WDF Romanian Classic Round-up: Jenson Walker and Deta Hedman reach finals as Matthew Edgar posts 105+ average

The WDF Romanian Classic in Bucharest has delivered a strong set of headline performances, with Jenson Walker progressing to the men’s final, Matthew Edgar announcing his return in emphatic fashion, and women’s world champion Deta Hedman securing her place in Sunday’s women’s final.

Walker produced a composed and efficient run through the latter stages of the men’s draw, while Edgar’s high-octane performance earlier in the event quickly became one of the standout moments of the weekend. In the women’s tournament, Hedman once again underlined her consistency on the WDF stage with a narrow semi-final victory.

Walker booked his place in the final with a 4–1 semi-final win over Cliff Prior, averaging 84.17. Earlier in the tournament, he had shown his scoring power with a 91.56 average in a 4–1 quarter-final victory over Alexandru Stoian, before seeing off Fred Box 4–2 in the last 16.

He will face Moreno Blom, who emerged from the opposite half of the draw after a long and steady run that began as early as the Top 512 stage. Blom’s route to the final included wins over Stefan Marculescu, Luca Hessens, Davy van der Zande, Liam Kent and Mladen Radosavljevic before he defeated former Lakeside champion Neil Duff 4–2 in the last 16.

Blom continued his progress with a 4–1 quarter-final win over Antony Allen and then produced a controlled semi-final performance to beat Daniel Zapata 4–1, averaging 90.26.

One of the most eye-catching moments of the tournament came from Edgar, who returned to WDF competition in commanding style. ‘Prime Time’ produced a 105.47 average in his opening match against Stephen Tagliaferro, winning 4–0 with three maximums and finishes of 100 and 101.

The performance immediately placed Edgar among the most talked-about players of the weekend, as he advanced to the last 128 and sent a clear signal with one of the highest averages recorded at the event.

In the women’s competition, Hedman continued her consistent form by edging out Natalie Gilbert 4–3 in a closely fought semi-final. She will meet Irina Armstrong, who also required a deciding leg to defeat Kirsi Viinikainen by the same scoreline.

Earlier in the tournament, Hedman recorded a 4–0 quarter-final win over Anca Zijlstra, following a 4–1 victory against Ivanina Ivanova in the last 16. Sunday’s final between Hedman and Armstrong will be broadcast live on the WDF’s YouTube channel.