recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
2017 World Series of Darts Finals

Darts tournamentTemplate:SHORTDESC:Darts tournament
The **2017 Ladbrokes World Series of Darts Finals** was the third staging of the World Series of Darts Finals tournament, organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. The tournament took place in the Braehead Arena, Glasgow, Scotland, between 3–5 November 2017. It featured a field of 24 players.

Michael van Gerwen was the defending champion after beating Peter Wright 11–9 in the 2016 final, and he retained his title for a third consecutive year, by defeating Gary Anderson 11–6 in the final.

## Prize money

The total prize money increased from £155,000 to £250,000, with the winner's prize being upped from £30,000 to £50,000.

 **Last 24  (First round)** | (8) | £4,000

## Qualification and format

The top eight players from the seven World Series events of 2017 are seeded for this tournament (with the exception of Phil Taylor, who declined his invite for the tournament).

They were:

* 2017 Dubai Duty Free Darts Masters
* 2017 Shanghai Darts Masters
* 2017 US Darts Masters
* 2017 Auckland Darts Masters
* 2017 Melbourne Darts Masters
* 2017 Perth Darts Masters
* 2017 German Darts Masters

In addition, four players were invited as international invitations, as were the next four highest ranked players from the PDC Order of Merit following the 2017 World Grand Prix on 9 October. Another eight places were awarded in a qualifying event that took place in Barnsley on 9 October.

The following players qualify for the tournament:

1. Gary Anderson  *(Runner-up)*
2. **Michael van Gerwen**  **(Champion)**
3. Peter Wright  *(Quarter-finals)*
4. Raymond van Barneveld  *(Second round)*
5. James Wade  *(Semi-finals)*
6. Daryl Gurney  *(Semi-finals)*
7. Kyle Anderson  *(Second round)*
8. Gerwyn Price  *(Quarter-finals)*
* Adrian Lewis  *(First round)*
* Mensur Suljović  *(First round)*
* Dave Chisnall  *(First round)*
* Jelle Klaasen  *(First round)*

**PDC International Invitations**
* Simon Whitlock  *(Second round)*
* Corey Cadby  *(Second round)*
* Michael Smith  *(First round)*
* Max Hopp  *(Second round)*
* Rob Cross  *(Quarter-finals)*
* Dimitri Van den Bergh  *(Quarter-finals)*
* Chris Dobey  *(Second round)*
* Justin Pipe  *(Second round)*
* Jonny Clayton  *(First round)*
* Mark Webster  *(First round)*
* Jan Dekker  *(First round)*
* Simon Stevenson  *(Second round)*

## References

1. ↑ Second World Series Triumph For van Gerwen. PDC. Retrieved on August 6, 2023.
2. ↑ World Series Finals Treble For Van Gerwen. PDC. Retrieved on August 6, 2023.
3. ↑ Ladbrokes World Series Finals Field. PDC. Retrieved on August 6, 2023.
4. ↑ 2017 Ladbrokes World Series Finals Draw. PDC. Retrieved on August 6, 2023.
2008 World Grand Prix

Darts tournamentTemplate:SHORTDESC:Darts tournament
The **2008 Sky Poker World Grand Prix** was the eleventh World Grand Prix darts tournament held by the Professional Darts Corporation. It was held at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, and took place between 6–12 October 2008.

James Wade was the defending champion after defeating Terry Jenkins 6–3 in the 2007 final, however he lost 2-1 to Tony Eccles in the first round.

Phil Taylor won his eighth Grand Prix title with a 6-2 victory over Raymond van Barneveld in the final.

## Format

All matches were played as double in, double out; requiring the players to score 501 points to win a leg, beginning with as well as finishing on either a double or the bullseye. Matches were played to set format, with each set being the best of five legs (first to three).

This is the only "double in" tournament on the PDC circuit, and along with the World Championship the only tournament which uses the set format.

The matches got longer as the tournament progressed:

 Second
 Quarter-finals
 Semi-finals
 Final

## Prize money

The 2008 event had an increased prize fund of £250,000, with £50,000 going to the winner.

## Qualification

The field of 32 players was made up of the top 16 on the PDC Order of Merit on 21 September, with the top 8 being seeded for the event.

The remaining sixteen places went to the top twelve non-qualified players from the 2008 Players Championship Order of Merit, and then to the top four non-qualified residents of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland from the 2008 Players Championship Order of Merit who have competed in at least six Players Championship events.

1. **Phil Taylor**  **(Champion)**
2. Raymond van Barneveld  *(Runner-up)*
3. James Wade  *(First round)*
4. John Part  *(Quarter-finals)*
5. Terry Jenkins  *(Semi-finals)*
6. Wayne Mardle  *(Second round)*
7. Colin Lloyd  *(Quarter-finals)*
8. Andy Hamilton  *(Quarter-finals)*
9. Adrian Lewis  *(Second round)*
10. Alan Tabern  *(First round)*
11. Roland Scholten  *(First round)*
12. Dennis Priestley  *(Quarter-finals)*
13. Peter Manley  *(First round)*
14. Ronnie Baxter  *(First round)*
15. Colin Osborne  *(Second round)*
16. Mervyn King  *(Semi-finals)*
1. Chris Mason  *(First round)*
2. Denis Ovens  *(First round)*
3. Robert Thornton  *(Second round)*
4. Kevin Painter  *(Second round)*
5. Mark Walsh  *(Second round)*
6. Vincent van der Voort  *(First round)*
7. Wayne Jones  *(First round)*
8. Mark Dudbridge  *(First round)*
9. Andy Smith  *(First round)*
10. Tony Eccles  *(Second round)*
11. Felix McBrearty  *(First round)*
12. Steve Beaton  *(First round)*
1. Mick McGowan  *(First round)*
2. John MaGowan  *(First round)*
3. Brendan Dolan  *(First round)*
4. Jacko Barry  *(Second round)*

## References

1. ↑ Wade Claims SkyBet World Grand Prix. PDC.
2. ↑ Imperious Taylor Claims Dublin Win. PDC.
3. ↑ Sky Poker Sponsors World Grand Prix. PDC.
4. ↑ Saint Completes Players Championship Treble. PDC.
5. ↑ Sky Poker World Grand Prix Draw. PDC.
2009 European Championship

Darts tournamentTemplate:SHORTDESC:Darts tournament
The **2009 PartyPoker.net European Championship** was the second edition of the PDC tournament, the European Championship, which allowed the top European players to compete against the highest ranked players from the PDC Order of Merit.

