Derek Coulson claimed his second title of the year in Milton Keynes on Friday, whilst compatriot David Davies retuned to the winner’s circle on an eventful day of Winmau Challenge Tour action. The fourth weekend of the 2026 Winmau Challenge Tour began on Friday, with over 200 players competing in Events 16-17 at Arena MK. […]
Derek Coulson claimed his second title of the year in Milton Keynes on Friday, whilst compatriot David Davies retuned to the winner’s circle on an eventful day of Winmau Challenge Tour action.
The fourth weekend of the 2026 Winmau Challenge Tour began on Friday, with over 200 players competing in Events 16-17 at Arena MK.
In the first event of Friday’s double-header, it was Derek Coulson who completed a sensational comeback to win his second Challenge Tour event of 2026 – defeating Stef Kosters in the final.
The Welshman began the afternoon with a whitewash victory over Daryl Hunt, winning three of the five legs in 13, 14 and 15 darts.
Coulson then went on to beat Jack Aldridge, Matt Gallett and Ashley Coleman – dropping just four legs in the process.
The 58-year-old was then faced with a tough challenge in his last 16 match against Patrik Williams, where he was forced to win the last three legs of the contest to reach the quarter-finals at Arena MK.
In the previous round, Williams produced the highest average of the day – which was just north of 105 in his 5-1 victory over Ultan McDyer.
Coulson’s victory over the Englishman ensured he was the only player from the top ten in the rankings to go as far as the last eight.
From here, the man nicknamed ‘DC’ found himself in a last-leg decider against Kevin Burness, before defeating Archie Self 5-0 in the semi-finals.
It was very nearly an all-Welsh affair in the final, but Stef Kosters completed a comeback of his own to beat Davies from 4-1 down.
However, in the Event 16 showpiece, it was Coulson who came back from that exact same position to clinch the title in Milton Keynes.
Despite suffering defeat in the semi-finals, Davies showed great resilience by bouncing back to win Event 17 later that evening.
The Welshman produced a mammoth 102.9 average in the final against Dan Hands to beat the Englishman 5-1, winning the last five legs of the match in just 72 darts.
Davies kicked things off with a narrow 5-4 victory over fellow Welshman, Ewan Jones.
The 41-year-old then went on to beat Maikel Verbek and Scott Waites, before being dragged into another last-leg decider against Carl Wilson.
From here, David clicked into gear – defeating both Joseph Heywood and Williams to confirm his spot in the final.
Following Friday’s double-header, Davies has risen to 18th in the Challenge Tour rankings, whilst Coulson occupies top spot following his heroics in the early afternoon.
The Winmau Challenge Tour continues with another double-header at Arena MK on Saturday, as Events 18-19 take place for non-PDC Tour Card Holders who competed at 2026 Qualifying Schools.
The top two players from the final 2026 Challenge Tour rankings will secure a PDC Tour Card for 2027/28, with the top three players earning qualification for the 2026/27 Paddy Power World Darts Championship.
Click here for full results from Event 16.
Click here for full results from Event 17.
Click here for match stats & results via DartConnect.
2026 Winmau Challenge Tour
Friday August 14, Arena MK, Milton Keynes
Event 16
Quarter-Finals
Derek Coulson 5-4 Kevin Burness
Archie Self 5-2 Brian Raman
David Davies 5-0 Michele Turetta
Stef Kosters 5-3 James Beeton
Semi-Finals
Derek Coulson 5-0 Archie Self
Stef Kosters 5-4 David Davies
Final
Derek Coulson 5-4 Stef Kosters
Event 17
Quarter-Finals
David Davies 5-3 Joesph Haywood
Patrik Williams 5-0 John Henderson
Lewis Pride 5-3 Daniel Klose
Dan Hands 5-3 Jenson Remory
Semi-Finals
David Davies 5-2 Patrik Williams
Dan Hands 5-1 Lewis Pride
Final
David Davies 5-1 Dan Hands