Players Championship Order of Merit Update: Littler holding on to top 64; Humphries, Aspinall & Van Gerwen all still outside Minehead qualification

The 28th Players Championship of the year was finished yesterday in Leicester, England. The final victory went to Ryan Searle, who was too strong in the final 8-6 over Belgian Mario Vandenbogaerde. For Searle, it was already his second title this year at the Players Championship.

On the Players Championship Order of Merit, where the top 64 players after the 34 Players Championships qualify for the Players Championship Finals, Searle climbs to eighth place. The ranking is still led by Gerwyn Price, who lost 6-5 to Kevin Doets yesterday at the last 32.

Currently in the 64th and final qualifying spot is Luke Littler, who was not present in Leicester yesterday. 'The Nuke' barely played any Players Championships this year and thus has some work ahead of him in the upcoming tournaments to gain certainty regarding qualification for the Players Championship Finals.

Michael van Gerwen reached the last 32 yesterday, where he lost 6-3 to Ross Smith. 'Mighty Mike' - a seven-time winner of the Players Championship Finals in the past - is currently only 98th. The 36-year-old Dutchman is currently £9,000 behind No. 64, Littler. The winner of a Players Championship gets £15,000, the runner-up £10,000 and the semi-finalists £5,000 each. So Van Gerwen knows what to do, he probably needs to win a tournament at least once or get very far a few times.

Similarly, the plan is clear for the likes of Luke Humphries and Nathan Aspinall, who sit in 68th and 69th place respectively. Both have work to do to secure qualification for Minehead.

At the top of the rankings, Gian van Veen remains the best Dutchman in second place. The 23-year-old lost 6-3 to Darren Beveridge yesterday in the last 16. Van Veen is currently £11,500 behind Price. The top 3 is completed by Ross Smith, who follows at £23,500 from Price.

Vandenbogaerde sees his first final at a PDC ranking tournament rewarded with a hefty jump up the rankings. 'Super Mario' was still outside the top 64 before this tournament, but now climbs to 41st place and can prepare for a trip to Minehead at the end of November for the Players Championship Finals. Moreover, the 52-year-old Belgian also did good work toward retaining his PDC Tour Card.

The 29th Players Championship of the year is scheduled for this afternoon in Leicester. The 30th tournament will then follow on Thursday. Then on Oct. 14 and 15 and Oct. 29 and 30, the final four tournaments are scheduled. The Players Championship Finals will take place from Nov. 21 to 23.