The tournament took place from 29 October–1 November 2009 at the Claus Event Center in Hoofddorp, Netherlands. It featured a field of 32 players and £200,000 in prize money, with £50,000 going to the winner.

Phil Taylor was the defending champion after defeating Adrian Lewis 11–5 in the 2008 final, and he successfully defended his title, defeating Steve Beaton 11–3 in the final, with a tournament average of 111.54.

## Format

The sudden death leg format was removed from this year's tournament, with all matches ending when one player reached the necessary target.

 Second
 Quarter-finals
 Semi-finals
 Final

## Prize money

The prize fund remained at £200,000.

 **First round** | (16) | £2,500

## Qualification

The top 16 players from the PDC Order of Merit after the Players Championship double-header in Nuland automatically qualified for the event. The top 8 from these rankings were also the seeded players.

The remaining 16 places went to the top 8 non-qualified players from the 2009 Players Championship Order of Merit, and then to the top 8 non-qualified players from the 2009 Continental Europe Order of Merit.

1. **Phil Taylor**  **(Champion)**
2. Raymond van Barneveld  *(Second round)*
3. James Wade  *(Semi-finals)*
4. John Part  *(First round)*
5. Terry Jenkins  *(First round)*
6. Mervyn King  *(Quarter-finals)*
7. Adrian Lewis  *(First round)*
8. Ronnie Baxter  *(Second round)*
9. Dennis Priestley  *(First round)*
10. Colin Lloyd  *(Quarter-finals)*
11. Alan Tabern  *(First round)*
12. Mark Walsh  *(Quarter-finals)*
13. Colin Osborne  *(Second round)*
14. Andy Hamilton  *(Second round)*
15. Kevin Painter  *(First round)*
16. Robert Thornton  *(Second round)*
1. Gary Anderson  *(Quarter-finals)*
2. Steve Beaton  *(Runner-up)*
3. Jamie Caven  *(Second round)*
4. Wes Newton  *(First round)*
5. Wayne Jones  *(First round)*
6. Vincent van der Voort  *(First round)*
7. Paul Nicholson  *(First round)*
8. Andy Smith  *(First round)*
1. Co Stompé  *(First round)*
2. Carlos Rodríguez  *(First round)*
3. Jelle Klaasen  *(Semi-finals)*
4. Michael van Gerwen  *(Second round)*
5. Toon Greebe  *(First round)*
6. Mensur Suljović  *(Second round)*
7. Remco van Eijden  *(First round)*
8. Roland Scholten  *(First round)*

## References

1. ↑ European Championship Venue. PDC.
2. ↑ Taylor Rules Europe!. PDC.
3. ↑ Taylor wins European title. PDC.
4. ↑ European Championship Draw. PDC.
Frank Bruns

**Frank Bruns** (born 1 September 1977) is a German professional darts player who currently plays in World Darts Federation (WDF) and various national events. He is a silver medalist of the WDF World Cup.

## Career

Bruns plays for the DC Lumberjacks Salzgitter in DDV Bundesliga. Bruns has been represented at the DDV tournaments for several years and was able to win the title in Nürnberg at the end of November 2018. As the leader of the DDV rankings, Bruns was part of the Germany team at the 2019 WDF World Cup. Unfortunately, he lost to Hyun-Joon Son in his first match of singles competition. In the same year, he made his debut at the 2019 World Masters, where he lost to Gareth Griffiths in the first round match.

In 2023, he advanced to the quarter-finals of the DDV Dessau Open and stabilize his performances a little, which he confirmed with two semi-finals in Dillingen. After Christopher Toonders resigned from representing Germany at the 2023 WDF World Cup, his place was taken from the reserve by Bruns. He showed himself very well in the singles tournament. On his way to the semi-finals and first international success, he beat Justin Hewitt, Filip Ljubenko and Markus Straub. In the semi-finals he defeated Robbie Mills by 6–4 in legs. In the final of this tournament, he had to admit the form of Berry van Peer who beat him by 3–7 in legs. Bruns is the first silver medalist of WDF World Cup from Germany after Irina Armstrong.
Michael Smith

Smith during the 2017 German Darts Grand Prix

**Michael Smith** (born 18 September 1990) is an English professional darts player who currently plays in Professional Darts Corporation events.

Nicknamed *Bully Boy*, Smith has won eight PDC Pro Tour titles and was a PDC World Darts Championship finalist in 2019.

## Early and personal life

Smith was born on 18 September 1990 in the town of St Helens, England and attended Saint Cuthbert's High School. At the age of 15, he fell off his bike on his way to school, breaking his hip, requiring him to use crutches for 16 weeks. Whilst on crutches, Smith threw his first 180.

After leaving school, Smith took a joinery course at college, but decided to drop out with one exam remaining to play in a darts tournament, a decision that he has since described as the "best decision of his life".

Smith is married to Dagmara Malczewska, with whom he has two sons, Michael Jr. and Kasper. The couple have a family management business together.

## Major tournament wins

Smith won both the 2022 Grand Slam of Darts and the 2023 PDC World Darts Championship.

## External links

* Official Twitter
* Michael Smith at PDC.tv
* Official Instagram
Jarno Bottenberg

**Jarno Bottenberg** (born 9 November 2001) is a Dutch professional darts player who currently plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and World Darts Federation (WDF) events. He also competed in mini golf tournaments. He qualified for the WDF World Darts Championship.

## Career

Bottenberg has been playing darts since 2016, but appeared at international stage in 2022. On the PDC Development Tour he was able to impress with consistent performances, but never won any tournament of this cycle. On 13 December he won the qualification for the 2023 WDF World Darts Championship. He also takes part in MODUS Super Series.

