By Ryan Segal
As September and its inconsistent weather came upon us, the business end of the darting season came with it.
It started, however, on a light note, with the news that Adam Paxton was learning the words to ‘Homeward Bound’ by Simon and Garfunkel, stemming from a Q&A that occurred a little while ago.
We’re both ready – the single is dropping soon…I hope.
Eyes then turned to Luton, as James Wade helped to lead the opening of Jewson’s latest store, playing visitors and handing out a darting masterclass to anyone lucky enough to toe the oche with him.
That served as a good warm up for Czech Darts Open, which got underway that very same day.
Ian White went in on the crest of a wave, with his new contract being announced before his round one match – but in an all Team Unicorn affair in R1, Cameron Menzies grabbed the win 6-3.
Although Cammy wouldn’t progress any further, two of his Unicorn teammates did – as Ross Smith defeated Andrew Gilding 6-4 to reach the final day, and the aforementioned James Wade averaged 107.71, going 75% on the outer ring in his win.
Who would’ve thought Jewson would be such good prep for a European Tour?
Now we know.
They would face off in the L16, and despite a 105 average from Smudger, The Machine powered through to the quarters.
He then made it back to back ET semi finals, throwing an 11 darter in the decider against Stephen Bunting to show his peacock in Prague.
Although the semis where the journey would end AT the oche for the weekend, there were still plenty of smiles to be had, as he got a picture with his doppelganger from the crowd – complete with the sstarstruck fan wearing a Wade replica shirt.
Perfection.
Away from the glamour of the Euro Tour, it was also a fantastic weekend for the mercurially talented Charlie Manby, who won his maiden Development Tour title.
Attention then turned straight away to Germany, as Team Unicorn travelled to Hildesheim for the next batch of Players Championship events and European Tour qualifiers.
At PC26, Ross went on a run to the quarter final – but in his first mention of the piece, it was Gary Anderson who flew the flag the furthest, reaching the semi final.
At PC27, results didn’t come as freely – with Charlie Manby, Cameron Menzies, Ross Smith, and Mensur Suljovic all being defeated in the L32.
Meanwhile, back in sunny old England, Tom Sykes was showing why he’s one of the best players in our sport without a tour card, bagging back to back ADC Vault wins.
Back to Deutschland, and it was time for the final two ET qualifiers of the year.
In the ET13 qualifiers, it was Owen Bates and Callan Rydz that earned their respective places in Basel, with five Unicorn players making it to the final stage of qualifying.
The Riot would do a delightful double, also earning a spot at ET14 in Hildesheim, being joined in that adventure by Tom Bissell, who qualified for the third event of his debut season.
We then turned our gaze to Amsterdam, as the World Series Finals took place at the AFAS Live.
James Wade was defeated in a last leg decider by Luke Humphries – but his Unicorn stablemates both progressed past their openers, with Cammy and Ross beating Peter Wright and Jonny Tata respectively.
They wouldn’t progress any further, with Cammy being defeated by Chris Dobey, and Ross being knocked out by Littler, despite the Kent thrower averaging 106, and throwing 8 x 180s in the 8-10 defeat.
We then took a minute to spotlight Lexi-Jayne Rooskby, who celebrated her two-year anniversary as part of the Team, where she’s cemented her place as one of the brightest young talents in the women’s game.
We then celebrated another one of our wonderful women, in Irina Armstrong.
Not only did she defend her Italian Open title from 2024, she added the Italian Masters to her extensive collection, strengthening her hopes of return to Lakeside.
It really was a great month if you love the European Tour, as we had yet another event, as a plethora of Team Unicorn travelled to Budapest for the Hungarian Darts Trophy.
Matt Dennant, who had only been called off the reserve list earlier in the week, walked in and defeated former UK Open Champion Andrew Gilding 6-4, to set the tone for what was going to be a very good Friday for Team Unicorn.
Cameron Menzies cruised past host nation qualifier Nandor Pres, Darren Beveridge smashed Wessel Nijman for his first ever ET win, and Tom Bissell joined him in that debut win club, beating Dirk van Duijvenbode.
And, as is usual, Tom Sykes was doing Tom Sykes things, putting up averages including 120 and 109 at the British Classic.
Back to Budapest, and Cameron Menzies progressed to the final day, defeating fellow Unicorn slinger Ross Smth.
He was joined by James Wade, who took out 135 and 156 en route to sending Luke Woodhouse packing.
He wouldn’t reach another semi-final, only making it as far as the quarter final, defeating Kim Huybrechts with a three-figure average.
It was then time for one of our (and my) favourite days – our launch, where we shared the exciting new products coming out as part of our 2026 range.
Stop asking me what’s coming out and when – You’ll find out soon, and I promise you it’s worth the wait.
It was then WDF World Cup time, as 47 nations travelled to South Korea to try and bring home eternal darting glory.
Irina did, winning Bronze in the Women’s singles for Germany.
Speaking of Germany, the southern border was the next destination, as we crossed over to Switzerland for the Swiss Darts Trophy.
Callan Rydz kicked off with a ton plus average and 75% success on the doubles, and was joined in the second round by a clinical Mensur Suljovic.
They wouldn’t go any further, but were in good stead for Leicester, and a hat trick of Players Championship events.
But, as has become a running theme – we have to interrupt the PDC news to talk about Tom Sykes, who was continuing to hoover up ADC titles like I hoover up flights at Pro Tour.
You should see it. I’m a menace.
At the Mattioli, it was Darren Beveridge who carried the flag the furthest at PC28, reaching the Quarter-Final.
At PC29, we were starting down the barrel of an all Unicorn final – but, whilst Ross Smith progressed, Gary Anderson didn’t, meaning Ross was our sole representative in the PC29 showpiece game.
Having withdrawn from the European Tour a few days earlier due to personal reasons, Smudger would have been forgiven for not bringing his best game to Leicester – but his fortitude and resilience shone through, as he averaged 104 to take the final in a deciding leg – sealing the deal with a 118 finish.
And, whilst Ross was picking up yet another Players Championship title, Charlie Manby was breaking as many records as possible down in Portsmouth at the Modus Super Series, including for best Group A campaign, and highest win rate of any player to feature in the tournament.
Cameron Menzies ran to the L16 at PC30, but was beaten by Wessel Nijman.
The title win saw Ross move up to 12th in the world, and Cammy to 33rd (at the time of writing, he’s cracked the Top 32).
A busy and successful September for the team – Onto October and a successful major month!