The World Seniors Matchplay, the next major tournament of the World Seniors Darts Tour (WSDT), will take place on Friday, Oct. 4 and Saturday, Oct. 5.
At the York Barbican Venue, 16 top darters from the WSDT will compete. This is the first major event within the senior competition. A notable absentee is darts legend Phil Taylor, who unfortunately had to decline participation on medical advice.
Previous editions World Seniors Matchplay
The tournament was held for the first time in 2022, and in this first edition we immediately saw a number of well-known and big names. Among others, Phil Taylor, John Part, Peter Manley, Kevin Painter, Martin Adams, Terry Jenkins and Robert Thornton were there. The tournament then consisted of 20 players, of which 12 were directly qualified for the second round, while four games were played in the first round.
As expected, the big names flowed through in the first edition of the tournament. Taylor, Painter, Adams and Thornton managed to reach the semifinals. The semifinals were played over a total of 17 legs. In an 8-8 tie, the match had to be won by a difference of 2 legs.
In the first semifinal, Martin 'Wolfie' Adams took on Robert 'The Thorn' Thornton. The Scot eventually drew the longest straw after an exciting match, winning 9-7. The second semifinal was between Kevin 'The Artist' Painter and Phil 'The Power' Taylor. Both men kept each other in balance until 8-8, extending the match. It seemed to end in a final, decisive 23rd leg. However, Taylor finally managed to make a two-leg difference in leg 22 and won the match 12-10.
The final was also played over 17 legs and, like the semifinals, developed into a real thriller. Thornton and Taylor were evenly matched, and it remained nail-biting until 10-10. It looked like a sudden death leg would determine the winner, but Thornton managed to make up the difference just in time and won his first World Seniors Matchplay title by beating the 16-time world champion 12-10.
Last year's field of participants consisted of 16 darters, with each player competing against each other from the first round. To everyone's surprise, the 2022 winner Robert Thornton was eliminated already in the first round, and Phil Taylor could also pack his bags after the second round. Surprisingly, the semifinals featured four names that did not even participate in the previous year's edition: Neil Duff, Jim McEwan, Paul Hogan and Leonard Gates.
The first semifinal was played between Northern Ireland's Duff and Scotland's McEwan. The start of the match was equal, but in the end McEwan managed to get the upper hand and won convincingly 9-5. In the other semifinal, Briton Hogan and American Gates faced each other. Gates, who was seeded second, was considered the clear favorite. He confirmed this role, but things went more difficult than expected. In the end, he won 9-7 and thus qualified for the final.
Also in the final, "Soulger" was the favorite on paper. However, as an unseeded player, McEwan had already eliminated Glen Durrant, Kevin Painter and Neil Duff to reach the final. Nevertheless, Gates had the best of the game and managed to win the tournament.
Participant field
In all, the field of participants consists of 16 players. Former winner Robert Thornton, defending champion Leonard Gates and John Henderson are the most notable names. On the other hand, Phil Taylor and Jim McEwan are the most notable absentees.
The top eight players from the WSDT World Rankings will participate in the World Seniors Matchplay. In addition, there are five invited players, one WSDT Order of Merit Qualifier and two winners of remaining Qualifiers.
Top-8 seeded players:Richie Howson, Robert Thornton, Leonard Gates, John Henderson, Kevin Painter, Paul Hogan, Martin Adams and Neil Duff
Invited players:Lisa Ashton, Trina Gulliver, Chris Mason, John Part and Tony O'Shea (replacing Phil Taylor)
WSDT Order of Merit Qualifier: Matt Clark
Resting Qualifiers: James Richardson and David Cameron
Favorites
Based on his performance over the past year and his position in the WSDT World Ranking, Richie Howson is considered the favorite on paper. The 2023 World Seniors Darts Championship finalist has collected the most prize money this year, indicating that he is in top form. Earlier this year, his wins include the WSDT Champion of Champions, the World Seniors Target Open Series 8 and the WSDT Series 2.
In addition to Howson, Robert Thornton and Leonard Gates are serious contenders for the title. Both men have won this tournament before, so they know exactly what it takes to finally stand with the trophy in their hands.
John Henderson of Scotland and Neil Duff of Northern Ireland are seen as outsiders for the overall victory. Henderson is the current World Seniors Darts Championship champion, while Duff has previously shown himself to be a formidable opponent.
*** Richie Howson
** Robert Thornton, Leonard Gates
* John Henderson, Neil Duff
Distribution of prize money
Total prize money is £31,000. Each participant is guaranteed to receive £750 in starting money. Quarterfinalists will receive £1,250, semifinalists will receive £2,500, the runner-up will win £5,000, and the winner of the World Seniors Matchplay will go home with a sum of £10,000.
Format
First round: Best of 15 legs
Quarterfinals: Best of 15 legs
Semifinals: Best of 17 legs
Final: Best of 17 legs
Playing schedule
Friday, Oct. 4 (from 1 p.m.)
First Round
Richie Howson v Trina Gulliver
Martin Adams v Matt Clark
Kevin Painter v Davind Cameron
Leonard Gates v James Richardson
Friday, Oct. 4 (from 7 p.m.)
First round
Robert Thornton v John Part
Neil Duff v Chris Mason
John Henderson v Tony O'Shea
Paul Hogan v Lisa Ashton
Saturday, Oct. 5 (from 1 p.m.)
Quarter-finals (order not yet confirmed)
Howson/Gulliver v Duff/Mason
Henderson/O'Shea v Painter/Cameron
Thornton/Part v Adams/Clark
Gates/Richardson v Hogan/Ashton
Saturday, Oct. 5 (from 7 p.m.)
Semifinals
Saturday, Oct. 5 (from 9 p.m.)
Final
