Following on from a successful Q-School and newly formatted World Masters, here's a look back at February at Unicorn!
By Ryan Segal
On the 5th, we revealed our groundbreaking commemoration of Gary Anderson's first World Championship victory, releasing a replica of the darts he used that fateful day, in a wooden ash box with a LED screen displaying an exclusive documentary about the day, in addition to flights, stems, and a certificate of authenticity.
The Players Championships saw their first events take place of the year, with stalwarts and newbies alike taking to the Pro Tour oche with the Unicorn logo proudly emblazoned across their chests.
Ross Smith produced the deepest runs across the first two of the events, reaching the L16 in event one, before a heroic run to the Semi-Final at PC2, losing 4-7 to Chris Dobey in the L4.
It also saw maiden wins as Tour Card Holders for Thomas Lovely and Adam Paxton at PC1, settling in like they'd held their cards for years.
These first two floor events of the season were then followed by the first two Euro Tour Qualifiers of the season, with Owen Bates, Thomas Lovely and Matt Dennant flying through to secure their spots in Belgium for ET1, before Adam Hunt and Callan Rydz followed suit to secure qualification for ET2 in Germany.
Attention then turned to Portsmouth, as Henry Coates looked to take the Modus Super Series by storm. He reached Finals Night, and despite a 103 average in the Semi-Final, Shane McGuirk progressed to the final, marking the end of a good week's work in Hampshire.
We also celebrated a number of contract extensions around this time, as Ross Smith, Callan Rydz, and Adam Paxton all put pen to paper to continue their progress with us.
Looking to Players Championship 3-4, it was Callan Rydz's turn to go on a deep floor run, reaching the Semi-Final, and, like Ross Smith, was defeated by Chris Dobey, only being beaten in a last leg decider.
Tom Bissell also recorded his first Players Championship wins, commemorating the occasion with a run to the board final.
The next day the plaudits went north of the border, as it was Cameron Menzies who flew the Unicorn flag the furthest. He became the first Unicorn finalist of the 2025 season, going on a fine run, before being defeated by Ryan Searle in the showpiece game.
The European Tour qualifiers once again proved fruitful for Team Unicorn, with Thomas Lovely making it two from three qualifications in reaching Riesa. It was then the Pac-man's turn to book a trip to the continent, as Adam Paxton qualified for ET4, and a trip to Munich.
It was then time to celebrate success on an affiliate tour, as Owen Bates took the title at the 3rd Development tour of the year, beating Charlie Manby in an all Unicorn final, perfectly showcasing the young talent in our stable.
Charlie then took centre stage, recording a staggering 130.70 average at Development Tour 4, overcoming Patrik Williams in a phenomenal display.
And then came the big one - The UK Open.
All of our Tour Card holders were granted automatic qualification, but we were able to revel in the success brought by some of our non Tour Card holders. Tom Sykes, Aden Kirk, Henry Coates, Charlie Manby, and Owen Roelofs all travelled to Minehead despite not being on the Pro Tour this year - and there were two all Unicorn ties in the first round, with Tom overcoming Owen and Aden overcoming Charlie in R1.
As they progressed, so did Greg Ritchie, who was finally rewarded for his quality performances since getting his card, with a maiden victory coming on the outside stages over Jamie Kelling.
The main stage proved to be a great place for some of the Unicorn boys to shine, with both Tom and Darren Beveridge picking up wins in front of the ITV4 cameras. A particular mention is warranted for Tom, who averaged a superb 101 against Thibault Tricole to further establish himself as one of the best players in the sport without a card.
We had a very healthy pool of players going into the evening, that saw our Top 32 players Gary Anderson, James Wade, and Ross Smith enter the fray.
Gary, despite a 100 average, was knocked out in his opener, but in the L32, it was a dramatic all Unicorn affair, as Cameron and James clashed on the stage, with The Machine reeling off three straight legs to come back and progress by the thinnest of margins.
Smudger fell at the same stage, and like Gary, averaged in three figures, falling to Josh Rock in a last leg decider with 101 next to his name.
James was the last Unicorn player still standing, and fended off the man who felled Michael van Gerwen, Robert Owen, 10-8 to progress to the Quarter-Final.
It got no easier in the L8, as James faced off against the World Number One, Luke Humphries - but yet another last leg decider went the way of The Machine, showcasing the experience and cool head that has seen him enjoy so much success.
The Semi-Final proved much less dramatic, as, with James keeping his average up at 99, he overcame Josh Rock 11-2 to reach the final, and give him the chance to win the tournament for the fourth time.
It wasn't to be, however, in the final, as Luke Littler overcame The Machine to win the title.
A phenomenal run, nonetheless, and a reminder of the watching world that writing off James Wade is never a good idea.