Fallon Sherrock, Andy Baetens and Andy Hamilton were among the latest 16 players to progress to the Final Stage of PDC Qualifying Schools on Tuesday.
Day Two of the 2024 PDC Qualifying Schools saw the First Stage action continue in Milton Keynes and Kalkar, as the battle to progress to the Final Stage intensifies.
Over 850 players will be action across the respective events this week, as hundreds of hopefuls bid to become permanent fixtures on the professional circuit in 2024-2025.
First Stage, taking place from January 8-10, sees players from across the globe attempting to qualify to compete in the Final Stage, where Tour Cards will be on offer from January 11-14.
Eight players per day will progress from the First Stage at each venue, with all further places going to players from a First Stage Order of Merit in each region.
Former Women’s World Matchplay champion Sherrock was among the eight players to advance through First Stage at UK Q School on Tuesday, after producing a host of fine displays to preserve her hopes of claiming a coveted Tour Card.
The 29-year-old averaged 96 in a 5-1 demolition of Ryan Hogarth, and after edging out Adrian Gray in a last-leg tussle, she averaged 97 to whitewash Brett Claydon and seal her Final Stage berth in emphatic style.
2012 World Darts Championship runner-up Hamilton also won through to the last eight on a gruelling day at the Marshall Arena, denying Stuart Wares in a nine-leg affair, before claiming a quartet of 5-3 wins to confirm his progress.
Former Tour Card Holder Chris Quantock celebrated a trio of 5-0 wins to boost his hopes of a ProTour return, averaging 105 to dispatch David Evans, before seeing off Ashley Coleman by the same scoreline in their last 16 showdown.
Charlie Martin defied a 101 average from former CDC Continental Cup champion Alex Spellman to win through a high-quality last 16 tussle, despite the American landing a trio of ton-topping averages throughout the afternoon.
Ireland’s Shane McGuirk – a winner on the Winmau Development Tour in 2019 – also moved through to the Final Stage, where he will be joined by Patrik Williams, Jamie Atkins and Welshman Kevin Lane, who made up Tuesday’s eight UK qualifiers.
Despite succumbing in the last 16, Spellman was the stand-out performer in Milton Keynes, averaging 99.71 across his five matches, which included a 106 average in a 5-1 thumping of Jim McEwan, who also averaged over 100 in defeat.
Darts World’s Colin Osborne got his campaign underway with same handy battling wins and opened the door to stage two qualification. The Wizard twice came back from behind to reach the last 32 and add three wins to his total.
However, newly crowned WDF Champion Baetens stole the headlines at European Qualifying School, storming through a 457-player field to book his place in the Final Stage in Kalkar.
The Belgian lost just six legs in as many matches, brushing aside Mareno Michels in the last 64, while outlasting Poland’s Miroslaw Grudziecki in the last 16 to cap off a day of darting dominance.
Ron Meulenkamp boosted his hopes of a return to the PDC ProTour with some impressive performances, averaging 101 in a 5-1 blitz of Czech thrower Jiri Brejcha, before rallying from 4-2 down to defeat Benjamin Pratnemer.
Elsewhere, Germany’s Liam Maendl-Lawrance also sealed his spot in the Final Stage – which begins on Thursday – averaging almost 95 in a comprehensive 5-1 success against two-time Premier League participant Jelle Klaasen in the last 16.
Maendl-Lawrance’s compatriot Paul Krohne also won through to the last eight courtesy of a 5-4 victory against Japan’s Ryuta Arihara, who crashed in a mammoth 107.93 average in the previous round.
The remaining qualifiers in Kalkar included Dutchman Angelo Balsamo, Czech youngster Roman Benecky, Croatia’s World Cup representative Romeo Grbavac and Hungary’s Pal Szekely.
First Stage of UK and European Qualifying Schools will conclude on Wednesday, where a further 16 players will automatically progress to Final Stage.
The remaining places will be allocated to players from a First Stage Order of Merit in each region, with one ranking point awarded per match from the first full round onwards.
If two or more players are tied on points, they will be separated in the Merit Table by (in order until they can be split): leg difference, legs won, DartConnect average based on their totals in their matches.
Results in all matches played at the relevant stage are included in this countback. If the players cannot be split, a play-off will be organised. In the event of a discrepancy with DartConnect meaning averages cannot be verified, then they will be disregarded.
2024 PDC Qualifying Schools
UK Qualifying School
First Stage (Day Two)
Last 16
Patrik Williams 5-3 Keith Rooney
Andy Hamilton 5-3 Thomas Lovely
Shane McGuirk 5-3 Mark Dudbridge
Kevin Lane 5-2 Thomas Banks
Charlie Martin 5-3 Alex Spellman
Fallon Sherrock 5-0 Brett Claydon
Jamie Atkins 5-3 Dan Read
Chris Quantock 5-0 Ashley Coleman
European Qualifying School
First Stage (Day Two)
Last 16
Ron Meulenkamp 5-4 Benjamin Pratnemer
Pal Szekely 5-4 Patrick Tringler
Roman Benecky 5-1 Michael Stoeten
Romeo Grbavac 5-2 Jeffrey De Graaf
Liam Maendl-Lawrance 5-1 Jelle Klaasen
Andy Baetens 5-3 Miroslaw Grudziecki
Paul Krohne 5-4 Ryuta Arihara
Angelo Balsamo 5-3 Jamai van den Herik
First Stage – January 8-10
UK Qualifying School
Start Time: Approx 1000 GMT
Format: best of nine legs
Last eight players each day progress to Final Stage
European Qualifying School
Start Time: Approx 1000 CET
Format: best of nine legs
Last eight players progress to Final Stage
In addition to the daily automatic players and the players exempt to the Final Stage, further players up to a total of 128 will be taken from the respective UK/European Qualifying School First Stage Orders of Merit following Day Three.
—–ENDS—–
Image: PDC
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