Category: PDC PREVIEWS

World Series Preview.

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The PDC World Series of Darts Finals takes place this weekend in Austria.

Twenty four players will compete over three days in the Salzburgarena all with their eyes set firmly on the prize.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the five separate Masters events spanning three continents were sadly cancelled so the entire tournament will be held instead over one weekend in Salzberg.

The field consists of the top eight players in the PDC order of merit who are each seeded. Joining them are the twelve invitees to the original Masters events and the four who recently qualified in Niedernhausen.

Oh….and they’ll be playing in front of fans!

Let’s take a look at the opening fixtures….

Glen Durrant v Dimitri Van den Bergh


WINNER PLAYS: Michael van Gerwen
Probably the tie of the round. Certainly not the one Mac Elkin was hoping for as manager of both players but definitely one the fans want to see. ‘Duzza’ has been in fantastic form of late topping the Premier League table and Dimitri is still on a high after his World Matchplay victory so this could be an absolute belter with the prize being a match against the world number one.

Jeff Smith v Fallon Sherrock


WINNER PLAYS: James Wade
The Canadian will be looking to silence the Queen of the palace and book a second round tie with James Wade. Sherrock earned her invitation for the World Series by virtue of her history making achievements in last years World Championships and will be looking to add the name of Jeff Smith to her list of scalps.

Krzysztof Ratajski v Mensur Suljovic


WINNER PLAYS: Michael Smith
With Gary Anderson withdrawing from the event for personal reasons it opened the door up for Ratajski. The ‘Polish Eagle’ reached yet another pro tour final in Germany last week and is showing the form that propelled him into the worlds top sixteen. Suljovic will feel confident playing in his home country and looking for a repeat result when he defeated the Pole in the quarter final of last years World Series of Darts finals.

Simon Whitlock v Steve Beaton


WINNER PLAYS: Rob Cross
Whitlock is a regular invitee when it comes to the World Series of Darts. The Aussie had a good run the last time he was on the big stage going all the way to the quarter finals of the recent World Matchplay. The ‘Bronzed Adonis’ qualified for the tournament last week in Germany but with only won four wins from his seventeen meetings with the ‘Wizard of Oz’ and defeat in the last three Beaton will be keen stop that mini rot.

Ian White v Damon Heta


WINNER PLAYS: Peter Wright
The World Champion eagerly awaits the winner of this match up between ‘Diamond’ and ‘The Heat’. The Aussie goes into the event on a high after securing his maiden players championship just days ago at the Autumn Series.


White reached the quarter finals of this tournament last year and tends to produce his best stage performances for the continent. Heta of course famously tasted success in last years World series of darts. Playing on home soil he defeated Rob Cross in a deciding leg shootout to win the Brisbane Masters title and after last weeks victory in Germany will have his tail well and truly up.

Cody Harris v Dave Chisnall


WINNER PLAYS: Daryl Gurney
‘Chizzy’ is the highest ranked player in the tournament not to be seeded. The World number 10 goes up against the only New Zealand representative in the event, Cody Harris and will be confident of setting up a tasty second round clash with Daryl Gurney.

Vincent van der Voort v Joe Cullen


WINNER PLAYS: Gerwyn Price
Both players booked their places in this tournament by virtue of qualification last week. The big Dutchman enjoyed a good run in this years World Matchplay losing out in an exciting quarter final tie breaker to Glen Durrant. Cullen last tasted success last summer by winning the European Matchplay title but was in outstanding form throughout the Autumn series. The ‘Rockstar’ was consistently impressive over the five days reaching two semi finals and a quarter final so will be looking to continue that good form going into this event.

Harry Ward v Darius Labanauskas


WINNER PLAYS: Nathan Aspinall
The pair have only met on three occasions with the Lithuanian number one, Labanauskas edging the head to head 2-1. Sadly this could be one of the last times we see ‘Big H’ on our screens with the recent revelation from the young Staffordshire man that he will be handing his PDC tour card in at the end of the year. However Ward has assured fans that he will give it his everything and will be looking to go out on a high.

