MEET THE PLAYERS: These are the 16 competitors at the World Seniors Darts Masters this weekend

On Saturday 24 June and Sunday 25 June, the second edition of the World Seniors Darts Masters will be played. Well-known darters over the age of 50 will participate.

The field of participants for the World Seniors Darts Masters 2023 consists of 16 participants. Dartsnews introduces each of the participating players to you.

Leading the line-up at this tournament is defending champion David Cameron. The Canadian darter took the overall win last year after victories over Kevin Painter (4-3), Robert Thornton (4-2), Colin Monk (4-2), Richie Howson (5-2) and Phil Taylor (6-3).

Cameron has already played World Cups at four different federations. From 2014 to 2020 with the BDO, in 2022 with the WDF and in 2023, 'Excalibur' competed in the PDC World Championship and thus the WSDT.

His participation in the World Seniors Darts Championship early this year was over after just one round after a 3-2 defeat against Richie Howson. The same Howson then won again from Cameron (13-11) in the semi-finals of Champion of Champions.

Phil Taylor is obviously the most seasoned player in the field of competitors, but the 16-time world champion has never won a WSDT tournament.

Last year, however, 'The Power' came close at the World Seniors Darts Masters. However, then David Cameron proved too strong for Taylor in the final.

This absolute darts legend needs little further introduction. A total of 16 world titles, 78 major titles, 101 TV titles and a total of 236 tournaments won in his career. As a result, Taylor is rightly considered the greatest dart player of all time.

Robert Thornton is the most successful player since the creation of the World Seniors Darts Tour. Three of the previous five televised tournaments have been won by 'The Thorn'.

The Scot won the two senior World Championships and was also the best at the World Seniors Darts Matchplay in 2022. However, the 55-year-old Thornton has many more great prizes on his record.

He became winner of the Winmau World Masters in 2007 and won the UK Open (2012) and World Grand Prix (2015) at the PDC by beating Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen in the final, respectively.

Another darts icon competing in this tournament is 67-year-old Martin Adams. This good-humoured Englishman did not miss a single TV tournament on the World Seniors Darts Tour.

His main achievement on this circuit was reaching the final of the 2022 World Seniors Darts Championship. However, 'Wolfie' did lose that one to Robert Thornton.

Adams' heyday mainly dates from 2005 to 2011. In this period, he reached at least the semi-finals at Lakeside seven times in a row, and three times Adams himself lifted the cup.

Furthermore, Adams won the Winmau World Masters three times, the Zuiderduin Masters twice and also the Dutch Open four times. Barring trips to the World Matchplay (2000 and 2001), World Grand Prix (2001) and Grand Slam of Darts (2015 and 2016), he remained loyal to the BDO throughout his career.

Trina Gulliver is the only female entrant in the field. She has participated in all five previous TV tournaments of the World Seniors Darts Tour, but has yet to win one.

The Golden Girl' is considered one of the most successful female dart players ever. She has 166 different titles to her name, a number only surpassed by Deta Hedman.

However, the difference with Hedman is that Gulliver has won 10 world titles, compared to zero for Hedman. The 53-year-old Englishwoman became world champion nine times from 2001 to 2011. After four years of missing out, she finally grabbed her tenth world title in 2016.

Taking part in a television tournament at the age of 75 is not given to many darters. Bob Anderson does have this honour and is by far the oldest participant this tournament. After this event, Anderson does stop practising professional darts.

Anderson was also there during the first edition of the World Seniors Darts Championship in 2022. Back then, at the age of 74, he already showed he can still throw an excellent arrow. Although he lost to Robert Thornton, he threw an average of almost 81.

The English darts veteran had his heyday in the late 1980s. Anderson won the Winmau World Masters three times in a row in 1986, 1987 and 1988 and also became world champion in the latter year.

Anderson competed at Lakeside a total of 10 times, and also played at 15 World Cups with the PDC. In 2004 and 2005, 'The Limestone Cowboy' reached the semi-finals at this tournament.

John Part is the second of a total of three North American players at this tournament. The 56-year-old Part can rightly be called an absolute great in darts.

In 1994, he became the first player from outside the UK to take the world title at Lakeside. He then also became world champion at the PDC in 2003 and 2008. His World Championship final against Phil Taylor (2003) ranks as one of the most memorable darts matches ever.

Still Part is the only non-European to have become world darts champion. Furthermore, the Canadian took the title at the Las Vegas Desert Classic in 2006 and won a total of 20 titles at the PDC.

Kevin Painter is one of five players to have attended all the major tournaments of the World Seniors Darts Tour so far. Since failing to win his PDC Tour Card at the Q-School in 2021, 'The Artist' has sought refuge at tournaments of other organisations.

