Luke Littler faces another head-to-head showdown with former world champion Rob Cross after the pair drew together in the opening round of the Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals.
Following the conclusion of the 30-event 2024 Players Championship season, the £600,000 tournament featuring the top 64 players in the Players Championship standings will be held at Butlin’s Minehead Resort from 22 to 24 November.
Littler qualified as the eighth seed after winning three Players Championship titles in his inaugural season on the PDC ProTour, with the Premier League champions getting off to a tough start against the 2018 world champions.
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Luke Littler won the Premier League title in his debut season, beating world number one Luke Humphreys 11-7 in the final.
The tie was a repeat of their first-round clash at the World Grand Prix in October, when pre-tournament favorite Littler lost 2-1 and was eliminated early on debut in the double-start event.
World number one Luke Humphries is set to begin his title defense against Gabriel Clemens 12 months after his thrilling win over Michael van Gerwen as he looks set to take on back-to-back world championships later this year.
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Highlights from the 2024 World Grand Prix Final as Mike De Decker surprises Luke Humphries
Van Gerwen begins his challenge against 2019 semi-finalist Ian White. The Dutch superstar is seeking a record eighth Players Championship Finals title, as top seed Chris Dobey faces eventual qualifier world number eight Nathan Aspinall.
2024 Players Championship runner-up Stephen Bunting meets Belgium’s Mario Vandenbogaerde, while third seed Damon Heta takes on two-time finalist Mervyn King. Opposite Dave Chisnall plays Joe Cullen in the 2022 Masters final.
De Decker faces Richard Veenstra, while former finalists Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price face Florian Hempel and Thibault Tricole respectively.
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Mike De Decker believes he needs more experience before playing in the Premier League.
Daryl Gurney and Peter Wright lock horns in a clash of previous Players Championship final winners, while world No. 2 Michael Smith plays newcomer Dom Taylor and European champion Richie Ritchie Edhouse takes on Luke Woodhouse.
Players Championship Finals: First Round Full Draw
Seed numbers in parentheses
(1) Chris Dovey vs (64) Nathan Aspinall
(32) William O’Connor vs (33) Nils Sonneveld
(16) Mike De Decker vs (49) Richard Veenstra
(17) Michael van Gerwen vs (48) Ian White
(8) Luke Littler vs (57) Rob Cross
(25) Richie Edhouse vs (40) Luke Woodhouse
(9) Danny Noppert vs. (56) James Hurrell
(24) James Wade vs (41) Stephen Burton
(4) Ryan Searle vs (61) Jeffrey De Graaf
(29) Gerwin Price vs (36) Thibaut Tricol
(13) Wessel Nyman vs (52) Kim Huibrechts
(20) Gian van Vinh vs (45) Scott Williams
(5) Dave Cheesenell vs (60) Joe Cullen
(28) Andrew Gilding vs (37) Kevin Dotz
(12) Ross Smith vs (53) Dimitri van den Berg
(21) Wesley Frazier vs (44) Mensur Suljovic
(2) Stephen Bunting vs (63) Mario Vandenbogarde
(31) Martin Lookman vs (34) Connor Scutt
(15) Daryl Gurney vs (50) Peter Wright
(18) Michael Smith vs (47) Dom Taylor
(7) Josh Rock vs (58) Ricky Evans
(26) Alan Sutar vs (39) Jermaine Wattimina
(10) Johnny Clayton vs (55) Florian Hempel
(23) Dirk van Duijvenbode vs (42) Callan Leeds
(3) Damon Hetta vs (62) Mervyn King
(30) Krzysztof Ratajski vs (35) Madar Razma
(14) Raymond Van Barneveld vs (51) Chris Landman
(19) Luke Humphries vs (46) Gabriel Clemens
(6) Gary Anderson vs (59) Ryan Meikle
(27) Brendan Dolan vs (38) Martin Schindler
(11) Cameron Menzies vs (54) Jim Williams
(22) Ryan Joyce vs (43) Karel Sedracek
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Speaking of Love The Darts, Richard Ashdown and Michael Bridge are not worried about Michael van Gerwen’s performance at the World Grand Prix.
How does the format work?
The first round will take place on the marathon’s opening day, Friday 22 November, with a double session on Saturday consisting of the second round in the afternoon and the third round that evening.
The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will then be held on Sunday 24 November, with the Winmau World Youth Championships final taking place during the bumper evening session.
The Players Championship finals are the last tournament before the finals. 2025 PDC World Darts ChampionshipStarting from December 15th at Alexandra Palace sky sports.
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