In 2023, Bottenberg reached the semi-finals of the 2023 PDC Development Tour series in last tournament of season. After won a quarter-finals match against Viktor Tingström, he lost to Luke Littler by 2–5 in legs. He therefore qualified for the 2023 PDC World Youth Championship via the PDC Development Tour ranking. As group winner, he somewhat surprisingly beat Jarred Cole and Leighton Bennett, followed by a victory over Thomas Banks. In the third round, Bottenberg had to admit defeat against Josh Rock.

## References

1. ↑ Interview with Jarno Bottenberg (WMF Youth Re-Post). Mini Golf News.
2. ↑ Six more qualify for 2023 Lakeside WDF World Championship. World Darts Federation (12 December 2022).
Cathy Leung

**Cathy Yu-Yan Leung** (born 9 July 1985) is a Hong Kongese professional darts player who mainly plays at the soft-tip darts events in Asia and occasionally at the steel-tip in World Darts Federation (WDF). She is represented her country at the WDF World Cup. She is a former Cantopop singer and show hostess.

## Music career

After graduating from high school, Leung was discovered by Boombeat Music in 2004 for her talent in singing. After signing up and becoming an official singer, her manager and family advised her to complete her university degree before deciding whether to continue in her career or not.

In 2006, Leung decided to stop singing and focus on her education. Still participating in public events however, she won the <<CASH>> Cantopop Singer/Lyricist Award. At the end of the year, she was invited to host the show *Boom Sanctuary*, taking over Kay Tse due to pregnancy. Completing her degree, Leung joined the 2007 New Singer's cohort. In July, she recorded her first official debut song, "Why, Why". On 9 September, she released her first album *Under the Sun*. Despite some initial popularity, Leung was dropped by her entertainment company and has since reverted to a normal life.

## Darts career

She got her first contact with a darts in the youth center of church in Hong Kong. There was an unused old darts soft-tip machine. The feeling of joy resulting from the game of darts made her become more interested in this sport discipline. Leung had been active as a singer, but after achieving her dream in 2016 of representing the Hong Kong team and won a Dartslive Soft Darts World Cup, she wanted going further in darts and retired from singing for being a full-time professional darts player.

In 2017, she advanced to the steel-tip Malaysian Open final, but unfortunately lost to Mozhgan Rahmani. In the same year, she represented Hong Kong at the 2017 WDF World Cup and reached fourth round in singles competition lost 2–4 in legs to Anna Forsmark. In the remaining competitions of that World Cup edition, she did not achieve significant successes. Similarly, during the 2018 WDF Asia-Pacific Cup played a year later, did not do well, including being knocked-out in the group-stage in the singles tournament.

In 2019, she achieved her best steel-dart achievement to date, advancing to the quarter-finals of the singles tournament during the 2019 WDF World Cup. Eventually she was eliminated in the match against Tori Kewish, lost 3–5 in legs. In the same year, she repeated success from three years ago and as a member of the Hong Kong national team won the Dartslive Soft Darts World Cup title for the second time. Additionally, she was awarded by the organizers as the MVP of this tournament.

The coronavirus pandemic caused her professional career to slow down, but she is still active in sports competitions at national and continental levels.

## References

1. ↑ Why Did You Decide to Become a Professional Darts Player? -THE WORLD ONLINE LEAGUE: International Players-. Dartslive (10 March 2022).
Daniel Racoveanu

**Daniel Racoveanu** (born 2 February 1986) is a Romanian professional darts player who currently plays in World Darts Federation (WDF) events. He is a Rhinoceros Open champion. He represented his country at the WDF World Cup and WDF Europe Cup.
He also competed in bodybuilding competitions.

## Career

Darts came his way in 2008, but it was destined for him since 14 years old. In 1990, at a fair in Pitești, he won at wheel of fortune a simple dart board with plastic darts. Three years ago he achieved the Romanian Champion title.

In 2010, he played for the first time at an international tournament, representing his country at the 2010 WDF Europe Cup. In the singles competition, he lost in the first round match to Eser Tekin. In the same year, he received a wild card from the national federation to compete in the 2010 World Masters. He also lost in the first round match, but this time he lost to Dave Whitcombe.

In 2011, he won his first international tournament, Rhinoceros Open in Bulgaria. In the final of the tournament he defeated Miroslav Petrov. In the same year he was invited to participate in the 2011 WDF World Cup. In the singles competition, he lost in the first round match to José de Sousa by 1–4 in legs.

In 2023, he returned to competition at the international level. During the Romanian Open, he advanced to the quarter-finals, where he narrowly lost to Gary Stone. During the Balaton Classics, he advanced to the finals of the competition, where lost to Hannes Schnier. It was his first international tournament final since 2011. Racoveanu plays his matches at an average of over 80 points, making him one of the top Romanian players.

## References

1. ↑ El este românul campion național la trei discipline sportive. prosport.ro.
2. ↑ Daniel Racoveanu. mastercaller.com.
3. ↑ Daniel Racoveanu. World Darts Federation.
2019 European Championship

Darts tournamentTemplate:SHORTDESC:Darts tournament
The **2019 Unibet European Championship** was the twelfth edition of the Professional Darts Corporation's European Championship tournament, which saw the top players from the thirteen European tour events compete against each other. The tournament took place from 24–27 October 2019 at the Lokhalle in Göttingen, Germany.

James Wade was the defending champion, after beating Simon Whitlock 11–8 in the 2018 final. However, he was beaten 6–0 by Jonny Clayton in the first round. Clayton posted the 6th highest average in the tournament's history in the process.

Rob Cross won his third major title with an 11–6 win over Gerwyn Price in the final.

## Format

The format remained the same as the previous year.

 Second
 Semi-finals
 Final

## Prize money

The 2019 European Championship will have a total prize fund of £500,000, an increase of £100,000 from the last staging of the tournament.

The following is the breakdown of the fund:

 **First round** | (16) | £6,000

## Qualification

The 2019 tournament continues the new system in terms of qualification with the two previous editions: The top 32 players from the European Tour Order of Merit, which is solely based on prize money won in the thirteen European tour events during the season, qualifying for the tournament.

