Wessel Nijman just £500 away from debut at World Darts Championships

Saturday, 19 August 2023 at 12:00

Luke Littler on Friday secured participation in the World Darts Championship and a PDC Tour Card for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Chances are Wessel Nijman will join the top English talent on Saturday.

Because Gian van Veen, number one on the PDC Development Tour Order of Merit, already has a Tour Card for next year and will almost certainly qualify for the World Championship via the Pro Tour, this spot moves to the number three on the Development Tour ranking.

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That third position is in Nijman's hands. Only Nathan Rafferty can still hold off the Dutchman from third place, but the Northern Irishman will have a tough task ahead.

With two tournaments remaining, Nijman has a 4525-pound lead over Rafferty. The latter can theoretically still earn a maximum of 5,000 pounds, but Rafferty would have to win both of the last two tournaments.

Even then, that does not provide Rafferty with certainty, because in that case Nijman may accumulate a maximum of 400 pounds during the two concluding tournaments. Once Rafferty loses a match or Nijman manages to reach a quarterfinal, the battle is decided and Nijman may travel to Alexandra Palace in December.

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Jetze Jan Idsardi

@JJIdsardi

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Wessel Nijman will win a Tour Card and World Championship*, unless Nathan Rafferty wins both titles tomorrow. (*Gian van Veen is 99.99% safe for a WC-spot through the Pro Tour, which means Nijman would get the spot).

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