Latest news with #ProTourOrderofMerit
Daily Mirror
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Luke Littler to face darts star who raged 'what's the point' after rule change
As darts fans begin to look forward to the World Matchplay, world champion Luke Littler is gearing up to face fellow Englishman Ryan Searle in a difficult start to the competition Luke Littler will face Ryan Searle in the first round of the World Matchplay on July 20, a matter of months after 'Heavy Metal' blasted changes to the European Tour. It is another difficult draw for the 18-year-old, who was knocked out in the first round of the major last year. Michael van Gerwen overcame 'the Nuke' 10-6 to send the World No. 2 crashing out of the competition in Blackpool. While it is not 'Mighty Mike', Searle is a huge banana skin for the world champion. The long-haired world No. 19 will also be looking to claim a huge scalp, a matter of months after hitting out at structural changes he felt favoured top players like Littler. In January, the Professional Darts Corporation announced an upheaval of European Tour regulations. These amendments saw the top 16 players on the PDC Order of Merit be granted byes into the second round of the competition. However, it also meant that players within the top 16 of the Pro Tour Order of Merit, but outside the top 16 of the PDC standings, had to compete in the opening round of the tour events. Searle was left furious by these changes, stating the rule change made the Pro Tour Order of Merit redundant. He took to X and wrote: "What is the point of the ProTour Order of Merit? The one that shows the true form and consistency of players. Asking for a friend." At the time, Damon Heta, who was ranked eighth in the PDC rankings, humoured Searle's post with his own reply. The Australian said: "Mate I thought it was a New Year, new you, with no complaining." Perhaps annoyed his rival and darts colleague did not back his point up with his own post, Searle would go on to reply: "You are already on the face doesn't fit blacklist, so back me up." At the time, Heta had been excluded from the Premier League Darts list, despite the fact he was ranked higher than the likes of Gerwyn Price and Nathan Aspinall – who both reached the semi-final stages at the O2 Arena – at the time. After the PDC Winmau World Masters in February, Searle reaffirmed his feelings towards the changes when he said: "Obviously, I'm not happy about that, because I'm not in the top 16 yet. If I beat Johnny (Clayton) tomorrow, I might get in the top 16 so it won't affect me, but that doesn't mean that I still agree with it. "The top 16 are protected as it is anyway, and that only makes it worse. So yeah, obviously I do a lot of travelling, going to all the Euro Tours, I try and do as many Pro Tours as I can and it just feels like a bit of a kick in the teeth. "It's just one of those things and I'll deal with it. I try not to moan too much, I've said this year that I'm not going to moan. I'm just going to get my head down, put a lot more effort in than I have in the past and see where that takes me.' If Searle goes on to beat Littler in round one, it would likely be extra sweet, given his previous grievances. The competition, which will see the winner earn £200,000, begins on Saturday, July 19 and will be opened by world No. 1 and defending champion Luke Humphries taking on Gian van Veen.
Metro
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Metro
World Matchplay Darts draw sees legends collide in Blackpool
Dutch legends Michael van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld meet in the opening round of the World Matchplay, in one of a string of standout ties in Blackpool. Five-time world champion Barney is still competing at 58 years old and remains hopeful that he can win his first Matchplay title, although he faces a man 22 years his junior who has won it three times. One of the highlights of the darts calendar runs from July 19-27 this year at the Winter Gardens, with the winner leaving Blackpool with a £200,000 top prize. The Matchplay sees the top 16 in the world rankings drawn against the top 16 on the PDC's Pro Tour Order of Merit, so it is a field boasting quality and form. Defending champion and world number one Luke Humphries has a very tough opening test against Gian van Veen. As ever there will be plenty of attention on Luke Littler, with the Nuke taking on Ryan Searle in his first round match. The world champion is playing in the Matchplay for only the second time and is looking to pick up his first win in the famous old tournament. There are attractive ties throughout the draw, with other standouts including James Wade playing Joe Cullen, Ross Smith taking on Josh Rock and Gerwyn Price meeting Daryl Gurney. (1) Luke Humphries v Gian van Veen(16) Danny