As with 2018's tournament, the draw will be done in a fixed bracket by their seeded order with the top qualifier playing the 32nd, the second playing the 31st and so on.

The following players qualified for the tournament:

1. Michael van Gerwen  *(First round)*
2. Ian White  *(First round)*
3. Gerwyn Price  *(Runner-up)*
4. Daryl Gurney  *(Semi-finals)*
5. Dave Chisnall  *(Quarter-finals)*
6. Mensur Suljović  *(First round)*
7. Peter Wright  *(First round)*
8. Joe Cullen  *(Second round)*
9. **Rob Cross**  **(Champion)**
10. Jamie Hughes  *(First round)*
11. Krzysztof Ratajski  *(First round)*
12. James Wade  *(First round)*
13. Adrian Lewis  *(First round)*
14. Nathan Aspinall  *(Second round)*
15. Keegan Brown  *(First round)*
16. Glen Durrant  *(First round)*
17. Ricky Evans  *(Quarter-finals)*
18. Stephen Bunting  *(Second round)*
19. Steve Beaton  *(First round)*
20. Simon Whitlock  *(Second round)*
21. Jonny Clayton  *(Second round)*
22. Chris Dobey  *(Second round)*
23. Jermaine Wattimena  *(Second round)*
24. Darren Webster  *(First round)*
25. Mervyn King  *(First round)*
26. Jeffrey de Zwaan  *(Quarter-finals)*
27. Vincent van der Voort  *(Quarter-finals)*
28. Dimitri Van den Bergh  *(First round)*
29. William O'Connor  *(First round)*
30. Ted Evetts  *(First round)*
31. Michael Smith  *(Semi-finals)*
32. Ross Smith  *(Second round)*

## Draw

The draw was confirmed following the conclusion of the 2019 Gibraltar Darts Trophy on 29 September.

## References

1. ↑ Wonderful Wade's European Triumph. PDC.
2. ↑ Cross Leaves Europe Victorious. *PDC.tv* (27 October 2019).
3. ↑ Prize Money Soars Above £14m In 2019. PDC.
4. ↑ 2019 Unibet European Championship draw. PDC.
2005 World Masters

Darts tournamentTemplate:SHORTDESC:Darts tournament
The **2005 World Masters** (officially referred to as the **2005 Winmau World Masters**) was the 32nd edition of the World Masters organised by the World Darts Federation. The tournament was held at the Royal Spa in Bridlington, England.

It will turn out to be the year of Göran Klemme. He defeats some top players, including Martin Phillips, Bobby George, Gary Robson and John Walton, and meets world champion Raymond van Barneveld in the final match. Barneveld wins 7–3 in sets, after beating Martin Adams 6–1 in the semi-finals. Gary Anderson wasn’t able to win a set against Barneveld in the quarter-finals. After Eric Bristow, John Lowe, Dave Whitcombe and Bob Anderson, Raymond van Barneveld becomes the fifth player in history to win this tournament more than once.

Trina Gulliver defeats Francis Hoenselaar by 4–1 in sets and wins her fourth World Masters title in a row and her fifth in total. This number equals the total of Eric Bristow, who also won the title five times in the men. Sari Sauvola played a best international major tournament in her career and takes the semi-finals, where they lost to Hoenselaar.

## Men's

### Format and seeds

There were 16 seeded players in men’s competition.

1. Mervyn King
2. Martin Adams
3. **Raymond van Barneveld**  **(Champion)**
4. Tony Eccles
5. John Walton
6. Ted Hankey
7. Mike Veitch
8. Co Stompé
9. Martin Atkins
10. Niels de Ruiter
11. Shaun Greatbatch
12. Vincent van der Voort
13. Tony O'Shea
14. Paul Hanvidge
15. Tony West
16. Mareno Michels

## Women's

### Format and seeds

There were 8 seeded players in women’s competition.

1. **Trina Gulliver**  **(Champion)**
2. Francis Hoenselaar
3. Karin Krappen
4. Jan Robbins
5. Clare Bywaters
6. Dee Bateman
7. Dawn Standley
8. Rachel Dixon

## References

1. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `WDFUpdate3`
2023 Masters

Eleventh staging of the Masters darts tournament of the PDCTemplate:SHORTDESC:Eleventh staging of the Masters darts tournament of the PDC

Darts tournamentTemplate:SHORTDESC:Darts tournament
The **2023 Cazoo Masters** was the eleventh staging of the non-ranking Masters darts tournament, held by the Professional Darts Corporation. It was held from 27–29 January 2023 at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes, England.

Joe Cullen was the defending champion after beating Dave Chisnall 11–9 in the 2022 final, but he lost to Chris Dobey 6–4 in the first round.

Chris Dobey won his first televised title, defeating Rob Cross 11–7 in the final.

The second-round match between Rob Cross and Gary Anderson produced the highest losing and highest combined average in Masters history, with Cross' setting the 2nd highest average at the Masters.

## Qualifiers

The Masters featured the top 24 players in the PDC Order of Merit after the 2023 PDC World Darts Championship, with the top 8 automatically qualifying for the second round.

Danny Noppert, Damon Heta, Ross Smith, and Callan Rydz made their debuts in the event.

The following players took part in the tournament:

1. Michael Smith  *(Semi-finals)*
2. Peter Wright  *(Semi-finals)*
3. Michael van Gerwen  *(Quarter-finals)*
4. Gerwyn Price  *(Second round)*
5. Luke Humphries  *(Second round)*
6. Rob Cross  *(Runner-up)*
7. Jonny Clayton  *(Quarter-finals)*
8. Danny Noppert  *(Quarter-finals)*
9. Nathan Aspinall  *(First round)*
10. James Wade  *(Second round)*
11. Dimitri Van den Bergh  *(First round)*
12. Joe Cullen  *(First round)*
13. Dirk van Duijvenbode  *(Quarter-finals)*
14. José de Sousa  *(Second round)*
15. Ryan Searle  *(First round)*
16. Damon Heta  *(First round)*
17. Ross Smith  *(Second round)*
18. Dave Chisnall  *(Second round)*
19. Gabriel Clemens  *(First round)*
20. Krzysztof Ratajski  *(First round)*
21. **Chris Dobey**  **(Champion)**
22. Gary Anderson  *(Second round)*
23. Callan Rydz  *(First round)*
24. Stephen Bunting  *(Second round)*

## Prize money

The prize money was increased from £220,000 to £275,000 in total, with the winner earning £65,000.

