Template - Author: PDC Women’s Series Announced for late 2021

Female players will be given more opportunities than ever before to compete in PDC events in 2021, following confirmation of a 12-event PDC Women’s Series to be played from August to October.

Places in the 2021/22 William Hill World Darts Championship will be awarded to the top two players based on prize money won across the 12 tournaments, while two spots in the 2021 Cazoo Grand Slam of Darts will also be up for grabs.

The PDC Women’s Series visits Germany for the first time as Events 1-4 take place at the H+ Hotel in Niedernhausen on August 28-29 for the opening weekend of action. Events 5-8 will be played at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes on September 25-26, while the PDC Women’s Series will conclude with Events 9-12 at the Barnsley Metrodome on October 23-24.

£60,000 in prize money will be on offer across the 12 events, while the final two weekends will be broadcast live through PDCTV.

The two places in the Grand Slam of Darts will go to the leading performers in the second and third weekends respectively, based on cumulative prize money won in Events 5-8 for one place and Events 9-12 for the second place.

The 2021 PDC Women’s Series tour is an expansion of the four events held in 2020, which saw Lisa Ashton and Deta Hedman claim places at Alexandra Palace, while Ashton also qualified for the Grand Slam.

The PDC’s first female Tour Card Holder, Ashton continues to be a trailblazer within the sport, and became the first woman to average over 100 in a televised event in March.

On the news of the expanded PDC Women’s Series, Ashton commented: “This is fantastic news for women’s darts. “Playing in the Women’s Series last year it was fantastic to see so many top players competing, especially with matches streamed on PDCTV.

“The women’s game continues to move in the right direction, and by once again offering places in two of the PDC’s biggest televised events we as players have the chance to keep breaking new ground.”

Entry will be £25 per player per event, and the PDC Women’s Series will be open to all female players aged 16 and above. Each event will have £5,000 in prize money on offer, including £1,000 to the winner.

History-maker Fallon Sherrock, Japan’s Mikuru Suzuki and Russia’s Anastasia Dobromyslova have also competed in the World Championship in recent years. “Today’s announcement underlines our commitment to providing opportunities to female players,” said PDC Chief Executive Matthew Porter.

“Women’s darts continues to enjoy a higher profile than ever before, and we see an expansion of the PDC Women’s Series as the next step in the game’s progression. “We are pleased that this year’s tour will incorporate events in Germany, reflecting the growth of women’s darts across the world.

“I am sure fans will once again enjoy watching the action on PDCTV as players battle it out to grace the sport’s biggest stage at the William Hill World Darts Championship and at the Cazoo Grand Slam of Darts.”

Entry for the PDC Women’s Series is available via www.pdcplayers.com, with players who have not previously competed in PDC events needing to Register with the system first.

2021 PDC Women’s Series

Events 1-4
August 28-29
H+ Hotel, Niedernhausen, Germany

Events 5-8
September 25-26
Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes, UK

Events 9-12
October 23-24
Barnsley Metrodome, UK 

Prize Fund (Per Event)

Winner – £1,000
Runner-Up – £600
Semi-Finalists – £400
Quarter-Finalists – £250
Last 16 – £100
Last 32 – £50
Total – £5,000

Template - Author: Betfred World Matchplay

Tearful Peter Wright claimed Betfred World Matchplay glory on Sunday night, ending Dimitri Van den Bergh’s hopes of back-to-back titles with a sensational 18-9 triumph in Blackpool.

World number two Wright had lost in the Winter Gardens final four years ago, but this time lifted the trophy named in honour of his conqueror in 2017 – Phil Taylor – to cap a memorable tournament.

Wright had won through to the final with a stunning defeat of Michael van Gerwen in the semi-finals, and treated a capacity Winter Gardens crowd to another superb performance in the final.

Wright averaged 105.90 in the final and claimed a £150,000 prize, denying Van den Bergh – who spent three months living with his opponent during lockdown in 2020 – the chance to become only the fourth player to retain the title

Wright was clinical in punishing early Van den Bergh misses to open up leads of 3-0 and 4-1, before reeling off four straight legs – including breaks of throw in 11 and 12 darts – to move 8-2 up.

Van den Bergh stepped in following five uncharacteristic misses from his rival in leg 11, and produced a 12-darter to reduce the gap to 8-4.

Wright, through, restored his cushion with a 13-dart leg and produced a ten-darter to move 10-4 up and close in on glory. Van den Bergh rallied, finishing 87, 96 and 84 in winning four of the next six to pull back to 12-8, only for an 11-darter from Wright to halt his momentum.

The Scot then took out 62 to lead 14-8 and punished misses from the reigning champion in the next two legs as he edged clear.

After Wright then took out 84 on the bull to create a 17-8 cushion, Van den Bergh landed the game’s only ton-plus checkout of 105, but it proved to be only a consolation as Wright sealed the deal with a 13-dart leg on double nine.

Van den Bergh picked up £70,000 as runner-up following a stout defence of his title, which included a victory over World Champion Gerwyn Price and a second round record 14 180s in his defeat of Dave Chisnall.

Sunday July 25th (20.30 BST)

FINAL
Dimitri van den Bergh 9-18 Peter Wright
_______________________________________________________________________

Full Results:

FIRST ROUND
Gerwyn Price 10-4 Jermaine Wattimena
Jonny Clayton 10-7 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Dimitri Van den Bergh 10-5 Devon Petersen
Dave Chisnall 10-8 Vincent van der Voort
James Wade 3-10 Luke Humphries
Krzysztof Ratajski 10-4 Brendan Dolan
Rob Cross 10-8 Ross Smith
Glen Durrant 6-10 Callan Rydz
Peter Wright 10-2 Danny Noppert
Joe Cullen 10-8 Chris Dobey
Michael Smith 10-7 Ryan Searle
Jose de Sousa 10-2 Gabriel Clemens
Michael van Gerwen 10-7 Damon Heta
Daryl Gurney 7-10 Ian White
Gary Anderson 10-5 Stephen Bunting
Nathan Aspinall 10-6 Mervyn King

SECOND ROUND
Gerwyn Price 11-3 Jonny Clayton
Dimitri Van den Bergh 11-8 Dave Chisnall
Luke Humphries 5-11 Krzysztof Ratajski
Rob Cross 8-11 Callan Rydz
Peter Wright 11-5 Joe Cullen
Michael Smith 13-11 Jose de Sousa
Michael van Gerwen 11-8 Ian White
Gary Anderson 9-11 Nathan Aspinall

QUARTERS
Gerwyn Price 9-16 Dimitri van den Bergh
Krzysztof Ratajski 16-8 Callan Rydz
Peter Wright 16-7 Michael Smith
Michael van Gerwen 16-9 Nathan Aspinall

SEMIS
Dimitri van den Bergh 17-9 Krzysztof Ratajski
Peter Wright 17-10 Michael van Gerwen

Template - Author: Calendar update Third Players Championship added in August

Continued restrictions in relation to travel across Europe mean that only two European Tour events have been confirmed so far in 2021.

As such, the planned ET4-5 Tour Card Holder Qualifiers on Wednesday August 4 will be replaced by a third Players Championship in PDC Super Series 6.

This will then mean that PDC Super Series 8 in November will only feature three Players Championships, with only the Cazoo Grand Slam of Darts Tour Card Holder being held on November 5.

In addition, August 9 will now see only two UK Associate Member Qualifiers staged for the European Tour events in Budapest and Gibraltar.

“Whilst restrictions are beginning to ease in the UK and in some countries, there are still issues around travel both to and from many areas which have prevented us from confirming any further European Tour events so far,” said PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter.

“We are continuing to work with our partners, however this has given us the opportunity to add a third Players Championship into August’s PDC Super Series.”

