Template - Author: DAY 3 PDC Summer Series

Michael van Gerwen won his second title in three days in the third of five events in the Summer Series.

Michael van Gerwen completed a PDC Summer Series double with a ruthless 8-3 win over Jose De Sousa in Friday’s Day Three final in Milton Keynes. World number one Van Gerwen returned to competitive action with victory in Wednesday’s Players Championship at the Marshall Arena, and added a second £10,000 title with his success 48 hours later.

Van Gerwen was in dominant mood throughout the day, dropping only seven legs in his first four games as he overcame Alan Tabern, Kim Huybrechts, Robbie Collins and James Wade. He then averaged 107 in a 6-4 quarter-final win over Chris Dobey, and was a 7-4 winner against Jeff Smith in the semi-finals.

Portugal’s De Sousa moved into a 2-0 lead in the final as he targeted the third ranking title of his career, but a miss at tops for a 117 in the third leg proved a turning point. Van Gerwen stepped in to finish double eight to get off the mark, and took out huge checkouts of 130, on the bull, and 146 to surge into a 4-2 lead, before winning two more legs to extend the advantage.

De Sousa hit back on tops in leg nine to punish two misses from Van Gerwen, but the Dutchman recovered to take out tops and double 14 in the next two legs to claim the triumph.

Current Top 8 Summer Series Table (After Day 3)

1 Michael van Gerwen £21,000
2 Peter Wright £10,500
3 Ryan Joyce £10,000
4 Dave Chisnall £8,750
5 Jose de Sousa £6,500
6 Jonny Clayton £4,750
7=Gabriel Clemens £4,500
7=Glen Durrant £4,500
7=Krzysztof Ratajski £4,500

• For The UPDATED WMP Race Table CLICK HERE
• For PDCTV-HD CLICK HERE

DAY 1 – PDC SUMMER SERIES

Players Championship 9 – Wednesday 8th July

SEMI-FINALS
Michael van Gerwen 7 Gabriel Clemens 3 / Peter Wright 7 Krzyzstof Ratajski 2

FINAL
Michael van Gerwen 8 Peter Wright 7

Link for all results via Dart Connect CLICK HERE

DAY 2 – PDC SUMMER SERIES

Players Championship 10 – Thursday 9th July

SEMI-FINALS
Ryan Joyce 7 Gary Anderson 3 / Dave Chisnall 7 Nathan Aspinall 5

FINAL
Ryan Joyce 8 Dave Chisnall 7

Link for all results via Dart Connect CLICK HERE

DAY 3 – PDC SUMMER SERIES

Players Championship 11 – Friday 10th July

SEMI-FINALS
Jose de Sousa 7 Daryl Gurney 3 / Michael van Gerwen 7 Jeff Smith 4

FINAL
Michael van Gerwen 8 Jose de Sousa 3

Link for all results via Dart Connect CLICK HERE

DAY 4 – PDC SUMMER SERIES

Players Championship 12 – Saturday 11th July

SEMI-FINALS
v / v

FINAL
v

Link for all results via Dart Connect CLICK HERE

DAY 5 – PDC SUMMER SERIES

Players Championship 13 – Sunday 12th July

SEMI-FINALS
v / v

FINAL
v

Link for all results via Dart Connect CLICK HERE

Template - Author: Open Letter To Challenge & Development Tour Players

Dear Associate Member,

You will be aware that PDC tournament play is set to resume in July with a handful of ProTour events in the form of the ‘Summer Series’ followed by the World Matchplay.

While the PDC are understandably and correctly prioritising these events and the backlog of ProTour tournaments as they revise the seasonal calendar, we can assure you that you have not been forgotten.

Planning for a resumption of Challenge Tour and Development Tour tournaments is more logistically challenging and it is impossible to make any firm commitments while current restrictions are in place.

Both the PDPA and PDC can assure all participants on these Tours that safety, wellbeing, and fairness will be at heart of the decision making process going forward.

PDC Chief Executive Matthew Porter said: “We’d like to reassure all Challenge and Development Tour players that they certainly haven’t been forgotten about, and we very much hope to be able to continue those tours in some way this year to give players on those tours further opportunity to compete within a PDC environment.

“Much of the reality of that will depend on whether or not we would need to create ‘bubble’ environments as we are doing for the Summer Series, as they are very costly and place onerous requirements on players which may not be as practical when you are dealing with semi-professional players in many cases.

“Once we have clarity over the August events in respect of whether or not we can stage them as normal, we’ll make an announcement but in the meantime we would urge players to be aware of the financial risks of making travel plans without insurance or cancellation options.”

As your Players Association, the PDPA recognises the importance of staying in contact with all of our members regularly and particularly while we are unable to do so in person at tournaments.

With this in mind, we are developing a series of information, education and community initiatives aimed at connecting with players on the Challenge and Development Tours.

We will shortly be launching our ‘Prepare to be a Pro’ series, in which we are working with several partners to provide helpful tips and guidance on what you can do away from the dartboard to help your career.

The series will include webinars, info-graphics and articles on numerous relevant issues ranging from mind management to money management.

Please keep an eye on your inbox and our website and social media channels for further updates.

We appreciate your continued patience during what has been an uncertain time for all of us.

In the meantime, we would like to remind you of some of the benefits you could be utilising as an associate member of the PDPA: –

Thrive – Mental Wellbeing App
All PDPA members have free access to the Thrive Mental Wellbeing App in order to help you deal with the common problems you may be facing.

The app can help you manage your mental health, emotional wellbeing, stress and anxiety with a range of simple techniques that you can practice in less than five minutes.

Simply search for ‘Thrive Mental Wellbeing App’ on the app store or via google play, set up a new account and use the activation code PDPA2017 – this will secure your free subscription.

Thrive have also published a series of free webinars that you can access here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT6USzzJdk6a4_dajecbkPry1qkU40r-0

DartConnect
The PDC and PDPA have made a special arrangement with DartConnect to provide all PDPA Members with dedicated online practice groups during this period of social distancing.

All current registered PDPA members are eligible to participate with their respective “tours”. You can now compete at will, under the PDC banner, against fellow tour mates, while keeping your darting skills sharp, until in-person competition resumes.

This is a FREE program. All you need is a FREE Guest account. It is important that you use your personal, non-shared email. This will need to match the email used with your PDPA account.

PDPA Virtual Coffee Mornings
PDPA Virtual Coffee Mornings were established during the suspension of the 2020 season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We continue to offer the option to join PDPA Directors in live video meetings to give members an opportunity to connect with the PDPA and each other, and to ask questions or raise concerns in a friendly and casual environment.

If you would like to take part in a PDPA Coffee Morning (or afternoon) please e-mail [email protected] to express your interest.

Financial Advice
The PDPA has an official Taxation and Accountancy Partner and an official Wealth Management Partner – both organisations offer our members a free initial consultation.

For more information on our Accountancy Partner Griffiths & Pegg visit: https://www.pdpa.co.uk/pdpa/accountancy/

For more information on our Wealth Management Partner Prosperity Wealth visit: https://www.pdpa.co.uk/prosperity-wealth-management/

This communication has also been e-mailed directly to all PDPA members who compete on the Challenge Tour and/or Development Tour. 

Template - Author: World Matchplay ‘Update’

The Professional Darts Corporation can confirm that the 2020 Betfred World Matchplay will not take place at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, and will instead be played behind closed doors at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes from July 18-26.

