PDC Champions League of Darts- October 19th-20th 2019-Leicester

[ssjsa]

PETER WRIGHT secured his place in the Paddy Power Champions League of Darts with his double Players Championship success this week.

The Scot became the latest player to enjoy back-to-back Players Championship victories by racing through the midweek double-header in Barnsley with two wins.

The £20,000 prize money he earned means that Wright - the 2018 Champions League runner-up - is now assured of a place in the top eight of the PDC Order of Merit after the forthcoming World Matchplay.

That secures his place in the Paddy Power Champions League of Darts - where he will compete against the likes of reigning champion Gary Anderson and World Champion Michael van Gerwen at the Morningside Arena in Leicester on Octber 19-20.

Rob Cross, Daryl Gurney and Michael Smith are also assured of their place in the Champions League - leaving two places to be confirmed following the World Matchplay.

Gerwyn Price is currently seventh on the Order of Merit, and the Grand Slam of Darts champion is in a strong position to secure a Champions League debut.

James Wade sits eighth going into the World Matchplay ahead of 2017 Champions League winner Mensur Suljovic, who could move into the qualifying places by reaching the Blackpool semi-finals.

Ian White could qualify by reaching the World Matchplay final, while Simon Whitlock, Dave Chisnall, Nathan Aspinall and Jonny Clayton must claim the £150,000 top prize in Blackpool if they were to snatch a place.

Tickets for the Paddy Power Champions League of Darts are now available through SeeTickets at this link.

Tickets are also being sold via the Morningside Arena at this link.

[Bram_1900]

Jonny Clayton

[ssjsa]

The eight players who will compete in the 2019 Paddy Power Champions League of Darts have been confirmed.

Six players were already assured of their places in the event heading into the World Matchplay and results from the event have now ensured that Gerwyn Price and James Wade will take to the stage at the Morningside Arena in Leicester from October 19-20.

For Wade it will be a second appearance in the BBC broadcast tournament since his semi-final berth at the inaugural 2016 staging of the event, while Price will make his debut this year.

The players are split into two groups of four for the round-robin stage of the event, based on PDC Order of Merit positions following the World Matchplay.

The opening three sessions in Leicester see the players in each group meet once, before the top two from each group progress to the semi-finals and final on Sunday evening.

2019 Paddy Power Champions League of Darts Competitors
Michael van Gerwen
Rob Cross
Daryl Gurney
Gary Anderson
Michael Smith
Peter Wright
Gerwyn Price
James Wade
*Order subject to change

Tickets for the Paddy Power Champions League of Darts are now available through SeeTickets at this link.

Tickets are also being sold via the Morningside Arena at this link.

Thomas Cook Sport Breaks
Fans can book a Thomas Cook Sport ticket & hotel package, which includes ticket and accommodation, by clicking here.

2019 Paddy Power Champions League of Darts
Saturday October 19
Afternoon Session (1230 Start)
4x Group Matches
Table Seat Tickets £26
Tiered Seat Tickets £21

Evening Session (1830 Start)
4x Group Matches
Table Seat Tickets £31
Tiered Seat Tickets £26

Sunday October 20
Afternoon Session (1230 Start)
4x Group Matches
Table Seat Tickets £26
Tiered Seat Tickets £21

Evening Session (1830 Start)
Semi-Finals & Final
Table Seat Tickets £31
Tiered Seat Tickets £26

[ssjsa]

Gary Anderson will open his defence of the Paddy Power Champions League of Darts against Michael Smith when the BBC-televised tournament begins on Saturday October 19.

The £250,000 Champions League of Darts, to be held at the Morningside Arena in Leicester on October 19-20, sees the world's top eight players competing across two days.

The eight stars are split into two groups of four for the round-robin phase over the opening three sessions, before the top two from each group progress to compete in the semi-finals and final.

A tasty Group A sees reigning champion Anderson joined by World Champion Michael van Gerwen, World Championship finalist Michael Smith and reigning European Champion James Wade.