Template - Author: Darts Legend Andy Fordham passes away

The 2004 Lakeside Champion, Fordham was a popular figure within the sport, with “The Viking” having also won the 1999 World Masters and a dozen other ranking titles on the BDO/WDF circuit.

He subsequently took on Phil Taylor in The Showdown at the Circus Tavern in November 2004, although he was forced to retire from the contest at 5-2 in their best-of-13 set game.

Fordham later competed on the PDC circuit in 2009 and 2010 and also qualified for the 2015 Grand Slam of Darts, where he won one of three matches in the group stage.

“Andy was one of the most recognisable players worldwide throughout his career and extremely popular around the world,”

“His 2004 win at Lakeside will always be remembered as the greatest moment of Andy’s career, and we also knew how much it meant to him when he qualified for the Grand Slam a decade later.

“He was a great personality and a lovely man, and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.”

RIP

Andy Fordham

Template - Author: European Tour TCH Qualifiers

The European Tour is set to return with Budapest and Gibraltar events already confirmed as the first of the Tour Card Qualifiers take place today from Coventry.

The Hungarian Darts Trophy will take place at the Papp László Sportaréna in Budapest from September 3-5, marking the start of the 2021 European Tour. This will be followed later in the month by a return to Gibraltar, an established and popular European Tour destination, for the Gibraltar Darts Trophy from September 24-26. 

European Tour 1 TCH Qualifier CLICK HERE (Budapest)

24 TCH QUALIFIERS:
Ross Smith, John Michael, Lewis Williams, Geert De Vos, Rob Cross, Keegan Brown, Joe Murnan, Simon Whitlock, Daryl Gurney, Darren Webster, Steve Beaton, Jake Jones, Alan Soutar, Madars Razma, Luke Humphries, William Borland, Adrian Lewis, Bradley Brooks, Vincent van der Voort, William O’Connor, Boris Krcmar, Florian Hempel, Geert Nentjes, Keane Barry

European Tour 2 TCH Qualifier CLICK HERE (Gibraltar)

24 TCH QUALIFIERS:
Martin Schindler, Callan Rydz, Keane Barry, Wayne Jones, Rob Cross, Simon Whitlock, Stephen Bunting, Martijn Kleermaker, Adam Hunt, Steve Beaton, Geert Nentjes, Ryan Murray, Mervyn King, Ted Evetts, Luke Humphries, John Henderson, Gabriel Clemens, Florian Hempel, Boris Krcmar, Joe Murnan, Ryan Searle, Kim Huybrechts, Ritchie Edhouse, Boris Koltsov

European Tour 3 TCH Qualifier CLICK HERE (TBC)

24 TCH QUALIFIERS:
Kim Huybrechts, Florian Hempel, Dimitri Van den Bergh, Jermaine Wattimena, Rob Cross, Luke Woodhouse, Martin Lukeman, Krzysztof Kciuk, Daryl Gurney, Jeff Smith, Ritchie Edhouse, Madars Razma, Mervyn King, Ryan Joyce, Andy Boulton, Ron Meulenkamp, Gabriel Clemens, Keane Barry, Vincent van der Voort, Lewis Williams, Ryan Searle, Wayne Jones, Simon Whitlock, Adam Gawlas

2021 European Tour Schedule

Hungarian Darts Trophy (ET1)
Papp László Sportaréna, Budapest
September 3rd – 5th

Gibraltar Darts Trophy (ET2)
Gibraltar
September 24th – 26th

The current top 16 players on the ProTour Order of Merit (as of June 30) have been confirmed as the seeded players for the two confirmed European Tour events.

Joe Cullen and Jose de Sousa – both winners of 2020 European Tour events – will be number one and two seeds respectively, with Peter Wright, Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price taking the next three seedings.

PDC Tour Card Holders currently outside the top 16 on the ProTour Order of Merit will compete in Tour Card Holder Qualifiers on Friday July 9 in Coventry. As with all European Tour events, the seeded players (based on the ProTour Order of Merit at the entry deadline on June 28) will enter in the second round of each tournament.

The remaining 32 places see qualifiers compete in the first round of each tournament, including 24 players from the Tour Card Holder Qualifier. UK Associate Member Qualifiers for each event will be held on Monday August 9 in Milton Keynes, while European Associate Member Qualifiers will take place on July 5 in Niedernhausen.

The Tour Card Holder Qualifiers and Associate Member Qualifiers will be treble-headers, providing players for the Budapest and Gibraltar events as well as for any third confirmed event.

2021 European Tour Events 1-2

Seeded Players (enter in second round)

1. Joe Cullen
2. Jose de Sousa
3. Peter Wright
4. Michael van Gerwen
5. Gerwyn Price
6. Michael Smith
7. Jonny Clayton
8. James Wade
9. Devon Petersen
10. Krzysztof Ratajski
11. Dirk van Duijvenbode
12. Damon Heta
13. Danny Noppert
14. Brendan Dolan
15. Mensur Suljovic
16. Nathan Aspinall

Template - Author: Players Championship 20

Peter Wright produced an outstanding display to deny Michael van Gerwen a first title of 2021 as he scooped his third victory of the year in Thursday’s Players Championship 20.

 

Wright had ended the year’s second and fourth blocks of PDC Super Series action with titles in recent months, and repeated the trick in Coventry as he landed another £10,000 top prize. Wright produced four ton-plus averages in his seven wins on the day, but reserved his best performance for the final in a high-quality contest with Van Gerwen.

Finishes of 84, 74 and 64 helped Wright into a 3-0 lead, with Van Gerwen needing a 130 finish for a 12-darter to hit back in leg four. Wright punished a miss at the bull from the Dutchman to restore his cushion with a 12-darter in leg five, with Van Gerwen opening the next with seven perfect darts only to see his rival finish 324 in six darts with a 180 and a 144 checkout.

Double 16 saw Van Gerwen claim a second leg, but Wright took out 87 for a 12-darter, double 11 to capitalise on two further misses from the three-time World Champion and a 71 finish to complete a brilliant display – ending with an average of almost 109.

Wright also defeated Boris Krcmar, Steve Brown, Martijn Kleermaker, Daryl Gurney, Danny Noppert and James Wade during the day, and heads into the Betfred World Matchplay full of confidence.

Players Championship 20

(PDC Super Series 5)

QUARTER-FINALS (11)
Jose de Sousa 6-3 Chas Barstow
Michael van Gerwen 6-5 Michael Smith
James Wade 6-3 Gerwyn Price
Peter Wright 6-3 Danny Noppert

SEMI FINALS (13)
Jose de Sousa 2-7 Michael van Gerwen
James Wade 2-7 Peter Wright

FINAL (15)
Michael van Gerwen 2-8 Peter Wright
For Full Results CLICK HERE

_______________________________________________________________________

Ross Smith claimed his maiden PDC ranking title at Players Championship 19 in Coventry on Wednesday, ending a seven-game losing run against Brendan Dolan in the final.

A PDC Tour Card Holder since 2012, Smith finally found his way into the winners’ enclosure with an 8-4 victory over Dolan, having fallen short to Michael Smith in the Players Championship 10 final earlier this year.

Players Championship 19
(PDC Super Series 5)

QUARTER-FINALS (11)
Ryan Joyce 6-3 Keegan Brown
Gary Anderson 1-6 Ross Smith
Nathan Aspinall 2-6 Dimitri van den Bergh
Brendan Dolan 6-2 Michael Smith

SEMI FINALS (13)
Ryan Joyce 2-7 Ross Smith
Dimitri van den Bergh 2-7 Brendan Dolan

FINAL (15)
Ross Smith 8-4 Brendan Dolan
For Full Results CLICK HERE

______________________________________________________________________

Chris Dobey claimed the first ranking title of his career in dramatic fashion to edge out Jose de Sousa in Tuesday’s Players Championship 18 final in Coventry.