 **First round losers** | (8) | £4,000

## References

1. ↑ Emotional Cullen secures maiden TV title at Ladbrokes Masters (30 January 2022).
2. ↑ Gorton, Josh. Dobey defeats Cross to clinch first televised title at Cazoo Masters. Professional Darts Corporation.
3. ↑ Prize money boost confirmed for 2023 Cazoo Masters.
4. ↑ 2023 Cazoo Masters draw & schedule of play confirmed (17 January 2023).
Bernd Hebecker

**Bernd Hebecker** (born 5 October 1955) is a German former professional darts player who has played in the British Darts Organisation (BDO) and World Darts Federation (WDF) events. He is the first player from Germany who qualified for the World Darts Championship and took medal at the WDF Europe Cup.

## Career

Hebecker is the first full-time professional darts player, who start playing darts in the Bremen Broadway Pub in 1977 at the age of 22. The start of the first league in Bremen and other German cities soon followed, as well as the organization of the first German Championship in the early 1980s. In the 1980s he drew attention to himself with his first national titles. He belonged to the first national Germany team during the 1983 WDF World Cup. He lost in the first round match to Hiroshi Watanobe by 3–4 in legs. In the pairs and team competitions the Germans did not manage to achieve satisfactory results. In total, Hebecker represented Germany three times during the WDF World Cup and five times during the WDF Europe Cup.

After winning the German Championship in 1984, Hebecker won the German Open, Dortmund Open and being a two-time Champion of the German Gold Cup. In 1984 and 1985 he also served as President of the Deutschen Dart-Verbandes, making him one of the pioneers of darts in Germany. In 1992, he won a bronze medal in singles competition at the 1992 WDF Europe Cup in Kerava. On the way to his first and only medal, he defeated Leo Laurens, Jocky Wilson, Øyvind Aasland and Bruno Ladovaz. He finally lost in semi-finals to John Lowe by 3–4 in legs.

After good performance at the British Open, he was the first player from Germany to qualify for the 1993 BDO World Darts Championship. There he lost to Jann Hoffmann in the first round by 0–3 in sets. Between 1996 and 1999 Hebecker turned his hobby into a career and played the entire British Darts Organisation tour as a professional player. He refused to compete in Professional Darts Corporation tournaments and retired in 2000.

## World Championship results

### BDO

* 1993: First round (lost to Jann Hoffmann 0–3) (sets)

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Interview with Bernd Hebecker. globaldarts.de.
2. ↑ Bernd Hebecker. mastercaller.com.
3. ↑ Bernd Hebecker. dartsdatabase.co.uk.
4. ↑ Bernd Hebecker. World Darts Federation.
Chas Barstow

**Chas Barstow** (born 16 January 1979 in Winchester) is an English professional darts player who play in Professional Darts Corporation events.

## Career

Barstow participated in tournaments of the Professional Darts Corporation for the first time in 2018.

He played the PDC Pro Tour three times in a row without success. In October 2020, he reached a final at a tournament of the PDC Challenge Tour for the first time and just missed winning a Tour card at the Q-School at the beginning of 2021, however, through his performance at the Q-School, he qualified for the 2021 UK Open, where he played through to the third round his lost to John Brown. After good results, Barstow took part in the 2021 Players Championship Finals, although he lost to Brendan Dolan. He was able to qualify for the 2022 PDC World Darts Championship, where he even took the first set against Michael van Gerwen, before losing 3–1 in the last 64.

## World Championship results

### PDC

* 2022: Second round (lost to Michael van Gerwen 1–3) (sets)

## References

1. ↑ Chas Barstow- Mastercaller.com.
2. ↑ Dart Profis - Chas Barstow.

## External links

* Player profile on Chas Barstow from Dartsdatabase
Arjan Konterman

**Arjan Konterman** (born 28 July 1990) is a Dutch professional darts player who currently plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and World Darts Federation (WDF) events. He qualified for the 2023 WDF World Darts Championship.

## Career

Konterman began his career in local tournaments, where he had occasional success. In February 2020, he took part in the 2020 Dutch Open, where he advanced to the ninth round and finally lost to Brian Raman by 1–4 in legs. The coronavirus pandemic caused his career to slow down significantly. During this time, he honed his skills and returned to international competition in 2021. In December 2021, he took part in the qualifiers for the WDF World Darts Championship, but lost in the Last 32 phase to Jeffrey Bekema by 1–4 in legs.

In 2022, he achieved great success by advancing to the 2022 Dutch Darts Championship as a host-nation qualifier. In the first round, he lost to Danny Noppert by 0–6 in legs. Two weeks later, he took part in the 2022 Dutch Open, where he again advanced to the final stage of the tournament. On his way to the eighth round, he defeated Francesco Raschini and Jordan Brooks. He lost to Thibault Tricole by 1–4 in legs. In December, he made his 2022 World Masters debut. In the group-stage phase he finished second, which allowed him to advance to the next round, but in the next match he lost to Luke Littler by 0–5 in legs. A day later, he won a qualification for the 2023 WDF World Darts Championship.

In January 2023, he took part in the PDC Q-School qualifying tournament.

## World Championship results

### WDF

* 2023: Second round (lost to Alexander Merkx 1–3) (sets)

## References

1. ↑ Arjan Konterman. World Darts Federation.
2. ↑ Toto Dutch Open Men 2022. World Darts Federation.
3. ↑ World Masters Men 2022. World Darts Federation.
4. ↑ Six more qualify for 2023 Lakeside WDF World Championship. World Darts Federation (12 December 2022).
5. ↑ Arjan Konterman. mastercaller.com.
2010 European Championship

Darts tournamentTemplate:SHORTDESC:Darts tournament
The **2010 PartyPoker.net European Championship** was the third edition of the PDC tournament, the European Championship, which allows the top European players to compete against the highest ranked players from the PDC Order of Merit.