World Series Draw: Will Sherrock Be Silenced?

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Glen Durrant and Dimitri Van den Bergh will clash in the tie of the first round at the bwin World Series of Darts Finals next weekend, while Fallon Sherrock makes her big-stage return against Jeff Smith.

The 24-player event will be the PDC’s first to be staged in front of a live crowd at the Salzburgarena in Austria from September 18-20.

With the world’s top eight players seeded through to the second round, Friday’s first round action will feature the 12 invited players from around the world alongside four qualifiers.

The draw has thrown up a tasty first round tie between Premier League leader Durrant and World Matchplay champion Van den Bergh – with the winner to take on reigning champion and world number one Michael van Gerwen.

World Champion Peter Wright will take on the winner of the first round tie between 2019 Brisbane Darts Masters champion Damon Heta and Ian White, while world number three Gerwyn Price plays Vincent van der Voort or Joe Cullen.

Fallon Sherrock (Lawrence Lustig, PDC)

Sherrock, who made history as the first woman to win a game at the PDC World Championship last December, will play Canada’s Jeff Smith – the former North American Championship winner – in another eagerly-awaited first round tie, with the winner facing 2018 World Series of Darts Finals champion James Wade.

Austria’s Mensur Suljovic will be banking on home support as he takes on Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski on Friday night, while Lithuania’s Darius Labanauskas takes on emerging English ace Harry Ward.

Australia’s Simon Whitlock will play Steve Beaton, while top New Zealander Cody Harris takes on Dave Chisnall.

Following Friday’s first round, the eight seeds will enter in Saturday’s second round at the Salzburgarena.

Sunday’s decisive final day will see the quarter-finals held in the afternoon session, with the semi-finals and final in the evening session.

Van Gerwen has won four of the previous five stagings of the World Series of Darts Finals since the event was introduced in 2015, with Wade interrupting that run of success with his 2018 triumph.

Tickets for the bwin World Series of Darts Finals are available from PDC Europe through this link.

The event will be shown on ITV4 in the UK, with worldwide coverage through RTL7, DAZN and other PDC broadcast partners accompanied live streaming for PDCTV Rest of the World Subscribers.

bwin World Series of Darts Finals
First Round – Draw Bracket Order
Glen Durrant v Dimitri Van den Bergh
Jeff Smith v Fallon Sherrock
Krzysztof Ratajski v Mensur Suljovic
Simon Whitlock v Steve Beaton
Ian White v Damon Heta
Cody Harris v Dave Chisnall
Vincent van der Voort v Joe Cullen
Harry Ward v Darius Labanauskas

Second Round – Draw Bracket Order
(1) Michael van Gerwen v Durrant/Van den Bergh
(8) James Wade v J Smith/Sherrock
(4) Michael Smith v Ratajski/Suljovic
(5) Rob Cross v Whitlock/Beaton
(2) Peter Wright v White/Heta
(7) Daryl Gurney v Harris/Chisnall
(3) Gerwyn Price v Van der Voort/Cullen
(6) Nathan Aspinall v Ward/Labanauskas

The schedule of play will be confirmed in due course.

Three In Judgment Night Struggle.

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The first phase of the 2020 Unibet Premier League season concludes on Thursday with Judgement Night, as Rob Cross, Daryl Gurney and Gerwyn Price battle to avoid elimination.

The ninth-placed player in the league table following the season’s ninth night will be eliminated from this year’s Premier League – with Gurney’s resurgence meaning that the race has gone to the wire.

The Northern Irish ace had returned from the season’s five-month break three points adrift at the foot of the table, but back-to-back wins have moved him above Cross.

2019 Premier League finalist Cross has lost to Michael van Gerwen and Michael Smith since the restart, and enters his Judgement Night clash with table-topper Glen Durrant needing at least a draw to put the pressure on Gurney.