The Bedlington thrower won through to his fifth ranking final with some brilliant darts during the event, but looked set to agonisingly miss out once more.

De Sousa came from 3-0 and 4-1 down to lead 7-6, but missed eight match darts in the next two legs as Dobey snatched a dramatic win.

Players Championship 18
(PDC Super Series 5)

QUARTER-FINALS (11)
Jose de Sousa 6-1 Mervyn King
Ryan Searle 6-0 Boris Krcmar
Chris Dobey 6-5 Stephen Bunting
Maik Kuivenhoven 6-5 Scott Mitchell

SEMI FINALS (13)
Jose de Sousa 7-6 Ryan Searle
Chris Dobey 7-6 Maik Kuivenhoven

FINAL (15)
Jose de Sousa 7-8 Chris Dobey
For Full Results CLICK HERE

________________________________________________________________________

Stephen Bunting ended his five-year PDC title drought at Players Championship 17 in Coventry on Monday, defeating Dimitri Van den Bergh 8-4 in the final.

The £10,000 title all but confirms Bunting’s place in July’s Betfred World Matchplay, having started the day outside the provisional qualification places.

Bunting, a 2020/21 World Championship semi-finalist, recorded victories over Gerwyn Price and Raymond van Barneveld on a memorable opening day of PDC Super Series 5 at the Coventry Building Society Arena.

Players Championship 17
(PDC Super Series 5)

QUARTER-FINALS (11)
Stephen Bunting 6-3 Raymond van Barneveld
Michael van Gerwen 5-6 Gerwyn Price
Jose de Sousa 6-3 Mervyn King
Brendan Dolan 3-6 Dimitri van den Bergh

SEMI FINALS (13)
Stephen Bunting 7-5 Gerwyn Price
Jose de Sousa 4-7 Dimitri van den Bergh

FINAL (15)
Stephen Bunting 8-4 Dimitri van den Bergh
For Full Results CLICK HERE

______________________________________________________________________

Players Championship 16
(PDC Super Series 4)

Peter Wright picked up his second ranking title of 2021 with an outstanding 8-4 defeat of Luke Humphries in Thursday’s Players Championship 16 final in Milton Keynes.

Wright had concluded PDC Super Series 2 with victory in Players Championship 8 in March, and repeated the feat on the fourth day of PDC Super Series 4 to pick up the £10,000 title.

QUARTER-FINALS (11)
Callan Rydz 6-3 Adrian Lewis
Peter Wright 6-1 Rob Cross
Luke Humphries 6-5 Steve Beaton
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-3 Gerwyn Price

SEMI FINALS (13)
Callan Rydz 0-7 Peter Wright
Luke Humphries 7-3 Dirk van Duijvenbode

FINAL (15)
Peter Wright 8-4 Luke Humphries
For Full Results CLICK HERE

_______________________________________________________________________

Players Championship 15
(PDC Super Series 4)

Jose de Sousa made it back-to-back PDC titles with victory at Players Championship 15 in Milton Keynes on Wednesday, defeating Ryan Searle 8-7 in the final at the Marshall Arena.

De Sousa, who won Players Championship 14 on Tuesday and hit a 127 average in Monday’s Players Championship 13, continued his remarkable week at the Marshall Arena to scoop another £10,000 title.

QUARTER-FINALS (11)
Ryan Searle 6-2 Boris Krcmar
Stephen Bunting 6-2 Adrian Lewis
Jose de Sousa 6-5 Jonny Clayton
Rob Cross 6-5 Peter Wright

SEMI FINALS (13)
Ryan Searle 7-4 Stephen Bunting
Jose de Sousa 7-2 Rob Cross 

FINAL (15)
Ryan Searle 7-8 Jose de Sousa
For Full Results CLICK HERE

_______________________________________________________________________

Players Championship 14
(PDC Super Series 4)

Jose de Sousa won his second Players Championship of 2021 by defeating Michael van Gerwen 8-6 in the final of Tuesday’s event in Milton Keynes.

The Portuguese star won Players Championship 9 in April, and claimed a further £10,000 title with a superb display in the second of four days in PDC Super Series 4.

QUARTER-FINALS (11)
Gary Anderson 6-4 Joe Cullen
Michael van Gerwen 6-4 Ted Evetts
Jose De Sousa 6-1 Dimitri van den Bergh
Gabriel Clemens 6-4 Ritchie Edhouse

SEMI FINALS (13)
Gary Anderson 2-7 Michael van Gerwen
Jose De Sousa 7-5 Gabriel Clemens 

FINAL (15)
Michael van Gerwen 6-8 Jose De Sousa 
For Full Results CLICK HERE

_______________________________________________________________________

Players Championship 13
(PDC Super Series 4)

Joe Cullen marked his return to PDC action with a second title of 2021, defeating Gerwyn Price in the final of Players Championship 13 in Milton Keynes on Monday.

The final of the first Players Championship event since April was contested by two players who both ended an 86-day wait to return to ProTour action, with Cullen running out an 8-6 winner. Niels Zonneveld also hit a 9 darter.

QUARTER-FINALS (11)
Joe Culen 6-4 James Wade
Michael Van Gerwen 6-1 Martijn Kleermaker
Jonny Clayton 6-4 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Gerwyn Price 6-5 Gary Anderson

SEMI FINALS (13)
Joe Culen 7-2 Michael Van Gerwen
Jonny Clayton 1-7 Gerwyn Price 

FINAL (15)
Joe Cullen 8-6 Gerwyn Price
For Full Results CLICK HERE

______________________________________________________________________

Players Championship 12
(PDC Super Series 3)

Dimitri Van den Bergh picked up his maiden Players Championship title with a superb 8-7 defeat of Dirk van Duijvenbode as PDC Super Series 3 came to a close in Niedernhausen on Tuesday.

The World Matchplay champion and two-time World Youth Champion has previously lost out twice in ProTour finals, but scooped the £10,000 top prize in Players Championship 12.

QUARTER-FINALS (11)
Danny Noppert 6-3 Daryl Gurney
Scott Mitchell 5-6 Dimitri van den Bergh
Robert Thornton 6-3 Michael Smith
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-0 Simon Whitlock

SEMI FINALS (13)
Danny Noppert 2-7 Dimitri van den Bergh
Robert Thornton 4-7 Dirk van Duijvenbode 

FINAL (15)
Dimitri van den Bergh 8-7 Dirk van Duijvenbode
For Full Results CLICK HERE

_______________________________________________________________________

Players Championship 11
(PDC Super Series 3)

Dirk van Duijvenbode secured his first PDC ranking title after beating Martijn Kleermaker 8-6 in the final of Players Championship 11 in Niedernhausen.

The Dutchman enjoyed a remarkable rise up the PDC rankings in 2020, including reaching his first televised final at the World Grand Prix, and has continued that form into 2021 as he scooped a maiden ProTour title.

Victory over Kleermaker on Day Three of PDC Super Series 3 means Van Duijvenbode becomes the 85th player in history to win a PDC ranking event.

QUARTER-FINALS (11)
Andy Boulton 6-5 Damon Heta
Scott Mitchell 4-6 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Rob Cross 5-6 Brendan Dolan
Martijn Kleermaker 6-5 Ritchie Edhouse

SEMI FINALS (13)
Andy Boulton 5-7 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Brendan Dolan 5-7 Martijn Kleermaker

FINAL (15)
Dirk van Duijvenbode 8-6 Martijn Kleermaker
For Full Results CLICK HERE

________________________________________________________________________

Players Championship 10
(PDC Super Series 3)

The world number eight followed up two titles last November with another Players Championship triumph, as he produced consistently high-standard darts throughout Sunday’s event.

He followed up a trio of 6-3 wins – against Geert Nentjes, Luke Woodhouse and William O’Connor – by averaging a sensational 114.5 in defeating Premier League joint-leader Dimitri Van den Bergh 6-2 in the last 16.

