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The Championship Darts Corporation is set to return to action later this month, with weekends planned in Canada and the USA for players to qualify for the William Hill World Darts Championship and BetVictor World Cup of Darts.
The CDC circuit has not been able to commence so far in 2020, although an online Championship League and “Cyber Series” virtual tour have been running to keep players in North America active.
However, the CDC is to stage two four-event weekends which will give CDC Tour Card Holders their chance to secure places in the World Cup and World Championship.
Canadian players will be competing on September 26-27 in Woodstock, Ontario – with one place in the World Cup team alongside PDC Tour Card Holder Jeff Smith on offer alongside one spot in the World Championship.
American players will then play off on October 3-4, with two places in the World Cup team available alongside one World Championship place.
In addition, with the North American Championship not having been held in 2020, the World Championship place usually reserved for that event has been awarded to 2019 CDC Continental Cup winner Danny Lauby due to the exceptional circumstances this year.
Each weekend will be open to CDC Tour Card Holders from that country only (with no qualifying events for non-Tour Card Holders), and will feature four events (two per day).
World Cup qualification will see points earned in the four events added to the players’ 2019 total on the CDC Order of Merit.
For World Championship places, the selection will be based on performances across those four events alone, with the leading player in Canada and the USA progressing to compete at Alexandra Palace.
Championship Darts Corporation Canadian weekend – September 26-27, Woodstock, Ontario USA weekend – October 3-4, Indianapolis, Indiana
The events will be staged by the CDC under strict regulations, which will include a temperature & welfare check on arrival for all players, social distancing and limits on the number of people permitted in a venue.
Darts World’s fabulous and long-serving North American contributor gave us the following round-up for Darts World 570. By the way, Steve could play a bit as well!
Well, what a year this has been! I honestly never thought I would see the world come to a standstill, but thanks to Covid-19, it certainly has. Of course, now things are getting worse, there is no telling what could happen from here.
I know that everybody has been affected, but the darts scene worldwide has been totally decimated. What really saddens me is that the World Darts Federation had so many wonderful plans for everyone, and now we have no idea what the future may bring. I sincerely hope that we can get back on track in the not-too-distant future, but I fear that we will still be suffering from this well into next year.
As far as darts in the US, what makes it more complicated than in other countries, is that we aren’t affected by National laws and policies, but by state and local ones. So, what is allowed in one state may not be allowed in a neighbouring state. Things had started looking up last month, certainly around here in Cincinnati, as we started to see some local events returning. Of course, it does seem crazy when most states are still basically on lockdown, yet we are having ADO sanctioned tournaments in Alaska!
As you probably know, some areas are worse than others, and Florida is being particularly badly hit. Already, there have been at least a dozen dart pubs down there that have been lost for good. I’m sure there will be others, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see some leagues disappear also.
Dave Kelly who sadly passed away this summer.
In addition to all the virus problems, it hurts me to report that we recently lost two of America’s best players. You may have seen about the sad passing of Boston’s Dave Kelly. Dave reached the semi-final of the Winmau World Masters in 1991, and represented the US on many occasions, both in the BDO/WDF and the PDC. On a personal note, I had the great pleasure of partnering Dave to victory in the Men’s Pairs at the 1994 North American Open, where we beat Bob Anderson and Shayne Burgess in the final.
We also lost Quakertown, PA’s Charles Cressman that same weekend. I never knew Charles personally, but he was one of the big names on the American scene back in the 1980’s.
I’ll be back next month with an update from this side of the Atlantic, and I’m hoping that I can be more positive than I feel right now!
Well, we can safely say that 2020 has not panned out as expected. Sport has come to a grinding halt, and whilst the world tries to establish some kind of normal during this unprecedented situation, darts has managed to find a way to not only keep going but provide competitive and entertaining action during the lockdown.
Laura Turner: World Number 9 and a Sky Sport Pundit.