The PDC held extensive talks with the UK Government’s Department of Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), the venue, host broadcaster Sky Sports and other stakeholders in an attempt to find a safe solution for the World Matchplay to be staged at the Winter Gardens.

However, with this not being possible the tournament will now – for the first time since being introduced in 1994 – be played behind closed doors, with the Marshall Arena being able to provide a protected environment to ensure the safe staging of the event.

“This is an unprecedented step for us to take and this tough decision has been made only after exhausting all possible options in a bid to stage the Betfred World Matchplay with a limited crowd in Blackpool,” said PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter.

“We thank the DCMS for their co-operation throughout the process and also the Winter Gardens and Blackpool Council, who remained committed to hosting the event throughout the process.

“Whilst this will be disappointing for the thousands of fans who had planned to watch the 2020 Betfred World Matchplay live in Blackpool, we will be offering those fans the chance to defer their tickets to 2021, when the tournament will return to its spiritual home.”

Existing ticket bookings for the 2020 Betfred World Matchplay will be transferred to the equivalent session of the 2021 event, which is planned to be held from July 17-25. Alternatively, fans can request a refund of their ticket base price from their point of purchase.

The 2020 World Matchplay will take place on its originally scheduled dates of July 18-26 and will be the first fully televised PDC tournament to take place following the suspension of events due to the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic.

The draw will take place following the summer series events on Sunday 12th July via the Betfred media platforms.

The PDC Summer Series will see the sport’s stars return to action from July 8-12 in Milton Keynes for a series of five one-day Players Championship events, with coverage being streamed through PDCTV from 1200 BST on each day.

Current WMP Race Table:

Template - Author: COVID-19 Financial Support Latest

The funds were designed to help Tour Card Holders suffering financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Every Tour Card Holder was welcome to apply for and receive an Emergency Fund payment and up to two Hardship Fund payments to support them through the months of April, May and June 2020.

The PDPA is delighted to have offered this support to all members and provided it to many during a time when they were unable to receive an income from professional darts.

The PDPA supports the return to tournament play in July 2020.

In the event that tournament play is suspended again for a prolonged period of time, the PDPA may consider further financial support initiatives.

Template - Author: Update on Rankings

The winner of the 2020 PDC Summer Series Order of Merit will receive a place in this year’s Grand Slam of Darts, while the PDC can also confirm that next month’s five events in Milton Keynes will be ranked.

PDC tournaments have been suspended since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the innovative PDC Home Tour providing unranked competition during the enforced break. The PDC Summer Series from July 8-12 in Milton Keynes will see the sport’s stars return to competition in-person with five one-day Players Championship events being staged behind closed doors at the Marshall Arena.

Confirmation that the events will be ranked means that the PDC Summer Series will comprise the final five tournaments to count towards qualification for the Betfred World Matchplay, which will take place from July 18-26. In addition, the winner of the PDC Summer Series Order of Merit, based on prize money won across the five events, will be awarded a place in the 2020 Grand Slam of Darts.

Following discussions with the PDPA, the following has been confirmed in relation to rankings:

• Prize money which would naturally have lapsed from the PDC Order of Merit and ProTour Order of Merit between March 16 and July 8 will be removed ahead of the start of the PDC Summer Series.
• The seedings for PDC Summer Series Day One (PC9) will be based on the ProTour Order of Merit at July 8, with 52 weeks of prize money included.
• The seedings for PDC Summer Series Days Two-Five will be based on that day’s ProTour Order of Merit, with previous days’ prize money included.
• Qualification for the Betfred World Matchplay will be confirmed following PDC Summer Series Day Five, with the cut-off date amended from the original date (Sunday July 5) to Sunday July 12. This will be based on 104 weeks’ prize money for 16 qualifiers from the PDC Order of Merit and 52 weeks’ prize money for 16 qualifiers from the ProTour Order of Merit.
• A place in the 2020 Grand Slam of Darts will be awarded to the winner of the PDC Summer Series Order of Merit.

PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter said: “There is understandably a lot of anticipation for players ahead of the PDC Summer Series and confirmation of the situation around rankings will give them all clarity as they prepare to return to action.

“We thank the PDPA for their constructive support during recent months as they represented the interests of all their members during an unprecedented time.”

The PDC Order of Merit and ProTour Order of Merit have now been updated to reflect this situation, and can be seen at the following links:

• PDC Order of Merit: CLICK HERE
• ProTour Order of Merit: CLICK HERE

Each day’s play in the PDC Summer Series will commence at 12.00 BST, with coverage from two boards simultaneously broadcast through PDCTV and bookmakers’ websites worldwide.

Entries for the PDC Summer Series will be available for players on the PDC Entry System from Monday. Full player information will be sent to players through the PDPA very shortly.

We ask our players to read everything rigorously as it is very important, so they are fully aware of its contents, any players with translation issues will be contacted direct.

The PDPA

Template - Author: PDPA Members Practice Area on DartConnect:

The PDPA and the PDC have made a special arrangement with DartConnect to provide all PDPA Members with dedicated online practice groups during this period of social distancing.

All current registered PDPA members are eligible to participate with their respective “tours”.

You can now compete at will, under the PDC banner, against fellow tour mates, while keeping your darting skills sharp, until in-person competition resumes.

This is a FREE program.

All you need is a FREE Guest account.

Important that you use your personal, non-shared email. This will need to match the email used with your PDPA account.

CLICK HERE to join.

Are You Using the Correct Email Address?

Template - Author: Accounting and Taxation Guidance for PDPA Members

We at the PDPA recognise the many challenges facing our members during the COVID-19 pandemic and are continuously working hard to make sure we provide as much information and support as possible during this period.

Adrian Grainger, of the PDPA’s Official Accountant Partner Griffiths & Pegg, has provided some helpful information regarding accounting and taxation for our members: Professional Darts players, like many sports players who are not under an employed contract, have seen their income streams come to an unexpected halt.

Through our partnership with the PDPA, Griffiths & Pegg is happy to provide information and guidance on any matters relating to tax and accounting in this unprecedented period and beyond. The options available to PDPA members depend upon the legal status that they trade under. I have briefly outlined these options for the two most common statuses below but encourage any PDPA member of any nationality or employment status to contact me for a free consultation.

1) Through a Limited Company

You are able to lay yourself off (together with any other employees) via The Job Retention Scheme. This is called being furloughed.

As long as you are not “trading” (including earning prize money) you can claim 80% of the income that you declare through your monthly PAYE scheme.

This can be backdated to the day after you last played in a professional tournament.
Income drawn as dividends does not count as part of this grant claim.
This scheme launched on 20th April.

Contact [email protected] for a free consultation or more information.

2) As a Sole Trader

The Self Assessed Income Support Scheme is a similar grant for non-employees, who are entitled to claim 80% of their average monthly profits over the two years up to April 5, 2019.
Submitted tax returns will show these figures already.
This is available to UK tax-paying self-employed players with a trading profit up to £50,000 a year. The maximum claim is £2,500 a month.
This is unlikely to be paid until June with HMRC contacting all Sole Traders very soon.

In addition, self-employed players who were due to pay tax on July 31, 2020 will have this deadline deferred until January 31, 2021.

Contact [email protected] for a free consultation or more information.