Smith then saw off Martin Schindler 6-3 in the quarter-finals before overcoming Aaron Beeney 7-4 in the semis, and eventually took victory in the final by the same three-leg margin.

QUARTER-FINALS (11)
Ross Smith 6-3 Jose de Sousa
Berry van Peer 6-3 Steve Lennon
Aaron Beeney 6-2 Raymond van Barneveld
Michael Smith 6-3 Martin Schindler

SEMI FINALS (13)
Ross Smith 7-2 Berry van Peer
Michael Smith 7-4 Aaron Beeney

FINAL (15)
Michael Smith 8-5 Ross Smith
For Full Results CLICK HERE

______________________________________________________________________

Players Championship 9
(PDC Super Series 3)

Jose de Sousa took victory on the opening day of PDC Super Series 3 with an astonishing 8-1 defeat of Luke Humphries in Saturday’s final in Niedernhausen.

Jose de Sousa took victory on the opening day of PDC Super Series 3 with an astonishing 8-1 defeat of Luke Humphries in Saturday’s final in Niedernhausen. The Grand Slam of Darts champion produced one of the most dominant performances ever seen in a final as he averaged 114 to scoop the £10,000 title.

That display came at the end of an untouchable day of darts at the H+ Hotel, as De Sousa averaged over 96 in all six matches on his way to the win.

QUARTER-FINALS (11)
Dimitri Van den Bergh 6-0 Jamie Hughes
Luke Humphries 6-4 Jason Lowe
Jose De Sousa 6-2 Brendan Dolan
Alan Tabern 5-6 Krzysztof Kciuk

SEMI FINALS (13)
Dimitri Van den Bergh 6-7 Luke Humphries
Jose De Sousa 7-2 Krzysztof Kciuk

FINAL (15)
Luke Humphries 1-8 Jose De Sousa
For Full Results CLICK HERE

_______________________________________________________________________

Players Championship 8
(PDC Super Series 2)

Wright had last tasted victory in November but the world number three showed his quality to average 103 across seven matches as PDC Super Series 2 came to a close.

The Scot dropped just four legs in his opening three games, defeating Jack Main, Adam Hunt and William O’Connor, before being taken the full 11-leg distance by Steve West in the last 16. Wright then averaged over 108 in his 6-4 quarter-final over Steve Lennon, and proved too strong for Joe Cullen with a 7-2 semi-final victory.

He then ended Price’s run of winning seven successive finals with an 8-3 triumph in the decider to claim the £10,000 top prize and head into next month’s Unibet Premier League in winning form. Mickey Mansell achieved a nine-dart finish during his first round tie with Jamie Hughes, although the Northern Irish star lost the tie 6-5.

QUARTER-FINALS (11)
Joe Cullen 6-3 Krzysztof Ratajski
Peter Wright 6-4 Steve Lennon
Brendan Dolan 6-4 Martin Schindler
Jason Lowe 2-6 Gerwyn Price

SEMI FINALS (13)
Joe Cullen 2-7 Peter Wright
Brendan Dolan 2-7 Gerwyn Price

FINAL (15)
Peter Wright 8-3 Gerwyn Price
For Full Results CLICK HERE

________________________________________________________________________

Players Championship 7
(PDC Super Series 2)

Jonny Clayton’s superb 2021 continued on Thursday with a second Players Championship win of the year, defeating James Wade 8-5 in the final on day three of PDC Super Series 2.

The Players Championship 7 decider saw the two most recent winners of televised titles clash for the £10,000 first prize at the Marshall Arena, and it was Clayton who emerged victorious. The Masters champion also won Players Championship 4 in Bolton last month and reached two other finals, and was in top form once again throughout Players Championship 7.

He averaged 98 or 99 in three of his opening four matches in brushing aside Josh Payne, Ted Evetts, Jason Lowe and Steve Lennon, before defeating Grand Slam champion Jose de Sousa 6-4 in a high-quality quarter-final where both players averaged over 103.

Clayton had reeled off the final four legs without reply to win that tie against De Sousa, and then whitewashed Jason Heaver 7-0 in the semi-finals to continue his run of winning legs as he reached a fifth final of the year.

QUARTER-FINALS (11)
James Wade 6-4 Darius Labanauskas
Gabriel Clemens 6-3 Chas Barstow
Jonny Clayton 6-4 Jose de Sousa
Jason Heaver 6-4 Vincent van der Voort

SEMI FINALS (13)
James Wade 7-5 Gabriel Clemens
Jonny Clayton 7-0 Jason Heaver

FINAL (15)
James Wade 5-8 Jonny Clayton
For Full Results CLICK HERE

________________________________________________________________________

Players Championship 6
(PDC Super Series 2)

Gerwyn Price won his first title as World Champion by defeating Luke Humphries 8-5 in Wednesday’s Players Championship 6 final in Milton Keynes.

Price was in imperious form as he produced his best day of darts since January 3, when he took William Hill World Darts Championship glory, as he scooped the £10,000 top prize on the second day of PDC Super Series 2.

The Welshman averaged 102.89 across his seven matches on the day, the sixth highest total for a Players Championship winner since the DartConnect scoring system began being used in 2018, and averaged under 100 in a game just once.

QUARTER-FINALS (11)
Brendan Dolan 6-3 James Wade
Michael Smith 3-6 Gerwyn Price
Niels Zonneveld 4-6 Jamie Hughes
Luke Humphries 6-2 Dirk van Duijvenbode

SEMI FINALS (13)
Brendan Dolan 6-7 Gerwyn Price
Jamie Hughes 6-7 Luke Humphries

FINAL (15)
Gerwyn Price 8-5 Luke Humphries
For Full Results CLICK HERE

________________________________________________________________________

Players Championship 5
(PDC Super Series 2)

Brendan Dolan won his eighth ranking event with a superb triumph in Players Championship 5, which culminated in an 8-6 defeat of Michael Smith in Tuesday’s final as PDC Super Series 2 began in Milton Keynes.

The Northern Irish star produced arguably his finest ever day of darts as he scooped the £10,000 title in the first of four Players Championship events being staged at the Marshall Arena this week.

QUARTER-FINALS (11)
Joe Cullen 6-4 Ryan Joyce
Brendan Dolan 6-3 Scott Mitchell
Ryan Searle 2-6 Michael Smith
Alan Souter 6-5 Dirk van Duijvenbode

SEMI FINALS (13)
Joe Cullen 4-7 Brendan Dolan
Michael Smith 7-6 Alan Souter

FINAL (15)
Brendan Dolan 8-6 Michael Smith
For Full Results CLICK HERE
_______________________________________________________________________

Players Championship 4
(PDC Super Series 1)

Jonny Clayton capped four incredible days at the PDC Super Series by winning the fourth Players Championship event of the year, beating Damon Heta 8-6 in Sunday’s final in Bolton.

The Welshman has been in imperious form in 2021, having won his first TV title in January’s Ladbrokes Masters before reaching three out of four finals in the Super Series.

After tasting defeat to Joe Cullen on Day One, to youngster Callan Rydz in the second event, and falling at the quarter-final stage on Day Three, it was fitting that the Welshman would go one further on Day Four to scoop the £10,000 title.

QUARTER-FINALS (11)
Callan Rydz 6-1 Ian White
John Michael 4-6 Nathan Aspinall
Vincent van der Voort 6-3 Steve Beaton
Jonny Clayton 6-3 Mensur Suljovic

SEMI FINALS (13)
Callan Rydz 7-2 Nathan Aspinall
Vincent van der Voort 5-7 Jonny Clayton

FINAL (15)
Callan Rydz 8-7 Jonny Clayton
For Full Results CLICK HERE
_______________________________________________________________________

Players Championship 1
(PDC Super Series 1)

Joe Cullen secured the first PDC ranking title of the 2021 season at Players Championship 1 in Bolton on Thursday, defeating Jonny Clayton 8-7 in the final.