The tournament took place at the Stadthalle Dinslaken in Dinslaken, Germany, from 29 July–1 August 2010, featured a field of 32 players and £200,000 in prize money, with £50,000 going to the winner.

Phil Taylor was the defending champion after defeating Steve Beaton 11–3 in the 2009 final, and he defended his title once again thanks to an 11-1 demolition of Wayne Jones, who played his first ever televised final.

## Format

The only change in the format saw the second round increased from best of 17 to best of 19 legs.

 Second
 Semi-finals
 Final

## Prize money

The prize fund remained at £200,000.

 **First round** | (16) | £2,500

## Qualification

The top 16 players from the PDC Order of Merit after the World Series of Darts Festival in Las Vegas automatically qualified for the event. The top 8 from these rankings were also the seeded players.

The remaining 16 places went to the top 8 non-qualified players from the 2010 Players Championship Order of Merit, and then from the top 8 non-qualified players of the 2010 Continental Europe Order of Merit.

1. **Phil Taylor**  **(Champion)**
2. Raymond van Barneveld  *(Quarter-finals)*
3. James Wade  *(First round)*
4. Mervyn King  *(First round)*
5. Terry Jenkins  *(Semi-finals)*
6. Ronnie Baxter  *(Quarter-finals)*
7. Adrian Lewis  *(First round)*
8. Mark Walsh  *(Quarter-finals)*
9. Colin Lloyd  *(Semi-finals)*
10. Andy Hamilton  *(First round)*
11. Colin Osborne  *(First round)*
12. Simon Whitlock  *(Second round)*
13. Robert Thornton  *(Second round)*
14. Dennis Priestley  *(First round)*
15. Alan Tabern  *(First round)*
16. Paul Nicholson  *(First round)*
1. Gary Anderson  *(First round)*
2. Denis Ovens  *(First round)*
3. Wayne Jones  *(Runner-up)*
4. Wes Newton  *(Second round)*
5. Andy Smith  *(Second round)*
6. Jamie Caven  *(Quarter-finals)*
7. Barrie Bates  *(Second round)*
8. Mark Dudbridge  *(First round)*
1. Vincent van der Voort  *(First round)*
2. Co Stompé  *(First round)*
3. Jelle Klaasen  *(Second round)*
4. Toni Alcinas  *(First round)*
5. Bernd Roith  *(Second round)*
6. Michael van Gerwen  *(Second round)*
7. Tomas Seyler  *(First round)*
8. Andree Welge  *(First round)*

## Draw

The draw was made on 30 June by Rod Harrington.

## References

1. ↑ Taylor wins European title. PDC.
2. ↑ Imperious Taylor Is Euro King. PDC.
3. ↑ European Joy For Debutants. PDC.
4. ↑ European Championship Draw. PDC.
Dylan Slevin

**Dylan Slevin** (born 19 November 2002) is an Irish professional darts player who currently plays in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He obtained a PDC Tour Card in January 2023. He previously won two medals in the WDF Europe Cup Youth and represented his country during the WDF World Cup in youth competitions.

## Career

In the second decade of the 21st century, he was a leading youth player in Ireland. As a member of the Irish youth (boys) team, he won the medal twice in the WDF Europe Cup Youth. Bronze in 2018 and gold in 2019.

In November 2022, he participated in the Irish Open. On his way to the final, he defeated several of the top players in the World Darts Federation ranking, including Nick Kenny, Neil Duff, Richard Veenstra and Chris Landman. In the final, he lost to Jelle Klaasen by 3–6 in legs. In the Irish Classic, he ended his participation in the fourth round after losing to Dennie Olde Kalter by 3–4 in legs.

In January 2023, he took part in the PDC Q-School qualifying tournament. On the fourth day of the tournament finals, he obtained a PDC Tour Card for the next two years. In early February, he made his debut during the first 2023 PDC Players Championship tournament, by advancing to the semi-finals, where he lost to Jamie Hughes by 2–7 in legs.

In 2023, he took part in the 2023 UK Open where he defeated by Maik Kuivenhoven, Shaun Wilkinson, Robbie Knops, then before losing to Joe Cullen by 7–10 in legs. Slevin made his PDC European Tour debut in the 2023 Austrian Darts Open where he lost to John Henderson by 4–6 in legs.

## References

1. ↑ Tipperary’s Dylan Slevin has an impressive PDC debut (12 February 2023).
2. ↑ Borrisokane’s Dylan Slevin secures a PDC Tour Card (15 January 2023).
3. ↑ Dylan Slevin. World Darts Federation.
4. ↑ Winmau Irish Open Men 2022. World Darts Federation.
5. ↑ High Performance Roofing Irish Classic Men 2022. World Darts Federation.
6. ↑ Dylan Slevin. mastercaller.com.
7. ↑ Super Searle topples Hughes to claim Players Championship 1 title. PDC (11 February 2023).
Martin Hoffmann

**Martin Hoffmann** is a Czech soft-tip and steel-tip professional darts player who currently plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and many soft-tip international events. Multiple medalist of international soft-tip tournaments. He is a singles SDWF World Darts Champion, cricket EDU European Darts Champion and multiple Czech Champion at soft-tip and steel-tip dartboards. He also represented Czech Republic at the WDF World Cup.
2013 Grand Slam of Darts

Darts tournamentTemplate:SHORTDESC:Darts tournament
The **2013 William Hill Grand Slam of Darts**, was the seventh staging of the tournament, organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. The event took place from 9–17 November 2013 at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, England.

Raymond van Barneveld was the defending champion, after defeating Michael van Gerwen 16–14 in the 2012 final, but despite winning his first two group matches, a 5–3 defeat to Mervyn King, meant he was eliminated in the group stage.

Phil Taylor won his fifth Grand Slam title by beating Robert Thornton 16–6 in the final.

The semi-final match between Taylor and Adrian Lewis proved to be the highest quality in darts history as the players averaged 109.76 and 110.99 respectively, the highest combined average ever recorded. The PDC record of 31 maximums set in the 2007 PDC World Darts Championship final was broken as 32 were made in this match in 32 fewer legs.

