A very busy week sees elite darts back in Leicester as the latest PDC Players Championship double header takes place over Tuesday and Wednesday. First though will be the tour card qualifier for the final places at the World Series of Darts Finals that take place in September in Amsterdam.
The WDF affiliated Welsh Open weekend takes place this week also, the winner will be looking to join a long list of legends claiming the crown. Luke Littler was the 2022 Champion and last year saw the new wonder boy Mitchell Lawrie claim the crown and join a cast of those, including many world and major champions, to have first held aloft the Welsh Open trophy.
The European Tour is not to be left out as the Hungarian Darts Trophy gets underway at the MVM Dome in Budapest this Friday.
Last year saw the rare occurrence of a true outsider capturing a European Tour title as Niko Springer stormed to victory with a gripping last leg triumph over Danny Noppert. Other than Niko’s win this popular event has been won by big name and or European Tour specialists with MVG, Dave Chisnall, Gerwyn Price and Joe Cullen (below) making up the list.
Five years ago saw Johnny Clayton become the latest esteemed winner of the Red Dragon Champion of Champions winner. This remarkable title – something like the old News of The World format – has been lifted by a litany of huge name in darts. Clayton’s Welsh colleagues Gerwyn Price, David Davis, Jim William and Alec Small are joined by Ryan Searle among other. This years event was claimed yesterday by Connor Hopkins.
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Slight variations in the calendar timing mean that although the down under section off the season is over for this year back in 2021 MVG would win the Perth Darts Masters this very week. A hugely dominant Van Gerwen was only seriously pushed once during the event and that was by a certain James Wade who went doe 8-10 in the last eight. A decade later and James won his first WSoD event yesterday
Twenty-five years ago this week
It was a prime Wayne Mardle picking up BDO/WDF title in Denmark. Wayne, long before his coaching and punditry days pictured above, joined a long and storied honours list at a stalwart event in the darts calendar. From early days idols like Stefan Lord and ‘Big’ Cliff Lazerenko through The Power himself to those still playing today such as Gary Anderson, Ian White and Krzysztof Ratajski.
This Week in Darts World Magazine
Over the decades the September issue featured and celebrated the triumph of Peter Evison in the World Matchplay, Kirk Shepherd claiming a second BDO Teenage Championship title. Not too mention The Power surge in 2001 and the early stages of todays PDC tour over the 2011 season.
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