However, Cross’ leg difference of -11 could prove vital too, while Price needs just one leg from his tie with Challenger Jermaine Wattimena to ensure his place in the second half of the season – even a 7-0 loss for the Welshmean leaves Cross needing to win by the same margin.

Gurney, meanwhile, has improved his leg difference to -5 as he hits a point above Cross ahead of his meeting with World Champion Peter Wright.

“Before this week started I wanted to win my three games and then if I get eliminated then so be it,” said Gurney, following his victory over Nathan Aspinall. “I’ve won two games so it’s so far, so good.

“I hung in there and took my opportunities. If I can keep that up, I’ll be hard to beat. I’ve got Peter Wright tomorrow and if I can win that, I’ll be very happy – there’s not much more I can do.”

Speaking to Dutch broadcaster RTL7 following Wednesday’s loss to Smith, Cross – who recently became a father for the fourth time – said: “You’re not alright with it because you’re losing, but at the same time it is what it is.

“I’ve turned up this week and tried every time I’ve gone up there; it’s not happened and I suppose that’s darts.

“I’m looking forward to the game [with Durrant] – it’s nice to be back playing. It’s probably felt a little awkward, but at the same time you just get on with it. I want to play darts and I want to play more regularly but it isn’t there at the moment.”

Price, meanwhile, eased his elimination fears with a big 7-1 victory over Gary Anderson on Wednesday, and has now set his sights on the tie with Wattimena, saying: “I just want to prepare and try to win.

“I’m playing well, I just need to be a little bit more confident.

Having five months off, you need games to get yourself going and I just need to play more regularly.”

The action will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK, on PDCTV for Rest of the World Subscribers and through the PDC’s worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and RTL7.

Unibet Premier League
Judgement Night
Thursday August 27 (1830 BST)
Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes
Nathan Aspinall v Michael Smith
Michael van Gerwen v Gary Anderson
Jermaine Wattimena v Gerwyn Price
Peter Wright v Daryl Gurney
Glen Durrant v Rob Cross.

PIX: Taylor Lanning

Add Your Face To The Unibet Premier League ‘Crowd’.

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Darts fans will be able to be part of the action when the Unibet Premier League resumes on Tuesday August 25.

THE 2020 PREMIER LEAGUE FIELD (PIC;LAWRENCE LUSTIG)

Following a five-month break, the Premier League will resume with six successive nights behind closed doors in Milton Keynes from August 25-30.

Whilst the action will not include a live audience, following the success of involving fans in the action at the recent World Matchplay there will be the opportunity to provide videos and pictures to be displayed on a giant screen inside the arena during the events.

Fans are encouraged to share their videos and pictures with the PDC through this link.

Fans from cities where the Premier League would have originally visited during that period – Birmingham, Rotterdam, Berlin, Belfast and Leeds – are encouraged to wear the colours of their city or even send in videos & photos by local landmarks!

DOWNLOAD THE 180 CARD!

Fans can also download the Unibet Premier League 180 Card to print at home – use this to write on messages for your pictures, or simply use at home during the events!

Click here to download the Unibet Premier League 180 Card.

Ochepedia: Don’t Cross Rob Off Your Matchplay List.

Posted on | by Christopher Kempf | Leave a Comment on Ochepedia: Don’t Cross Rob Off Your Matchplay List.

ROB CROSS should not be ruled out of contention for the upcoming World Matchplay according to Darts World’s latest analysis.

After the Conclusion of the Summer Series, we asked our resident statistician, Christopher Kempf, to review the player’s performance compared to their pre lockdown selves. Defending champion Rob Cross emerges from the analysis better than some would imagine:

The four months separating Players Championships 8 and 9 represent the longest break in action between two ranking events on the PDC calendar in decades, but overall the lengthy interval of quarantine and home practice seem to have had little effect on the actual performances of the players. Of the 32 qualifiers for the World Matchplay, almost exactly half – 17 – increased their averages in the Summer Series relative to the first 8 Players Championships. (The overall average of the 32 increased infinitesimally.) But some players emerged from a socially distant spring looking statistically quite unlike the players they were just months ago.