Noppert v Cameron Menzies(8) Nathan Aspinall v Wessel Nijman(9) James Wade v Joe Cullen(4) Stephen Bunting v Ryan Joyce(13) Gary Anderson v Luke Woodhouse(5) Jonny Clayton v Martin Schindler (12) Dave Chisnall v Mike De Decker (2) Luke Littler v Ryan Searle(15) Peter Wright v Jermaine Wattimena(7) Damon Heta v Andrew Gilding(10) Rob Cross v Dirk van Duijvenbode(3) Michael van Gerwen v Raymond van Barneveld(14) Ross Smith v Josh Rock(6) Chris Dobey v Ricardo Pietreczko (11) Gerwyn Price v Daryl Gurney The Women's World Matchplay is also played on the final Sunday of the tournament, July 27. More Trending The event features eight players coming in at the quarter-final stage as Beau Greaves plays Kirsi Viinkainen, Lisa Ashton meets Robyn Byrne, Noa-Lynn van Leuven takes on Lorraine Winstanley and Fallon Sherrock faces Gemma Hayter. Greaves lifted the trophy last year, beating Sherrock in the final. Saturday July 19 7pmJames Wade v Joe CullenDanny Noppert v Cameron MenziesLuke Humphries v Gian van Veen Nathan Aspinall v Wessel Nijman Sunday July 20 1pmDamon Heta v Andrew GildingRob Cross v Dirk van DuijvenbodePeter Wright v Jermaine Wattimena Dave Chisnall v Mike De Decker 7pmGary Anderson v Luke WoodhouseJonny Clayton v Martin SchindlerLuke Littler v Ryan Searle Stephen Bunting v Ryan Joyce Monday July 21 7pmChris Dobey v Ricardo PietreczkoGerwyn Price v Daryl GurneyMichael van Gerwen v Raymond van Barneveld Ross Smith v Josh Rock Tuesday July 22 Second Round – 7pmHumphries/Van Veen v Noppert/MenziesAspinall/Nijman v Wade/CullenBunting/Joyce v Anderson/Woodhouse Clayton/Schindler v Chisnall/De Decker Wednesday July 23 Second Round x4 – 7pmLittler/Searle v Wright/WattimenaHeta/Gilding v Cross/Van DuijvenbodeVan Gerwen/Van Barneveld v Smith/Rock Dobey/Pietreczko v Price/Gurney Thursday July 24 Quarter-Finals – 8pm Friday July 25 Quarter-Finals – 8pm Saturday July 26 Semi-Finals – 8pm Sunday July 27 Final – 8pm MORE: Luke Humphries fires back at criticism of Luke Littler partnership MORE: Luke Littler and Luke Humphries 'let their country down' and 'don't deserve MBEs' MORE: Gerwyn Price lifts lid on England's 'rubbish' World Cup of Darts performance
Daily Mirror
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
World Darts Championship chiefs confirm major changes including £1m jackpot
Luke Littler is the reigning World Darts Championship winner after his historic triumph over Michael van Gerwen just 17 to claim a £500,000 prize - and that money has now been bumped up to £1m for this year's competition World Darts Championship chiefs have confirmed the format for their competition ahead of this year's tournament at Ally Pally, with the likes of Luke Littler having to win at least seven games to claim the new £1million prize. Littler became the youngest winner of the championship in January as he became world champion aged 17 in a moment that catapulted him to super stardom in darts. His 7-3 triumph over Michael van Gerwen saw him claim a £500,000 jackpot and now chiefs are preparing to upgrade their total prize fund to £5m for the first time due to the increasing popularity of the sport. The newest edition of the tournament will also have more players than ever. There will be 128 taking part ahead of the start date in December, running until January 2026. And chiefs are now preparing a format shift for darts' biggest competition, introducing a Wimbledon-style system with a seeded structure similar to the tennis Grand Slam. The top 32 players in the world will be seeded, with those ranked below drawn at random against the 64 qualifiers. The players in the top 40 from the PDC Order of Merit will qualify automatically, as will the top 40 non-qualified stars from the ProTour Order of Merit. And with a significant increase in players taking part - going up from 96 in the 2024-25 event - the biggest stars like Littler, Luke Humphries and Michael van Gerwen will have to play even more matches to claim their grand prize of £1m. PDC chief Matt Porter said the huge increase of the prize money summed up darts' status as one of the most exciting and popular sports in the world at present. He said: "The £1 million prize for the World Champion reflects darts' standing as one of the most exciting and in-demand sports in the world and the historic total will rightly attract headlines as the biggest prize ever paid out in the sport. "However, the increased prize funds announced today demonstrate our commitment to growing earning potential for players at all levels within the PDC system. "The incredible growth of the PDC in recent years has seen darts elevated to levels never seen before both in terms of playing opportunities and global interest and this is a huge moment for all players with the ambition to make it to the very pinnacle of the sport."
