The Masters: Dobey's Defence Details Confirmed

Chris Dobey will begin his defence of the Cazoo Masters title on Friday February 2 on a bumper opening night in Milton Keynes, with the schedule of play for next month’s event now confirmed.

The 12th staging of the Cazoo Masters will see the world’s top 24 players competing for silverware across three days of action at Milton Keynes’ Marshall Arena from February 2-4.

The first round will feature players ranked 9-24 on the PDC Order of Merit, with reigning champion Dobey set to face 2023 UK Open champion Andrew Gilding for a place in Saturday’s second round in a stand-out tie.

Former champions Jonny Clayton, Joe Cullen and James Wade will also headline Friday’s star-studded opening night, as they take on Krzysztof Ratajski, Josh Rock and Dimitri Van den Bergh respectively.

Two-time runner-up Dave Chisnall will open his challenge against Germany’s Martin Schindler, whose World Cup partner Gabriel Clemens will play Australian number one Damon Heta.

Former European Champion Ross Smith faces a resurgent Stephen Bunting for a place in the last 16, while Dirk van Duijvenbode and Ryan Searle collide in the opening match of the tournament.

Following Friday’s eight first round matches, the second round will take place across two sessions on Saturday February 3.

Saturday afternoon’s session will feature four last 16 ties, with 2020 champion Peter Wright set to meet Clayton or Ratajski for a place in the quarter-finals.

Former World Champions Gerwyn Price and Rob Cross will also get their campaigns underway, while world number seven Danny Noppert kicks off Saturday’s double session against Chisnall or Schindler.

Newly crowned World Champion Luke Humphries will begin his title bid on Saturday evening, with Bunting or Ross Smith awaiting the world number one in Milton Keynes.

The winner of Dobey and Gilding’s tussle will play five-time winner Michael van Gerwen, as 2020 runner-up Michael Smith and reigning World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall also enter the tournament.

The 2024 Cazoo Masters will then conclude on Sunday February 4, with the quarter-finals in the afternoon session, followed by the semi-finals and final in a bumper evening session.

The 2024 Cazoo Masters will be broadcast live on ITV in the UK, through the PDC’s worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV (excluding Germany, Austria & Switzerland based subscribers).