Yes, it’s diff erent…but kudos to the creative thinking behind the Sky Sports Darts from Home Series, PDC Home Tour, Modus Icon of Darts and the Remote Darts League, to name a few, as well as the organisers of the numerous online tournaments which have kept players active during the lockdown. With the appetite for women’s darts at an all-time high following the success of Fallon Sherrock at the World Championships and subsequent appearance at the Premier League where she secured a draw again pole-placed Glen Durrant, it’s no surprise that a few top-flight female players have toed-the-oche alongside their male counterparts.
Both Sherrock and Mikuru Suzuki starred against the 16-times World Champion Phil Taylor in The Sky Sports Darts from Home Series, with Suzuki edged out by Taylor 7-5, registering just south of a 100 average in the process. Sherrock, who is building on the impressive form she displayed both at the Ally Pally and in Nottingham, led Taylor for most of the match following an early break of throw but despite Sherrock hitting a whopping 121.61 average, was denied a win following an inspired 167 checkout from ‘The Power’ in the deciding leg, The Modus Icon of Darts League have seen both Sherrock and three-times Women’s World Champion Anastasia Dobromyslova feature, with Sherrock securing multiple wins over several players including Martin Adams, Scott Mitchell and Paul Nicholson.
Laura’s column can be found in its full glory in DW570.
Sherrock has also kept darts featured in the mainstream media, with a dedicated documentary airing on Sky Sports and as one of 18 nominations for BBC Sport’s ‘best British women’s sporting moment’, where she finished 5th overall, above sporting icons including Rebecca Addlington and the Women’s World Cup-winning cricket team.
Lisa Ashton, who back in January became the first female player to secure a tour card via Q-School, has also been back in action, as she joined Micky Mansell, Ross Smith and Geert Nentjes in the PDC Home Tour. Ashton suffered defeats at the hands of both Nentjes and Smith, but dashed Mansell’s chances of progressing by taking a 5-3 win over the Clonoe Cyclone.
2018 Women’s World Master Lorraine Winstanley, alongside New Zealand’s Tina Osborne, the USA’s Stacey Pace and myself were part of the 16-strong line up for RDL2. The online playing experience is a surreal one, but the opportunity to compete against players we would never normally get the opportunity to, such as Tony O’Shea, James Richardson and Jim Williams, was too good to miss. It’s kept me actively playing, pushing to improve and resulted in an early win over WDF World Cup Champion Darren Herewini.
All in all, with the circumstances as they are, it’s great to see female stars of the sport still able to showcase their talents and keep promoting this ever-growing side of the game.
The original version of this article appears in Darts World 570
Laura Turner is No.9 in the BDO Ladies World rankings. She is also a TV pundit for Sky Sports.
DARTS WORLD’s most recent ‘Player of the Month‘ is Natalie Gilbert from Tamworth in Staffordshire. Natalie will join the Hall of Fame as well as winning herself a superb set of Winmau darts.
Natalie Gilbert in action
The summary of Natalie’s in Darts World 570 ran as follows:
The latest winner of our long-running ‘Player of the Month’ competition is Natalie Gilbert of Tamworth. Natalie has achieved much, within a short space of time, within darts and several people nominated her for recognition.
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During the lockdown period, Natalie has excellent in several ‘remote’ leagues whilst continuing to work for the NHS, she topped the table in the ‘Top Gun League’ and performed strongly in mixed field events.
Darts World magazine congratulates Natalie and wishes her well in her future darts endeavours.
She seems a player worth keeping an eye on……..
We spoke to Natalie after publication. The modest Staffordshire thrower seemed both surprised and delighted to have won.
Wow, that lovely. How did that happen! Its great that darts people nominated me. Thankyou very much!
Darts World will hope to see more of Natalie, and many other female players, at the upcoming PDC Women’s Series being held at the Barnsley Metrodome.
The fantastic folk at Winmau will be sending Natalie her prize imminently and we shall be soon opening nominations for the next player deserving of recognition. If you have a nomination then keep an eye on our social media channels for more information.
