Palmer Wins ADC Vault Title

Paul Palmer started life in the ADC Vault South West section hosted at Legends Lounge by picking up the first title of the season to put him seventh in the area rankings.

The top twelve in the area will qualify for the Vault National Finals with an estimated prize pot for amateur players standing at £40,000.

Palmer topped Group 1 with a 71.35 average in a 2-1 win over Steve Mills before wins of 2-0, 2-1 and 2-0 again versus Sean Burkitt, Del Bryce and Frankie Stout.

Mills brushed himself down and qualified comfortably with a 2-0 wins over Stout, Scott Wapshott, Bryce and Burkitt.

Palmer's (75.41) best outing of the round robin cost Wapshott his place in the knockout stages after a 2-1 loss left Wapshott in fifth but one leg short of fourth in a pool of six.

Stout's 2-0 win over Burkitt, a 2-1 success over Bryce and a 2-1 defeat against Wapshott left him in fourth whilst Bryce made up the quartet of qualifiers from group 1 with a 2-0 win over Wapshott and a 2-1 against Burkitt.

In Group 2, John Mann eased through his pool with five 2-0 wins out of five played; his best performance coming in a 2-0 success over second placed Darren Smith with a 93.94 three dart average.

Smith dropped one leg in his four other matches to comfortably see himself through whilst Tom Graham made it three wins from five and Zack Rosen sneaked through with one win thanks to a better leg difference.

Palmer (83.50) demolished Rosen in the first quarter 3-0 with his best legs in 17 and 13 darts whilst Darren Smith added his name to the semis with a 3-0 success over Bryce.

Smith checked in 15 darts in one his legs before Mann (77.74) netted a 3-0 win of his own that came with the help of a 16 darter.

Mills and Graham's last eight tie was much closer with Mills sneaking through 3-2 to meet Mann in the semis who made light work of his opponent.

Mann (89.09) looked odds on favourite for the title after two 180s in a 13 darter helped him to a 3-1 win over Mills who himself checked in 17 during the one leg he won.

Palmer was safely through with a 3-1 success over Smith who hit a 180 in the defeat, but surprisingly it was Palmer who was quickest out of the blocks in the final.

Palmer (81.98) started with a 13 dart leg and followed that with a 180 in the very first throw of the second leg to give him the impetus in the first to three format.

Despite Mann firing back a 180 of his own, it was Palmer who took the inaugural title with a 3-0 win that stands him in good stead of earning a spot at the South West Regional Finals.