The financial impact of COVID-19 is affecting everyone, and it is important that PDPA members are aware of the additional support that may be available.

Universal Credit

The Government has confirmed that self-employed workers (including professional sportspeople) will be able to access Universal Credit via the Universal Credit website, dependent upon individual circumstances.

PDPA Emergency and Hardship Funds
The PDPA have announced two financial support initiatives to help players in need of help.

The PDPA Emergency Fund is a non-repayable grant available to any PDC Tour Card Holder with an immediate and desperate need of financial support.
The PDC & PDPA Hardship Fund is a repayable advance against future prize money to help ease the burden of the impact of COVID-19 and is also available to any PDC Tour Card Holder in need of financial support.

Free Consultation

Each individual’s circumstances and status are different, and their specific situation should be discussed with a tax adviser.
As part of our commitment to the PDPA, we are pleased to offer a FREE consultation to any existing client or non-client to discuss any of the above issues or any other questions.

Please contact [email protected] or call 01384  566188 for a free consultation or more information.

Template - Author: PDPA’s Chris Murphy meets Tony Adams

Tony Adams to PDPA members: ‘If you are really struggling, call us at Sporting Chance.’

Former England and Arsenal FC Captain Tony Adams MBE joins Chris Murphy to discuss the support available for professional darts players through the PDPA’s partnership with Sporting Chance. The charity which Adams founded to support professional sportspeople struggling with addiction, mental health and emotional wellbeing issues.

CLICK IMAGE BELOW for the interview/video and press PLAY.

If you are a PDPA member and are in need of support with any mental health, emotional wellbeing or mental health issue please call 07780 00 88 77 or email [email protected]

Template - Author: PDPA Announcement

The PDPA fully supports the PDC’s plans for a return to tournament play in July.

PDPA Chairman Peter Manley has issued a statement reaffirming his support following his comments in a recent broadcast interview:

I would like to categorically state that I am fully supportive of the PDC’s intention to return to tournament play next month as represented in the PDPA’s statement on June 12th, which was agreed and authorised by myself.

I would also like to apologise to the PDC and PDPA members for some misjudged comments I made in a recent interview that do not reflect the views of the PDPA or my own personal opinions.

In the interview I failed to effectively portray my views as the PDPA Chairman and would like to take this opportunity to make them clear.

In addition to being personally supportive of the return to tournament play, this is also the overwhelming view of the PDPA and our membership.

I was delighted with the response of our recent ‘return to play survey’ which was completed by the majority of Tour Card Holders, largely expressing a desire to return to PDC tournament play as soon as possible in a safe environment.

Any concerns raised by our membership have been discussed with the PDC and I am extremely satisfied that the PDC has considered all potential risks ahead of announcing its intention to stage the World Matchplay and Summer Series in July.

Darts as a sport has led the way in its response to the COVID-19 crisis. It is a response we can all be proud of.

The PDPA and PDC worked together on providing financial support packages for professionals who had been severely impacted economically by the effects of the pandemic.

As a sport we have remained connected with our players through various initiatives such as PDPA Coffee Mornings and the PDC Home Tour, which gave our members something to participate in and earn from while other sportspeople were unable to do anything related to their profession.

The PDC has also been very supportive around our work with regard to the health and wellbeing of our members.

I am absolutely satisfied that the PDC has achieved the safest and most sensible solution currently possible in terms of a return to tournament play.

Communications between the PDPA and the PDC have been continuous and productive throughout this challenging period and I do not intend for a few careless comments to invalidate my actual views which have been made unequivocally clear in this statement and in recent communications by the PDPA.

Peter Manley,
PDPA Chairman

Template - Author: PDPA Announcement

The PDPA are delighted to announce the appointment of Chris Murphy as Communications Manager on an initially temporary basis during the COVID-19 crisis.

Murphy brings with him a wealth of experience, having worked in professional darts for the last decade. The 33-year-old PDC.TV commentator is a former press officer and content manager for MODUS Sports Management and their players, including world number one Michael van Gerwen.

A graduate from the University of Huddersfield at a BA Hons in Sports Journalism, Murphy now also has a prominent role in the education department for Sporting Chance – an official partner of the PDPA, providing mental health and emotional wellbeing services for members.

“I’m proud and grateful to be joining the PDPA team,” said Murphy, whose position will primarily involve media and public relations operations. “I’m looking forward to combining my professional experience with my passions for both darts and welfare.

“In current uncertain times it is more important than ever that the players know they have support from their association and I will be helping to raise awareness to both the public and, most importantly, the players of the important assistance that the PDPA continues to provide.

“The recently announced PDPA Hardship and Emergency Funds have been a good example of the proactiveness of the organisation and the great work that they do, which often goes under the radar. “We will collectively work to ensure that every PDPA member is fully aware of the wide range of support systems available throughout the coronavirus crisis and beyond.”

Alan Warriner-Little, CEO of the PDPA said: “Having Chris as part of the PDPA team during this unprecedented period in our sport will be invaluable. “His experience in media and more recently wellbeing is in no doubt and fresh ideas are always welcome so we look forward to working with Chris for further benefit to our members.”

PDPA Chairman Peter Manley added: “The PDPA have always followed Chris Murphy’s career, he has worked within darts for a number of years and often deputises for the PDC. “Now involved with Sporting Chance it is our pleasure to give Chris the opportunity to promote the PDPA to our members and the outside world throughout the Covid-19 crisis and hopefully beyond.”

More information and advice for PDPA members around COVID-19 is available at www.pdpa.co.uk For more information on this press release or any media or public relations enquiries please e-mail [email protected]

Template - Author: PDPA announce financial support for players.

The Professional Darts Players Association has announced financial support for players affected by the current suspension of tournaments.

A statement released by the PDPA on Tuesday March 31 read:

The PDPA has announced measures to assist PDC Tour Card Holders during the Covid-19 pandemic.

As always, our Members’ health and wellbeing is our utmost priority. Additionally, the financial impact on our Members due to the pandemic is something which we and the PDC continue to monitor daily.

Therefore, for our Members’ benefit we announce the following:

An Immediate Emergency Fund of up to £1,000 for any Tour Card Holder in real need of immediate financial assistance. This fund is SPECIFICALLY for Members who are currently suffering a real negative financial impact due to the Covid-19 outbreak. This applied-for payment will be non-repayable.

A PDPA/PDC Hardship Fund for any Tour Card Holder who requires further financial support in the months ahead in the form of an advance against future prize money. The details for this fund will be forwarded to all Tour Card Holders in due course.

Our Tour Card Holders will be emailed with full information about these packages and how they can apply for this support.

If any Tour Card Holder does not receive this email, please contact the PDPA as soon as possible, with contact details available at www.pdpa.co.uk.

Template - Author: Players Championship Events/Results

Ian White claimed his first title of the year at Players Championship 8 in Barnsley on Sunday, defeating James Wade 8-3 in the final.

White produced an incredibly consistent level throughout the day, averaging over 100 in all but one of his seven victories, including a 111.3 in his win over John Henderson in the last 32. A winner of two European Tour events in 2019, White began the second day of the ProTour double-header with wins over William Borland, Diogo Portela and Henderson.

