Schedule opening day World Seniors Matchplay 2024 with Martin Adams, Robert Thornton, John Part and John Henderson
WSDT
Sixteen senior darters are in York, England, this weekend to compete for the title at the 2024 World Seniors Matchplay. The tournament begins Friday, and the first round will be completed.
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It is the third time this WSDT tournament has been played. The World Seniors Matchplay first saw the light of day in 2022, when it was won by Robert Thornton, who was too strong for Phil Taylor in the final 12-10. In 2023, Leonard Gates became the winner of this tournament. The American won 9-6 over Jim McEwan in the final.
The field of participants for the World Seniors Matchplay consists of sixteen players. Thirteen players have been invited on a wildcard basis. In addition, one WSDT Order of Merit Qualifier and two winners of qualifying tournaments are also competing.
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.
Richie Howson v Trina Gulliver
Richie Howson is the only name in the field of competitors who has become best known for his successes on the World Seniors Darts Tour. The 58-year-old Englishman was never a high-flyer at the PDC or the BDO/WDF, but already reached three televised finals on the senior circuit. He lost the first two finals, but this year Howson did take the title at the Champion of Champions tournament.
Trina Gulliver is one of the most successful players in the history of women's darts. No one has won more television titles in women's tennis than "The Golden Girl. Ten world titles are to her name, as well as six World Masters titles and five Dutch Open titles.
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Martin Adams v Matt Clark
Of course, Martin Adams will be there again this weekend. 'Wolfie' has been a regular on the World Seniors Darts Tour since its inception when major tournaments are organized. In recent seasons, Adams made it to the final of a WSDT televised tournament once. That was at the 2022 World Seniors Darts Championship, which he lost to Robert Thornton. However, the 68-year-old Englishman has won plenty of other titles in his career. Three BDO world titles, three World Masters titles and four Dutch Open titles are Adams' most notable achievements.
Matt Clark is also someone who has been around the darts circuit for decades. He played his first World Championship at Lakeside in 1996 and then managed to make it to the quarterfinals. That was also only the only time in 14 World Championship appearances that Clark made it past the second round at a World Championship.
Kevin Painter v David Cameron
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Like Adams, Kevin Painter is always present at the WSDT's major televised tournaments. 'The Artist' especially created a furor at the PDC, where he reached the 2004 World Darts Championship final, losing to Phil Taylor after a sudden-death leg. Painter did, however, win the Players Championship Finals in 2011. In both 2022 and 2023, Painter made it to the semifinals at the World Seniors Darts Championship, the largest tournament on the World Seniors Darts Tour.
David Cameron did already achieve great success on the senior circuit. The Canadian surprisingly managed to win the World Seniors Darts Masters in 2022 by defeating Phil Taylor in the final.
Leonard Gates v James Richardson
The defending champion also begins his tournament on Friday afternoon. Leonard Gates won one of his three major WSDT titles in York last year. The American was the most dominant player on the tour last year, with further overall wins at the World Seniors Masters and the Champion of Champions tournament. Recently, Gates also secured participation in the PDC's World Darts Championship by winning the CDC ranking.
James Richardson qualified for this event through the qualifying tournament. The Englishman is best known for his victory over Raymond van Barneveld at the 2012 World Darts Championship. Six years later, Richardson reached the last sixteen at Alexandra Palace, a feat he repeated at Lakeside at the WDF World Championship in 2023.
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Robert Thornton v John Part
Robert Thornton is one of the big names at the WSDT's televised tournaments. 'The Thorn' became senior world champion in 2022 and 2023, while he also won the World Seniors Matchplay in 2022. At the PDC, Thornton also achieved success by winning the UK Open (2012) and World Grand Prix (2015).
John Part even became world champion twice with the PDC. After already becoming world champion with the BDO in 1994, he took the world title with the other association in 2003 and 2008. His World Cup final against Phil Taylor in 2003 entered the history books as one of the most legendary matches of all time. However, Part's best days are well behind him. On the World Seniors Darts Tour, there is often no more than a supporting role for Part.
Neil Duff v Chris Mason
One of the most interesting matches of this round. Neil Duff is best known for winning the WDF world title in 2022. The Northern Irishman then headed to the senior World Championship in 2023 with high hopes, but then lost in the quarter-finals to Robert Thornton.
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Chris Mason had his greatest success at the turn of the century, reaching the semifinals at Lakeside in 1999 and 2000. However, that Mason can still throw a good dart proved 'The Ace' at this year's World Seniors Darts Championship, where Mason managed to reach the last eight.
John Henderson v Tony O'Shea
One of the big favorites at the World Seniors Matchplay is John Henderson. Although "The Highlander" no longer has a Tour Card, his active career is still in full swing. Henderson currently plays on the PDC Challenge Tour, and also plays regularly as a substitute on the PDC Pro Tour. He also participates in the MODUS Super Series and thus plays tournaments on the World Seniors Darts Tour. On this circuit, Henderson became senior world champion early this year.
Originally, Henderson was supposed to face 16-time world champion Phil Taylor in the first round of this tournament, but "The Power" had to cancel due to persistent hip problems. Crowd favorite Tony O'Shea was called up as a replacement. The 63-year-old Englishman has the 2012 Dutch Open as his biggest title on his record. O'Shea went on to reach seven major finals at the BDO, including three at Lakeside, but lost them all.
Paul Hogan v Lisa Ashton
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The last match of the first round is also a fun one. The always dangerous Paul Hogan then makes his appearance. 'Crocodile Dundee' also has a long career behind him. In 1995 he was a quarterfinalist at the BDO World Championship for the first time, a feat Hogan repeated in 2006 and 2020.
Lisa Ashton is the second female participant at the World Seniors Matchplay. With wins over Michael Huntley, Scott Mitchell and Chris Mason, Ashton made it to the semifinals at the World Seniors Darts Championship.
Format
First round: Best of 15 legs
Quarterfinals: Best of 15 legs
Semifinals: Best of 17 legs
Final: Best of 17 legs
TV Guide/Livestream
The World Seniors Matchplay will be televised live only in the United Kingdom. The broadcaster TNT Sports has acquired the rights to the event.
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For darts fans outside the United Kingdom, an alternative has been found. They can follow the proceedings by subscribing to Discovery +.
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.
Playing schedule World Seniors Matchplay 2024
Friday, Oct. 4
Afternoon session (from 1 p.m.)
First round
Richie Howson v Trina Gulliver
Martin Adams v Matt Clark
Kevin Painter v David Cameron
Leonard Gates v James Richardson
Evening session (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
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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