THE 2018 World Series of Darts is set to be the biggest ever with two new cities and three debutants ready to light up this year's seven events.
A record-breaking crowd of over 20,000 will flock to Gelsenkirchen for this Friday’s curtain-raising German Darts Masters which will see the Veltins Arena transformed into a "Darts Music Arena" for the one-day spectacle.
Brisbane and Vienna will host World Series events for the first time in 2018, while Rob Cross, Jamie Lewis and Dimitri Van den Bergh will all step onto the global stage.
The on-going worldwide expansion of the World Series will see six events followed by the end-of-season Finals, which will move to Austria in November.
The stars of the sport will return to Las Vegas for the second U.S. Darts Masters which will be held at Mandalay Bay from July 5-7.
July's double-header will then see the third Shanghai Darts Masters held on July 13-14 at the Pullman Hotel Shanghai South, before the action heads Down Under for an August treble-header.
The Auckland Darts Masters takes place from August 3-5 at the Trusts Arena, with the sport's top names returning to New Zealand for the fourth staging of the popular event.
The action then moves to Australia, with the second Melbourne Darts Masters taking place from August 10-12 at the Hisense Arena before the inaugural Brisbane Darts Masters, from August 17-19 at the BCEC, sees the World Series visit Queensland for the first time.
The season-ending World Series of Darts Finals will then be held from November 2-4 at the Multiversum Schwechat in Vienna, as Austria hosts the 24-player event.
The World Series of Darts Finals will see the top eight players from the final World Series of Darts Order of Merit joined by 16 invited players and qualifiers to compete in Vienna.
The German Darts Masters will be shown live on ITV4 from 1.45pm-6.30pm and 7pm-12am.
Fans outside the UK and the Netherlands can watch in PDCTV-HD.
JAMIE LEWIS is raring to go ahead of his World Series of Darts debut at the German Darts Masters in Gelsenkirchen on Friday.
The World Championship semi-finalist will face Nico Kurz in round one of the World Series curtain-raiser at the Veltins Arena, which will be transformed into a "Darts Music Arena" for the one-day spectacle.
Lewis will take his World Series bow in front of a record-breaking crowd of over 20,000 passionate German fans, and the Welshman is keen to make a big impression.
“It’s going to be an incredible experience playing in front of such a huge crowd,” said Lewis, who hit a nine-dart finish at Players Championship Three in March.
“When I started playing darts I never could’ve imagined that I’d be playing in a big football stadium.
“If I play like I know I can then there’s no reason why I can’t win it, I showed at the Worlds I can beat anyone on my day.
“I just need to find some consistency and if I turn up and play my best game on Friday then I can walk out of there with the trophy.”
Lewis will be making his first televised appearance since his famous run to the World Championship semi-finals which eventually saw him lose to Phil Taylor.
“I’m really looking forward to playing on TV again, I love playing on the biggest stages and hopefully I can play like I did at the Worlds," added Lewis.
“I think I strive on pressure.
"I tend to do a lot better on the big stage than I do on the floor so I think playing in front of such a huge crowd will help my game.”
Lewis’ will be hoping to make a winning debut in his first round clash with Kurz, who will be aiming to cause an upset in his big stage debut in front of a home crowd.
“I am fully focussed on winning my opening game,” said Lewis.
“Hopefully my big stage experience could help me if it’s a tight game, I’m sure he will have the crowd behind him but I won’t let that affect me.”
Eight leading German players will compete in the tournament, led by German Darts Open champion Max Hopp, who will be hoping for first career win against Michael van Gerwen.
The first round will be split across two mini-sessions at 3pm and 5.30pm local time, with the quarter-finals kicking off a bumper evening session from 8pm.
The intervals will see music acts on stage at the Veltins Arena to complement the unique World Series of Darts tournament.
The German Darts Masters will be shown live on ITV4 from 1.45pm-6.30pm and 7pm-12am.
Fans outside the UK and the Netherlands can watch in PDCTV-HD.
Tickets for the 2018 German Darts Masters are still available and can be purchased via THIS LINK.