2019 BETFRED WORLD MATCHPLAY ROB CROSS WINNER Pic: Christopher Dean

The World Matchplay’s defending champion, Rob Cross, has not won a Pro Tour event in two years but is on the upswing statistically. From 95.06 in February and March, his averages in July have climbed to 97.28, a level which will make him much more competitive with the likes of Peter Wright and Michael van Gerwen. His accuracy on doubles, treble 20, and treble 19 are all up, and in a run to the final of Players Championship 12, he defeated three players in deciding legs to reach a semifinal in which he averaged 110 and completed a perfect leg.

Voltage’s stats are well behind those of the World #1 and World Champion (among others), but the probability of his retaining his title, however unlikely, figures to be greater in light of this encouraging performance.

DW Editorial – Rob was not seen as in great shape or a likely winner before last years Matchplay and yet went all the way, as predicted by our columnist JR Lott. It has not been an easy few months for the champion but it would be unwise to dismiss him out of hand.

Former Champions In Action: Matchplay To Open With A Bang.

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Three former champions will be in action on the opening night of the 2020 Betfred World Matchplay on Saturday, July 18, with Michael van Gerwen, James Wade and Gary Anderson all set to take to the Marshall Arena stage in Milton Keynes.

The £700,000 tournament will be staged in unique circumstances behind closed doors in 2020, with 32 players competing for the Phil Taylor Trophy from July 18-26.

Saturday will see five first round games take place from 1800 BST, including two-time winner Van Gerwen – the top seed – taking on Northern Ireland’s Brendan Dolan.

2007 winner Wade will play former World Youth Champion Keegan Brown, while 2018 champion Gary Anderson comes up against Justin Pipe.

Two-time World Matchplay semi-finalist Simon Whitlock meets debutant Ryan Joyce in the tournament’s opening fixture, and Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski takes on Dutchman Jermaine Wattimena.

Rob Cross will begin his title defence on Sunday evening against Germany’s Gabriel Clemens, on a night which also features World Champion Peter Wright and former finalists Michael Smith and Mensur Suljovic.

Monday’s five first round ties include world number three Gerwyn Price up against Danny Noppert, 2013 finalist Adrian Lewis facing evergreen Steve Beaton and two-time semi-finalist Daryl Gurney meeting Ricky Evans.

The tasty fixture between former UK Open champion Nathan Aspinall and two-time World Youth Champion Dimitri Van den Bergh concludes the first round on Tuesday, which also features the opening four matches from the last 16.

Going into the event, Van Gerwen is the 7/4 pre-tournament favourite with sponsors Betfred, with Wright 5/1 as he aims to add the World Matchplay title to his World Championship success.

Price is 13/2 to take victory, with Aspinall 9/1 ahead of 14/1 chance Anderson, while reigning champion Cross is joined by Smith and Durrant at 20/1.

The Betfred World Matchplay will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, RTL7, DAZN and the PDC’s worldwide broadcast partners.

2020 Betfred World Matchplay
Schedule of play – all times BST
Saturday July 18 (1800)
5x First Round Matches
Simon Whitlock v Ryan Joyce
Krzysztof Ratajski v Jermaine Wattimena
James Wade v Keegan Brown
Michael van Gerwen v Brendan Dolan
Gary Anderson v Justin Pipe

Sunday July 19 (1800)
5x First Round Matches
Mensur Suljovic v Jamie Hughes
Glen Durrant v Jeffrey de Zwaan
Rob Cross v Gabriel Clemens
Peter Wright v Jose De Sousa
Michael Smith v Jonny Clayton

