Nick Fullwell clinched his first title on this year’s Unicorn Challenge Tour with victory in Event 18 in Wigan this evening.
The Stourbridge ace defeated Essex’s Kevin Edwards 5-4 to scoop the £2,000 top prize a the Robin Park Tennis Centre.
Earlier in the day, Peter Jacques had boosted his chances of winning a two-year tour card onto the PDC circuit by winning Event 17, but the world number 83 was beaten in a last-leg decider by Michael Barnard in the last 64 in the day’s second event.
Fullwell, who had previously won a title on the Challenge Tour last year, had enjoyed a seasons-best run to the semi-finals in Event 12 in May, but went two steps better to take the title today.
Fullwell began the tournament with a whitewash win over Edward Lovely, before defeating Martin Lukeman, Radoslaw Szaganski, Andy Smith, Matthew Edgar and Jay Foreman to reach the final.
Edwards had overcame Sean Ryan, Jack Todd, Adam Huckvale, Mark Frost, Lee Evans and Challenge Tour Order of Merit leader Wayne Jones as he won through to his second final of the season, having previously been denied by Mark Dudbridge in Event 16 back in June.
Tomorrow sees this year’s Challenge Tour reach its conclusion with the final double-header of two £10,000 tournaments being played in Wigan on the day.
Heading into Sunday’s final events, Jones sits £1,850 clear of Dudbridge at the top of the Order of Merit, with Aaron Dyer, Jacques and Luke Humphries all within striking distance of a spot in the top two to earn a tour card for 2018 and 2019.
Unicorn Challenge Tour
Event 18
Quarter-Finals
Jay Foreman 5-3 Francis Carragher
Nick Fullwell 5-3 Matthew Edgar
Wayne Jones 5-2 Mark Dudbridge
Kevin Edwards 5-3 Lee Evans
Semi-Finals
Nick Fullwell 5-3 Jay Foreman
Kevin Edwards 5-4 Wayne Jones
Final
Nick Fullwell 5-4 Kevin Edwards