Winner of the last Players Championship event of 2020, world number 16 Cullen picked up where he left off last year as he came out on top of the new-look field of PDC Tour Card Holders at the Bolton Whites Hotel.

QUARTER-FINALS (11)
Rob Cross 5-6 Nathan Aspinall
Joe Cullen 6-4 Gabriel Clemens
Jonny Clayton 6-2 James Wade
Michael Smith 5-6 Jonathan Worsley

SEMI FINALS (13)
Nathan Aspinall 4-7 Joe Cullen
Jonny Clayton 7-0 Jonathan Worsley

FINAL (15)
Joe Cullen 8-7 Jonny Clayton
For Full Results CLICK HERE

Template - Author: European Challenge Tour headed by Campbell

Matt Campbell picked up his second title of the weekend to lead the Unicorn Challenge Tour Europe Order of Merit, while Kenny Neyens was also victorious in Niedernhausen on Sunday.

The PDC’s second-tier tour, split into UK and European sections in 2021, saw Events Five and Six take place in Germany, the third of three consecutive days of action.

Highly-rated Canadian Campbell and Belgian youngster Neyens both walked away from the H+ Hotel venue with titles as over 130 PDPA Associate Members competed in the two £10,000 events.

Campbell, who resides in Ontario, followed up his Event One win by going all the way in Event Five, edging past Dutchman Jitse Van der Wal 5-4 in the final.

Averages of 105.9 and 105.7 saw Campbell see off Moreno Blom and Chris Landman on the way to securing his second PDC title. Campbell also took the scalps of former Tour Card Holders Rowby-John Rodriguez, in the semi-finals, and Jose Justicia in the last 16.

Table after six events: (Top 8)

1 – Matt Campbell £4,550
2 – Kenny Neyens £3,000
3 – Rowby-John Rodriguez £2,900
4 – Steven Noster £2,800
5 – Kevin Doets £2,150
6 – Lukas Wenig £2,050
7 – Richard Veenstra £1,650
8 – Toni Alcinas £1,450

SUNDAY 4th JULY

European Challenge Tour event 6 
SEMI-FINALS
Kenny Neyens 5-2 Mario Vanderbogaerde
Ronny Huybrechts 1-5 Lukas Wenig

FINAL
Kenny Neyens 5-4 Lukas Wenig
CLICK HERE for full results

European Challenge Tour event 5
SEMI-FINALS
Matt Campbell 5-4 Rowby-John Rodriguez
Jitse Van de Wal 5-4 Lukas Wenig

FINAL
Matt Campbell 5-4 Jitse Van de Wal
CLICK HERE for full results

European Challenge Tour event 4
SEMI-FINALS
Steven Noster 5-4 Davy Proosten
Richard Veenstra 5-4 Rene Eidams

FINAL
Steven Noster 5-3 Richard Veenstra
CLICK HERE for full results

European Challenge Tour event 3
SEMI-FINALS
Toni Alcinas 5-3 Kevin Blomme
Rowby-John Rodriguez 5-2 Richard Veenstra

FINAL
Toni Alcinas 0-5 Rowby-John Rodriguez
CLICK HERE for full results

European Challenge Tour event 2
SEMI-FINALS
Cristian Kist 5-2 Steven Noster
Kevin Doets 5-4 Lukas Wenig

FINAL
Cristian Kist 2-5 Kevin Doets
CLICK HERE for full results

European Challenge Tour event 1 
SEMI-FINALS
Gino Vos 5-1 Chris Landman
Kenny Neyens 4-5 Matt Campbell

FINAL
Gino Vos 1-5 Matt Campbell
CLICK HERE for full results

Template - Author: Budapest and Gibraltar confirmed for first two 2021 European Tours

European Tour set to return with Budapest and Gibraltar events. The European Tour is set to return with events confirmed for Budapest and Gibraltar in September, as the PDC visits Hungary for the first time.

The Hungarian Darts Trophy will take place at the Papp László Sportaréna in Budapest from September 3-5, marking the start of the 2021 European Tour. This will be followed later in the month by a return to Gibraltar, an established and popular European Tour destination, for the Gibraltar Darts Trophy from September 24-26.

Both tournaments will see a field of 48 players competing across three days of action, with further qualification and seeding details listed below. The PDC is continuing to work with its partners towards additional European Tour events for 2021, with details to be confirmed once available.

Tickets for the postponed 2020 Hungarian Darts Trophy will remain valid for this year’s event, with further ticket information to be released in due course. Ticket information for the Gibraltar Darts Trophy will also be confirmed in due course. 

2021 European Tour Schedule

Hungarian Darts Trophy (ET1)
Papp László Sportaréna, Budapest
September 3rd – 5th

Gibraltar Darts Trophy (ET2)
Gibraltar
September 24th – 26th

The current top 16 players on the ProTour Order of Merit (as of June 30) have been confirmed as the seeded players for the two confirmed European Tour events.

Joe Cullen and Jose de Sousa – both winners of 2020 European Tour events – will be number one and two seeds respectively, with Peter Wright, Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price taking the next three seedings.

PDC Tour Card Holders currently outside the top 16 on the ProTour Order of Merit will compete in Tour Card Holder Qualifiers on Friday July 9 in Coventry. As with all European Tour events, the seeded players (based on the ProTour Order of Merit at the entry deadline on June 28) will enter in the second round of each tournament.

The remaining 32 places see qualifiers compete in the first round of each tournament, including 24 players from the Tour Card Holder Qualifier. UK Associate Member Qualifiers for each event will be held on Monday August 9 in Milton Keynes, while European Associate Member Qualifiers will take place on July 5 in Niedernhausen.

The Tour Card Holder Qualifiers and Associate Member Qualifiers will be treble-headers, providing players for the Budapest and Gibraltar events as well as for any third confirmed event.

2021 European Tour Events 1-2

Seeded Players (enter in second round)

1. Joe Cullen
2. Jose de Sousa
3. Peter Wright
4. Michael van Gerwen
5. Gerwyn Price
6. Michael Smith
7. Jonny Clayton
8. James Wade
9. Devon Petersen
10. Krzysztof Ratajski
11. Dirk van Duijvenbode
12. Damon Heta
13. Danny Noppert
14. Brendan Dolan
15. Mensur Suljovic
16. Nathan Aspinall

Events 1-2 Tour Card Holder Qualifier Entries

• Lisa Ashton
• Danny Baggish
• Keane Barry
• Steve Beaton
• Aaron Beeney
• Gary Blades
• William Borland
• Andy Boulton
• Bradley Brooks
• John Brown
• Keegan Brown
• Steve Brown
• Stephen Bunting
• Dave Chisnall
• Brett Claydon
• Gabriel Clemens
• Rob Cross
• Mike De Decker
• Geert De Vos
• Jeffrey De Zwaan
• Chris Dobey
• Glen Durrant
• Matthew Edgar
• Ritchie Edhouse
• David Evans
• Ricky Evans
• Ted Evetts
• Adam Gawlas
• Andrew Gilding
• Daryl Gurney
• Andy Hamilton
• Jason Heaver
• Florian Hempel
• John Henderson
• Max Hopp
• Peter Hudson
• Jamie Hughes
• Luke Humphries
• Adam Hunt
• Kim Huybrechts
• Peter Jacques
• Jake Jones
• Wayne Jones
• Ryan Joyce
• Krzysztof Kciuk
• Nick Kenny
• Mervyn King
• Jelle Klaasen
• Martijn Kleermaker
• Boris Koltsov
• Boris Krcmar
• Maik Kuivenhoven
• Darius Labanauskas
• Harald Leitinger
• Steve Lennon
• Zoran Lerchbacher
• Kai Fan Leung
• Adrian Lewis
• Eddie Lovely
• Jason Lowe
• Martin Lukeman
• Jack Main
• Mickey Mansell
• Gordon Mathers
• Mark McGeeney
• Ryan Meikle
• Ron Meulenkamp
• John Michael
• Scott Mitchell
• Joe Murnan
• Ryan Murray
• Geert Nentjes
• Jesus Noguera
• William O’Connor
• Josh Payne
• Justin Pipe
• Madars Razma
• Callan Rydz
• Martin Schindler
• Ryan Searle
• Karel Sedlacek
• Steffen Siepmann
• Jeff Smith
• Ross Smith
• Alan Soutar
• Alan Tabern
• Ciaran Teehan
• Derk Telnekes
• Raymond van Barneveld
• Dimitri Van den Bergh
• Vincent van der Voort
• Berry van Peer
• Scott Waites
• Jermaine Wattimena
• Darren Webster
• Steve West
• Ian White
• Simon Whitlock
• Lewis Williams
• James Wilson
• Luke Woodhouse
• Jon Worsley
• Niels Zonneveld

