ROB CROSS will begin his defence of the New Zealand Darts Masters against Haupai Puha, as Australian World Cup partners Damon Heta and Simon Whitlock also go head-to-head on Friday night.
The second leg of the PDC’s World Series of Darts Oceanic double-header will take place at the GLOBOX Arena in Hamilton on August 16-17, as reigning champion Cross headlines a star-studded 16-player field.
The 2018 World Champion will open his title challenge against New Zealand’s number one Puha, in a repeat of their first round clash at last weekend’s Australian Darts Masters.
Cross defied a stirring fightback from Puha to close out a 6-5 victory in Wollongong, and the 33-year-old will be hoping for a similar outcome in Hamilton, as he bids to add to his US Darts Masters triumph earlier this year.
Cross or Puha will take on either Heta or Whitlock in the quarter-finals, after Australia’s 2022 World Cup champions were pitted against each other in Friday’s first round.
Gerwyn Price will play Puha’s World Cup partner Ben Robb in another stand-out clash, with the 2022 NZ Darts Masters champion setting his sights on back-to-back World Series titles following his Australian Darts Masters success.
Top seed Luke Littler kicks off his campaign against New Zealand’s Jonny Tata – a shock winner against Peter Wright in Hamilton 12 months ago – as World Champion Luke Humphries plays 2022 quarter-finalist Kayden Milne in his opener.
Humphries or Milne will then face 2023 World Champion Michael Smith or DartPlayers Australia Order of Merit leader Jeremy Fagg, which sets up a possible last eight showdown between the world’s top two in Hamilton.
Elsewhere, two-time World Champion Wright meets televised debutant Daniel Snookes, while UK Open champion Dimitri Van den Bergh goes up against Mark Cleaver, a two-time winner on the DartPlayers New Zealand circuit in 2024.
Friday’s first round gets underway at 1900 local time (0800 BST) at the GLOBOX Arena, before the decisive quarter-finals, semi-finals and final are held on Saturday August 17.
The 2024 New Zealand Darts Masters will be broadcast live on Sky Sport in New Zealand and Fox Sports in Australia, through DAZN in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and on PDCTV in all other global territories.
UK fans can also watch live on PDCTV and ITVX, with delayed coverage on ITV4 beginning from 1900 BST on Friday, and from 1700 BST on Saturday.
2024 New Zealand Darts Masters
August 16-17, GLOBOX Arena, Hamilton
Draw Bracket
(1) Luke Littler v Jonny Tata
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Mark Cleaver
(4) Luke Humphries v Kayden Milne
Michael Smith v Jeremy Fagg
(2) Gerwyn Price v Ben Robb
Peter Wright v Daniel Snookes
(3) Rob Cross v Haupai Puha
Damon Heta v Simon Whitlock
Friday August 16 (1900 local time)
First Round
Peter Wright v Daniel Snookes
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Mark Cleaver
Michael Smith v Jeremy Fagg
Luke Humphries v Kayden Milne
Gerwyn Price v Ben Robb
Rob Cross v Haupai Puha
Luke Littler v Jonny Tata
Damon Heta v Simon Whitlock
Saturday August 17 (1900 local time)
Quarter-Finals
Semi-Finals
Final
Format
First Round – Best of 11 legs
Quarter-Finals – Best of 11 legs
Semi-Finals – Best of 13 legs
Final – Best of 15 legs
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC
