Salate strikes early on CDLC Tour, aims for World Championship spot

Jesus Salate has seamlessly carried his excellent form from last season’s CDLC into the new year. The Argentine won two of the first three tournaments of the Championship Darts Latin America and Caribbean Tour in Panama, immediately laying a solid platform in the race to qualify for the World Darts Championship.

The CDLC Tour is the qualifying circuit for players from Central America and the Caribbean. Just like last year, six tournaments are on the schedule. Whereas the season was previously split across three weekends with two events each, the new format features two weekends with three tournaments apiece.

The opening weekend in Panama produced a dominant Salate right away. In the first event, he also benefited from the absence of his main rival Rashad Sweeting, who couldn’t arrive in time due to a cancelled flight. Salate made full use of the situation and dropped only four legs across five matches en route to the final.

In the decider he faced the surprise package Joshua Balfour from Trinidad & Tobago, but there was no tension. With two 14-darters and a 100 checkout among his highlights, Salate cruised to a 6-0 win.

The second tournament also went the Argentine’s way, although he did face one tricky spell. In round two, Salate trailed 4-3 against Chile’s Alex Gutierrez, but he turned it around and sealed the match with a 17-darter.

He then posted comfortable victories over Luis Ramirez-Merlano, Artur Valle, and James Walklin. Fellow countryman Victor Guillin awaited in the final, but he too had no answer to the top seed. Salate averaged 97 and won 6-1. Guillin avoided a whitewash with a fine 136 checkout.

A hat-trick proved out of reach. After four more wins, Salate fell in the semi-finals to Guyana’s Norman Madhoo, who prevailed 6-4. Madhoo carried that momentum into the final against Dean Persad to claim his fourth CDLC Tour title.