Template - Author: 2021 European Tour Associate Member Qualifiers

Template - Author: Bruce Spendley passes away.

Cleveland-based Spendley, 80, joined the PDC following its formation and worked for two decades on as a referee in televised events and as an official at tournaments across the circuit until his retirement in 2013.

He had refereed in his first World Championship in 1980, and was highly respected throughout the sport following a distinguished career.

Spendley was inducted into the PDC Hall of Fame following his retirement in 2013, having refereed the second half of the 2013 World Championship final between Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen in his farewell match.

“Bruce was a very popular and respected member of our staff and one of the most experienced referees ever in our sport,” said PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter.

“His distinctive voice was recognised around the world and he was held in high regard by players throughout darts. “We send our condolences to his family and friends at this sad time.”

A minute’s applause was held in Spendley’s memory before the start of Tuesday’s Players Championship 14 in Milton Keynes.

Template - Author: Future Pathway

Many Sportspeople and Veterans find adjusting to life after their career tough, but Future Pathway aims to provide them with the tools to take the step forward on a new pathway by offering FREE training courses to active and retired Sports and Forces personnel.

Set up recently by our very own John McDonald ‘MC’, boxer, Micky Cantwell and writer Rob Finch, Future Pathway is a great resource for training courses and skills improvement as you may consider your options after darts (or whilst still actively playing).

The PDPA are proud to partner with Future Pathway in order to help our Members learn new skills and plan for their next step.

“Having spent three decades working as professional sports announcer, I have been fortunate enough to work with some of sports’ biggest names. Whilst a glamorous, well-paid life for some, it became increasingly apparent that many of our sporting heroes face life-changing problems when the final whistle blows on their career.

As an Army veteran, I saw a similar scenario unfold, with many former colleagues struggling to adapt to life as a civilian. This tragically results in significantly higher rates of homelessness and unemployment – as well as serious psychological and physical conditions. I could not sit back and let this happen.

So, in conjunction with my great friends Micky Cantwell and Rob Finch, I decided it was time to do something about this terrible situation.  How can we achieve this? Simple: we assist those who have fallen on hard times through no fault of their own and get them back into work”

John McDonald

Future Pathway Ambassadors
Sports MC & Veteran Paratrooper
John McDonald | @JohnMcDonald_MC
Darts
PDPA / Alan Warriner-Little | www.pdpa.co.uk | @AlanWarriner
Colin Lloyd | @ColinJawsLloyd
Boxing
Micky Cantwell
Snooker
Shaun Murphy | @Magician147
Para-cyclist, Adventurer & Veteran Paratrooper
Jaco van Gass | www.jacovangass.com
Media
Rob Finch
Lawrence Lustig
Military
Denzil Connick, Veteran Paratrooper | @DenzilAirborne
Rohan Byfield, Veteran Paratrooper
Robbie Grant, Veteran Paratrooper

Find Future Pathway on Twitter @Futurepathway1

Access their courses onlinewww.futurepathway.co.uk​​​​

Template - Author: PDC Super Series 5 Announcement

Four Players Championship events will be staged in Super Series 5 as the final qualifying tournaments ahead of the cut-off for the Betfred World Matchplay.

The events had originally been planned to be staged at the University of Bolton Stadium, however following the recent rise in Covid-19 cases in the Bolton area, the PDC have moved Super Series 5 to Coventry with new dates of July 5-8.

Each event will feature a £75,000 prize fund, including £10,000 to the winner, and will be streamed live through PDCTV with coverage from two boards simultaneously.

Friday July 9 is now reserved for up to three European Tour Qualifiers for PDC Tour Card Holders, with further information to be confirmed in due course.

The PDC ProTour will return to action from June 14-17 with PDC Super Series 4 in Milton Keynes – watch each event in PDCTV.

Template - Author: 2021 Challenge and Development Tours entries open

The second-tier Challenge Tour features players who competed at the 2021 PDC Qualifying Schools but did not win a PDC Tour Card, while the Development Tour allows players aged 16-23* to compete each year.

With ongoing restrictions continuing to affect cross-border travel, the Challenge and Development Tours in 2021 will be split into events in the UK and Europe, with each offering a minimum of two treble-header weekends featuring a pair of £10,000 events on each day.

The UK Challenge Tour will initially see events from August 6-8 and September 3-5 in Milton Keynes, with the European Challenge Tour taking place in Niedernhausen from July 2-4 and September 3-5.

PDPA Associate Members will be able to compete at the venue where they played in the 2021 Qualifying School.

The UK Development Tour will see weekends held from August 20-22 in Milton Keynes and from October 29-31 in Barnsley. The European Development Tour events will be staged in Niedernhausen from August 20-22 and November 5-7.

Each region will operate its own Order of Merit for each tour, with the winner of each securing a PDC Tour Card for 2022/23 and a place in the 2021/22 William Hill World Darts Championship

Details are being finalised for the 2021 PDC Unicorn World Youth Championship, and will be announced in due course.

* Players can compete in PDC Unicorn Development Tour events from the day they turn 16, with an upper age limit of being 23 or under on January 4 2021. Players who are ranked in the top 32 of the PDC Order of Merit on the cut-off date of an event are not eligible to enter those Development Tour events. Development Tour players from outside of the UK or Europe will have the choice of which venue to compete at in 2021.

New players for the PDC Unicorn Development Tour must first register with the PDC Entry System via this link.

All entries will be made through the PDC Entry System via this link.

2021 PDC Unicorn Challenge Tour

• July 2-4 – European Challenge Tour Events 1-6, Niedernhausen, Germany
• August 6-8 – UK Challenge Tour Events 1-6, Milton Keynes, England
• September 3-5 – European Challenge Tour Events 7-12, Niedernhausen, Germany
• September 3-5 – UK Challenge Tour Events 7-12, Milton Keynes, England

Entry Fees

• UK Challenge Tour events £55 (£5 Supplement) as markers will be provided
• Europe Challenge Tour events £50 no markers provided

2021 PDC Unicorn Development Tour

• August 20-22 – European Development Tour Events 1-6, Niedernhausen, Germany
• August 20-22 – UK Development Tour Events 1-6, Milton Keynes, England
• October 29-31 – UK Development Tour Events 7-12, Barnsley, England
• November 5-7 – European Development Tour Events 7-12, Niedernhausen, Germany

Entry Fees

• £25 per event

Template - Author: Unibet Premier League Play Offs

Jonny Clayton sensationally claimed the 2021 Unibet Premier League title in his debut year as he defeated Michael van Gerwen and Jose de Sousa in Friday’s Play-Offs in Milton Keynes.

