Joe Hunt reclaimed top spot on the 2026 Winmau Challenge Tour rankings with Event 22 success on Saturday, as teenage star Archie Self celebrated his second title of the year in Wigan. The year’s final weekend of Challenge Tour action began with a bumper double-header at the Robin Park Leisure Centre, with 167 players competing […]
Joe Hunt reclaimed top spot on the 2026 Winmau Challenge Tour rankings with Event 22 success on Saturday, as teenage star Archie Self celebrated his second title of the year in Wigan.
The year’s final weekend of Challenge Tour action began with a bumper double-header at the Robin Park Leisure Centre, with 167 players competing for the £3,000 top prize in each event.
Self stormed to the Event 21 title in superb style, dispatching Tommy Morris 5-1 with a 104.49 average to back up his Event 18 exploits last month.
The 16-year-old celebrated his first victories on the PDC ProTour in Den Bosch last week, and he continued his eye-catching form in Wigan, winning eight straight matches to take the title.
Self accounted for Derek Coulson – who occupied top spot on the Challenge Tour rankings ahead of play – before dumping out Italy’s former Tour Card Holder Michele Turetta in reaching the last 16.
Following a whitewash win over Aden Kirk, the teenager then fought back from 4-3 down to deny Jack Aldridge in the quarter-finals, which he backed up with a 5-2 victory against Daniel Klose.
Self’s second title of 2026 catapulted him up to fifth on the Challenge Tour rankings, while Morris remained in fourth spot after advancing to his fourth final of the campaign.
Morris registered a brace of ton-plus averages in claiming the £2,000 runner-up prize, including a brilliant 104.26 in his semi-final clash against Joe Hunt.
Hunt remarkably landed four consecutive ton-topping averages in his run to the last four, succumbing with a 101 average in a magnificent contest against Morris.
However, the Isle of Wight native was rewarded for his performances later in the day, as he overcame Callum Francis 5-3 to clinch his fourth Challenge Tour title of 2026.
Having kicked off his title bid with a five-leg blitz of Declan Corcoran, Hunt denied Ewan Jones and Ashley Coleman before squeezing past Jake Jones in a nine-leg affair.
The 33-year-old then claimed the scalp of former World Youth Champion Ted Evetts in the last eight, while he fired in a 14-darter to edge past Harry Ward in a gruelling semi-final.
This set up a winner-takes-all showdown against Francis for the Event 22 crown, where Hunt was forced to overturn a 3-2 deficit to prevail, aided by 117 and 133 checkouts.
The 2026 Winmau Challenge Tour season culminates with Events 23-24 in Wigan on Sunday, as the race for World Darts Championship qualification reaches its climax.
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.
Hunt and Coulson have now confirmed their World Championship qualification, while Hunt is currently in pole position to secure top spot and a place in November’s Grand Slam of Darts.
Klose, meanwhile, currently occupies the third and final provisional World Championship place, with Morris, Self and Tommy Lishman amongst the German’s nearest challengers.
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2026 Winmau Challenge Tour
Saturday September 26
Robin Park Leisure Centre, Wigan
Event 21
Quarter-Finals
Archie Self 5-4 Jack Aldridge
Daniel Klose 5-3 Ashley Coleman
Joe Hunt 5-4 Martijn Dragt
Tommy Morris 5-3 Geoffrey Murray
Semi-Finals
Archie Self 5-2 Daniel Klose
Tommy Morris 5-3 Joe Hunt
Final
Archie Self 5-1 Tommy Morris
Event 22
Quarter-Finals
Callum Francis 5-4 Steve Lennon
Scott Campbell 5-3 Kevin McDine
Harry Ward 5-2 Ashton Brown
Joe Hunt 5-3 Ted Evetts
Semi-Finals
Callum Francis 5-2 Scott Campbell
Joe Hunt 5-4 Harry Ward
Final
Joe Hunt 5-3 Callum Francis