Schedule Players Championship Finals on Saturday afternoon with headline act of Humphries v Van Barneveld
PDC
Saturday we continue with the second round of the 2024 Players Championship Finals after 32 players managed to survive the opening day. It will be a full day on Saturday, as the afternoon session will feature the second round before the eighth finals are scheduled in the evening.
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This event is taking place for the sixteenth year. Michael van Gerwen is the record winner with seven titles. Phil Taylor, with three titles, is the only other player to have won the Players Championship Finals more than once. Gary Anderson, Kevin Painter, Paul Nicholson, Daryl Gurney, Peter Wright and Luke Humphries are the other former winners. In 2023, the title went to Humphries, who was too strong for Van Gerwen in the final, 11-9.
The first round followed the trend of the last few majors. Many big names already lost including Michael van Gerwen, Chris Dobey, Stephen Bunting, Ryan Searle, Gary Anderson, Jonny Clayton, Michael van Gerwen, Gian van Veen, James Wade, Gerwyn Price, Peter Wright, Dimitri van den Bergh and Rob Cross all failed to reach the last 32.
The defending champion is still in it. Luke Humphries started his tournament with a 6-2 victory over Gabriel Clemens, forcing a top tie against Raymond van Barneveld. The 57-year-old had a good start in Minehead with a 6-1 win against Chris Landman. Van Barneveld boasts a good record against 'Cool Hand Luke'. 'Barney' is ahead 4-3 and managed to win both of the last two clashes.
The other top favorite Luke Littler also qualified for the second round. 'The Nuke' impressed with a 6-0 win over Rob Cross thanks to an average of 112. It earned Littler a duel with European Championship winner Ritchie Edhouse.
Nathan Aspinall will face Niels Zonneveld after the Dutchman's victory over William O'Connor, who defeated number one seed Chris Dobey. Danny Noppert will take on Stephen Burton after Noppert survived a matchdart in his first match against James Hurrell (6-5).
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New flights and new form for Nathan Aspinall?
Jeffrey de Graaf faces Thibault Tricole after his shock win against Ryan Searle. The Frenchman also caused a huge surprise himself by eliminating Gerwyn Price. Wesley Plaisier defeated Mensur Suljovic in his debut at the Players Championship Finals and now faces Ross Smith. 'Smudger' won the first round convincingly 6-1 against Dimitri van den Bergh.
Jermaine Wattimena after his victory over Alan Soutar (6-4) will face Josh Rock, who himself outplayed Ricky Evans (6-1). Dirk van Duijvenbode faces off with Florian Hempel. The latter eliminated Jonny Clayton (6-3) from the tournament, while Van Duijvenbode dealt with Callan Rydz (6-1).
World Grand Prix champion Mike de Decker defeated Richard Veenstra 6-1 and will face Ian White on Saturday afternoon. 'The Diamond' was responsible for the elimination of Michael van Gerwen. With an average of 102.68 and a finishing percentage of 60 percent, he showed his absolute top form in the first round.
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Where many had expected a new clash between Gian van Veen and Wessel Nijman in the second round, Scott Williams and Kim Huybrechts are now in the same spot in the bracket. Huybrechts surprisingly won handsomely 6-1 from Nijman, while Van Veen lost to Scott Williams (6-5). Mario Vandenbogaerde reached the second round at the expense of Stephen Bunting (6-2) and will now play Connor Scutt. The Sniper defeated Martin Lukeman (6-4) in the opening round.
Another interesting duel is the showdown between former major-winners Daryl Gurney and Michael Smith. Gurney put in a convincing performance in the first round by winning against Peter Wright (6-1) with an average of almost 109. Smith survived two match darts in his duel against Nick Kenny (6-5).
Damon Heta, the number three seed at the Players Championship Finals, has been paired with Krzysztof Ratajski in the second round. Heta conceded just one leg in his first match against Mervyn King, and Ratajski eliminated Madars Razma 6-4. Other familiar names such as Dave Chisnall, Andrew Gilding and Cameron Menzies will also be in action Saturday afternoon.
Luke Humphries back in action on Saturday.
TV Guide
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The Players Championship Finals will be broadcast in the UK on ITV4. All matches during both the afternoon and evening sessions can be seen on this channel with Stage 2 updates.
A second stage will be used during the first two days of play. The matches on this stage can be seen on PDC TV. The afternoon sessions will start at 12:50 p.m., while the evening sessions over the weekend will begin at 7 p.m.
Distribution of prize money
During the Players Championship Finals, 600,000 pounds of prize money will be distributed. This event is taking place for the sixteenth time. The first edition was in 2009, when a total of 200,000 pounds was made available. Then the winner went home with the top prize of 50,000.
Meanwhile, the winner of the Players Championship Finals gets more than double. All 64 participants in the Players Championship Finals are guaranteed a starting premium of 3,000 pounds. This amount eventually rises to a £120,000 reward for the winner of the tournament.
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Format
First round: Best of 11 legs
Second round: Best of 11 legs
Third round: Best of 19 legs
Quarterfinals: Best of 19 legs
Semifinals: Best of 21 legs
Final: Best of 21 legs
Playing schedule Players Championship Finals 2024
Saturday, Nov. 23
Afternoon session (from 12:45 p.m.)
Second round
Main stage
Kim Huybrechts v Scott Williams
Nathan Aspinall v Niels Zonneveld
Damon Heta v Krzysztof Ratajski
Daryl Gurney v Michael Smith
Raymond van Barneveld v Luke Humphries
Josh Rock v Jermaine Wattimena
Luke Littler v Ritchie Edhouse
Board 2
Cameron Menzies v Ryan Joyce
Dave Chisnall v Andrew Gilding
Jeffrey de Graaf v Thibault Tricole
Florian Hempel v Dirk van Duijvenbode
Mario Vandenbogaerde v Connor Scutt
Danny Noppert v Stephen Burton
Mike De Decker v Ian White
Ryan Meikle v Martin Schindler
Ross Smith v Wesley Plaisier
✅ The schedule of play has been confirmed for Day Two of the 2024 Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals.
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) November 22, 2024
📺 Tune in from 1245 GMT on Saturday!#PCF2024 pic.twitter.com/CAIBG8jWSY
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- He produced some impressive numbers in that qualifying campaign. I'm excited to see him compete at the World Championship once again, even if it will be difficult to replicate last year's success even with an improved performance, with the draw playing a huge role in determining his fortunes.Deduce635811-11-2026
- I often think about this very question. I think they should revive the format. They could even invite representatives from MODUS Super Series, with four series winners from the past year, and the ADC, with finalists from the Global Championship and perhaps other events. Why not throw in eligible representatives from the JDC and even the soft-tip game too?Deduce635811-11-2026
- So what if littler missed out, he doesnt have to enter everythingant10-11-2026
- Good, absolutely no loss if we never see this dancing goof ever again......no that is not fair. He absolutely cannot and has never been remotely able to dance!richieburnettrocks10-11-2026
- Yes Phil,now the money in the game is bigger than ever,you'd play littler. Well so would I! Retire on your memory Phil,and your successful careerrick6709-11-2026
- 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