The 49-year-old then overcame Stephen Bunting in the last 16 before a 109.7 average was enough to see off Dave Chisnall in the last eight. White defeated Kim Huybrechts 7-4 in the semi-finals and went on to brush Wade aside to pick up his first Players Championship title since June 2018 and a 13th PDC title of his career.

The eighth Players Championship event of the year also saw former TV finalist Huybrechts reach his first ranking semi-final in almost two years. Dutchman Derk Telnekes, who was among the new Tour Card winners in January, also reached the final four having reached the quarter-finals at Saturday’s Players Championship 7.

The 2020 PDC ProTour continues with two Players Championship events at Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes on Saturday March 28 and Sunday March 29, with live streaming on PDCTV. All the action can be followed via PDCTV-HD Click Here with all the days results via Dart Connect Click Here

Players Championship 8

Barnsley Metrodome, Sunday 15th March

FULL RESULTS via dc pc8 click here

QUARTERS
James Wade 6-4 Keegan Brown
Derk Telnekes 6-3 Luke Woodhouse
Ian White 6-4 Dave Chisnall
Kim Huybrechts 6-4 Michael Smith

SEMI FINALS
James Wade 7-2 Derk Telnekes
Ian White 7-4 Kim Huybrechts

FINAL
James Wade 3-8 Ian White

Players Championship 7

Barnsley Metrodome, Saturday 14th March

FULL RESULTS via dc pc7 click here

QUARTERS
Nathan Aspinall 6-1 Michael van Gerwen
Danny Noppert 6-2 Krzysztof Ratajski
James Wade 6-5 Ian White
Brendan Dolan 6-5 Derk Telnekes

SEMI FINALS
Nathan Aspinall 7-3 Danny Noppert
Brendan Dolan 7-1 James Wade

FINAL
Nathan Aspinall 8-4 Brendan Dolan

Players Championship 6

Robin Park, Wigan Sunday 23rd February

FULL RESULTS via dc pc6 click here

QUARTERS
Michael van Gerwen 6-2 James Wade
Peter Wright 2-6 Krzysztof Ratajski
Ian White 4-6 Stephen Bunting
Gerwyn Price 6-4 Steve Beaton

SEMI FINALS
Michael van Gerwen 7-6 Krzysztof Ratajski
Stephen Bunting 3-7 Gerwyn Price

FINAL
Michael van Gerwen 7-8 Gerwyn Price

Peter Wright claimed his first ProTour title of 2020 by defeating Gerwyn Price 8-6 in Saturday’s Players Championship 5 final in Wigan, while Steve Lennon hit a nine-darter.

The World Champion averaged over 100 in all but one of his matches on his way to claiming the £10,000 top prize in this year’s fifth Players Championship event, sealing the win with a 170 finish.  In the second round, Wright missed a dart at double 20 to break his own broadcast record average, but he still managed an astonishing 120.2 average in a whitewash victory over Adrian Gray.

Players Championship 5

Robin Park, Wigan Saturday 22nd February

Full Results via dc PC5 CLICK HERE

QUARTERS
Rob Cross 5-6 Devon Petersen
Peter Wright 6-1 Glen Durrant
Gerwyn Price 6-2 William O’Connor
Steve Lennon 6-2 Gabriel Clemens

SEMI FINALS
Devon Petersen 5-7 Peter Wright
Gerwyn Price 7-6 Steve Lennon

FINAL
Peter Wright 8-6 Gerwyn Price

Krzysztof Ratajski claimed his seventh PDC title at Players Championship 4 in Wigan on Sunday, defeating Ian White 8-7 in a thrilling final.

Ratajski looked assured of victory as he led 7-6 and left 40 for the title, only for White to fire in a match-saving 155 checkout to force a deciding leg. With White throwing for the match, visits of 145 and 134 helped Ratajski on his way to winning the last-leg shootout which he finished on double eight.

Players Championship 4

Robin Park, Wigan Sunday 16th February

Full Results via dc PC4 CLICK HERE

QUARTERS
Michael van Gerwen 4-6 Danny Noppert
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-4 Gabriel Clemens
Ian White 6-3 Mensur Suljovic
Peter Wright 6-2 Maik Kuivenhoven

SEMI FINALS
Danny Noppert 2-7 Krzysztof Ratajski
Ian White 7-6 Peter Wright

FINAL
Krzysztof Ratajski 8-7 Ian White

Ryan Searle lifted his very first PDC Pro-Tour title with event 3 from Wigan on Saturday defeating Michael van Gerwen 8-6 in the final.

Searle, who worked as a window cleaner until winning his Tour Card in January 2017, pockets the £10,000 top prize, which will be a major boost to his hopes of securing a debut in July’s World Matchplay, having narrowly missed out in 2019.

Players Championship 3

Robin Park, Wigan Saturday 15th February

Full Results via dc PC3 CLICK HERE

QUARTERS
Michael van Gerwen 6-5 Chris Dobey
Peter Wright 6-3 Joe Cullen
Jeffrey de Zwaan 6-3 Danny Noppert
Ryan Searle 6-5 Glen Durrant

SEMI FINALS
Michael van Gerwen 7-3 Peter Wright
Jeffrey de Zwaan 5-7 Ryan Searle

FINAL
Ryan Searle 8-6 Michael van Gerwyn

Players Championship 2

Metrodome, Barnsley Sunday 9th February

Full Results via dc PC2 CLICK HERE

Nathan Aspinall produced an astonishing display to land his fourth senior PDC title at Players Championship 2 in Barnsley on Sunday.

World number eight Aspinall, who was in inspired form throughout the day, hit a nine-dart finish and a 117.5 average in his 6-4 quarter-final win over Peter Wright. An incredible contest between Aspinall and Wright produced a combined average of 115.59, the highest combined match average recorded in PDC history.

QUARTERS
Gabriel Clemens 6-2 Jamie Hughes
Nathan Aspinall 6-4 Peter Wright
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-4 Ross Smith
Gerwyn Price 6-0 Michael Mansell

SEMI FINALS
Gabriel Clemens 0-7 Nathan Aspinall
Dirk van Duijvenbode 4-7 Gerwyn Price

FINAL
Nathan Aspinall 8-3 Gerwyn Price

Players Championship 1

Metrodome, Barnsley Saturday 8th February

Full Results via dc PC1 CLICK HERE

Gary Anderson claimed the first PDC ranking title of 2020 with victory at Players Championship 1 in Barnsley on Saturday.

Anderson defeated Canada’s Jeff Smith 8-4 in the final to get his 2020 campaign off to a perfect start following an injury-ravaged 2019. The two-time World Champion was in fine form all day, hitting four ton-plus averages, including a 107.5 against Christian Bunse in the first round.

QUARTERS
Brendan Dolan 6-3 Maik Kuivenhoven
Peter Wright 5-6 Jeff Smith
Steve Beaton 3-6 Adrian Lewis
Gary Anderson 6-2 Joe Cullen

SEMI FINALS
Brendan Dolan 2-7 Jeff Smith
Adrian Lewis 3-7 Gary Anderson

FINAL
Jeff Smith 4-8 Gary Anderson

Template - Author: European Tour 3-4 Tour Card Qualifiers

The second European Tour TCH Qualifier double header in 2020 from the Metrodome in Barnsley on Friday produced the 24 PDC Tour Card Holders for the 3rd and 4th European Tour events that have yet to be re-scheduled.

