2018 PDC Unicorn Challenge Tour

[ssjsa]

THE opening PDC Unicorn Challenge Tour weekend of 2018 will now be held on January 27-28 at the Robin Park Tennis Centre in Wigan.

The year will see five double-header weekends take place on the Challenge Tour, which is open to PDPA Associate Members.

The opening weekend of the season will be held on January 27-28 in Wigan to follow a week after the 2018 PDC Qualifying School.

Further weekends will be held in Milton Keynes in March, in Wigan in May and September and in Peterborough in November, with each weekend featuring four events across the two days.

2018 PDC Unicorn Challenge Tour
Saturday January 27 - Events One & Two, Robin Park Tennis Centre, Wigan
Sunday January 28 - Events Three & Four, Robin Park Tennis Centre, Wigan
Saturday March 24 - Events Five & Six, Arena MK, Milton Keynes
Sunday March 25 - Events Seven & Eight, Arena MK, Milton Keynes
Saturday May 5 - Events Nine & Ten, Robin Park Tennis Centre, Wigan
Sunday May 6 - Events 11 & 12, Robin Park Tennis Centre, Wigan
Saturday September 8 - Events 13 & 14, Robin Park Tennis Centre, Wigan
Sunday September 9 - Events 15 & 16, Robin Park Tennis Centre, Wigan
Saturday November 10 - Events 17 & 18, East of England Showground, Peterborough
Sunday November 11 - Events 19 & 20, East of England Showground, Peterborough

[ssjsa]

Ken MacNeil definitely playing as per his tweet below:

Anybody going to challenge tour from London area got room for one more?

[ssjsa]

This first weeked on the Challenge Tour will be a huge one with potential places in the first 6 Players Championship events up for grabs.

[ifm]

Any word on what changes they are going to make to cope with potentially 600 players?
Suggestions included a bigger room, more boards, limiting entries (discounted) and entrance fee increase.
While we are at it there needs to be some sort of announcement on UK open qualifiers, can't really have people pay £450 entrance, hotel, travel etc. and be banned from all qualifiers.

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[Ginge]

Maybe they will have to reduce the format in the early rounds, too.

[Skewball]

How many will enter, I bet it's less than 300. ??

[Ginge]

How many will enter, I bet it's less than 300. ??

I believe someone on here guessed there would be 80 less than last year....

[ifm]

How many will enter, I bet it's less than 300. ??

I believe someone on here guessed there would be 80 less than last year....

80 total wasn't it?

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[Skewball]

How many will enter, I bet it's less than 300. ??

I believe someone on here guessed there would be 80 less than last year....

hopefully its someone who is always right, at least then the PDC don't need to worry at all.

[Ginge]

How many will enter, I bet it's less than 300. ??

I believe someone on here guessed there would be 80 less than last year....

80 total wasn't it?

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Ah yes

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=17144&hilit=School& ... 80#p643695

IMO there will be a lot, lot more than 80 at it.

[ifm]

How many will enter, I bet it's less than 300. ??

I believe someone on here guessed there would be 80 less than last year....

80 total wasn't it?

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Ah yes

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=17144&hilit=School& ... 80#p643695

IMO there will be a lot, lot more than 80 at it.

Of course, never in doubt.

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[oche balboa]

I would cap it at 128

[foggy]

I dont think there will be as many as thought as Q School will of been an eye opener to quite a lot that thought they were good and after mixing it at q school will of realised there not that good at all and are wasting there time.

[Rafaldarts180]

Ratajski said that he was going to play in Challenge Tour if he doesn't win a tour card so I think he will play in this and should be one of the leading players. That's a good chance to win a card and play pro tour next year.

[ssjsa]

I dont think there will be as many as thought as Q School will of been an eye opener to quite a lot that thought they were good and after mixing it at q school will of realised there not that good at all and are wasting there time.

I think the other side of the coin is that a number of players will see this as an opportunity to play themselves into the first 6 PC events.

The likes of Cammy and Hughes have burned their bridges wirh the BDO so huge weekend for them.

With this year's Q School having been such a high quality, for me the Challenge Tour is going to be pretty brutal and it will take very good players to get to the later rounds.

[Dannyboy]

Thankfully for the BDO Boys this is a fresh start. This is essentially Q School II

[ChrisW]

Thankfully for the BDO Boys this is a fresh start. This is essentially Q School II

Sounds like an intriguing sequel.

[trotter]

Can't see there will be nearly as many as QS...a lot of no hopes won't pay again to play challenge tour I'd say....there will be a good turn out though and quality fields .....Menzies said he would pay CT and obviously Hughes is.....
It's a good opportunity and a real chance of getting a foothold on the Pro Tour for some...not sure how many spots will be up for grabs in the early ones...

[Snoopdougydoug]

Ratajski said that he was going to play in Challenge Tour if he doesn't win a tour card so I think he will play in this and should be one of the leading players. That's a good chance to win a card and play pro tour next year.

Ratajski has a bit of a problem, this weekend is also the eastern european qualifier for the first 5 euro events!!
Can he play the challenger tour this weekend and then play a different qualifier for the euro events?

https://www.pdc-europe.tv/en/2018/01/23 ... er-2018-2/

[Rafaldarts180]

Ratajski said that he was going to play in Challenge Tour if he doesn't win a tour card so I think he will play in this and should be one of the leading players. That's a good chance to win a card and play pro tour next year.

Ratajski has a bit of a problem, this weekend is also the eastern european qualifier for the first 5 euro events!!
Can he play the challenger tour this weekend and then play a different qualifier for the euro events?

https://www.pdc-europe.tv/en/2018/01/23 ... er-2018-2/

Oh yes, well spotted.

So I don't have any doubt that he will play in ET qualifiers. But he also should play in remaining Challenge Tour if he doesn't take part in any important event.