Players Championship Finals 2019 preview and schedule: Friday 22 November, afternoon session
PC Finals
64 players who battled through 30 Players Championship events now have the chance of a big payoff at the end.
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Of course, not everyone featured in all 30 events. That's why the current world numbers one and two are seeds 18 and 42 respectively. A certain Gary Anderson, the 2014 champion, hasn't even made it to Minehead. For players hoping to build on success, make a career breakthrough or even save their PDC Tour Card, the Players Championship Finals constitute a massive opportunity.
A way for Jose?
The Players Championship Finals are the only PDC event other than fellow Minehead-based major UK Open to have games taking place across multiple stages. We start here with the headliners on Stage One. Dimitri van den Bergh meets Stephen Bunting, then Jose de Sousa takes on James Richardson. It has been a fantastic season for the Portuguese, a winner of two Players Championship titles and runner-up in another. He's taken some major scalps across the campaign, and could be a serious dark horse if he hits his stride early.
A year ago, Glen Durrant and Scott Baker were both BDO players. Both reached Q-School - Baker qualified first, and reached the semi-finals of Players Championship 1. It's fair to say that Durrant has eclipsed the Mod somewhat since then. Could he make it to an incredible four major semi-finals in a row?
Max Hopp has been a part of Players Championship history this year. The German - whose prospects for the next 12 months have been boosted by recent European Tour revelations - will be aiming for a rare strong run on English shores. The Maximiser players a badly out-of-sorts Jelle Klaasen. Grand Prix semi-finalist Chris Dobey clashes with Cristo Reyes, and Simon Whitlock faces a tough prospect in the form of Players Championship 14 winner Jeffrey de Zwaan.
Michael Smith and Martin Schindler might be a little sick of each other by now. The pair duked it out in their recent Grand Slam group tie, which Smith just about edged. The last tie gives Devon Petersen a chance to gain some crucial pre-Ally Pally ranking money. Ian White, fresh off another major tournament suckerpunch, picks himself up for another attempt at glory.
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Chizzy's inauspicious start
Let's not forget Stage Two, where there are some close-looking encounters to be played. First among them is the imposing youngster Harry Ward, who won Players Championship 16. That success came one day after Darius Labanauskas reached his first Pro Tour final - his endeavours earned him a spot here, and a game against Ward.
Two veterans of the game follow the debutants, with Justin Pipe playing Mervyn King. Both are Players Championship Finals nearly-men. Pipe has lost three semi-finals in this event; King made it to the last day of play for five years in a row from 2009-13 (including defeat in the 2010 final) but hasn't got past the second round since. Brendan Dolan, whose duo of Players Championship titles have helped him enjoy a recent renaissance, is pitted against Ross Smith.
John Henderson was a consistent board winner in the opening stages of the Players Championship campaign, but faded over time. The loveable Scot is still 20th seed and faces Ryan Joyce, who fell off the radar after a brilliant World Championship run last December. Keegan Brown takes on Andy Boulton in the fifth tie before another all-English clash between Steve Beaton and Ricky Evans.
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Ryan Searle seeks important ranking money as he locks horns with Danny Noppert, and an even more threatening situation faces world number 67 Matthew Edgar. Primetime's problem is that he faces a formidable opening opponent in Dave Chisnall. Despite starting on the secondary stage, seventh seed Chisnall is a major contender here. A two-time Players Championship winner in 2019, the former finalist has won each of his last four first round ties in Minehead.
There are going to be a lot of darts thrown at the Players Championship Finals. The best way to follow every single one is right here, in our live score feature.
Players Championship Finals 2019 schedule
Day One, afternoon session
Stage One
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13:00 Dimitri Van den Bergh v Stephen Bunting
13:30 Jose de Sousa v James Richardson
14:00 Glen Durrant v Scott Baker
14:30 Max Hopp v Jelle Klaasen
15:00 Chris Dobey v Cristo Reyes
15:30 Jeffrey de Zwaan v Simon Whitlock
16:00 Michael Smith v Martin Schindler
16:30 Ian White v Devon Petersen
13:30 Jose de Sousa v James Richardson
14:00 Glen Durrant v Scott Baker
14:30 Max Hopp v Jelle Klaasen
15:00 Chris Dobey v Cristo Reyes
15:30 Jeffrey de Zwaan v Simon Whitlock
16:00 Michael Smith v Martin Schindler
16:30 Ian White v Devon Petersen
Stage Two
13:00 Harry Ward v Darius Labanauskas
13:30 Justin Pipe v Mervyn King
14:00 Brendan Dolan v Ross Smith
14:30 John Henderson v Ryan Joyce
15:00 Keegan Brown v Andy Boulton
15:30 Steve Beaton v Ricky Evans
16:00 Danny Noppert v Ryan Searle
16:30 Dave Chisnall v Matthew Edgar
13:30 Justin Pipe v Mervyn King
14:00 Brendan Dolan v Ross Smith
14:30 John Henderson v Ryan Joyce
15:00 Keegan Brown v Andy Boulton
15:30 Steve Beaton v Ricky Evans
16:00 Danny Noppert v Ryan Searle
16:30 Dave Chisnall v Matthew Edgar
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- 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
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026