THE three St Helens darters have learned their opponents after the draw for this month's Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals and field was confirmed.
The £600,000 tournament - featuring the top 64 players on the Players Championship Order of Merit following the conclusion of the 30-event 2024 Players Championship season - will take place at Butlin’s Minehead Resort from November 22-24.
The top trio of St Helens arrows aces Dave Chisnall, Michael Smith and Stephen Bunting are all in action in three weeks.
The schedule is yet to be confirmed but fifth seed Chisnall takes on Joe Cullen in a repeat of the 2022 Masters final.
Stephen Bunting – a six-time Players Championship runner-up in 2024 – meets Belgium’s Mario Vandenbogaerde.
And World number two Michael Smith will be keen to avoid a slip up having been paired against newcomer Dom Taylor.
Holder Luke Humphries defeated Michael van Gerwen in a thrilling final 12 months ago, and the world number one kicks off his title defence with an intriguing showdown against German number two Gabriel Clemens.
Van Gerwen opens his challenge against 2019 semi-finalist Ian White, as the Dutch superstar eyes a record-extending eighth Players Championship Finals title next month.
Chris Dobey will be the top seed after winning a trio of Players Championship titles in 2024, and the Bedlington star faces world number eight Nathan Aspinall in a blockbuster clash.
Teenage sensation Luke Littler and 2018 World Champion Rob Cross also go head-to-head in another fascinating showdown, in a repeat of their recent first round tie at the World Grand Prix.
Following a hat-trick of Players Championship successes across the campaign, 2014 champion Gary Anderson makes his Minehead return with a tie against Suffolk star Ryan Meikle.
Daryl Gurney and Peter Wright lock horns in a battle of the former Players Championship Finals winners, .
Ross Smith plays reigning UK Open champion Dimitri Van den Bergh in an eye-catching tussle, while World Grand Prix winner Mike De Decker goes up against Richard Veenstra.
Former finalists Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price take on Florian Hempel and Thibault Tricole respectively, as emerging Dutchman Wessel Nijman meets 2012 runner-up Kim Huybrechts in his opener.
Newly-crowned European Champion Ritchie Edhouse faces Luke Woodhouse in a repeat of their semi-final showdown in Dortmund, while Raymond van Barneveld and Chris Landman collide in an all-Dutch affair.
The first round will take place across a marathon opening day on Friday November 22, with Saturday’s double session featuring the second round in the afternoon, followed by round three in the evening session.
The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will then be held on Sunday November 24, with the Winmau World Youth Championship final taking place during a bumper evening session.
The tournament will be broadcast live on ITV4 in the UK, and through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay.
Coverage will also be broadcast on PDCTV (excluding subscribers in the UK, Germany, Austria and Switzerland), while action from Stage Two will be broadcast worldwide on PDCTV on Friday and Saturday.
The schedule of play will be announced in due course.
2024 Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals.
(1) Chris Dobey v (64) Nathan Aspinall.
(32) William O'Connor v (33) Niels Zonneveld.
(16) Mike De Decker v (49) Richard Veenstra.
(17) Michael van Gerwen v (48) Ian White.
(8) Luke Littler v (57) Rob Cross.
(25) Ritchie Edhouse v (40) Luke Woodhouse.
(9) Danny Noppert v (56) James Hurrell.
(24) James Wade v (41) Stephen Burton.
(4) Ryan Searle v (61) Jeffrey de Graaf.
(29) Gerwyn Price v (36) Thibault Tricole.
(13) Wessel Nijman v (52) Kim Huybrechts.
(20) Gian van Veen v (45) Scott Williams.
(5) Dave Chisnall v (60) Joe Cullen.
(28) Andrew Gilding v (37) Kevin Doets.
(12) Ross Smith v (53) Dimitri Van den Bergh.
(21) Wesley Plaisier v (44) Mensur Suljovic.
(2) Stephen Bunting v (63) Mario Vandenbogaerde.
(31) Martin Lukeman v (34) Connor Scutt.
(15) Daryl Gurney v (50) Peter Wright.
(18) Michael Smith v (47) Dom Taylor.
(7) Josh Rock v (58) Ricky Evans.
(26) Alan Soutar v (39) Jermaine Wattimena.
(10) Jonny Clayton v (55) Florian Hempel.
(23) Dirk van Duijvenbode v (42) Callan Rydz.
(3) Damon Heta v (62) Mervyn King.
(30) Krzysztof Ratajski v (35) Madars Razma.
(14) Raymond van Barneveld v (51) Chris Landman.
(19) Luke Humphries v (46) Gabriel Clemens.
(6) Gary Anderson v (59) Ryan Meikle.
(27) Brendan Dolan v (38) Martin Schindler.
(11) Cameron Menzies v (54) Jim Williams.
(22) Ryan Joyce v (43) Karel Sedlacek.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here