herewini did get on the scoreboard in the fourth leg with a 16-darter, but he could not reduce the deficit any further. Puha grabbed another three legs in a row to take a 6-1 victory with three 180s to his name and an average of 91.43.

With this victory, Puha rises to third place in the WDF men's rankings and secures a place at Lakeside for the third consecutive year.

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The Women's New Zealand Open was the third event with gold status on the 2023 WDF women's calendar. This produced another Lakeside debutant.

Mary-Anne Teinaki followed in the footsteps of Amanda Loch and Noa-Lynn van Leuven by winning the women's tournament through a victory over Australian number one Kym Mitchell in the final.

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