The PDC Women’s Series weekend from October 16-18 has moved from Cannock to the Barnsley Metrodome due to issues with the venue.
FALLON SHERROCK Pic: Christopher Dean
The three days of action will begin with a Grand Slam of Darts Qualifier on Friday, October 16, with one place in November’s tournament on offer.
The action on Saturday October 17 and Sunday October 18 will see two Women’s Series events held on each day, offering £5,000 in prize money apiece.
The mini-tour will then see the top two players secure places in the William Hill World Darts Championship.
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. Entry is free to the Grand Slam of Darts Qualifier.
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.
2020 PDC Women’s Series Friday, October 16 – Grand Slam of Darts Qualifier Saturday, October 17 – PDC Women’s Series Events One & Two Sunday, October 18 – PDC Women’s Series Events Three & Four
DETA HEDMAN admits that she’s a “fighter” having dealt with race issues all through her oche career.
The Jamaican-born star has amassed a whopping 214 titles since taking up the sport in the mid-80s after moving to the UK.
But three-times Worlds runner-up Hedman, 60, has revealed that some of her biggest battles have been off the oche and almost made her quit.
She told the BBC Sport Insight series:
“Sometimes you just think, ‘oh for God’s sake’. I thought to myself why should I give up?
“It’s something I enjoy. If you don’t like me then that’s your problem. I’m not here to please you. I’m here to play a game that I enjoy. I won’t be pushed out by someone. I just tried not to let them grind me down.”
Hedman took a break from the sport from 2007 to 2010 and then almost received racist abuse via email in the sport.
She added:
“You think: ‘Really? In this day and age?’
“I just take it in my stride, if they say it in front of me I confront them. If I hear somebody say something and I don’t know who it is I can’t do anything about it.”
“I am a fighter. I don’t give up. If I like something and I want to do something, I will climb mountains to do it. When I get there and I’ve achieved it then I’ve done it so it’s basically: in your face.
“That’s my mentality and if somebody tries to put me down I will not sit down until I get the better of them.
That’s what drives me.”
Hedman was left in floods of tears after getting abuse in early 2019. She said at the time: She added: “Racism in sport never went away, it’s still there, believe you me. They’re never quite as open as they used to be.
“But on the odd occasion someone will say something. But you don’t know who it is, it’s still going on behind closed doors.
“One prime example I was in Czech Republic and a person with an English accent, Paul was watching behind, and the
person actually went ‘I didn’t know they trained monkeys to play darts’.
“I’ve been playing darts now for over 40 years and I think it depends where you live.
“When you play in the World Cup there’s South Africa, Jamaica, West Indies and black people. Because it’s such a long way to travel to Europe.
“I’m fortunate that England is my country. But it’s a long way to come to the tour and very expensive for other players to do that from those places. That’s why there’s not many black people in darts.”
LISA ASHTON believes the ladies are ready to go up “another level” after the PDC announced their first-ever Women’s Series.
The PDC will stage a four-event Women’s Series in October, giving players the opportunity to qualify for the William Hill World Darts Championship as well as the Grand Slam of Darts.
Two places in the 2020/21 World Championship will be on offer for female players based on prize money won across the four events to be held on October 17-18 in Cannock.
There has been a groundswell of support for the women’s game since Fallon Sherrock’s two wins at the Worlds and Ashton becoming the first woman to gain a PDC tour card in January.
Three-time World Champion Ashton, 49, now reckons the ladies have to take this opportunity.
She said:
“It is brilliant news and it’s come at the right time for ladies darts to be fair. It’s nice that they’ve been listening to us and giving us this opportunity.
“I’m really looking forward to it and hopefully I can do well in them.
“It’s giving ladies darts another step, another level. We’ve always had the BDO and that’s the only competition we’ve ever had. We’ve never had the opportunity to go up another level.
“To be brought into the Professional Darts Corporation. This is the chance now and we’ve got to back it and prove what we’ve been saying. I know we are all determined to do it.
