Latest news with #PDCOrderofMerit
Hamilton Spectator
4 days ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Hamilton's Matt Campbell defeats Jim Long in all-Canadian darts final
NEW YORK - Matt (Ginjaninja) Campbell became the first player to retain the bet365 North American Darts Championship title when he defeated (Gentleman) Jim Long 6-3 in an all-Canadian final Saturday. The 35-year-old from Hamilton, who earned US$10,000 in taking the title, also won the event a year ago at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. Campbell, ranked 53rd in the world, came from a leg down to lead 3-1 in the final. After Long, No. 109 on the PDC Order of Merit, cut the lead to one leg, it was Campbell who posted a pair of double-top checkouts to close out the victory. 'It's awesome,' said Campbell. 'I was pretty happy but the final was a bit rough, playing a good buddy.' Campbell and Long teamed up to represent Canada at last month's World Cup of Darts in Germany. Campbell defeated Jason Brandon 6-1 in the quarterfinal and Stowe Buntz 6-2 in the semifinal. Long, who won his PDC Tour Card in January to join Campbell as the only Canadians on tour, defeated Adam Sevada 6-4 in his opening tie Saturday and then dispatched American No. 1 Danny Lauby 6-1 in the semifinal. 'I feel terrible to be honest,' said the 57-year-old Long, a retired autoworker from London, Ont. 'I just couldn't get it going — maybe I was trying too hard. 'Matt and I are great buddies. We played together like for years before he got his Tour Card and we practised together. That was just a hard final to play.' The tournament winner normally earns a place in the World Darts Championship and Grand Slam of Darts by virtue of the success. But with Campbell ranked in the world's top 64, he is already eligible. The qualifying place in the World Darts Championship will now go to the top-ranked non-qualified player on the final 2025 CDC ProTour Order of Merit, while the 2025 CDC Continental Cup winner will compete in the Grand Slam of Darts. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Hamilton's Matt Campbell defeats Jim Long in all-Canadian darts final
NEW YORK – Matt (Ginjaninja) Campbell became the first player to retain the bet365 North American Darts Championship title when he defeated (Gentleman) Jim Long 6-3 in an all-Canadian final Saturday. The 35-year-old from Hamilton, who earned US$10,000 in taking the title, also won the event a year ago at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. Campbell, ranked 53rd in the world, came from a leg down to lead 3-1 in the final. After Long, No. 109 on the PDC Order of Merit, cut the lead to one leg, it was Campbell who posted a pair of double-top checkouts to close out the victory. 'It's awesome,' said Campbell. 'I was pretty happy but the final was a bit rough, playing a good buddy.' Campbell and Long teamed up to represent Canada at last month's World Cup of Darts in Germany. Campbell defeated Jason Brandon 6-1 in the quarterfinal and Stowe Buntz 6-2 in the semifinal. Long, who won his PDC Tour Card in January to join Campbell as the only Canadians on tour, defeated Adam Sevada 6-4 in his opening tie Saturday and then dispatched American No. 1 Danny Lauby 6-1 in the semifinal. 'I feel terrible to be honest,' said the 57-year-old Long, a retired autoworker from London, Ont. 'I just couldn't get it going — maybe I was trying too hard. 'Matt and I are great buddies. We played together like for years before he got his Tour Card and we practised together. That was just a hard final to play.' The tournament winner normally earns a place in the World Darts Championship and Grand Slam of Darts by virtue of the success. But with Campbell ranked in the world's top 64, he is already eligible. The qualifying place in the World Darts Championship will now go to the top-ranked non-qualified player on the final 2025 CDC ProTour Order of Merit, while the 2025 CDC Continental Cup winner will compete in the Grand Slam of Darts. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2025.
Daily Mirror
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
World Darts Championship chiefs confirm major changes including £1m jackpot
Luke Littler is the reigning World Darts Championship winner after his historic triumph over Michael van Gerwen just 17 to claim a £500,000 prize - and that money has now been bumped up to £1m for this year's competition World Darts Championship chiefs have confirmed the format for their competition ahead of this year's tournament at Ally Pally, with the likes of Luke Littler having to win at least seven games to claim the new £1million prize. Littler became the youngest winner of the championship in January as he became world champion aged 17 in a moment that catapulted him to super stardom in darts. His 7-3 triumph over Michael van Gerwen saw him claim a £500,000 jackpot and now chiefs are preparing to upgrade their total prize fund to £5m for the first time due to the increasing popularity of the sport. The newest edition of the tournament will also have more players than ever. There will be 128 taking part ahead of the start date in December, running until January 2026. And chiefs are now preparing a format shift for darts' biggest competition, introducing a Wimbledon-style system with a seeded structure similar to the tennis Grand Slam. The top 32 players in the world will be seeded, with those ranked below drawn at random against the 64 qualifiers. The players in the top 40 from the PDC Order of Merit will qualify automatically, as will the top 40 non-qualified stars from the ProTour Order of Merit. And with a significant increase in players taking part - going up from 96 in the 2024-25 event - the biggest stars like Littler, Luke Humphries and Michael van Gerwen will have to play even more matches to claim their grand prize of £1m. PDC chief Matt Porter said the huge increase of the prize money summed up darts' status as one of the most exciting and popular sports in the world at present. He said: "The £1 million prize for the World Champion reflects darts' standing as one of the most exciting and in-demand sports in the world and the historic total will rightly attract headlines as the biggest prize ever paid out in the sport. "However, the increased prize funds announced today demonstrate our commitment to growing earning potential for players at all levels within the PDC system. "The incredible growth of the PDC in recent years has seen darts elevated to levels never seen before both in terms of playing opportunities and global interest and this is a huge moment for all players with the ambition to make it to the very pinnacle of the sport."
