Sixteen senior darters will compete for the title at the 2024 World Seniors Matchplay at the York Barbican on Friday, Oct. 4 and Saturday, Oct. 5. View the schedule of play for this tournament here.
The field of participants consists of sixteen players, thirteen of whom were admitted to the World Seniors Matchplay via wildcard. In addition, the leader of the WSDT Order of Merit also received an invitation, while two more spots were up for grabs in qualifying tournaments.
Just before the start of the tournament, a major setback did come. Sixteen-time world champion Phil Taylor had to cancel for the World Seniors Matchplay, which was to be his penultimate tournament as a professional darts player. His spot has been filled by fans favorite Tony O'Shea, who just earlier this year had to miss the World Seniors Darts Championship at the last minute due to a hand injury.
The World Seniors Matchplay 2024 gets underway on Friday, Oct. 4. The first eight players are slated to play on Friday afternoon. The afternoon session gets underway at 1 p.m. with a meeting between Richie Howson and Trina Gulliver, followed by three-time Lakeside champion Martin Adams taking the stage for his match against Matt Clark.
Kevin Painter, one of the regular participants at the World Seniors tournaments, faces off with David Cameron. The final match of the afternoon session is between defending champion Leonard Gates and James Richardson, one of two winners at the qualifying tournaments for this event.
The winner of the first edition in 2022 was Robert Thornton. He will be in action in the opening match of the evening session. 'The Thorn' will then play against three-time Lakeside champion John Part for a spot in the quarterfinals.
One of the most interesting matches is the clash between former WDF world champion Neil Duff and two-time World Cup semifinalist Chris Mason. O'Shea, Taylor's replacement, has not been given the easiest task for the first round. 'Silverback' faces John Henderson, who as the reigning senior world champion is perhaps the biggest favorite for the title. The first round concludes with a meeting between Paul Hogan and Lisa Ashton.
The eight winners of the first round will return to the stage during the afternoon session on Saturday, Oct. 5, when the quarterfinals will be played. On Saturday night, the semifinals and finals of the World Seniors Matchplay will be played.
Friday, Oct. 4
Afternoon session (from 1 p.m.)
First round
Richie Howson v Trina Gulliver
Martin Adams 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
Saturday, Oct. 5
Afternoon session (from 1 p.m.)
Quarterfinal
Evening session (from 7 p.m.)
Semifinals
Final
🎯What a first day at the @betgoodwinuk WSDT Seniors World Matchplay!😍 Some cracking first round matches at York Barbican are in store. Which ties are you looking forward to? @TargetDarts @lpdetecting @tynantwater @TuffStuff_UK @OfficialOLDarts @Darts_World…