Still, Painter had his greatest successes at the PDC. In 2004, the Englishman lost 7-6 to Phil Taylor after a legendary final. Painter played a total of 26 World Championships, including seven with the BDO, 17 with the PDC and two with the WSDT.

The 55-year-old dart player put the crown on his career in 2011 by winning his only major title at the Players Championship Finals. He won five more ranking tournaments at the PDC and made his appearance in the Premier League Darts in 2012.

At 50 years and five months old, Mark Dudbridge is the youngest competitor at the World Seniors Darts Masters. A month after his 50th birthday, 'Flash' was already competing at the World Seniors Darts Championship. At that event, he made it to the last eight with wins over Glen Durrant and Terry Jenkins, before Kevin Painter caused his elimination in the quarter-finals.

After winning the Winmau World Masters in 2002, Dudbridge continued to make a name for himself on the PDC circuit early this century by reaching the final of the 2004 World Matchplay and the 2005 Darts World Championship. Both finals, however, were lost against darts great Phil Taylor.

On the floor, Dudbridge did pick up prizes. He won four ranking tournaments and two Challenge Tours at the PDC.

Chris Mason has also been involved in World Seniors Darts Tour tournaments since this year. The 53-year-old Englishman made his debut at the senior World Championship in February, where he lost to Terry Jenkins (3-2) in the first round.

'Mace the Ace' made his debut at the BDO World Championship in 1996 and competed at the PDC World Darts Championship a year later. Mason then returned to the BDO, where he competed at Lakeside four more times from 1998 to 2001 and reached the semi-finals twice.

In 2000, Mason also gained fame by eliminating defending champion Raymond van Barneveld in the first round in Frimley Green. In 2002, Mason moved back to the PDC, where he participated in the World Darts Championship seven more times. A quarterfinal in 2003 was the highlight of this.

Neil Duff can prepare for his second WSDT tournament. Earlier this year, he made his debut with this association at the World Seniors Darts Championship. At Circus Tavern, the Northern Irishman lost in the quarter-finals to eventual winner Robert Thornton.

The 50-year-old Duff is a real late bloomer. In 2019, he made it to the quarter-finals at the BDO World Masters and even the highlight of his career followed in 2022. 'The Duffman' won the very first edition of the WDF World Darts Championship after a wildly exciting final against Thibault Tricole (6-5).

Leonard Gates made a spectacular entrance on the World Seniors Darts Tour this year. It started with a semi-final place at the World Seniors Darts Championship, then he managed to win Champion of Champions in March after wins over Phil Taylor, Martin Adams and Richie Howson.

Within a 12-month span, Gates made his debut at three different World Cups. Prior to taking part in the World Seniors Darts Championship, he competed in the WDF World Cup at Lakeside in April 2022. Then in December, the American dart player made his debut at the PDC's World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace. At both tournaments, the second round was the final stage.

This man was already at the BDO World Championship in 2003, but then lost to Mervyn King in the second round. In 2017, he competed for the fourth - and last time - at the famous tournament in Frimley Green.

Earlier this year, Dennis Harbour made his debut at the World Seniors Darts Championship. He won easily over Trina Gulliver (3-0) in the first round, only to lose without a set win to Kevin Painter (3-0) in the second round.

Mark McGeeney is making his debut at a major World Seniors Darts Tour tournament at the World Seniors Darts Masters. However, 'The Gladiator' already has plenty of stage experience.

From 2016 to 2019, he competed in the BDO World Championship at Lakeside, where McGeeney even reached the final in 2018. The Englishman even got two matchdarts for the Lakeside title, but eventually lost 7-6 in sets to Glen Durrant.

After his Lakeside participation in 2019, he competed in the PDC Q-School, where McGeeney already captured a Tour Card on the second day. He qualified for the 2020 World Darts Championship, where McGeeney lost to Ricky Evans in the second round. He lost his Tour Card after the 2021 season.

Colin McGarry competed at the PDC Darts World Championship in 2004 and 2014, but disappeared from camera view for a long time. In 2022, he suddenly reappeared on the scene.

McGarry starts his third major tournament at the WSDT. After a quarter-final at the World Seniors Darts Matchplay in 2022, he was close to a stunt against Phil Taylor in the first round of the senior World Cup early this year. That match was only narrowly won 3-2 by 'The Power'.

Richie Howson is one of the few competitors at this tournament who has amassed his fame mainly with good results through the World Seniors Darts Tour.

Last year, he reached the second round at the World Seniors Darts Championship and the semi-finals at this tournament. At the time, he lost in the last four to eventual winner David Cameron.

However, the highlight of his career came early this year, when he reached the final of the World Seniors Darts Championship. After wins over David Cameron, Andy Jenkins, Phil Taylor and Leonard Gates, he lost to Robert Thornton in the final match. Subsequently, 'The Owl' also made it to the final match at the Champion of Champions tournament. However, then Leonard Gates proved too strong in the final.