Gary Mawson beat Kevin Luke 8–7 in the CDC Continental Cup final in Deer Lake, Newfoundland, on Saturday, the Championship Darts Corporation reported on 8 November. The result gave Mawson a second title at the event.
Mawson finishes a final that went the distance
The CDC's 8 November report says Luke took the opening leg before Mawson levelled with a 150 checkout. Mawson later built a two-leg lead, but Luke recovered to make it 7–7. The final therefore turned on one deciding leg.
With Luke still on a finish, Mawson landed the double that secured the title. The CDC's 8 November results record another narrow win after Mawson beat David Cameron 7–6 in the semi-final. Luke had reached the championship match by beating Nick Linberg without conceding a leg.
SportsRivo compared the semi-final and final results in the CDC's 8 November results list: Mawson survived consecutive deciding-leg matches, while Luke's semi-final was a whitewash. The comparison shows how the finalists arrived at the last leg by different routes.
Title places Mawson in an international field
The CDC report identifies Mawson as the winner of the 2018 Continental Cup and the only player to have contested every edition. He entered this event as the ninth seed and began by beating Larry Butler, the inaugural champion. Brayden Hall and Scott Estle were among his later opponents on the way to the semi-final.
The CDC's Main Tour qualification page says Continental Cup champions receive places at the World Darts Championship, US Darts Masters and North American Darts Championship. Mawson's final victory makes those places the direct consequence of this result.
What Mawson's win changes
- Mawson takes his second Continental Cup crown, as the CDC's 8 November report confirms.
- The CDC's current qualification rule gives the champion a World Darts Championship place.
- The same rule also gives Mawson places at the US Darts Masters and North American Darts Championship.
Source: Championship Darts Corporation