The opening ties, in the afternoon session on Saturday October 19, include Anderson's clash with Smith as the reigning champion comes up against his former protégé.

Van Gerwen will meet Wade in another high-profile clash, in a repeat of the 2019 Masters final earlier this year which the Dutchman won in Milton Keynes.

Group B also features a mouth-watering line-up, with the tournament's opening fixture seeing former World Grand Prix winner Daryl Gurney take on 2018 Champions League finalist Peter Wright.

World Matchplay champion Rob Cross then plays 2018 Grand Slam of Darts winner Gerwyn Price in the second Group B tie, with that pair having also met in last weekend's International Darts Open final in Germany as the Welshman took European Tour glory.

Saturday night's second group games see the afternoon session's winning players face each other and the losing players battle to stay in the event, before the group stage concludes with the remaining fixtures on Sunday afternoon.

The BBC-televised Champions League has proven hugely popular since being introduced in 2016, with Phil Taylor and Mensur Suljovic winning the title in the opening two years before Anderson's success 12 months ago.

Tickets for the 2019 Champions League of Darts are available from SeeTicketsand the Morningside Arena.

2019 Paddy Power Champions League of Darts
Schedule of Play
Saturday October 19
Afternoon Session (1230 BST Start)
4x Group Matches
Daryl Gurney v Peter Wright (Group B)
Rob Cross v Gerwyn Price (Group B)
Michael Smith v Gary Anderson (Group A)
Michael van Gerwen v James Wade (Group A)
Table Seat Tickets £26
Tiered Seat Tickets £21

Evening Session (1830 BST Start)
4x Group Matches
Afternoon session's winning players face each other, and losing players face each other.
Table Seat Tickets £31
Tiered Seat Tickets £26

Sunday October 20
Afternoon Session (1230 BST Start)
4x Group Matches
Remaining group matches.
Table Seat Tickets £26
Tiered Seat Tickets £21

Evening Session (1830 BST Start)
Semi-Finals
Final
Table Seat Tickets £31
Tiered Seat Tickets £26

Tickets are sold subject to standard PDC Terms & Conditions as displayed at www.pdc.tv/tickets.

[ssjsa]

Gerwyn Price is hoping to turn jeers to cheers at the Paddy Power Champions League of Darts next month - where a nine-dart finish would earn the Leicester crowd a £100,000 prize.

The unique tournament, being held at the Morningside Arena on October 19-20, sees the world's top eight competing across two days, live on BBC Sport.

Whilst the sport's top stars are competing for a £100,000 top prize, sponsors Paddy Power have also offered the same amount to be shared amongst the crowd at a session where a nine-dart finish is achieved.

Price has yet to land a televised perfect leg but did hit a nine-darter at the Czech Darts Open earlier this year and admits that repeating the feat in Leicester would be a huge boost to his reputation with fans.

"I'd love to hit the nine-darter," said Price. "I've done one on the European Tour against Glen Durrant this year but I've missed two or three on TV too, so I've had chances and never done it yet.

"It would be great for me and it's a piece of history, and I'd love to get one of the gold pin badges, but if the crowd gets £100,000 from it too then that's a bonus.

"If I could do that in the Champions League it might help them get back on my side!

"Every crowd is different and they've been getting better, and in Riesa last weekend they were great by the end - probably because I was winning!"

Price will be competing in Group B in Leicester alongside Rob Cross, Daryl Gurney and Peter Wright, with Group A featuring Michael van Gerwen, Michael Smith, Gary Anderson and James Wade.

"It's the top eight in the world so it doesn't matter which group you're in, it's going to be tough," added Price. "I think our group is, on form, the toughest group.

"I know you've got Michael, Gary, James and Michael Smith in the other group, I'd rather be in that group than our group. Me, Peter, Rob and Daryl are probably the better four players on form at the moment.

"It's nice to be in these events and the Champions League is a bonus, like the Premier League. They're not ranked events but they're big events and it's only the top players in the world.

