Preview: Meet the sixteen participants at this weekend's World Seniors Darts Matchplay

On Saturday, Sept. 2 and Sunday, Sept. 3, the second edition of the World Seniors Darts Matchplay will be played. Well-known darters over fifty years old will participate.

The field of participants for the 2023 World Seniors Darts Matchplay consists of sixteen participants. Dartsnews introduces each of the participating players to you one by one.

Since this year, Scott Mitchell can also be admired on the senior circuit. 'Scotty Dog' made his debut at the senior World Championship early this year, where he lost to Robert Thornton in the second round.

In 2010, Mitchell made his debut at Lakeside in Frimley Green. After five early eliminations, the Englishman suddenly won the title in 2015 by defeating Martin Adams 7-6 after a delightful final.

Afterwards, Mitchell stranded twice more in the quarterfinals and once in the semifinals of Lakeside. Starting in 2020, Mitchell also played PDC tournaments. In 2021 he captured a Tour Card and that year he also competed in the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace. After two seasons, Mitchell lost his Tour Card again.

The 60-year-old Paul Hogan does not have many titles on his record, but has always proved a dangerous opponent to many. Competed 11 times in the BDO and WDF World Championships, with four quarter-finals as highlights.

Furthermore, Hogan has already competed six times in the UK Open at the PDC. At that tournament, 'Crocodile Dundee' already managed to eliminate big names such as Adrian Lewis and Gary Anderson. In 2017 and 2018, Hogan reached the last sixteen at the 'FA Cup of Darts' each time.

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

Last year he made it to the second round at the World Seniors Darts Championship and the semifinals at this tournament. Back then, 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. Then "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.

Trina Gulliver is one of two women in the field of competitors. She has participated in all previous TV tournaments of the World Seniors Darts Tour, but she has yet to record a victory.

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

The difference with Hedman, however, 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.

Due to the cancellation of Martin Adams, Hedman will appear at this tournament. As mentioned earlier, Hedman is one of the most successful players ever in women's darts.

She won hundreds of titles at various open tournaments. Won the Dutch Open three times, and the Women's World Masters and Finder Masters twice. Only the one world title is missing from her record. In 2012, 2014 and 2016 she did stand in the Lakeside final.

Kevin Painter is one of four players to have attended all the major tournaments of the World Seniors Darts Tour so far. Since he failed to win his PDC Tour Card at the Q-School in 2021, "The Artist" has been seeking refuge at tournaments of other organizations.

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 Cups, including seven with the BDO, seventeen 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.

Leonard Gates has made a spectacular entrance on the World Seniors Darts Tour this year. It started with a semifinal finish at the World Seniors Darts Championship, then he managed to win Champion of Champions in March after victories over Phil Taylor, Martin Adams and Richie Howson. He also won the World Seniors Darts Masters.

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

Colin McGarry competed in the PDC World Darts Championship in 2004 and 2014, but disappeared from the cameras' sight for a long time. As of 2022, he suddenly reappeared on the scene.

McGarry is entering his fourth major tournament at the WSDT. After a quarterfinal 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 Championship early this year. That match was only narrowly won 3-2 by "The Power.

John Henderson, at 50, is the youngest participant at this tournament. The Scot is considered an absolute crowd pleaser and due to the loss of his PDC Tour Card is now allowed to make an appearance at the senior tournaments.

'The Highlander' has a wealth of experience and has been on the darts circuit since the beginning of this century. In 2005 and 2010 he played at Lakeside and from 2012 to 2021 he competed in nine editions of the PDC World Championship.

David Cameron already has one television tournament to his name on the World Seniors Darts Tour. In 2022, he won the World Seniors Darts Masters 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 Championships with four different federations. From 2014 to 2020 with the BDO, in 2022 with the WDF and in 2023 'Excalibur' competed at 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 to Richie Howson. The same Howson then won again from Cameron (13-11) in the semifinals of Champion of Champions.

Robert Thornton is the most successful player since the inception of the World Seniors Darts Tour. Three of the six previous television tournaments have been won by "The Thorn.

The Scot won the two senior World Championships and was also the best at the 2022 World Seniors Darts Matchplay. 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 at the PDC won the UK Open (2012) and World Grand Prix (2015) by beating Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen in the final, respectively.

Neil Duff may be gearing up for his third 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 reached the quarter-finals at the BDO World Masters and in 2022 even the highlight of his career followed. 'The Duffman' won the very first edition of the WDF World Darts Championship after a wildly exciting final against Thibault Tricole (6-5).

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

Last year, however, "The Power" did come close at the World Seniors Darts Masters. Back then, however, David Cameron proved too strong for Taylor in the final.

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

John Part is the last 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 United Kingdom to take the world title at Lakeside. He then also became world champion with the PDC in 2003 and 2008. His World Championship final against Phil Taylor (2003) is considered one of the most memorable darts matches ever.

Still Part is the only non-European to 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.

In 2020 Glen Durrant won the Premier League Darts, but after that the 52-year-old darter from Middlesbrough quickly went downhill. An ingrained anomaly in the throw and mental problems were at the root of it.

Played in the senior World Championships early this year, but then lost 3-0 to Mark Dudbridge in the first round. Earlier this year, Durrant was scheduled to compete in the World Seniors Darts Masters, but then he opted out because he felt ''not ready''.

The final entrant at the World Seniors Darts Matchplay is Jim McEwan. The Scot made his debut at the 2022 WDF World Championships and performed creditably there with a quarterfinal finish.

McEwan also competes in tournaments of other leagues and regularly achieves success there as well. In 2021 and 2022, McEwan managed to win a PDC Challenge Tour tournament each time.