Portugals Jose de Sousa along with Maik Kuivenhoven, Martijn Kleermaker and Jason Lowe were double winners on the currently suspended European Tour events which will be scheduled later in the season.

These two qualifiers which were scheduled for:
(ET3 the European Darts Open from Leverkusen, Germany 27th – 29th March and ET4 the German Darts Grand Prix from Munich from the 11th – 13th April are currently postponed, so a new date for the main event with be confirmed when available)

If you qualify for any of these two events, you need to note that these two events are currently not scheduled in the calendar due to coronavirus concerns in Germany, and any further information on these two events will be announced in due course.

24 Tour Card Qualifiers for ET3

Devon Petersen, Steve Lennon, Adam Hunt, Mervyn King, Jason Lowe, Steffen Siepmann, Jonathan Worsley, Darius Labanauskas, Jose de Sousa, William O’Connor, Derk Telnekes, John Henderson, Maik Kuivenhoven, Martijn Kleermaker, Harry Ward, Madars Razma, Scott Waites, Ryan Joyce, Damon Heta, Darren Webster, Vincent van der Voort, Luke Woodhouse, Chris Dobey, Kim Huybrechts.

24 Tour Card Qualifiers for ET4

Kai Fan Leung, Kyle Anderson, Jamie Lewis, Andy Hamilton, Jason Lowe, Jesus Noguera, Madars Razma, Jelle Klaasen, Jose de Sousa, Martin Schindler, Stephen Bunting, Maik Kuivenhoven, Dirk van Duijvenbode, Ron Meulenkamp, Danny Noppert, Ross Smith, Brendan Dolan, Ryan Murray, Niels Zonneveld, Benito van de Pas, Martijn Kleermaker, Steve West, Toni Alcinas, Scott Baker.

Template - Author: Ladbrokes UK Open 2020

Michael van Gerwen followed a sensational nine-dart finish with a third Ladbrokes UK Open title in a glorious Sunday at the Butlin’s Minehead Resort as he defeated Gerwyn Price 11-9 in the final.

Van Gerwen had endured three months without a tournament win since claiming November’s Players Championship Finals title in Minehead with a comeback defeat of Price. He had also landed a nine-darter during that event, and repeated the feat with a perfect leg during his 11-3 semi-final romp against Daryl Gurney.

Van Gerwen opened the final with a 180 as a 13-darter gave him the lead, only for Price to clinically storm into a 5-1 lead, with his accuracy on tops including checkouts of 105 and 97 as he moved clear.

Van Gerwen punished missed doubles from the Welshman in three of the next four legs as he pulled back to 6-4, and after a 13-darter from Price the world number one capitalised on four further misses to reduce the gap to 7-6.

A tense 14th leg saw another four misses allow Van Gerwen a let-off as the Dutchman levelled on double two, and when a further two darts at double went astray from the Welshman, he saw his rival edge 8-7 up.

Checkouts of 136 and 97 moved Van Gerwen to the brink of victory at 10-7, and though Price replied with finishes of 94 and 80 the Welshman was unable to keep his hopes alive as a missed bull allowed his rival to take out 66 for glory.

Sunday March 8th

QUARTER FINALS (19)
(102.38) Dimitri Van den Bergh 5-10 Gerwyn Price (102.15)
(110.81) Michael van Gerwen 10-4 Rob Cross (95.12)
(95.26) Daryl Gurney 10-9 Jelle Klaasen (94.62)
(90.57) Jamie Hughes 9-10 Jonny Clayton (91.38)

SEMI FINALS (21)
(102.39) Gerwyn Price 11-4 Jonny Clayton (90.64)
(110.32) Michael van Gerwen 11-3 Daryl Gurney (96.76)
‘9 Darter MvG’

FINAL (21)
(99.16) Gerwyn Price 9-11 Michael van Gerwen (101.42)

Prize Fund:

Winner – £100,000
Runner-Up – £40,000
Semi-Finalists – £20,000
Quarter-Finalists – £12,500
Sixth Round Losers – £7,500
Fifth Round Losers – £4,000
Fourth Round Losers – £2,000
Third Round Losers – £1,000
Total – £450,000

6TH ROUND (19)
Gerwyn Price 10-9 Gabriel Clemens
James Wade 4-10 Michael van Gerwen
Jelle Klaasen 10-9 Gary Anderson
Peter Wright 6-10 Daryl Gurney
Chris Dobey 8-10 Jonny Clayton ‘9 Darter Clayton’
Jamie Hughes 10-5 Mensur Suljovic
Dimitri Van den Bergh 10-8 Kyle McKinstry
Rob Cross 10-8 Stephen Bunting

5TH ROUND (19)
Chris Dobey 10-5 Simon Whitlock
Michael van Gerwen 10-9 Jason Lowe
Peter Wright 10-6 Ian White
Michael Smith 9-10 Rob Cross
Daryl Gurney 10-9 William O’Connor
Gerwyn Price 10-3 Ricky Evans
James Wade 10-1 Kim Huybrechts
Gary Anderson 10-5 Simon Stevenson
Jonny Clayton 10-4 Joe Cullen
Mensur Suljovic 10-7 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Stephen Bunting 10-2 Alan Tabern
Dimitri Van den Bergh 10-4 Matthew Edgar
Jamie Hughes 10-7 Martin Atkins
Jelle Klaasen 10-1 Steve West
Kyle McKinstry 10-5 Martin Schindler
Gabriel Clemens 10-6 Andy Boulton

4TH ROUND (19)
Gerwyn Price 10-3 Danny Noppert
Peter Wright 10-8 Glen Durrant
Michael van Gerwen 10-8 Nathan Aspinall
Gary Anderson 10-7 Steve Beaton
Dimitri Van den Bergh 10-5 Rhys Hayden
William O’Connor 10-8 Dave Chisnall
Stephen Bunting 10-9 Vincent van der Voort
Chris Dobey 10-9 Krzysztof Ratajski
Ian White 10-6 Harry Ward
Mensur Suljovic 10-4 Jamie Lewis
Gabriel Clemens 10-9 Ryan Joyce
Michael Smith 10-4 James Wilson
Kim Huybrechts 10-8 Ryan Searle
Alan Tabern 10-6 Richard North
Dirk van Duijvenbode 10-9 Jermaine Wattimena
Simon Whitlock 10-7 Jeffrey de Zwaan
Kyle McKinstry 10-8 Bradley Brooks
Rob Cross 10-7 Niels Zonneveld
Joe Cullen 10-7 Mervyn King
Jason Lowe 10-4 Adrian Lewis
Jelle Klaasen 10-5 William Borland
Ricky Evans 10-4 Joe Murnan
Simon Stevenson 10-9 Darren Webster
Jonny Clayton 10-7 Scott Waites
Andy Boulton 10-8 Luke Humphries
Steve West 10-9 Lewis Williams
Matthew Edgar 10-5 Josh Payne
James Wade 10-5 John Henderson
Daryl Gurney 10-9 Keegan Brown
Martin Schindler 10-2 Justin Pipe
Jamie Hughes 10-9 Brendan Dolan
Bye – Martin Atkins