Monday July 20 (1800)
5x First Round Matches
Dave Chisnall v Vincent van der Voort
Ian White v Joe Cullen
Daryl Gurney v Ricky Evans
Gerwyn Price v Danny Noppert
Adrian Lewis v Steve Beaton

Tuesday July 21 (1800)
1x First Round, 4x Second Round Matches
Nathan Aspinall v Dimitri Van den Bergh
Smith/Clayton v Suljovic/Hughes
Anderson/Pipe v Wade/Brown
Van Gerwen/Dolan v Whitlock/Joyce
Cross/Clemens v Ratajski/Wattimena

Wednesday July 22 (1900)
4x Second Round Matches
Gurney/Evans v Chisnall/Van der Voort
Aspinall/Van den Bergh v White/Cullen
Wright/De Sousa v Durrant/De Zwaan
Price/Noppert v Lewis/Beaton

Thursday July 23 (1900)
2x Quarter-Finals

Friday July 24 (1900)
2x Quarter-Finals

Saturday July 25 (2000)
Semi-Finals

Sunday July 26 (2030)
Final

Matchplay Draw: Cross To Meet German Giant.

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Rob Cross will begin his defence of the Betfred World Matchplay title against German debutant Gabriel Clemens, with the draw for this year’s tournament having been made on Sunday evening.

2018 World Champion Cross captured the World Matchplay title in memorable fashion by defeating Michael Smith 12 months ago.

He will open his challenge to retain the Phil Taylor trophy against emerging star Clemens, the 2019 German Darts Masters finalist, after the pair were drawn together for the first round of the event, which will be held from July 18-26 at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes.

World number one Michael van Gerwen has drawn Brendan Dolan in the first round, with World Champion Peter Wright drawing Jose De Sousa – who will make history as the first Portugese player to compete in the event.

2018 World Matchplay champion Gary Anderson faces Justin Pipe, and 2007 winner James Wade will play Isle of Wight ace Keegan Brown.

World number three Gerwyn Price has drawn Dutchman Danny Noppert, 2019 runner-up Smith plays Wales’ Jonny Clayton and Nathan Aspinall takes on double World Youth Champion Dimitri Van den Bergh.

Norther Ireland’s Daryl Gurney meets Ricky Evans, who held on to claim the final qualifying place from the PDC’s ProTour Order of Merit.

Dave Chisnall and Vincent van der Voort will meet in a clash of two quick-throwing players, while Glen Durrant and Jeffrey de Zwaan – who have reached a semi-final apiece in the past two years – also clash.

2018 finalist Mensur Suljovic will play Jamie Hughes and another World Matchplay runner-up, Adrian Lewis, takes on veteran star Steve Beaton.

Ian White meets leading ProTour Order of Merit qualifier Joe Cullen, Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski drew Dutchman Jermaine Wattimena and Simon Whitlock, the world number 16, plays debutant Ryan Joyce – who qualified after winning one of the five PDC Summer Series events in Milton Keynes this week.

South Africa’s Devon Petersen mounted a late bid to qualify as he reached Sunday’s semi-finals, but agonisingly he missed a dart to defeat Price and reach the final – although he had needed to win the event to snatch a World Matchplay debut.

The Betfred World Matchplay will be held behind closed doors from July 18-26 at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes, broadcast live on Sky Sports, RTL7, DAZN and the PDC’s worldwide broadcast partners.

2020 Betfred World Matchplay
Draw Bracket
(1) Michael van Gerwen v Brendan Dolan
(16) Simon Whitlock v Ryan Joyce
(8) Gary Anderson v Justin Pipe
(9) James Wade v Keegan Brown
(4) Rob Cross v Gabriel Clemens
(13) Krzysztof Ratajski v Jermaine Wattimena
(5) Michael Smith v Jonny Clayton
(12) Mensur Suljovic v Jamie Hughes
(2) Peter Wright v Jose De Sousa
(15) Glen Durrant v Jeffrey de Zwaan
(7) Daryl Gurney v Ricky Evans
(10) Dave Chisnall v Vincent van der Voort
(3) Gerwyn Price v Danny Noppert
(14) Adrian Lewis v Steve Beaton
(6) Nathan Aspinall v Dimitri Van den Bergh
(11) Ian White v Joe Cullen

Summer Series: The Full SP.

