Neil Duff edges past close friend Barry Copeland as 15-year-old Archie Self stars in reaching Boys semi-finals

On the men’s side Neil Duff qualified for the quarter-finals of the Polish Cup WDF World Championships. The Irishman from Northern Ireland was the strongest in his match against his compatriot Barry Copelandwinning 3-2.

The situation was even in the first set and it seemed that Duff was on his way to stopping the set. However, he missed several doubles to settle the decision, ultimately allowing Copeland to snatch the set from him 2-3 and take the lead.

In the second set, Duff took a 2-0 lead, but was unable to break it again. Copeland remained stoic and managed to get back to 2-2. In the final match, Copeland had six darts to win the deciding match, but missed the opportunity. The number 3 seed took advantage of the situation and equalized the score to 1-1 in sets.

The 2022 world champion continued to fade, but Copeland missed too many doubles to take advantage. Thanks to an impressive finish until the 90th second, Duff finally managed to win the third set 3-1 and take the lead for the first time in the match.

Copeland came back to 2-2 and decided the match in the final set, but in the end it was Duff who used his experience and won the deciding set, thus ending the match. In the next round, the Irishman from Northern Ireland will face the American Jason Brandon.

Meanwhile, English talent Archie Self managed to defeat Kendji Steinbach and reach the semi-finals of the boys tournament. The 15-year-old is seen as a bright spark for the future.

Self shot brilliantly in the first few games, giving Steinbach an 0-2 deficit. Steinbach, however, did not allow himself to be discouraged, kept his composure and returned to 2-2 with a score of 102. In the decisive match, the young Briton made a great 14-darter and took the lead.

In the second set, the 16-year-old Dutchman seemed to get into his rhythm better and led 2-0, thanks in part to a 12-darter. In the third leg he also had no resistance and after 15 shots he had a double score of 18. However, he was unable to continue this streak in the decisive match and ultimately lost to the 15-year-old.