Clayton, who took the last remaining Play-Off place the previous night, took to the stage as underdog and walked off of it as champion after sealing an 11-5 win over De Sousa in the final.

Having only confirmed his spot in the field after winning The Masters in January, the Welshman first defeated Van Gerwen before going on to take the title in front of a sold out crowd at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes.

Clayton knocked out five-time champion Van Gerwen to set up an all-debutant final for a second successive year against De Sousa, who had defeated Nathan Aspinall in a last-leg decider in the other semi-final.

The deciding match of the 2021 Premier League began with Clayton taking the early initiative, checking out 121 on the bull before breaking the De Sousa throw and consolidating with a hold of his own to take a 3-1 lead.

The pair then traded holds before Clayton was able to break again in the seventh leg to move 5-2 in front, taking out 36 for a 13-dart leg. This seemingly inspired the Portuguese who regained one of the breaks immediately after a ten-dart leg to give himself hope.

Then, with the score at 6-4, Grand Slam Champion De Sousa missed four darts at a double to close the gap to one before Clayton took his opportunity and pinned double 12 to move a step closer to the title in his first season in the Premier League.

De Sousa did manage to break back immediately once again as he pulled the score back to 7-5 but time was running out for the 47-year-old.

Despite appearing to give ‘The Special One’ hope, amazingly that would be the last leg he would win as Clayton strung together a run of four consecutive legs to win the title and the £250,000 top prize.

Speaking after the match the match the 46-year-old spoke of his pride after becoming the first Welshman to win the Premier League.

PLAY OFFS – Friday May 28th

SEMI FINALS
(101.97) Michael van Gerwen 8-10 Jonny Clayton (103.25)
(98.21) Jose de Sousa 10-9 Nathan Aspinall (95.93)

THE FINAL
(100.53) Jose de Sousa 5-11 Jonny Clayton (100.18)

Template - Author: New Pandemic Friendly Certis Travel Insurance

Welcome to our new PDPA official Travel Insurance with ‘Certis’ specifically for sports people, with added Pandemic notes.

Template - Author: This Week is Mental Health Awareness Week 10th-16th May.

Template - Author: Sports Social Media Boycott joined by the PDPA.

In response to English footballs announcement that they will boycott all social media from Friday afternoon until Monday night, the PDPA will join with all other sports to unite against social media abuse.

Our members have have been subject to sustained social media, discrimination, integrity issues and online abuse for too long, and it’s now time to do something about it.

As a collective, all sports recognise the considerable reach and value of social media to our sport, its fans and the media. The connectivity and access especially to supporters who are at the heart of sport remains vital.

CLICK HERE for further relevant information.

However, the boycott shows English sport coming together to emphasise that social media companies must do more to eradicate online hate, while highlighting the importance of educating people in the ongoing fight against discrimination.

In a letter on February 2021, English football outlined its requests of social media companies, urging filtering, blocking and swift takedowns of offensive posts, an improved verification process and re-registration prevention, plus active assistance for law enforcement agencies to identify and prosecute originators of illegal content. While some progress has been made, we reiterate those requests today in an effort to stem the relentless flow of discriminatory messages and ensure that there are real-life consequences for purveyors of online abuse across all platforms.

Social Media Boycott: 
Friday 30th April 15.00hrs – Monday 3rd May 23.59hrs 

Boycott action from sport in isolation will, of course, not eradicate the scourge of online discriminatory abuse, but it will demonstrate that the game is willing to take voluntary and proactive steps in this continued fight.

Finally, while sport takes a stand, we urge the UK Government to ensure its Online Safety Bill will bring in strong legislation to make social media companies more accountable for what happens on their platforms, as discussed at the DCMS Online Abuse roundtable earlier this week.

We at the PDPA along with the PDC are more than happy to join forces with all other sports.

Template - Author: 8 Players Championship events confirmed in June and July

This year has already seen three four-day PDC Super Series blocks staged to accommodate the opening 12 Players Championship events of the year.

PDC Super Series 4 will be held at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes from June 14-17, with PDC Super Series 5 being staged from July 6-9 at the University of Bolton Stadium’s Premier Suite.

Those eight tournaments will be the final events to count towards qualification for the 2021 Betfred World Matchplay, with the top 16 players from the PDC Order of Merit joined by 16 qualifiers from the ProTour Order of Merit.

The PDC Order of Merit table will count from July 11 2019-July 10 2021, to include events from 2019 Players Championship 19 to the conclusion of 2021 Players Championship 20. The ProTour Order of Merit will count from September 11 2020-July 10 2021, to include events from 2020 Players Championship 14 to the conclusion of 2021 Players Championship 20.

“We’re pleased to be able to add a further eight Players Championship events to the calendar in June and July,” said PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter.

“A further two PDC Super Series will mean that players have had 20 Players Championships this year in the race to the Betfred World Matchplay, with our planned return to the Winter Gardens being a huge incentive for players battling to win a place in that unique event.

“We remain confident of confirming the return of the European Tour in the second half of 2021 and are also continuing to make plans for our Challenge and Development Tours to provide opportunities for players across all levels within the PDC system.”

All Players Championship events will be streamed live in PDCTV, with coverage from two boards simultaneously throughout each tournament.

PDC Super Series 4

Players Championships 13-16
June 14th-17th Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes

PDC Super Series 5

Players Championships 17-20
July 6th-9th Premier Suite, University of Bolton Stadium

Template - Author: Returning home from PDC super Series Germany

Important information for you for your return home following The PDC Super Series in Germany.

Note: As these events require travel from to Germany to your own country/region, please make sure you are up to date with everything you need to do to return home safely.

Please see below regarding Covid-19 testing and quarantine on your return including other information. You will have the PDC letter (UK Based Players) which you need with you. If you have not yet received this letter please contact The PDC hayley.upward@pdc.tv

Please note that the previous quarantine exemption for elite sportspeople has been removed by the UK government and that overseas travel is now subject to the ten-day quarantine period upon arrival back in England with testing on Days Two & Eight, and individuals can also undertake a “Test to Release” on Day Five if they wish, so they can be released from quarantine but are still subject to the Day Two & Eight testing.

Please see this link for further details on your arrival in to the UK: Click Here

Below is a timeline of information for you in relation to these events, based on returning to England on Wednesday April 28th, or your own region.

Sunday 25th & Monday April 26th

• Undergo “Fit To Fly” test – this will be arranged via PDC Europe at the H+ Hotel in Niedernhausen and you will be provided with a certificate, to book this you must email Gabi.Brock@pdc-europe.tv there is a small charge (€25) and PDCE will book you a time/day for the test.
• Or you can book any Covid-19 tests required following return to the UK Click Here

Tuesday April 27th

• Arrange your travel back to the airport, with the PDCE Shuttle of your own transport.
• Complete Passenger Locator Form Click Here (If UK Based)
  NB: There are two questions which should be answered as follows:
• Q. Are you required to self isolate? – A. Yes
• Q. Testing – Are you required to complete Covid tests?  A. Yes (unless you are only going to be in England for two days or less)  (then enter your booking code for Day 2 & Day 8 tests as required and your Day 5 Test To Release provider if applicable).
• If doing ‘Test To Release’ Click Here as you will need to book your test prior to your return as you will need to add this information on the form, this will allow, following a negative result no further quarantine but still subject to Day 8 test.
• The PDC have also provide you with a letter explaining your reason for travel which can be shown on arrival back into the UK, if you have not received this please contact The PDC hayley.upward@pdc.tv with your name, dob and passport No.

Wednesday April 28th

• Travel back to UK, or your own region.
  (You need your PDC Letter if from UK, passenger locator form completed, covid test result certificate)
• You must return directly to home.
• This is Day Zero of quarantine.

Thursday April 29th or Friday April 30th

• Take “Day Two” test (this can be done on Day One or Day Two). Day One is the day after you return, not the day of travel.