1ST, 2ND and 3RD ROUND (11)
Mike De Decker 6-2 Lisa Ashton (R1)
Scott Waites 6-4 Damon Heta (R1)
Kyle McKinstry 6-1 Fallon Sherrock (R1)
Mark McGeeney 6-5 Scott Baker (R2)
John Michael 6-5 Jeff Smith (R2)
Kevin Doets 6-3 David Pallett (R2)
Jason Heaver 4-6 Kyle McKinstry (R2)
Luke Humphries 6-5 Kyle Anderson (R3)
Kim Huybrechts 6-1 Robert Thornton (R3)
Josh Payne 6-4 Luke Woodhouse (R3)
Cody Harris 6-5 Scott Taylor (R1)
Kai Fan Leung 6-3 Kelvin Self (R1)
Karel Sedlacek 6-0 Adam Hunt (R1)
Alan Tabern 6-2 Keane Barry (R1)
Andy Hamilton 6-3 Patrick Lynskey (R1)
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-0 Marko Kantele (R2)
Scott Waites 6-1 Geert Nentjes (R2)
Mike De Decker 6-5 Daniel Larsson (R2)
Bradley Brooks 6-2 Nick Kenny (R2)
Ryan Searle 6-5 Cristo Reyes (R3)
William O’Connor 6-2 Jan Dekker (R3)
Vincent van der Voort 6-4 John Michael (R3)
William Borland 6-5 Mike De Decker (R3)
Steffen Siepmann 6-4 Krzysztof Kciuk (R1)
Peter Jacques 6-4 Ciaran Teehan (R1)
Steve Brown 6-5 Michael Barnard (R1)
Daniel Larsson 6-5 Ryan Meikle (R1)
Harry Ward 6-5 Gavin Carlin (R2)
Kai Fan Leung 6-2 Kirk Shepherd (R2)
Karel Sedlacek 6-2 Barrie Bates (R2)
Rhys Hayden 6-4 James Richardson (R2)
Richard North 6-4 Ron Meulenkamp (R3)
Conan Whitehead 2-6 Steve West (R3)
Devon Petersen 4-6 Bradley Brooks (R3)
Wesley Harms 5-6 Martin Atkins (R3)
Stephen Burton 2-6 Kyle McKinstry (R3)
Jason Askew 6-4 Greg Ritchie (R1)
Jason Heaver 6-0 Jesus Noguera (R1)
Adam Smith-Neale 6-4 Ben Cheeseman (R1)
Nathan Rafferty 6-3 Darren Beveridge (R1)
Andy Boulton 6-2 Reece Robinson (R2)
Maik Kuivenhoven 6-3 Nathan Derry (R2)
Wesley Harms 6-5 Justin Smith (R2)
Madars Razma 6-4 Derk Telnekes (R2)
Jamie Lewis 6-5 Ross Smith (R3)
Steve Lennon 4-6 Alan Tabern (R3)
Ted Evetts 4-5 James Wilson (R3)
Mickey Mansell 2-6 Niels Zonneveld (R3)
Stephen Burton 6-1 Adam Huckvale (R1)
Rhys Hayden 6-5 James Clark (R1)
Bradley Brooks 6-5 Cameron Menzies (R1)
Harald Leitinger 6-1 Kevin Burness (R1)
Jonathan Worsley 6-4 Matt Clark (R2)
Steffen Siepmann 6-2 Carl Wilkinson (R2)
Ted Evetts 6-1 Berry van Peer (R2)
Alan Tabern 6-3 Steve Brown (R2)
Justin Pipe 6-3 Kai Fan Leung (R3)
Ryan Joyce 6-2 Yordi Meeuwisse (R3)
Jose De Sousa 4-6 Lewis Williams (R3)
Nathan Rafferty 2-6 Jamie Hughes (R3)
Wesley Harms 6-3 Aaron Beeney (R1)
Danny van Trijp 6-4 Boris Koltsov (R1)
William Borland 6-2 Andrew Davidson (R1)
Lewis Williams 6-5 Robert Owen (R1)
Jason Lowe 6-1 Cody Harris (R2)
Martin Atkins 6-2 Christian Bunse (R2)
Nathan Rafferty 6-1 Mike van Duivenbode (R2)
Niels Zonneveld 6-4 Andy Hamilton (R2)
Gabriel Clemens 6-3 Maik Kuivenhoven (R3)
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-3 Darius Labanauskas (R3)
Rhys Hayden 6-2 Toni Alcinas (R3)
Matthew Edgar 6-3 Callan Rydz (R3)
Martin Atkins 6-5 Ryan Murray (R1)
Callan Rydz 6-5 Shane McGuirk (R1)
Wayne Jones 6-1 Gary Blades (R1)
Berry van Peer 6-3 Owen Roelofs (R1)
Jason Askew 6-5 Rowby-John Rodriguez (R2)
Yordi Meeuwisse 6-3 Peter Jacques (R2)
Lewis Williams 6-3 Adrian Gray (R2)
Joe Murnan 6-3 Harald Leitinger (R2)
Martin Schindler 6-4 Benito van de Pas (R3)
Andy Boulton 6-4 Mark McGeeney (R3)
Jonathan Worsley 3-6 Jason Lowe (R3)
Madars Razma 2-6 Scott Waites (R3)
Justin Smith 6-3 Andy Jenkins (R1)
Derk Telnekes 6-3 Martijn Kleermaker (R1)
James Richardson 6-4 Darren Penhall (R1)
Kevin Doets 6-1 Alfie Thompson (R1)
Stephen Burton 6-4 Vincent van der Meer (R2)
Conan Whitehead 6-3 Wayne Jones (R2)
William Borland 6-0 Danny van Trijp (R2)
Callan Rydz 6-3 Adam Smith-Neale (R2)
Jelle Klaasen 6-4 Jason Askew (R3)
Harry Ward 6-3 Steffen Siepmann (R3)
Joe Murnan 6-3 Karel Sedlacek (R3)
Kevin Doets 5-6 Simon Stevenson (R3)

Template - Author: The Belgian Darts Championship

Gerwyn Price became the inaugural winner of the Belgian Darts Championship in Hasselt on Sunday, defeating Michael Smith 8-3 in the final.

In-form Price averaged over 100 in three of his five matches across two days at Expo Hasselt, as the Welsh number one claimed his third European Tour title on St David’s Day.

With the final level at 2-2, world number three Price won five consecutive legs to take full control of the contest before hitting his favourite double top to land his 11th PDC ranking title and the £25,000 top prize.

The only undefeated player in the 2020 Premier League, Price is now also the only player with two PDC ranking titles to his name for the year. Sunday saw the £140,000 event reach its climax, with the last 16 taking place in the afternoon session, followed by the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in the evening.

Having whitewashed Jamie Hughes with a 105.93 average in the last 16, Price then defeated Mensur Suljovic 6-2 before recovering from 3-0 down to overcome Dirk van Duijvenbode 7-4. Improving Dutchman Van Duijvenbode engaged and entertained the Belgian crowd throughout the weekend as a string of sparking displays saw him reach his first European Tour semi-final.

Meanwhile, Michael van Gerwen’s wait for a first PDC title of 2020 goes on after he lost a deciding leg to Smith in the last 16.

