Royal Navy crown first-ever darts champion in thrilling night of action at Waterlooville

Gary Whittles has won the first-ever Royal Navy darts championship.

He beat Dan Appleby 5-1 in the final at the Phoenix Darts Club, Waterlooville.

The event was the first of its kind for Royal Navy sport and marks another step forward for forces darts.

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Whittles' journey to the trophy started with a 3-0 victory over Adam Todd before a last-16 win over Karl Jones.

A back-and-forth quarter-final against Johnny Kinsella saw Whittles deliver a 74.14 average in a 4-2 win before he defeated John O'Neill 4-0 in the semi-final.

Appleby's route to the final saw him beat Dale Langton-Jones, Zac Newnham, Josh Miller and John Coulson.

The final saw Whittles at his best. He won the first two legs of the match to gain a confident advantage before Appleby roared back in the third leg.

Whittles kept his composure though to win the final two legs and the best-of-seven final.

As well as winning the first-ever Royal Navy championship, Whittles also received qualification for the Operation Bullseye event and a spot at the 2027 PDC Q-School.