Daily Mirror
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Luke Littler sent warning over playing darts tournament that 'levels people out'
Luke Littler will make his World Cup of Darts debut on Saturday as he looks to lead England to the title alongside Luke Humphries, but former winner Simon Whitlock has called for caution Luke Littler has been handed words of caution by Simon Whitlock ahead of the teenager's World Cup of Darts debut. The Warrington youngster's rise in the darting sphere has been stellar, with him reaching a world final in 2024, but even he missed out on one competition last year. In the World Cup of Darts, teams are determined via the PDC Order of Merit, and the top two players from each participating country qualify. Twelve months ago, Luke Humphries and Michael Smith, both former world champions, outranked Littler and subsequently led England to their first triumph since 2016. Littler, who is now a world title holder, has made the doubles tournament this time around and is slated to team up with Cool Hand in what appears to be a formidable pairing. However, 2022 champion Whitlock has issued a warning. "I love the World Cup. I mean, it's pairs. It's something different," Whitlock said, speaking at the MODUS Super Series 24/7 on Pluto TV launch. "There's only one tournament in the PDC, the whole calendar [that is a pairs competition], and it's a great tournament. "But it sort of levels people out. You're not just playing for yourself, you're playing for your partner and your country as well, which makes it unique from everything else, and I really do believe they should be playing more pairs tournaments." While Whitlock, who defeated England's Smith and James Wade en route to the title three years ago, acknowledged the challenges of the format, he heaped praise on Littler's exceptional abilities, reports the Express. "Luke Littler, he looks calm; he never looks flustered," Whitlock said. "I'm not being disrespectful, but he is an absolute freak of darts. He's absolutely brilliant, and he deserves all the wins he gets. He's just an incredible player." Ahead of his World Cup debut, 18-year-old Littler expressed his excitement and admitted that many were confused why he was unable to participate in Frankfurt last year. "I cannot wait," he said. "Last year, people were confused about the ranking system. Everyone was asking why I wasn't in the World Cup, and I had to explain that I'd just started my career. But now, with the major ranking money contributing to the rankings, it's a different story." Humphries has also commented on the duo's prospects, acknowledging that, due to the format, he will let the prolific scorer Littler throw first. "I will probably put him first," Humphries told Sky Sports. "He is definitely the best scorer in the world. That's not a lie, it's obvious. So, you're going to put your strengths forward. You put him first, he is probably better at going for the bullseye than I am, getting the throws. "Only if he's comfortable with it. If not, I'll go first but I played the anchor role last year. I felt really good going second, so maybe that is my role for this year as well." As England retains the No. 1 seed for the 2025 renewal thanks to their pairing ranking the highest on the PDC circuit, Littler and Humphries will team up for the first time in the last 16 on Saturday, June 14.
Daily Record
31-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
European Darts Open 2025 order of play: full schedule and start times as Dave Chisnall defends title in Leverkusen
Gary Anderson and Peter Wright amongst the World champions hunting victory in Germany Dave Chisnall will begin his defence of the Elten Safety Shoes European Darts Open against Cameron Menzies. The year's eighth European Tour event is now down to 32 players competing for the £30,000 top prize in Leverkusen after Friday's 16 first round matches. The 16 PDC Order of Merit Qualifiers will enter the tournament in Saturday's second round as reigning champion Chisnall sets his sights on a ninth European Tour crown with Jonny Clayton, Stephen Bunting, Michael Smith, Peter Wright, Nathan Aspinall and Gary Anderson amongst the big names joining for the second-round matches. Highlights on day one saw Niko Springer storm through by demolishing Dirk van Duijvenbode to set-up a clash with Chris Dobey. Sweden's Andreas Harrysson claimed the scalp of Raymond van Barneveld and will now face another former World Champion Smith, who is embroiled in a battle for World Matchplay qualification. Wessel Nijman, a semi-finalist in Rosmalen last weekend, swept aside the returning Brendan Dolan in his opener and his reward is a clash with two-time World Champion Gary Anderson. Following Saturday's second round, the third round will take place on Sunday afternoon, before the tournament concludes with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in a blockbuster evening session. Live coverage from the European Darts Open will be streamed on DAZN for viewers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and through the DAZN Darts channel on Pluto TV. Schedule of Play Saturday May 31 Second Round Afternoon Session 12 noon Ross Smith v Matt Campbell Ryan Searle v Andrew Gilding Damon Heta v Mickey Mansell Danny Noppert v Ritchie Edhouse Dave Chisnall v Cameron Menzies Gary Anderson v Wessel Nijman Mike De Decker v Ryan Joyce Gian van Veen v Daryl Gurney Evening Session 6pm Chris Dobey v Niko Springer James Wade v Lukas Wenig Peter Wright v Darryl Pilgrim Jonny Clayton v Jermaine Wattimena Michael Smith v Andreas Harrysson Nathan Aspinall v Bradley Brooks Martin Schindler v Ricardo Pietreczko Stephen Bunting v Luke Woodhouse Sunday June 1 Afternoon Session 12 noon Third Round Evening Session 6pm Quarter-Finals Semi-Finals WHERE TO WATCH: All European Tour events are streamed live through Viaplay in the UK and also on PDC TV.
