LAKESIDE, for many, the ‘Home of World Darts’ delivered a memorable final weekend of the ranking season as the Lakeside Open and last-chance qualifiers wrapped up the 2026 WDF World Championship field in Frimley Green.
Saturday’s Silver-ranked Lakeside Open set the tone. Sixteen-year-old Arthur Allston announced himself in style, claiming the men’s title in his very first senior WDF event by beating Lewis Gurney in the final.
In the women’s competition, Gemma Hayter produced a nerveless display to edge Macy Gibbons 5-4 in a last-leg thriller and pocket the £700 top prize. Olivia Heaton took the Girls crown, underlining the strength of the younger generation on show.
Sunday shifted the focus entirely to qualification. With six World Championship places still available, the atmosphere crackled from the opening darts.
In the Open category, Paul “Big Top” Lewis finally converted ranking near-misses into a Lakeside debut. He dismantled Antony Allen 6-1, firing two maximums and sealing the deal with a clinical 93 checkout:
Moments later, Jitse van der Wal, the Frisian Viking, completed a dominant run by whitewashing Kevin Cottiss 6-0. An 11-darter and four 140s told the story of a player who simply refused to be denied:
The women’s last spot went to Kim Holden, who overcame Paige Pauling 6-3 with five 140s along the way.
In the Youth section Christian “Turbo” Ennis averaged 84.61 to defeat Owen Bryceland 5-3 and book his debut, while Cori Wiltshire survived a tense deciding leg against James Wright to claim the second Youth ticket.
Rebecca Allen rounded things off in the Girls event, returning to Lakeside for a second World Championship appearance after a 5-2 victory over Olivia Heaton.
Those six successful players join the 84 already qualified through rankings, regional races, major titles and the earlier Las Vegas qualifier, completing a full 90-strong field. Mitchell Lawrie heads both the Open and Youth seeds as the draw approaches.
The emotion on the oche was unmistakable. Pure delight for the qualifiers, heartbreak for those who fell just short, and a clear reminder of what reaching the famous Lakeside stage means to so many.
With the fields locked, attention now turns to this evening’s draw, live on the WDF YouTube channel at 7 pm, before the main event gets underway from 27 November to 6 December.
A fitting end to the ranking season and the perfect launchpad for another unforgettable Worlds at the Home of World Darts.
Images: AIM180