## Qualifying

The qualifying criteria was announced on 20 August.

## Draw

The draw was made on 4 November by Tom Ross and ex-Aston Villa footballer Ian Taylor.

### Pools

  Phil Taylor  **(1)**
 Raymond van Barneveld  **(2)**
 Scott Waites  **(3)**
 Michael van Gerwen  **(4)**
 Adrian Lewis  **(5)**
 Simon Whitlock  **(6)**
 Andy Hamilton  **(7)**
 James Wade  **(8)**
 Dave Chisnall
 Kim Huybrechts
 Mervyn King
 Christian Kist
 Wes Newton
 Kevin Painter
 Robert Thornton
 Ronny Huybrechts
 Paul Nicholson
 Tony O'Shea
 Michael Smith
 Mark Walsh
 Mark Webster
 Dean Winstanley
 Richie George
 Ted Hankey
 Stuart Kellett
 Justin Pipe
 Ross Smith
 Vincent van der Voort
 Peter Wright

### Group stage

*All matches first-to-5/best of 9*

NB in Brackets: Number = Seeds; BDO = BDO Darts player; RQ = Ranking qualifier; Q = Qualifier

NB: P = Played; W = Won; L = Lost; LF = Legs for; LA = Legs against; +/- = Plus/minus record, in relation to legs; Average – 3-dart average; Pts = Points; Q = Qualified for K.O. phase

##### Nine-Dart Shootout

With Wes Newton and Mark Webster finishing level on points and leg difference, a nine-dart shootout between the two took place to see who would play Scott Waites in the second round. The match took place after the conclusion of Monday's group matches, and was the first time since the 2009 Grand Slam of Darts that a nine-dart shootout was required.

## References

1. ↑ Brilliant Barney's Grand Slam Triumph! (18 November 2012).
2. ↑ Taylor's Five Alive In Grand Slam! (17 November 2013).
3. ↑ Experts Hail 'Best Game Ever' (18 November 2013).
4. ↑ Grand Slam Qualifiers Confirmed (20 August 2013).
5. ↑ William Hill Grand Slam Draw (4 November 2013).
Roman Benecký

**Roman Benecký** (born 20 January 2000) is a Czech professional darts player who currently plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He represented his country at the 2018 PDC World Cup of Darts and qualified for the 2022 PDC World Darts Championship.

## Career

Benecký started playing darts in 2009, at the age of 9. He first played in soft-tip darts tournaments for a few years and in 2017 he became the EDU European Champion at the U18 category. In the final match he defeated Oguzhan Kaya and took a gold medal. In 2016, he achieved other of his greatest youth's successes by winning the Czech Open Youth's tournament.

In 2018, he quite surprisingly won the qualification for the 2018 PDC World Cup of Darts where he played for the Czech Republic with Karel Sedláček. In the first round doubles match they faced Rob Cross and Dave Chisnall, who defeated them by 3–5 in legs. In 2019, he took part in PDC Development Tour tournaments for the first time. In addition to two rounds of 16, a quarter-final was the best result of the year, which also gave him qualification for the 2019 PDC World Youth Championship. In the decisive group game he was defeated by Nathan Rafferty and thus missed the knock-out rounds.

In 2020, he played in PDC Development Tour and went to the semi-finals later in the year, which guaranteed him a start in the 2020 PDC World Youth Championship. He was eliminated once again in the group stage, by eventual finalist Joe Davis. At the end of 2021, in the final of the Eastern Europe Qualifier tournament he prevailed against Karel Sedláček and therefore qualified for the 2022 PDC World Darts Championship. There he faced Ryan Joyce in the first round match, whom he narrowly lost in the decider. At the Q-School, Benecký was once again unable to earn a tour card, and a little later he made it into the quarter-finals at the PDC Challenge Tour. At the end of March, Benecky advanced to his first two Players Championship.

## World Championship results

### PDC

* 2022: First round (lost to Ryan Joyce 2–3) (sets)

## Performance timeline

**PDC European Tour**

 QF

## References

1. ↑ EM 2017. European Dart Union.
2. ↑ Roman Benecky signs with Mission Darts. dartsnews.com.
3. ↑ Benecky wins East Europe Qualifier to seal PDC World Darts Championship debut. dartsnews.com.
4. ↑ Players Championship 7-8 entries confirmed. PDC.
2023 Bahrain Darts Masters

Darts tournamentTemplate:SHORTDESC:Darts tournament
The **2023 Bahrain Darts Masters** was the first staging of the tournament by the Professional Darts Corporation. It was the first event in the 2023 World Series of Darts. The tournament featured 16 players (8 PDC representatives and 8 Asian representatives), and was held at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain on 12–13 January 2023.

Michael Smith won the inaugural staging of the event, and his third World Series title, defeating Gerwyn Price 8–6 in the final.

The event was announced on 26 September 2022, alongside the 2023 Nordic Darts Masters, which were held a week later.

## Prize money

The total prize fund was set at £60,000.

 **First round** | (8) | £1,250

## Qualifiers

The PDC announced 7 of their 8 players who are their elite representatives at the event on 13 December 2022, and did not include Michael van Gerwen, who couldn't attend for family reasons. Jonny Clayton was announced as the 8th representative on 4 January 2023.

As this was the first World Series event of the year, the PDC representatives were seeded based on their positions on the PDC Order of Merit following the 2023 PDC World Darts Championship.

1. **Michael Smith**  **(Champion)**
2. Peter Wright  *(Quarter-finals)*
3. Gerwyn Price  *(Runner-up)*
4. Luke Humphries  *(Quarter-finals)*
5. Rob Cross  *(Semi-finals)*
6. Jonny Clayton  *(Quarter-finals)*
7. Dimitri Van den Bergh  *(Quarter-finals)*
8. Raymond van Barneveld  *(Semi-finals)*

The Asian representatives consisted of six invited players, alongside 2 Bahrain qualifiers that were decided in a qualifier held on 17–18 December 2022.

## Draw

The draw was announced on 10 January 2023.

