Development Tour concludes with World Championship spot for Cam Crabtree and Jurjen van der Velde as two new Tour Card holders confirmed
PDC
The finale of the Development Tour delivered drama. Jamai van den Herik not only sealed a World Darts Championship berth in Wigan, he also secured a Tour Card for 2027 and 2028. Jurjen van der Velde snatched an Alexandra Palace ticket at the last moment as well.
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It was a nerve-racking weekend especially for Van den Herik. Thanks to a title during the previous Development Tour weekend, he had thrust himself back into contention and continued his surge on Saturday. He first reached the semi-finals, where Cole Davey proved too strong with a 5-4 win. Later in the day he added a quarter-final after victories over, among others, Leon Weber and Liam Maendl-Lawrance. As several rivals went out early, Van den Herik kept climbing the rankings.
Van den Herik left sweating
On Sunday, Van den Herik reached the semi-finals again. He lost there to Owen Bates, but the result did move him up to third place. In the final event he could no longer safeguard that position himself. Cam Crabtree swept the Dutchman 4-0, leaving Van den Herik dependent on results elsewhere.
The margins finally broke his way. Dominik Grüllich had more than ten match darts against Duyane Wade Decena but failed to finish the job. Bates could not overhaul Van den Herik either. He lost his semi-final to Kaya Baysal in a deciding leg.
Jamai van den Herik made his World Championship debut last year and returns to Ally Pally
The main objective was achieved. Van den Herik, like last year, is heading to the Worlds and additionally holds a Tour Card for the next two seasons.
Jack Drayton endured a nightmare closing weekend. The Englishman started with a healthy cushion in second place but suffered multiple early exits. In the final event he lost in the last 64 to Decena, which saw him slide further down.
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Drayton seals a Tour Card alongside Van den Herik, while not claiming a World Championship spot such has been his poor weekend.
Van der Velde seizes final chance
Van der Velde also looked set to miss out on the Worlds for a long time. The 23-year-old Dutchman had lost ground after a strong start to the season, but during the final event he suddenly saw a path to Alexandra Palace reopen.
As rivals fell away, Van der Velde kept winning. In the semi-final he knew one more victory would be enough for a Worlds ticket. Decena, who had earlier taken out several key contenders, could not halt him.
He then lost the final to Baysal, but that no longer altered the Dutch success story. Van der Velde is back at the Worlds.
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Baysal wrapped up the Development Tour with the tournament win. Despite playing only nine of the 24 events, he secured places at next year’s UK Open and World Masters.
Final PDC Development Tour standings
| Rank | Name | Prize money |
| 1 | Sebastian Bialecki | 21900 |
| 2 | Jurjen van der Velde | 12350 |
| 3 | Cam Crabtree | 12350 |
| 4 | Jamai van den Herik | 12250 |
| 5 | Owen Bates | 12200 |
| 6 | Jack Drayton | 12200 |
| 7 | Leon Weber | 11350 |
| 8 | Dominik Gruellich | 11300 |
| 9 | Archie Self | 10550 |
| 10 | James Beeton | 10400 |
| 11 | Henry Coates | 9050 |
| 12 | Dylan Slevin | 9050 |
| 13 | Adam Gawlas | 8550 |
| 14 | Charlie Manby | 8500 |
| 15 | Kaya Baysal | 8350 |
| 16 | Nathan Potter | 8100 |
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Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
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