“We have had the BDO for years, but with this new progress we are starting from scratch. We’ve now got to push it forward.
“There’s younger girls coming into the Junior Darts Corporation now, we’ve got to build a structure for them now and into the PDC. Then they’ve got something to aim for.
“The money is massive there they can potentially win. Hopefully they can build it up and gain as much money as the men have got.”
The mini-tour in October will replace the two separate qualifying tournaments for the World Championship which have been staged over the past two years, offering £20,000 prize money in total across the four events.
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.
Ahead of the four PDC Women’s Series events, a separate, free-to-enter Grand Slam of Darts Qualifier will be staged on Friday October 16, offering one place in November’s tournament.
Ashton added: “The way I’m looking at it is that I’m focusing on myself because it’s a new chapter in my life. I just want to be so successful.
“But I want to keep proving what ladies darts is all about and what our levels can go to. Then when I do retire hopefully I have left a legacy for young girls to look at and know they can do this and follow in my footsteps.”
New darts organisation MAD is launching a scheme to acknowledge the contribution of darts champions who are not currently PDC professionals. Many have had their opportunities to play restricted or even removed by the current difficulties within the non-professional game.
MADs Icon scheme seeks to give credit where it is due and perhaps encourage some of these tungsten titans to take part, support or act in ambassadorial ways.
Deta Hedman : Another Honorary Icon from MAD
All-day Darts World has been presenting the World champion ICONS. Starting with current champion Wayne Warren and including legendary figures such as Phil Taylor, Raymond van Barneveld and many many more.
The next group of ‘ICONS’ includes more World Champions and other figures whose contribution to the game is not yet calculable.
MAD founder Steve Brown stated:
” MAD recognises darting excellence from all areas of the current game and is delighted to offer a springboard for the female game.
These ICONS have blazed a trail and still have an important role to play both on and off the oche. MAD will be their natural home.”
The Female Champions:
Mikuru Suzuki
Anastasia Dobromyslova
Fallon Sherrock
Lorraine Winstanley
Deta Hedman
Aileen De Graaf
Trina Gulliver
Francis Hoonselaar
Julie Gore
Linda Ithurallde
Karin Krappen
Anne Kirk
Karen Lawback
Mandy Solomons
Leeanne Maddock
Rhian Speed
The women’s events developed slowly over the thirty-two years covered and so far the list includes World Champions, Women’s World Masters, World Trophy, and Finder Masters Winners.
Steve Brown added
“The MAD Icons scheme will be expanded and more great names will doubtless be added in recognition of their contribution to our sport”.
Many more great names from all areas of the globe and representing every aspect of the game will be awarded honorary MAD ‘ICON’ status. Darts World looks forward to meeting and introducing them.
The PDC will stage a four-event Women’s Series in October 2020, giving players the opportunity to qualify for the William Hill World Darts Championship as well as the Grand Slam of Darts.
GRAND SLAM OF DARTS 2019WOLVERHAMPTON (PIC LAWRENCE LUSTIG) MIKURU SUZUKI & DIMITRI VAN DEN BERGH .
Two places in the 2020/21 World Championship will be on offer for female players based on prize money won across the four events to be held on October 17-18 in Cannock.
The mini-tour will replace the two separate qualifying tournaments for the World Championship which have been staged over the past two years, offering £20,000 prize money in total across the four events.
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.
Ahead of the four PDC Women’s Series events, a separate, free-to-enter Grand Slam of Darts Qualifier will be staged on Friday October 16, offering one place in November’s tournament.
Lisa Ashton became the first woman to win a PDC Tour Card at Qualifying School earlier this year – amongst 16 female players competing in the event – while Fallon Sherrock created history and worldwide headlines with her run to the third round of the 2019/2020 World Championship, defeating Ted Evetts and Mensur Suljovic.
Anastasia Dobromyslova had joined Ashton in qualifying for the 2018/2019 World Championship, while Japan’s Mikuru Suzuki competed alongside Sherrock at Alexandra Palace last year.
