Another BDO ranking final for Scott Baker

Baker has already reached the Romanian Open decider in 2016 and did likewise at the Bunn Leisure Holiday Park in Selsey, Sussex.

Tipton cohort Jamie Hughes came close to making the final of both men's singles events he competed in at the weekend.

Hughes and Baker joined the field for a busy weekend of action under the banner of the BDO-affiliated England Darts Organisation, writes Craig Birch.

'Yozza' was thwarted in the semi-finals of the England Classic and England Matchplay, plus the quarters of the Classic men's pairs.

Neither the 30-year-old or Baker entered the England Masters, which was played on Friday. Matthew Dicken, Michael Baker, Mark Craddock and Owen Maiden did compete, though.

Dicken, Baker and Maiden were all in Group One and, still, none of them played each other. Wednesbury's Dicken lost 4-2 in his first game to Andy Fordham.

Wolverhampton's Baker battled to the last leg and saw off Lee Smyth 4-3, before downing Keith Weller 4-2. Rhys Hayden then reversed the score-line on him.

Wednesfield's Maiden reached the last 3-2, opening with a bye before 4-2 victories over Matt Harris and James Clifton. Darren Clifford then recorded the same verdict over him.

Craddock was in Group Three, first whitewashing Albert Hughes 4-0. He then came off second best in a 4-2 defeat to Richard Veenstra.

Hughes and Baker came into the reckoning for Saturday's Classic singles, Hughes going on a tear from Group Four with four victories.

After a bye he eliminated Neil Birkin (4-1), Wayne Warren (4-0), Jack Neary (4-1) before a close-run group decider with Veenstra (4-3).

Dicken was in Group Three, getting off the mark with a 4-1 success over Kieran Smith. Ironically, he then lost 4-2 again to Fordham.

Tipton's Baker entered and engineered a route out of Group Five, prevailing from the last 16 decider 4-2 against Hayden.

Baker had already thwarted four, starting with a superb 4-1 vanquishing of Jimmy Hendriks before beating Kevin Fishwick (4-1), David Payne (4-0) and Stephen Rose (4-1).

Craddock and Carroll, pairs team-mates, were in Group Six. The former, after a bye, lost 4-3 to Andy Turnbull. Carroll bowed out 4-2 to Liam Irvine at the first hurdle.

Baker proved to be another first round casualty, in Group Eight, with Lewis Gurney coming out on top of the tie 4-3.

Hughes took on Tony O'Shea in the last eight, where play was upgraded to a best-of-nine legs format. He won that 5-2, then losing narrowly 5-4 to Dean Reynolds.

Baker met Reynolds in the final after stunning Wesley Harms 5-2 and Nick Kenny 5-3. Play went up to best-of-11, with Reynolds gaining the title 6-3.

Hughes was the pick of the West Midlands darters in the Classic pairs, with the Group One final doubling up as a quarters tie.

He joined Simon Stainton to play five times and began with successes over Ray Howick and Nicky Turner (3-1) and Brad Halls and Neary (3-0).

Further 3-0 landslides followed over Joshua Bell and Martin J Atkins and Martyn Pegram and O'Shea, before Clifford and Kyle McKinstry ended their challenge 3-2.

Maiden played alongside Tyler Radlett in Group Four, where the two Bakers and Craddock and Carroll also combined.

The two Bakers were drubbed 3-0 by Maiden and Radlett, who went on to beat Kieran Smith and Doug McCarthy 3-1. They were then whitewashed 3-0 by Reynolds and James Hurrell.

Craddock and Carroll thwarted Lloyd Pennell and Bradley Kirk 3-2 and Mark Grimes and Gerald Hughes 3-0, before Dutch duo Harms and Veenstra rolled over them 3-0.

Maiden was also involved in the Classic boys singles but was vanquished in his first game, 3-1 to Jack Seymour.

Hughes stayed on for the non-ranking England Matchplay, played between the four weekend title winners and the highest four in the BDO rankings who didn't claim a title.

Hughes, ranked No 4, beat Paul Hogan 4-2 in the quarters, before a 5-2 defeat to his formidable friend Glen Durrant in the last four.

Maiden did likewise in the boys Matchplay, seeing off Alex Gurr 3-2 in a preliminary affair. He also beat Dan Perry 3-2, before a 3-1 defeat to Gurney.