Beech Tree vs Bridge Bar in €1,000 Championship Final
Westmeath Darts League
After a night full of drama and tension, Beech Tree will take on the Bridge Bar in the 2026 WDL Championship Final on March 28, with both sides having come through hard fought semi-finals against Maypole/Kerrigans respectively. Incredibly this will be a repeat of the 2025 Shield Final which goes to show just how far these sides have come in the space of one season.
Games upfront crucial for Beech Tree
Beech Tree came through their match against Maypole on a final scoreline of 5-2 in Streamstown. The key to victory on the night was their quick start in the Doubles format going 3-0 up, aided by a 180 on Game 3 by Graeme Corcoran.
Maypole knew they needed to rally quickly and Derek Delaney finished off his strong season with a 3-1 win over Mark Corrigan with the help of a 117 finish. Johnny Broughton brought the Beech to the hill with a 3-0 over Andy Price before Jimmy McCormack kept the Maypole in the game with a 3-0 win over Chris Connor.
That was as close as the Maypole got however as in a nervy Game 7, Ian Meares got the better of Gerry Devereaux 3-2 to send the Beech Tree to their first ever Championship Final.
Smart selections see Bridge Bar through
The other semi-final saw a Mullingar derby take place as Kerrigans hosted Bridge Bar but saw the away side take a 2-1 lead going into the singles thanks to the combinations of Matthew Willoughby/Rory Matthews and Kevin Gilmore/Jamie Nugent. Keith Mahon/Brandon Gilesnan taking Game 3 to bring Kerrigans onto the board.
Kerrigans broke back in Game 4 as Sylvester Keane, arguably Kerrigan's best thrower this season defeated Kevin Gilmore in five legs to level, only for Matthew Willoughby to win his second game on the night 3-0 against Brandon Gilesnan.
In a nervy Game 6 it was Jim-Bob Baker who got the better of Aidan Reilly to bring the score 4-2 to Bridge Bar and them with one foot in the final.
Recently crowned WDL Championship Singles Winner Ross Kelly kept Kerrigans in the match at 4-3 before the time came for the 'BB' to book their place in the big dance on March 28th as Rory Matthews defeated Keith Mahon 3-2 to send the reigning Shield Champions into their first ever Championship Final
This is a slight changing of the guard from the Shield Finalists of the 2025 season making the Championship Grand Final in 2026 as Beech Tree/Bridge Bar will face off for the prize fund of €1,000 on the night of the 28th of March.
For Maypole/Kerrigans it's a step down from the 2025 season which saw them as the Grand Finalists, but will surely come back for the 2027 season stronger than ever having gotten so close and added a lot to the league this year.
The 'WW' see it through
The Wagon Wheel and their merry men of supporters will now have a second night out to look forward to at the end of this season as they claimed their place in the WDL Shield Final with a 5-3 win over Bagnalls B. The 'WW' went 2-1 up after the doubles, Padraig White/Joe Crotty claiming Game 3 over Stuart Hayes/Mick Greaves in a pivot game on the night.
Stuart/Mick came back straight away to win Game 4/5 and put the Rochfortbridge side 3-2 up on the night.
Nerves took over as each game passed, but it was the Wagon Wheel who held it together in Games 6-8 through Jack Doran, Gerry Keon and Shane Doran, with the aid of a 3-2 win over Jason Bradley who got them over the line and as the #1 seeds in the Shield section and will be favourites going into their final on March 27.
Big moments fall on the side of Clarkes
Clarkes will be the side that the Wagon Wheel face in the Shield Final on March 27 as they overcame McHughs on a scoreline of 5-2 in a game where they always led.
Clarkes led 2-1 going into the Singles portion of the night where McHughs levelled in Game 4 thanks to Sean Gaffney, a player who's had a solid year on the board. Terry Kelly with the help of a 180 and a 13 Dart leg saw off Conor Raleigh 3-1 to peek Clarkes back in front before recently crowned WDL Shield Singles Champion Killian Kelly and Pete Doyle faced off in Game 6 in what was a super tie. Killian took the game 3-2 with the aid of three 140s while Pete for his own measure slotted a 91 finish (Treble 17, Double 20) to keep McHughs in it as best he could. At 4-2 to the home side Davey Gilgan and Aaron McHugh faced off in Game 7 and with every leg going with throw Aaron couldn't get the break he needed to save his side and it was Davey who saw Clarkes through to the Final on March 27
Both teams will probably acknowledge that they are one player short when it comes to the Big Dance matches such as Semi-Final time but with the summer off to improve.
Kelly's take home the Singles Titles in Shamrocks
Sunday 8 March saw the second of the five titles up for grabs in this year’s WDL with the Singles competition taking place in Shamrocks Clubhouse, Mullingar. 35 players across the league took to the oche to claim the specific Championship/Shield titles as the competition was split between the two divisions. Format on the day allowed for groups of 4/5, with each game in the group 501x3, with all legs being played in the group. The top two from each group then qualified for the Quarters, with Board Winners having the darts in the Quarter Finals.
WDL Shield Quarter Finals
Sean Gaffney 3-2 Derek Maguire, Terry Kelly 3-2 Allen Gilgan, Stuart Hayes 1-3 Wayne Kelly, Gerry Keon 2-3 Killian Kelly
WDL Shield Semi Finals
Sean Gaffney 0-3 Terry Kelly, Wayne Kelly 0-3 Killian Kelly
WDL Shield Final
Terry Kelly 3-4 Killian Kelly - Father and Son duo met in the final of the Shield with Terry taking a 3-1 lead and scores of 125/100 in the 5th leg making him look likely to seal the title. Missed match darts in that leg added to finishes of 60/68 saw Killian take the victory and crown himself this year’s WDL Shield Singles Champion.
WDL Championship Quarter Finals
Sylvester Keane 4-0 Mickey McKnight, Ross Kelly 4-0 Mark Corrigan, Johnny Broughton 3-4 Alan McManus, Chris Connor 4-1 Derek Delaney
WDL Championship Semi Finals
Sylvester Keane 2-4 Ross Kelly, Alan McManus 4-3 Chris Connor
WDL Championship Final
Ross Kelly 4-2 Alan McManus - Ross struck earlier on in the final, taking a quick 2-0 lead before missing darts to go 3-0 up. This is where Alan found some form levelling up matters at 2-2 but his scoring dropped off in legs 5/6 as Ross found two 140s and a 180, before finishing on D8 to seal a second WDL Singles Title in four years.
The League would like to extend its thanks to Shamrocks Clubhouse for their support and JA Shaws & Co. LLP Solicitors for their sponsorship.
2026 Paddy Gilgan Memorial Cup Final - sponsored by Geerah's Daybreak Ballinalack
The final of this year's Paddy Gilgan Memorial Cup takes place this Friday March 20th in the Platform 5 section of Clarkes Bar.
Beech Tree will take on the Wagon Wheel with the game starting at 9:30pm. Trebles, Doubles and Singles the format on the night and with two of the top sides throughout the entire WDL Season facing off it is sure to be tight and tense on the night!
League Sponsors Shoutout
Continued thanks is given to Stephen Lynn & Co Accountants/Auditors, McNamee Tyres, J.A. Shaw & Co. LLP Solicitors and Geerah's Daybreak Ballinalack for their sponsorship and support for this year's Westmeath Darts League also.