SWINDON thrower Kirk Shepherd clinched victory on the opening day of the 2015 PDC Unicorn Challenge Tour season in Wigan.

In a double-header at the Robin Park Tennis Centre on Saturday, former World Championship runner-up Shepherd saw off fellow Swindon player Jack Tweddell in the first event.

‘The Karate Kid’ – who lost to John Part in the 2008 PDC world final, clinched his first PDC crown with an impressive performance.

After seeing off Dean Forde 5-1 in his first game of the day, he then defeated James Bevan 5-3 and edged out Colin Fowler – who went on to win the second of Saturday’s two events – 5-4.

The 28-year-old then beat Richard Elms 5-2 and former World Youth champion James Hubbard 5-3 before seeing off Richard Corner 5-2 in the quarter finals.

Shepherd whitewashed Jon Jukes, a last-eight victor over Swindon’s Chris Aubrey, 5-0 in the semi final and held his nerve to defeat first-time PDC finalist Tweddell in the final to claim the £2,000 first prize.

Tweddell also reached the last eight of the second event of the day.

Swindon’s John Newland and Lee Evans bowed out in the second round, with Daniel Batchelor out in the first round of event one.

Evans made the last 32 of event two, with a further two events taking place in Wigan yesterday.

Meanwhile, Dennis Smith has qualified for the German Masters to be held in Munich over the Easter weekend.

n The Swindon & District Darts League have their presentation evening on Friday (March 27) starting at 8pm in the Rodbourne Cheney WMC.