Monday May 3rd

• Can undergo “Test to Release” on Day Five with an additional private test. For further details, please see Click Here or Click Here A list of providers for Test to Release bookings can be seen at Click Here:

Thursday May 6th

• Take Day Eight test

Saturday May 8th

• Day Ten – able to leave home if not done Test to Release. For further details can be found at Click Here

Other Information to Note:

• HEALTH PROTOCOLS Wear a face mask, wash hands, use hand sanitiser and continue with social distancing.
• POSITIVE TEST If anyone tests positive they will need to either a) leave site immediately to travel home if they came by car or b) self-isolate in their hotel room for 10 days as per German requirements, so you need to be aware of this.

Please make sure you read and understand what you have to do in full, for any further queries please contact below

• PDC-Europe Gabi.Brock@pdc-europe.tv
• PDC graham.fairhurst@pdc.tv
• PDPA awl@pdpa.co.uk

Entries:

Players Championships 9-12 (PDC Super Series 3)
H+ Hotel, Niedernhausen – April 24-27
Lisa Ashton
Jason Askew
Nathan Aspinall
Danny Baggish
Keane Barry
Chas Barstow
Steve Beaton
Aaron Beeney
Sebastian Bialecki
Gary Blades
William Borland
Andy Boulton
Bradley Brooks
John Brown
Steve Brown
Stephen Bunting
Dave Chisnall
Gabriel Clemens
Rob Cross
Mike De Decker
José de Sousa
Geert De Vos
Ryan de Vreede
Chris Dobey
Kevin Doets
Brendan Dolan
Matthew Edgar
Ritchie Edhouse
Rene Eidams
David Evans
Ricky Evans
Ted Evetts
Adam Gawlas
Andrew Gilding
Daryl Gurney
Andy Hamilton
Florian Hempel
John Henderson
Damon Heta
Max Hopp
Peter Hudson
Jamie Hughes
Luke Humphries
Adam Hunt
Kim Huybrechts
Peter Jacques
Wayne Jones
Ryan Joyce
José Justicia
Krzysztof Kciuk
Nick Kenny
Mervyn King
Christian Kist
Jelle Klaasen
Martijn Kleermaker
Boris Koltsov
Boris Krcmar
Maik Kuivenhoven
Darius Labanauskas
Harald Leitinger
Steve Lennon
Zoran Lerchbacher
Kai Fan Leung
Pero Ljubic
Eddie Lovely
Jason Lowe
Martin Lukeman
Jack Main
Mickey Mansell
Robert Marijanovic
Gordon Mathers
Kevin McDine
Ryan Meikle
Ron Meulenkamp
John Michael
Scott Mitchell
Joe Murnan
Ryan Murray
Geert Nentjes
Danny Noppert
William O’Connor
Josh Payne
Luc Peters
Devon Petersen
Justin Pipe
Lorenzo Pronk
Davy Proosten
Michael Rasztovits
Krzysztof Ratajski
Madars Razma
Rowby-John Rodriguez
Rusty-Jake Rodriguez
Martin Schindler
Ryan Searle
Karel Sedlacek
Steffen Siepmann
Michal Smejda
Jeff Smith
Michael Smith
Ross Smith
Alan Soutar
Mensur Suljovic
Alan Tabern
Ciaran Teehan
Derk Telnekes
Martin Thomas
Robert Thornton
Michael Unterbuchner
Raymond van Barneveld
Benito van de Pas
Dimitri Van den Bergh
Patrick van den Boogaard
Vincent van der Meer
Vincent van der Voort
Dirk van Duijvenbode
Michael van Gerwen
Berry van Peer
Gino Vos
Mike Warburton
Jermaine Wattimena
Lukas Wenig
Ian White
Simon Whitlock
Lewis Williams
Scott Williams
Luke Woodhouse
Jon Worsley
Niels Zonneveld

Template - Author: Barry Hearn steps down as Matchroom Sport Group Chairman.

Eddie will become Chairman of the Group of Companies and Chairman of Matchroom Sport, Professional Darts Corporation, Matchroom Boxing, Matchroom Boxing USA, Matchroom Media and the PGA EuroPro Tour.

Also in the group, Steve Dawson will take over from Barry as Chairman of World Snooker after this year’s World Snooker Championship, Matthew Porter will become Chairman of Matchroom Multi Sport and Katie Hearn CEO of Matchroom Media.

Hearn founded the sports promotions company back in 1982, enjoying huge success with Snooker before moving into Boxing, Darts, Pool and Tenpin Bowling amongst more than a dozen different sports.

Through the 1990s Hearn turned several niche sports into major TV attractions with a succession of innovative ideas.

His acquisition of a majority shareholding in the PDC in 2001 and World Snooker in 2010 saw him appointed Chairman as both companies went from strength to strength.

Matchroom supplies a wide range of sports programming to broadcasters worldwide, producing over 3,000 hours of action annually across over 600 event days in addition to original documentaries and shoulder programming for all platforms.

Following several years in the sponsorship and event management industry, Eddie Hearn joined Matchroom Sport in 2004, he assumed the role of Chief Executive of the PGA EuroPro Tour and subsequently headed up Matchroom Sport’s rapidly expanding poker and online gaming operations.

With the swift growth of the company in recent years Eddie has assumed the role of Group Managing Director and will now become Group Chairman. Eddie’s most notable public face is as the head of Matchroom’s Boxing division, promoting a stable he has grown, and which is littered with World Champions and Olympic gold medallists.

Under Eddie’s leadership, Matchroom Boxing has returned to the forefront of the sport around the world.  In 2018 he agreed a historic $1billion deal with live streaming platform DAZN to stage 16 fights a year across America under Matchroom Boxing USA.

Barry Hearn OBE said: “It has been a huge honour to have worked with some of the greatest sports people on the planet across the last 40 years and enjoyed so many wonderful experiences across our spectrum of events in that time, from snooker’s glory days of the 1980s to record-breaking boxing shows and the incredible growth of professional darts, as we have created opportunities for thousands of sportsmen and women during that time.

“Great challenges have been met, but none more so than the Covid pandemic. I have been determined to stay in charge until this disaster passed and now there is light at the end of the tunnel and I believe it is the right time to pass control of Matchroom to my son Eddie and the brilliant teams we have assembled across all our activities.

“I shall continue to be available to all Matchroom companies as non-executive President, an advisory role concentrating on group strategy and global expansion, but Eddie will be elevated to Group Chairman with overall responsibility for the entire group.

“I could not be prouder of the Matchroom Group of Companies and the outstanding teams that operate in a highly competitive marketplace.

“Matchroom has grown from two employees operating in an office under a snooker hall in Romford in 1982, to the global powerhouse it is today due to the efforts and performances of all our staff, contractors, broadcasters, and partners.

“I know the company is in good hands with Eddie at the helm and with my daughter Katie heading up Matchroom Media, Matt Porter at the PDC, Frank Smith at Matchroom Boxing, Emily Frazer at Matchroom Multi Sport, Steve Dawson my Chief Executive for over 30 years and Dan Godding at the PGA EuroPro Tour, along with all their teams.

“Now is the time to give all Matchroom employees the opportunity to take this great British company to the next level and beyond.”

Eddie Hearn commented: “Anyone that knows me is well aware of what Matchroom means to me and our family. It has a legacy that spans 40 years from a small office under a snooker hall in Romford to a global powerhouse of sports entertainment.

“My father has dedicated his life to the company and since I joined in 2004 I have done the same.

“Now a greater responsibility falls on my shoulders and I am very proud to continue his great work and lead the business and the incredible team that we have built at Matchroom.

“We have seen astounding growth in the last ten years but we have only just begun. I look forward to continuously evolving and continuing the global growth of this astonishing family business.”