Sunday March 1st

(13.00 local time, 12.00 GMT)

THIRD ROUND (11)
97.43 Michael van Gerwen 5-6 Michael Smith 93.35
93.11 Mervyn King 6-3 Martijn Kleermaker 94.18
99.18 Peter Wright 6-3 Danny Noppert 92.76
93.22 Krzysztof Ratajski 6-3 Rob Cross 90.81
94.76 Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-4 Jeffrey de Zwaan 91.06
97.42 James Wade 4-6 Nathan Aspinall 103.29
103.66 Gerwyn Price 6-0 Jamie Hughes 101.81
103.58 Mensur Suljovic 6-4 Steve West 96.02

(19.00 local time, 18.00 GMT)

QUARTERS (11)
107.85 Michael Smith 6-1 Mervyn King 93.19
102.09 Peter Wright 6-4 Krzysztof Ratajski 97.51
102.94 Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-5 Nathan Aspinall 103.75
100.16 Gerwyn Price 6-2 Mensur Suljovic 88.31

SEMIS (13)
102.04 Michael Smith 7-5 Peter Wright 100.10
91.38 Dirk van Duijvenbode 4-7 Gerwyn Price 92.58

FINAL (15)
96.26 Michael Smith 3-8 Gerwyn Price 100.03

Full Results:

FIRST ROUND
80.16 Darren Penhall 6-3 Ryan Searle 92.10
91.56 Andy Boulton 5-6 Andy Hamilton 90.81
86.77 Kai Fan Leung 4-6 Steve Beaton 92.98
82.91 Luke Humphries 1-6 Ronny Huybrechts 89.32
81.71 Michael Barnard 0-6 Damon Heta 102.48
86.09 Wesley Plaisier 6-5 Benjamin Pratnemer 82.16
83.14 Martijn Kleermaker 6-4 Stephen Bunting 87.74
94.49 Justin Pipe 4-6 Mervyn King 93.06
101.59 Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-4 Luke Woodhouse 93.33
94.25 Mike De Decker 6-5 Ron Meulenkamp 91.34
98.93 Callan Rydz 3-6 Gabriel Clemens 94.37
88.78 Danny Noppert 6-2 Geert De Vos 86.62
86.18 Ryan Harrington 2-6 Kim Huybrechts 89.88
87.16 Rowby-John Rodriguez 3-6 Steve Lennon 89.77
78.42 Steve West 6-0 Jeffrey van Egdom 67.03
86.58 Dimitri Van den Bergh 6-3 Derk Telnekes 83.78

SECOND ROUND
103.28 Michael Smith 6-1 Ronny Huybrechts 97.12
87.46 Joe Cullen 3-6 Martijn Kleermaker 91.80
98.29 Krzysztof Ratajski 6-2 Gabriel Clemens 94.56
99.91 Glen Durrant 4-6 Mervyn King 105.98
91.17 Rob Cross 6-1 Damon Heta 92.06
88.19 Ian White 3-6 Dirk van Duijvenbode 87.42
100.40 Jermaine Wattimena 2-6 Danny Noppert 108.96
97.79 James Wade 6-3 Steve Lennon 96.07
98.73 Nathan Aspinall 6-3 Steve Beaton 93.47
89.66 Gerwyn Price 6-1 Wesley Plaisier 82.72
90.92 Peter Wright 6-2 Andy Hamilton 85.15
99.71 Michael van Gerwen 6-3 Mike De Decker 91.08
93.24 Jeffrey de Zwaan 6-4 Kim Huybrechts 91.97
92.15 Jamie Hughes 6-5 Dimitri Van den Bergh 97.42
93.19 Mensur Suljovic 6-4 Ryan Searle 98.28
104.14 Jonny Clayton 2-6 Steve West 100.65

Template - Author: Development Tours 1-4

Berry van Peer, Wessel Nijman and a double from Ryan Meikle were the winners on the 2020 PDC Unicorn Development Tours first 4 events over the weekend from Hildesheim, Germany.

Sunday Events 3&4: Ryan Meikle won his second event of the weekend over local hero Nico Kurz and his sixth overall, and he now leads the DTOoM Table by £1,950.

In event 4 Wessel Nijman overcame Martin Schindler. Dom Taylor got to three semi finals over the four events and is 5th equal.

Saturday Events 1&2: Berry Van Peer defeated Germany’s Martin Schindler 5-1 in the final of Event One to take his career Development Tour title tally to four.

Ryan Meikle clinched his fifth Development Tour title by winning Event Two by beating Niels Zonneveld 5-3 in the decider.

Development Tour Junior Membership:

All Development Tour players will be required to be a PDPA Junior Member, this will just be a junior membership and you will not be required to play at Q-School, it will be a FREE Junior Membership, details will be sent to all Development Tour Players, or at the event. From 2020, the PDPA requires all players on the Development Tour to be registered as PDPA Members. See your event brief sent to you, your email sent or online for details.

Current DTOoM Table:

1-Ryan Meikle (ENG) £4,200
2-Wessel Nijman (NETH) £2,250
3-Berry van Peer (NETH) £2,200
4-Martin Schindler (GER) £2,050
5=Dom Taylor (ENG) £1,600
5=Niels Zonneveld (NETH) £1,600
7-Nico Kurz (GER) £1,500
8-Rusty Jake Rodrigues (AUS) £900

Full Table CLICK HERE on APP go to rankings

Development Tour 4 – Sunday 1st March

For Full Results go to Dart Connect CLICK HERE

SEMI FINALS
Martin Schindler 5-3 Dom Taylor
Wessel  Nijman 5-1 Rusty Jake Rodrigues

FINAL
Martin Schindler 3-5 Wessel Nijman

Development Tour 3 – Sunday 1st March

For Full Results go to Dart Connect CLICK HERE

SEMI FINALS
Nico Kurz 5-1 Jamai van den Herik
Ryan Meikle 5-2 Sebastian Bialecki

FINAL
Nico Kurz 3-5 Ryan Meikle

Development Tour 2 – Saturday 29th Feb

For Full Results go to Dart Connect CLICK HERE

SEMI FINALS
Ryan Meikle 5-1 Dom Taylor
Niels Zonneveld 5-4 Brian Raman

FINAL
Ryan Meikle 5-3 Niels Zonneveld

Development Tour 1 – Saturday 29th Feb

For Full Results go to Dart Connect CLICK HERE

SEMI FINALS
Berry van Peer 5-4 Ted Evetts
Martin Schindler 5-3 Dom Taylor

FINAL
Berry van Peer 5-1 Martin Schindler

Template - Author: Premier League Night Three CARDIFF

Nathan Aspinall inflicted a first Unibet Premier League defeat of 2020 on Michael van Gerwen on Night Three in Cardiff, while Gerwyn Price was held to a 6-6 draw by Daryl Gurney in the Welsh capital.

Having been at his imperious best in the opening two nights of action, five-time Premier League champion Van Gerwen was halted in his tracks by Aspinall who won 7-5 in front of a sell-out crowd at Motorpoint Arena.

Aspinall got off to a great start against the world number one as he pinned a 110 checkout on his way to a 4-2 lead. Van Gerwen hit back with three successive legs to hit the front, only for Aspinall to stop the rot with a last dart double 18. The 11th leg saw Van Gerwen hit some uncharacteristically low scores, and Aspinall took full advantage, hitting double top in each of the last two legs to rack up his third win in six attempts against the Dutchman.

Welsh number one Price was unable to deliver a win for his army of fans as he drew for the third consecutive week, this time against Gurney, who picked up his first point of the campaign. Undeterred, Gurney won back-to-back legs to secure the draw, but Price held firm in the last leg to maintain his unbeaten start to the season.