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Ranked PDC events return this week with the Summer Series of five one-day Players Championship events in Milton Keynes – here we explain the format of these vital tournaments.

Players Championship general view

BACKGROUND

Players Championship events are the one-day, £75,000 tournaments which form part of the PDC ProTour alongside the European Tour, which features three-day events.

They act as a starting-point for newcomers to the PDC circuit and a chance for all players to secure their qualification for TV events – with one successful day able to bag a player £10,000 in prize money and a potentially life-changing spot on the big stage!

Each Players Championship features a 128-player field, with places initially open to the 128 PDC Tour Card Holders. Should any Tour Card Holders opt not to enter, then the field is topped up with players from the PDC Unicorn Challenge Tour Order of Merit.

For the PDC Summer Series, a total of 117 Tour Card Holders are in action, giving 11 Challenge Tour players their chance to compete in the five Players Championship events. Click here to see the entries.

A total of 30 Players Championship events are planned for 2020, with eight having already been staged before the coronavirus pandemic brought a halt to ranked tournaments in mid-March.

Betfred World Matchplay

THE RANKINGS

Prize money won in each event goes towards the PDC Order of Merit, the ProTour Order of Merit and also the Players Championship Order of Merit, counting towards qualification for televised events during 2020.

In addition, a Summer Series Order of Merit will also be in operation, with a place in the 2020 Grand Slam of Darts on offer for the player to win the most prize money across the five days in Milton Keynes.



GAME ON!

Each day’s play will commence at 1200 BST, with the 128 players initially drawn across 16 playing boards for the early rounds.

This includes two streamed boards, which will see matches broadcast through PDCTV and bookmakers’ websites worldwide throughout the tournament.

Matches from the first round through to the quarter-finals are the best of 11 legs, with the semi-finals being the best of 13 legs and the final being the best of 15 legs.

The draw sees the top 32 players from the ProTour Order of Merit (based on 12 months’ prize money) seeded for each event, and each knockout event plays down in a bracket format to find the eventual winner.



HISTORY

The PDC initially introduced the ProTour in 2002 when two-day UK Open Regional Qualifiers were added to the circuit, and in the following year the first one-day Players Championship took place, named as the Bobby Bourn Memorial Trophy in honour of the late PDC official.

Prize money has increased from £12,000 in 2002 to £75,000 per event in 2020, which includes £10,000 to the winner. Prize money begins from the Last 64 onwards, and is allocated as follows:
Winner – £10,000
Runner-Up – £6,000
Semi-Finalists – £3,000
Quarter-Finalists – £2,250
Fourth Round Losers (L16) – £1,500
Third Round Losers (L32) – £1,000
Second Round Losers (L64) – £500
First Round Losers (L128) – £0
Total – £75,000

The Players Championship winners so far in 2020 are:
PC1 – Gary Anderson
PC2 – Nathan Aspinall
PC3 – Ryan Searle
PC4 – Krzysztof Ratajski
PC5 – Peter Wright
PC6 – Gerwyn Price
PC7 – Nathan Aspinall
PC8 – Ian White

The PDC Summer Series will be broadcast live on PDCTV from July 8-12.

Race To The Matchplay. It’s On!

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The Matchplay is on we are all looking forward to live darts, being back on our screens, next month. The PDC have clarified the ranking issues and looked at the situation facing players during the Summer Series earlier in July.

BETFRED WORLD MATCHPLAY 2019 WINTER GARDENS, BLACKPOOL PIC;LAWRENCE LUSTIG ROUND I GENERAL VIEW IN ACTION

The PDC will resume ranked tournaments with the Summer Series of five Players Championship events taking place from July 8-12 behind closed doors at the Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes.

