Jamie Hughes loses Finder Masters final
Tipton's Jamie Hughes has been thwarted again by Glen Durrant as they contested the final of the BDO Finder Darts Masters final in Holland.
'Yozza' is best friends with his opponent who has become a nemesis of his after halting his challenges this year,
Their fourth of meeting of 2016 saw Durrant again come out on top 5-3, after the two had shared sets up to 3-3 over the best-of-nine format.
Hughes was walloped 5-0 in sets by the BDO No 1 just seven days earlier in the semi-finals of the World Masters, having also lost an England Matchplay semi and Sweden Open final to him.
The Black Country thrower was also eliminated from the 2015 World Championship by Durrant, who he hasn't beaten since the last of three wins over him at the 2014 Antwerp Open.
The 30-year-old began his challenge in a competition he won two years ago at the Hotel Zuiderduin in Egmond aan Zee on Friday night.
Hughes saw off Martijn Kleermaker 5-3, returning to the stage on Saturday night to defeat Darius Labanauskas 5-2.
The format reverted to best-of-five sets for the quarter-finals today, where Hughes whitewashed Martin Phillips 3-0 to reach the last four.
Hughes then turned on the style to vanquish Geert de Vos 3-1, with checkouts including finishes of 150 and 117, to set up the decider against Durrant.
'Duzza' struck first in the final but Hughes got it back to 1-1, after a deciding leg battle, only for the Middlesbrough-based star to restore his lead.
Back came Hughes in another deciding leg for parity, before a resounding three-leg whitewash made it 3-2 to Durrant. A stubborn 'Yozza' claimed the next set for 3-3.
But it was Durrant who took command from there, claiming the next two sets to get over the line and retained his title.
Meanwhile, Wolverhampton's Owen Maiden was also experiencing a case of deja vu after a second straight defeat to Justin van Tergouw.
The Dutch darter rolled over him in the boys decider of the Masters 4-1 and repeated the trick, with a 2-0 sets landslide success.
Once again, Maiden made his way to the final from a group format after playing twice on Saturday to take Pool B.
The 16-year-old from Ashmore Park in Wolverhampton, debuting in the tournament as a wild card, beat Marvin van Velzen 4-3 and Maikel Verberk 4-2 in legs-only ties.
Van Tergouw reeled off five legs in a row to put himself within sight of victory, with Maiden's winning just one leg in reply.
The teenage prospect has now lost three ranking finals in a row, taking into account the Czech Open. He has previously won the International Open, England Open and Welsh Open.
