The UKDA National Finals represent one of the highlights of the grassroots darts calendar, bringing together county champions, league winners and some of the best players from across England and Wales to compete for national honours.
While professional events naturally attract most of the headlines, weekends like this remind us just how much quality exists throughout the county game. Across the singles, pairs and Champions Cup competitions there were outstanding performances, dramatic deciding legs and several worthy champions crowned.
Here's my review of an excellent weekend of darts.
Men's Champions Cup
The Men's Champions Cup produced a superb final as Portcullis edged Kings Head 4-3 to lift the title.
It was fitting that the final went all the way, with both teams producing solid performances throughout the weekend before delivering another closely fought contest when the trophy was on the line. Portcullis averaged 78.22 across the final compared to Kings Head's 75.61, illustrating just how competitive the match remained from start to finish.
Portcullis reached the final after a convincing 6-1 semi-final victory over Slough, while Kings Head booked their place by defeating Lincoln 4-3.
A one-leg victory in the final capped an impressive campaign and earned Portcullis the National Champions Cup title.
Women's Champions Cup
The Women's Champions Cup final was another entertaining contest.
Armed & Hammered defeated Springfield A 3-2 to become national champions after a closely fought final.
Having averaged just over 60 compared with Springfield's 58, Armed & Hammered produced the stronger overall performance when it mattered most, but Springfield pushed them all the way before eventually falling just short.
Both teams had negotiated difficult knockout draws to reach the final, making it a fitting conclusion to the women's team competition.
Men's National Pairs
The Men's National Pairs produced several excellent matches throughout the knockout stages before an outstanding final.
John-Sebastian Wright & Ashley Coleman claimed the title after edging Lee Budgen & Reece Robinson 4-3 in a thrilling decider.
The eventual runners-up had already survived a deciding-leg semi-final against Nigel Prior and Jake Eichen, while Wright and Coleman booked their place with a convincing 4-1 victory over Lewis Mayes and Raymond Marshall.
With so many matches decided by narrow margins throughout the latter stages, the final perfectly reflected the quality and competitiveness of the event.
Women's National Pairs
The Women's National Pairs title went to Sally Smith & Kate Hulme, who produced an outstanding display to defeat Eve Watson & Sandra Quinn 4-0 in the final.
Their route to the title was equally impressive, including a deciding-leg semi-final victory over Amy Chappell and Faye Mason before producing arguably their best performance of the weekend in the championship match.
Watson and Quinn also enjoyed an excellent tournament, coming through a tough draw to reach the final before eventually finishing runners-up.
Women's Singles
The Women's Singles produced a superb conclusion to the UKDA National Finals, with Vicky Pruim completing an unbeaten run to lift the title.
Pruim won all seven of her matches across the competition, finishing with an overall tournament average of 76.11, but the scorelines only tell part of the story. Her route to the title included several high-quality opponents and two testing encounters in the closing stages.
The quarter-finals featured an excellent line-up, with Eleanor Cairns edging Rhian O'Sullivan 4-3 in the closest match of the round, while Vicky Pruim overcame Jennifer Nuttall 4-2. Lisa Ashton produced another battling performance to defeat Eve Watson 4-3, before former world champion Deta Hedman completed the semi-final line-up with a 4-2 victory over Lauryn Salter.
The semi-finals delivered two fascinating contests. Pruim was pushed all the way by Eleanor Cairns before prevailing 4-3, while Deta Hedman demonstrated all of her experience with an impressive 4-1 victory over Lisa Ashton to reach another major final.
That set up a final between two highly respected names in the women's game, but it was Pruim who saved her best performance for the biggest stage. A commanding 5-1 victory over Deta Hedman secured the national title and completed an outstanding unbeaten weekend.
While Pruim deservedly takes the headlines, Deta Hedman's run to the final once again demonstrated why she remains one of the most respected competitors in the sport. Lisa Ashton also reached the last four after another strong campaign, while Eleanor Cairns' deciding-leg semi-final showed just how competitive the event had become.
Overall, the Women's Singles showcased both established stars and emerging talent, producing an entertaining championship and a worthy National Champion.
Men's Singles
The Men's Singles provided a fitting climax to the UKDA National Finals, delivering a tournament packed with quality, consistency and several memorable performances.
The standout player throughout the weekend was Jack Johnson, who completed a perfect campaign by winning all eight of his matches to become UKDA Men's National Champion. Johnson also finished with an impressive overall tournament average of 88.43, underlining the consistency that carried him through an exceptionally strong field.
The knockout stages featured several eye-catching contests. Darryl Pilgrim edged Paul Rowley 4-3 in one of the matches of the quarter-finals, while Jack Johnson defeated Sean Holley 4-1. James Hubbard booked his place in the last four with a 4-2 victory over Thomas Lovely, before Owen Bates completed the semi-final line-up with an emphatic 4-0 success against Dean Reynolds.
Johnson then produced one of his strongest displays of the tournament in the semi-finals, defeating James Hubbard 5-1 to reach the championship match. The other semi-final proved to be one of the contests of the weekend as Owen Bates edged Darryl Pilgrim 5-4 in a deciding-leg thriller.
That set up a meeting between the tournament's two outstanding performers.
Bates had impressed throughout the weekend, finishing with the highest overall tournament average of the finalists at 92.72, while Johnson had simply found ways to keep winning. The final lived up to expectations, with Johnson eventually claiming a 6-4 victory to secure the national title.
Bates can take enormous credit from an outstanding tournament, reaching the final after seven victories and producing some of the highest-quality darts of the weekend. Darryl Pilgrim and James Hubbard also enjoyed excellent runs to the semi-finals, while Dean Reynolds, Sean Holley, Thomas Lovely and Paul Rowley all reached the last eight after consistently high-level performances.
The overall standard of the Men's Singles was outstanding, demonstrating once again the remarkable depth of talent currently competing within county darts. Johnson's unbeaten title run will rightly be remembered as one of the standout performances of the 2026 UKDA National Finals.