These will be the last five events to take place before the new World Matchplay cut-off date of July 12, and with £375,000 in prize money on offer, all 128 competing players will have the chance to force their way into the 32-player field.

The top 16 players from the PDC Order of Merit will be seeded for the World Matchplay, and they will be joined by 16 qualifiers from the one-year ProTour Order of Merit.

The tables below show the latest standings in the race to the Betfred World Matchplay, displaying each player’s minimum prize money by the new cut-off date on July 12.

BETFRED WORLD MATCHPLAY 2019 WINTER GARDENS, BLACKPOOL PIC;LAWRENCE LUSTIG KRZYSZTOF RATAJSKI IN ACTION

Glen Durrant, a semi-finalist on his World Matchplay debut last year, is poised to move into the world’s top 16 alongside Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski to claim seeded places in the event.

Reigning champion Rob Cross is currently set to be the fourth seed in his challenge to retain the Phil Taylor Trophy, while 2018 champion Gary Anderson is in the provisional eighth seeding position.

Ryan Searle, a Players Championship winner earlier this year, is on course to claim his World Matchplay debut amongst the 16 ProTour Order of Merit qualifiers, with Jose De Sousa, Gabriel Clemens and Dimitri Van den Bergh also presently in line to compete in the prestigious event for the first time.

The PDC Summer Series will also be offering a place in the 2020 Grand Slam of Darts for the player who wins the most prize money across the five days, with the events also providing a chance for players to boost their chances of securing places in other televised events such as the Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals and William Hill World Darts Championship.

“All Hair and No Flair” They Said. How Wright Proved Them Wrong!

Posted on | by Phil Lanning | Leave a Comment on “All Hair and No Flair” They Said. How Wright Proved Them Wrong!

THEY said he was all hair and no flair. It was just a novelty act, a multi-colored Mohican, style over substance. He was even called a ‘clown’. But boy, has Peter Wright proved everyone wrong.

Wright’s flair has added to a game previously dominated by polo shirts and polyester!

In truth Wright, 50, is a total contradiction of persona v personality. The oche punk look could not be further from his real character. He’s quiet, reserved, and verging on shy, very softly spoken and often emotional. Wright was close to tears when he admitted: “My mum was 16 when she had me and my dad was in jail.“But her sisters didn’t think she was up to bringing me up at one stage and they were apparently talking about taking me off her.

Wright burst on to the elite scene six years ago by reaching the World Championship Final and has since been consistent at the highest level before landing the big one on New Year’s Day.

Ask anyone about darts and where once they’d talk about Eric Bristow or Phil Taylor, now they say: “That bloke with the colourful, spiky hair.”Wrighty admits he grew up watching the likes Ziggy Stardust and Boy George which inspired the hair – and the best is yet to come on the oche.

He added: 

“I know what people have said about me, I know people thought I was just a novelty and a weird haircut.“

When I was young I experimented I did have some sort of Mohican and I used to colour the back of my head with food dye!

“In the charts then were David Bowie, Boy George and all that lot all dressed up as well. “It was my idea of colouring my hair for darts. It was the Blue Square UK Open and I decided to have blue hair for it, I think that was 2009. “But I always believed in my own ability”.

“The hair, the clothes are just my stage persona. That’s what prepares me for matches, my warpaint if you like.”

 “I like to learn from other players, watch the top guys such as Phil, Michael (Van Gerwen), Gary (Anderson) and Adrian Lewis and pick up their best points. “I always go out to keep improving and that’s brought me to where I am now. But there’s a lot more to come.”

The ultimate reward! Snakebite captures the games’ biggest trophy. (pic: Taylor Lanning)

This wonderful down-to-earth guy Wright has shut down all the haters. The “clown” took the biggest crown.

Pix: Taylor Lanning