Hamilton's Matt Campbell defeats Jim Long in all-Canadian darts final
Matt (Ginjaninja) Campbell became the first player to retain the bet365 North American Darts Championship title when he defeated (Gentleman) Jim Long 6-3 in an all-Canadian final Saturday in New York.
The 35-year-old from Hamilton, who earned $10,000 US in taking the title, also won the event a year ago at The Theater at Madison Square Garden.
Campbell, ranked 53rd in the world, came from a leg down to lead 3-1 in the final. After Long, No. 109 on the PDC Order of Merit, cut the lead to one leg, it was Campbell who posted a pair of double-top checkouts to close out the victory.
"It's awesome," said Campbell. "I was pretty happy but the final was a bit rough, playing a good buddy."
Campbell and Long teamed up to represent Canada at last month's World Cup of Darts in Germany.
Campbell defeated Jason Brandon 6-1 in the quarterfinal and Stowe Buntz 6-2 in the semifinal.
Long, who won his PDC Tour Card in January to join Campbell as the only Canadians on tour, defeated Adam Sevada 6-4 in his opening tie Saturday and then dispatched American No. 1 Danny Lauby 6-1 in the semifinal.
"I feel terrible to be honest," said the 57-year-old Long, a retired autoworker from London, Ont. "I just couldn't get it going — maybe I was trying too hard.
"Matt and I are great buddies. We played together like for years before he got his Tour Card and we practised together. That was just a hard final to play."
The tournament winner normally earns a place in the World Darts Championship and Grand Slam of Darts by virtue of the success. But with Campbell ranked in the world's top 64, he is already eligible.
The qualifying place in the World Darts Championship will now go to the top-ranked non-qualified player on the final 2025 CDC ProTour Order of Merit, while the 2025 CDC Continental Cup winner will compete in the Grand Slam of Darts.
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