2018 German Darts Masters
First Round Draw
Michael van Gerwen (1) v Max Hopp
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Martin Schindler
Gary Anderson (4) v Gabriel Clemens
Jamie Lewis v Nico Kurz
Peter Wright (2) v Dragutin Horvat
Raymond van Barneveld v Manfred Bilderl
Rob Cross (3) v Stefan Stoyke
Mensur Suljovic v Robert Marijanovic
Schedule of Play
First Round
3pm Local Time
Raymond van Barneveld v Manfred Bilderl
Jamie Lewis v Nico Kurz
Mensur Suljovic v Robert Marijanovic
Gary Anderson v Gabriel Clemens
5.30pm Local time
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Martin Schindler
Michael van Gerwen v Max Hopp
Peter Wright v Dragutin Horvat
Rob Cross v Stefan Stoyke
Best of 11 legs
Quarter-Finals
8pm Local Time
Anderson/Clemens v Lewis/Kurz
Van Gerwen/Hopp v Van den Bergh/Schindler
Wright/Horvat v Van Barneveld/Bilderl
Cross/Stoyke v Suljovic/Marijanovic
Best of 15 legs
Semi-Finals
Anderson/Clemens/Lewis/Kurz v Van Gerwen/Hopp/Van den Bergh/Schindler
Wright/Horvat/Van Barneveld/Bilderl v Cross/Stoyke/Suljovic/Marijanovic
Best of 15 legs
Final
v
Best of 15 legs
2018 PDC World Series of Darts Events
German Darts Masters May 25, Veltins Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
U.S. Darts Masters July 6-7, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, USA
Shanghai Darts Masters July 13-14, Pullman Hotel Shanghai South, China
Auckland Darts Masters August 3-5, Trusts Arena, Auckland, New Zealand
Melbourne Darts Masters August 10-12, Hisense Arena, Melbourne, Australia
Brisbane Darts Masters August 17-19, BCEC, Brisbane, Australia
World Series of Darts Finals November 2-4, Multiversum, Schwechat, Vienna, Austria
DIMITRI VAN DEN BERGH will fulfil a darting dream when he makes his World Series of Darts debut at the German Darts Masters in Gelsenkirchen on Friday.
The World Championship quarter-finalist will become the first Belgian to star in a World Series event (away from the World Series of Darts Finals) when he takes to the stage at the Veltins Arena.
The home of FC Shalke 04 will be transformed into a "Darts Music Arena" for the one-day spectacle, with a record-breaking crowd of over 20,000 passionate German fans expected.
Van den Bergh faces the tough task of silencing the crowd in round one as he takes on Berlin star Martin Schindler, but the reigning PDC World Youth Champion is relishing the prospect.
“I’m really excited to be playing in a huge football stadium,” said Van den Bergh, who was a quarter-finalist in the 2017 World Series of Darts Finals.
“When you are a young dart player you dream of playing in events like this and now this dream is going to come true for me.
“It’s going to be amazing playing in front of such a huge crowd but I feel like I am made to play on the big stage, whether it’s 20,000 people or half a million people!
“This will be a new experience for me because I’m used to being the crowd favourite.
“Martin will have his German fans behind him but that won’t affect me, I will focus on my own game.”
Friday’s event will see Van den Bergh make his first televised appearance since his incredible run to the World Championship quarter-finals which saw him lose to eventual champion Rob Cross in a 5-4 thriller.
The exciting Belgian star’s rise will continue later this month as he represents his country for the first time in the World Cup of Darts in Frankfurt, but the 23-year-old is taking it one tournament at a time.
“It will be great to be back on TV again for the first time since the World Championship and I hope to be appearing many more times this year,” Van den Bergh added.
“I’m going to enjoy every minute of my time up on the stage and come away with a great experience.
“I will give it my best shot and see how far I can go, hopefully I can go far in the tournament.
“Who knows? Maybe there will be a surprise winner.”
Eight leading German players will compete in the tournament, led by German Darts Open champion Max Hopp, who will be hoping for first career win against Michael van Gerwen.
The first round will be split across two mini-sessions at 3pm and 5.30pm local time, with the quarter-finals kicking off a bumper evening session from 8pm.
The intervals will see music acts on stage at the Veltins Arena to complement the unique World Series of Darts tournament.
The German Darts Masters will be shown live on ITV4 from 1.45pm-6.30pm and 7pm-12am.
Fans outside the UK and the Netherlands can watch in PDCTV-HD.
Tickets for the 2018 German Darts Masters are still available and can be purchased via THIS LINK.