## References

1. ↑ Bahrain Darts Masters. *Bahrain GP*.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Michael Smith continues winning streak to hold off Gerwyn Price and claim first ever Bahrain Darts Masters (en). “I apologised to Price for booing”
3. ↑ Bahrain Darts Masters glory for classy Smith. *PDC* (13 January 2023).
4. ↑ World Series of Darts to debut in Bahrain in January 2023. *PDC* (26 September 2022).
5. ↑ Humphries & Van Barneveld among Bahrain Darts Masters field. *PDC* (13 December 2022).
6. ↑ Bahrain Darts Masters spot for Clayton. *PDC* (4 January 2023).
7. ↑ Mahmood & Yusuf qualify for Bahrain Darts Masters. *PDC* (21 December 2022).
8. ↑ World Champion Smith draws local star in Bahrain Darts Masters. *PDC* (10 January 2023).
Alexis Toylo

**Alexis Toylo** (born 6 January 1992) is a Filipino entrepreneur and professional soft-tip and steel-tip darts player who currently plays in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and international soft-tip events. His biggest achievement to date was triumph in the PDC Asian Tour tournament.

## Career

Toylo was one of the promising players of the young generation. Already in 2013, he surprisingly advanced to the final match of Philippines Qualifier for the PDC World Darts Championship, but lost to Eduardo Santos. In the following years, he appeared less often at international tournaments. This changed in 2018 when he made his debut in the PDC Asian Tour, where he reached the finals in the third event, but lost the final match against Lourence Ilagan.

In the first season, Toylo reached the final part of the 2018 PDC Asian Tour series for several times. A year later, however, things were much worse, and the epidemic crisis slowed down his career. In the 2023 PDC Asian Tour series, he played in the finals twice. His high ranking secured him direct promotion to the 2023 PDC Asian Championship, but he lost at the group-stage. He started the 2024 PDC Asian Tour series with two back-to-back triumphs in his career. In the final match he defeated Paolo Nebrida and Joel Hizon.
1994 World Matchplay

Darts tournamentTemplate:SHORTDESC:Darts tournament
The **1994 Proton Cars World Matchplay** was the inaugural staging of the World Matchplay darts tournament, and was held at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool between 1–8 August 1994.

The tournament was won by Larry Butler, who became the first, and so far only American to win a WDC (PDC) title. He defeated the world champion Dennis Priestley 16–12 to win the trophy and the £10,000 top prize.

## Qualification

2. Peter Evison  *(First round)*
3. Bob Anderson  *(Quarter-finals)*
4. Steve Brown  *(First round)*
5. Rod Harrington  *(Third place)*
6. Sean Downs  *(First round)*
7. Cliff Lazarenko  *(First round)*
8. Kevin Spiolek  *(First round)*
* Shayne Burgess  *(Fourth place)*
* Kevin Burrows  *(First round)*
* **Larry Butler**  **(Champion)**
* Keith Deller  *(Second round)*
* Ritchie Gardner  *(First round)*
* Jamie Harvey  *(Quarter-finals)*
* Dave Kelly  *(First round)*
* Tom Kirby  *(First round)*
* Paul Lim  *(Second round)*
* John Lowe  *(First round)*
* Mick Manning  *(First round)*
* Tony Payne  *(First round)*
* Steve Raw  *(First round)*
* Dennis Smith  *(Second round)*
* Graeme Stoddart  *(Second round)*
* Phil Taylor  *(Second round)*
* Jerry Umberger  *(Second round)*
* Gerald Verrier  *(Second round)*
* Alan Warriner  *(Second round)*
* Jim Watkins  *(Quarter-finals)*
* Whit Whitley  *(First round)*
* Jim Widmayer  *(First round)*
* Jocky Wilson  *(Quarter-finals)*
Kai Fan Leung

**Kai Fan Leung** (born 11 September 1983) is a Hong Kongese professional soft-tip and steel-tip darts player who currently plays in World Darts Federation (WDF) and Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events. He is a WDF Asia-Pacific Cup medalist. He lives in Liverpool and participates in tournaments organized in Europe.

## Career

Leung has been trying out the PDC Pro Tour since 2017. Leung narrowly missed out on his PDC Tour Card, which entitles him to take part in the PDC Challenge Tour events. Thanks to good performances that year, he was able to qualify for the 2018 UK Open, where he lost to Jermaine Wattimena. Leung subsequently represented Hong Kong at the 2018 World Cup of Darts, but it was over in the first round. In October he was able to qualify for the 2018 PDC World Darts Championship, where he had to leave after the preliminary round in a duel with Paul Lim.

Since 2019, Leung has always been represented at the PDC World Cup of Darts, usually with Royden Lam. In the 2019 PDC World Cup of Darts, they lost in first round against Belgium, in the 2020 PDC World Cup of Darts against Latvia. In 2020, Leung was able to earn a PDC Tour Card. Since then, things have been going uphill for Leung. He was able to qualify for two tournaments on the PDC European Tour in 2020, but lost in first round. He also performed well at the 2020 UK Open and made it to third round. After losing his PDC Tour Card in 2021, Leung started in the final stage of the next PDC Q-School, but he was unable to get his card back. At one of the Riley's Amateur Qualifiers, Leung qualified for the 2022 UK Open. He lost his first game against the Fabian Schmutzler.

In August 2022, Leung won an international World Darts Federation tournament for the first time in three years with the Swedish Open. At the 2022 World Masters, Leung made it to the semi-finals after victories over Ivo Leeksma, Jelle Klaasen and Owen Roelofs. In the semi-finals match, he lost to Barry Copeland. At the World Open, which took place on the same weekend, Leung even made it to the final, where lost to Benjamin Pratnemer. In 2023, he reached a semi-finals in the Swiss Open and won the Irish Classic by defeat Michael Flynn in the final. At the 2023 WDF World Darts Championship he was seeded tenth and lost his second round game against Thomas Junghans by 1–3 in sets.

## World Championship results

### PDC

* 2018: Preliminary round (lost to Paul Lim 0–2) (sets)

### WDF

* 2023: Second round (lost to Thomas Junghans 1–3)