Schedule and preview Monday evening session 2022 World Grand Prix including Van Gerwen-Anderson and Clayton-Van Duijvenbode
PDC
For the second year in succession, Double In in Dublin is not on the cards with Leicester set to host the World Grand Prix once again starting on Monday night.
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Due to the Citywest, the traditional venue for a block of ProTours as well as the main tournament being used firstly as a COVID-19 hospital and then now to house Ukrainian refugees, the Midlands city which previously hosted the Champions League of Darts stepped up to host the tournament last year.
It will now return and with the 2023 PDC Calendar now confirmed with Leicester set as seemingly the home of the tournament for at least the foreseeable, the action will begin on Monday evening.
All beginning with a bumper session featuring the defending champion and a game which will receive all the billing - but will it live up to the star power it has on paper?
Of course that tie sees Michael van Gerwen face Gary Anderson in a clash seen as one of the best darting rivalries of recent years albeit with 'Mighty Mike' through intermittent form especially in this tournament but having won the last two majors on Sky Sports in the Premier League and World Matchplay.
But since winning it in 2019, he has lost in the Quarter-Finals and last year to Danny Noppert in the first round.
Anderson though is always a player who is unpredictable - he didn't play for 75 days like most players before playing at the World Series Finals and the ongoing 'has he practiced' or what Gary Anderson will turn up is an interesting debate.
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If both turn up, it could be the cracker that it is seen on paper but if not it could be a very one sided affair.
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But this is in the middle of four matches which could all take the plaudits with the defending champion in Jonny Clayton mentioned.
He returns to defend his last TV title he won during an epic 2021 against Dirk van Duijvenbode who reached the final two years ago but will now defend that money. It is a match which could see 'The Ferret' in trouble.
Following Clayton will be Peter Wright who faces Kim Huybrechts who took a career best win over Van Gerwen in Wieze a few weeks ago and will take that confidence as he looks to continue his resurgence.
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For 'Snakebite', it has been real signs of promise after returning from injury and with the run up to the World Championship, he could time his return to form to perfection with a maiden title in this format.
Before Jose de Sousa who himself has been superb at times recently albeit not following that up, he faces Adrian Lewis with many dreaming of 'Jackpot' of old but can he reproduce or will 'The Special One' seal the win.
Before those ties, Dimitri van den Bergh will face Dave Chisnall with the latter fresh off winning in Wieze, while with health scares, 'The Dreammaker' is an interesting proposition form wise.
In another match that could catch light, Luke Humphries seen by many as potentially a Premier League player next year and a future major winner faces a player dubbed with that for a while in Chris Dobey. With both superb to watch natural games, it could be a real tungsten treat.
Starting the night will be Dobey's fellow Bedlington thrower in Callan Rydz who faces Krzysztof Ratajski before 'The History Maker' returns albeit not to the scene of his history but the tournament that gave him his moniker as Brendan Dolan faces Stephen Bunting.
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Schedule of Play
Monday October 3 (1900 BST)
8x First Round matches
Callan Rydz v Krzysztof Ratajski
Brendan Dolan v Stephen Bunting
Chris Dobey v Luke Humphries
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Dave Chisnall
(7) Jonny Clayton v Dirk van Duijvenbode
(2) Peter Wright v Kim Huybrechts
(3) Michael van Gerwen v Gary Anderson
(6) Jose de Sousa v Adrian Lewis
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- And why should he listen to you?Deduce635807-11-2026
- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026
- Probably i will receive a lot of backlash and hate for this reaction, but well, so be it. I am more than sick and tired of those lies of you Barry Hearn. How dare you defend yourself over the back of Fallon’s son! He has a disability and not an illness, so let me correct that for you! I know because I have the exact same disability. I have tried to reach out to Fallon in the past, and offered her to help her and her son, because I was struggling with the same problems, and I understood the boy. I wanted him to have finally someone who understood him. However she told me that she did not want my help, and I have respected Fallon’s choice. I have never asked Fallon for money. They don’t need money in that case. I only ever wanted the best for Fallon and Rory, but I have to be honest about the situation. Fallon should tell the true story and not be forced to tell lies. I don’t hate Fallon, and I don’t begrudge or envy a single penny that she gets, but this situation/case is just not fair. I hate the lies and the dishonesty and injustice. I don’t want Fallon to be hated because there is an unfair disadvantage created. Don’t proclaim your false lies over the back of Rory! I only stand for integrity and justice. I am precisely the one who always sticks up for Fallon. And you don't, you don't give a damn about them. You were never there for them, and now you only want to save your own position! You are just trying to talk your way out of your own bad behavior at the expense of someone with a disability. And to Fallon, I don’t know if this may ever reach you, and you read it, but I want you to know I love you and I love your son Rory very much, I am sorry how things developed and went. I hope you and Harriet are still friends. I am sorry if I were too persistent to you, or you experienced it that way, but it was never my intention. Please understand I have autism as well. As Barry Hearn would say, I am only just a human being too, and I also make mistakes and misjudge things sometimes. I promise you I did everything out of the deepest love and care for you and Rory. If I were you, I should just keep all the money, only please never be dishonest or tell lies anymore for Barry Hearn, or anyone else. I hope you have the best life, and I wish nothing more than the best for you. I have always loved the two of you. Farewell.Hiddo05-11-2026
- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026