2018 German Darts Masters
First Round Draw
Michael van Gerwen (1) v Max Hopp
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Martin Schindler
Gary Anderson (4) v Gabriel Clemens
Jamie Lewis v Nico Kurz
Peter Wright (2) v Dragutin Horvat
Raymond van Barneveld v Manfred Bilderl
Rob Cross (3) v Stefan Stoyke
Mensur Suljovic v Robert Marijanovic
Schedule of Play
First Round
3pm Local Time
Raymond van Barneveld v Manfred Bilderl
Jamie Lewis v Nico Kurz
Mensur Suljovic v Robert Marijanovic
Gary Anderson v Gabriel Clemens
5.30pm Local time
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Martin Schindler
Michael van Gerwen v Max Hopp
Peter Wright v Dragutin Horvat
Rob Cross v Stefan Stoyke
Best of 11 legs
Quarter-Finals
8pm Local Time
Anderson/Clemens v Lewis/Kurz
Van Gerwen/Hopp v Van den Bergh/Schindler
Wright/Horvat v Van Barneveld/Bilderl
Cross/Stoyke v Suljovic/Marijanovic
Best of 15 legs
Semi-Finals
Anderson/Clemens/Lewis/Kurz v Van Gerwen/Hopp/Van den Bergh/Schindler
Wright/Horvat/Van Barneveld/Bilderl v Cross/Stoyke/Suljovic/Marijanovic
Best of 15 legs
Top overall averages for Germans in 2018 PDC events (no data for ET host nation/Euro qualifiers or Superleague):
93.76 - G. Clemens
92.57 - M. Schindler
91.69 - M. Hopp
89.64 - D. Horvat
87.71 - R. Marijanović
87.26 - R. Berndt
85.43 - M. Plooy
85.29 - K. Munch
84.42 - R. Eidams
Raymond van Barneveld (85.89) 6 (11) 0 (77.06) Manfred Bilderl
Jamie Lewis v Nico Kurz
Mensur Suljovic v Robert Marijanovic
Gary Anderson v Gabriel Clemens
5.30pm Local time
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Martin Schindler
Michael van Gerwen v Max Hopp
Peter Wright v Dragutin Horvat
Rob Cross v Stefan Stoyke
Best of 11 legs
Quarter-Finals
8pm Local Time
Anderson/Clemens v Lewis/Kurz
Van Gerwen/Hopp v Van den Bergh/Schindler
Wright/Horvat v Van Barneveld/Bilderl
Cross/Stoyke v Suljovic/Marijanovic
Best of 15 legs
Semi-Finals
Van Gerwen/Hopp/Van den Bergh/Schindler v Anderson/Clemens/Lewis/Kurz
Wright/Horvat/Van Barneveld/Bilderl v Cross/Stoyke/Suljovic/Marijanovic
Best of 15 legs
Lewis not at the races yet, but needs to start playing now or he will find himself too far behind to recover the deficit when he is throwing at such an average level.
That 116 checkout from Lewis to get back to only 3-1 down could be a turning point from Jamie, but in all fairness Kurz, at this stage does not look like he is going to fold.
Robson wrote:Sorry bud - Just looked and your wrong - The PL shooters are in most events - They just take turns and the odd wildcard gets in - The local players have no chance against them - Its like the PL just with a prelim round - Not for me -
I want - 16 man field - One PL player each event - 12 wildcards - 3 local players - Get me now bud -
Robson
I should think the local fans mostly want to see the biggest name PDC players, that's what sells the tickets. And the local players do win some games. Looking at the crowd for a Friday afternoon session (waiting for someone to say look at all the empty seats ) it looks like the PDC know what they're doing .
3-3 now. Pity. I was hoping kurz would push to win at 3-0 up. Reckon Lewis will won it now. But would be good for tonight if the young German lad does win.
devosteve wrote:3-3 now. Pity. I was hoping kurz would push to win at 3-0 up. Reckon Lewis will won it now. But would be good for tonight if the young German lad does win.
Advantages for either winner.
Kurz would be great for home crowd support, but confidence and experience wise would be fantastic for Jamie to play in front of a 20k crowd tonight.
Either way, we will see a deserved winner as Nico has maintained his form throughout the match thus far, despite Lewis upping his game and putting pressure on him.
) it looks like the PDC know what they're doing .