Price’s World Cup teammate Jonny Clayton suffered a baptism of fire on his Premier League debut, as Michael Smith produced the performance of the night to claim a 7-1 victory, Clayton took the opening leg but had no answer to a Smith onslaught, which saw the former Premier League runner-up average 105.51.

Having salvaged a point against Fallon Sherrock on Night Two, Durrant was at his clinical best as he landed finishes of 107, 89 and 85 on his way to a 5-1 lead. Two-time Premier League champion Anderson hit back with checkouts of 122 and 64, but Durrant maintained control of the contest to move to the table summit.

World Champion Peter Wright eventually found his way to a first victory of the campaign with a 7-5 defeat of Rob Cross, though Wright averaged over 20 points more than his opponent for much of the contest. With Cross struggling to find his range on the trebles, Wright took advantage to race into a 3-0 lead thanks to a trio of 13-dart legs.

Former World Champion Cross fought back and took the match all the way to a 12th leg, but after the former World Champion failed to take out 126, Wright found a last dart double five to condemn Cross to his first loss of the season.

The 2020 Unibet Premier League continues with Night Four in Dublin on Thursday February 27 as Republic of Ireland’s World Cup runner-up William O’Connor stars as a Challenger against Van Gerwen, while table-topper Durrant meets Aspinall in the battle of the newcomers.

Unibet Premier League Night 3

February 22nd, Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff

(101.95) Peter Wright 7-5 Rob Cross (90.13)
(97.44) Jonny Clayton 1-7 Michael Smith (105.51)
(96.84) Michael van Gerwen 5-7 Nathan Aspinall (100.46)
(97.46) Daryl Gurney 6-6 Gerwyn Price (93.70)
(97.24) Glen Durrant 7-4 Gary Anderson (96.89)

League Table:

5pts – Glen Durrant (+7)
4pts – Michael Van Gerwen (+6)
4pts – Nathan Aspinall (+4)
3pts – Michael Smith (+2)
3pts – Rob Cross (0)
3pts – Gerwyn Price (0)
3pts – Peter Wright (0)
3pts – Gary Anderson (-1)
1pt – Daryl Gurney (-8)

Unibet Premier League Night 2

February 15th, Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham

(94.71) Rob Cross 7-5 Nathan Aspinall (95.48)
(98.11) Gerwyn Price 6-6 Michael Smith (101.71)
(95.58) Gary Anderson 6-6 Peter Wright (88.72)
(92.21) Glen Durrant 6-6 Fallon Sherrock (87.36)
(93.92) Daryl Gurney 1-7 Michael van Gerwen (105.05)

Unibet Premier League Night 1

February 6th, P&J Live, Aberdeen

(95.01) Glen Durrant 7-3 Michael Smith (95.41)
(94.71) Gary Anderson 7-5 Daryl Gurney (91.65)
(104.13) Michael van Gerwen 7-5 Peter Wright (97.71)
(89.19) Nathan Aspinall 7-3 John Henderson (81.93)
(95.86) Gerwyn Price 6-6 Rob Cross (100.10)

Template - Author: PDPA Players show support to Australian ‘Bushfire Fund’

PDPA Players have shown their full support to the devastation we have all seen due to the Bushfires in Australia.

Australia is facing one of the most dangerous and catastrophic bushfire seasons it has ever seen. The fires are devastating, and the crisis is still ongoing.

The PDPA collected signed shirts from our players which were delivered to Rob Denny from the DPA ‘Dart Players Australia’

The PDPA would like to thank all the players who donated signed shirts, with all the proceeds going to the ‘Bushfires Fund’

We have all seen the devastation that our Australian friends have had to endure, we are glad to help the fund and send our best wishes to everyone.

The PDPA

1. Michael van Gerwen
2. Simon Whitlock
3. Jelle Klaasen
4. Kim Huybrechts
5. Steve Beaton
6. Adrian Lewis (2)
7. Gerwyn Price
8. Daryl Gurney
9. Glen Durrant

Watch the appeal video by CLICKING the image below.

Template - Author: Challenge Tours 5-8

The second PDC Unicorn Challenge Tour weekend of 2020 will now be played across three days from April 10-12 in Wigan.

After reviewing the opening weekend of the 2020 season with the PDPA, the PDC has decided to stage the next four events of the year over three days, scheduled as follows:

1. Friday April 10 – Event Five
2. Saturday April 11 – Events Six and Seven
3. Sunday April 12 – Event Eight

Event Five on April 10 will commence from 1400 GMT on Friday April 10, with registration for players from 1100-1300. The action on April 11-12 will see registration from 0800-0930, with play commencing 15 minutes after the draw is confirmed.

Entries for Events Five-Eight are now available for PDPA Associate Members through the PDC Online Entry System. The format and structure of the PDC Unicorn Challenge Tour will continue to be assessed ahead of the year’s remaining 16 tournaments.

Template - Author: FAQ During Covid-19

FAQ

1 – When will we get back to playing Pro-Tour events in 2020, and how will they be run? We are working alongside the PDC on a daily basis, looking at guidance and planning for the immediate future. Guidance continues to evolve, and we are obviously subject to government and health advice which is of paramount importance. As soon as any events are possible, details will be released including any restrictions that may need to be adhered to.

2 – How will the rankings work in terms of money coming off and TV event qualification due to no events taking place since mid-March? We have looked at and continue to look at all options as the current restrictions continue to progress and develop. As the situation is changing constantly, all ideas and plans require constant revision and any decisions reached by ourselves and the PDC will take all considerations into account.

3 – The PDPA financial support funds cover April, May and June, what help financially will there be if events are not up and running by July? We initially set up the Emergency and Hardship funds to help our members through the first three months of event cancellations/postponements (April-June). If disruption to the PDC calendar continues past this period, we will assess the options available to us in order to help our members.

4 – If, when PDC events restart, players cannot travel to them due to their country’s restrictions, what protocols will be put in place to ensure fairness for competition for all members? As with Question one above, we work with the PDC daily, looking at guidance and planning for future possibilities with government and health advice at the forefront of our thoughts. As soon as any events are possible, details will be released including any restrictions that may need to be adhered to.

5 – I am struggling with my Mental Health due to the current Covid-19 situation, is there any help available? Yes, we have our partnership with Sporting Chance. Contact with their teams is available 24/7, follow THIS LINK for their information.

6 – There are currently a lot of online darts events and tournaments due to the Coronavirus pandemic; as a Tour Card Holder can I play in these?  You cannot play in events that are streamed online which are not sanctioned or organised by the PDC. Online events with live data are generally fine, but streamed images are not. If you are unsure, ask! Contact us or the PDC to make sure participation in the event(s) will not be putting you in breach of the PDC Rules or your PDC Contract.

7 – Where can I get financial information to help me through these uncertain times Our Accountancy and Taxation partner Adrian Grainger of Griffiths & Pegg is available for any of our members, whether he is your accountant or not. CLICK HERE for contact information. Our Wealth Management partners at Prosperity Wealth are also available for any of our members, including mortgage and savings advice. CLICK HERE for contact information.

8 – I qualified for a European Tour event before the restrictions, will I have to qualify again if these events eventually take place in 2020? Until we get events up and running again, we simply do not know. Players who have already qualified for a postponed event will be informed once we know the restart date for PDC events and can confirm an answer.