Ashton and Suzuki also played in the Grand Slam of Darts last year, and could secure another appearance in the event if they win through the qualifier on October 16.
The PDC will stage a four-event Women’s Series in October 2020, giving players the opportunity to qualify for the William Hill World Darts Championship as well as the Grand Slam of Darts.
Two places in the 2020/21 World Championship will be on offer for female players based on prize money won across the four events to be held on October 17-18 in Cannock.
The mini-tour will replace the two separate qualifying tournaments for the World Championship which have been staged over the past two years, offering £20,000 prize money in total across the four events.
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.
Ahead of the four PDC Women’s Series events, a separate, free-to-enter Grand Slam of Darts Qualifier will be staged on Friday October 16, offering one place in November’s tournament.
Lisa Ashton became the first woman to win a PDC Tour Card at Qualifying School earlier this year – amongst 16 female players competing in the event – while Fallon Sherrock created history and worldwide headlines with her run to the third round of the 2019/2020 World Championship, defeating Ted Evetts and Mensur Suljovic.
Anastasia Dobromyslova had joined Ashton in qualifying for the 2018/2019 World Championship, while Japan’s Mikuru Suzuki competed alongside Sherrock at Alexandra Palace last year.
Ashton and Suzuki also played in the Grand Slam of Darts last year, and could secure another appearance in the event if they win through the qualifier on October 16.
“Women’s darts at the top level has never enjoyed as high a profile and this is an important development,”
said PDC Chief Executive Matthew Porter.
“This year has seen sport worldwide affected by the coronavirus pandemic and it is hugely encouraging at a time when other sports are seeing opportunities for women reduced that we are able to bring in the PDC Women’s Series and create a place in the 2020 Grand Slam of Darts.
“We are also retaining two places in the William Hill World Darts Championship for female players, giving them the opportunity to take part in our sport’s biggest tournament once again after the historic achievements of Fallon Sherrock last December.”
Entry for the PDC Women’s Series will be available in due course via www.pdcplayers.com, with players who have not previously competed in PDC events needing to Register with the system first.
2020 PDC Women’s Series Friday October 16 – Grand Slam of Darts Qualifier Saturday October 17 – PDC Women’s Series Events One & Two Sunday October 18 – PDC Women’s Series Events Three & Four
Venue Chase Leisure Centre Stafford Road Cannock WS11 4AL
said PDC Chief Executive Matthew Porter.
“This year has seen sport worldwide affected by the coronavirus pandemic and it is hugely encouraging at a time when other sports are seeing opportunities for women reduced that we are able to bring in the PDC Women’s Series and create a place in the 2020 Grand Slam of Darts.
“We are also retaining two places in the William Hill World Darts Championship for female players, giving them the opportunity to take part in our sport’s biggest tournament once again after the historic achievements of Fallon Sherrock last December.”
Entry for the PDC Women’s Series will be available in due course via www.pdcplayers.com, with players who have not previously competed in PDC events needing to Register with the system first.
2020 PDC Women’s Series Friday October 16 – Grand Slam of Darts Qualifier Saturday October 17 – PDC Women’s Series Events One & Two Sunday October 18 – PDC Women’s Series Events Three & Four
Venue Chase Leisure Centre Stafford Road Cannock WS11 4AL
One of the shocking things to be reminded of whilst going through the ‘Darts World Years’ was how late in the day a Women’s World Championship cam into existence. Shockingly it was in the 21st Century!
Regardless of your views on segregated events its seems a strange anomaly that there had been a Winmau Women’s World Masters and several other top quality events but no official World Championships.
The remarkable Trina Gulliver has dominated the event since its initiation. After winning the first title in 2001, the ‘Golden Girl went on to claim a remarkable 6 in a row. Trina has claimed the title on three more occasions since that run was halted by Anastasia in 2008. A total of nine from twenty events is simply astonishing.
More on this event as we progress through ‘The Darts World Years’.
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