"I'm looking forward to all of the big events coming up towards the end of the year and obviously I'm going to go out there and give my all.

"It's nice to play the top players and beat them, but at the end of the day I'm one of them as well now and I don't worry about any of the other players any more.

"If I play my A-game, I know I'm going to win, so now basically it's all about me and not worrying about anybody else."

Price secured his second European Tour victory last weekend as he retained the International Darts Open title in Riesa, edging out Cross in the final to complete a high-quality weekend.

He had also reached a Players Championship final in the midweek before travelling to Germany - losing to Jose De Sousa - and is pleased with his form ahead of the forthcoming run of televised events.

"I didn't realise that I was the defending champion until I saw the draw on the PDC website," admitted Price. "I didn't have much time to think about the defence but I felt confident going there.

"A couple of games I went behind, I was still confident that I could come back and win. I was scoring well and out-scoring people, but just missing opportunities.

"I've been playing well recently, I probably should have won a ProTour event. Even though I lost 8-1, I just messed up in the final.

"Not going Down Under for the World Series and being off for three weeks didn't really help. I was building a Man Cave at the back of my house, so I wasn't really practicing a lot.

"When I came back on the European Tour I just wasn't very confident, I lost 6-1 to Vincent van der Voort and wasn't playing well. I changed my set of darts to a new set, went to the next event and did alright, even though I lost to Glen Durrant.

"I knew I was playing well, and to go to the ProTour and play well on the Tuesday, I have built from that. I'm starting to play well and have a bit more confidence."

[ssjsa]

Another week, another PDC tournament on TV. Coming thick and fast with the European Championsip the following week on ITV, WSOD Finals the week after, 2 weeks of the GSOD the next 2 weekends and Players Championsip finals the next.

Have to say, the Champions League of Darts is the one I am looking forward to the least out of the above, but given it is only the Top 8 in the OOM, really should be a high quality tournament.

[ssjsa]

Another week, another PDC tournament on TV. Coming thick and fast with the European Championsip the following week on ITV, WSOD Finals the week after, 2 weeks of the GSOD the next 2 weekends and Players Championsip finals the next.

Have to say, the Champions League of Darts is the one I am looking forward to the least out of the above, but given it is only the Top 8 in the OOM, really should be a high quality tournament.

[oche balboa]

This is the biggest meh tournament of them all

[ILAD]

This is the biggest meh tournament of them all

Did the BBC not think the same about Lakeside?

[ChrisW]

Tickets are also being sold via the Morningside Arena at this link.

Thomas Cook Sport Breaks
Fans can book a Thomas Cook Sport ticket & hotel package, which includes ticket and accommodation, by clicking here.

I wouldn't recommend going for this package.

[malcy93]

Tickets are also being sold via the Morningside Arena at this link.

Thomas Cook Sport Breaks
Fans can book a Thomas Cook Sport ticket & hotel package, which includes ticket and accommodation, by clicking here.

I wouldn't recommend going for this package.

The PDC allowed you to buy your ticket again at face value if you had one of these.

Only get your original money back if paid by credit card or visa debit card as the UK ones had no travel so aren’t ATOL protected.

[Deleted User]

Tickets are also being sold via the Morningside Arena at this link.

Thomas Cook Sport Breaks
Fans can book a Thomas Cook Sport ticket & hotel package, which includes ticket and accommodation, by clicking here.

I wouldn't recommend going for this package.

The PDC allowed you to buy your ticket again at face value if you had one of these.

Only get your original money back if paid by credit card or visa debit card as the UK ones had no travel so aren’t ATOL protected.

Ok, thanks.

[only85]

the biggest question for this tournament wont be who will win it, it will be will the forums favourite vassos be commentating, will he be allowed to go moonlighting from radio murdoch (virgin) to continue his darts commentating !!

[foggs3355]

1.15 to 430 tight getting 4 best of 19 in if games close will bbc cut coverage

[ssjsa]

A repeat of this would be great.

[ssjsa]

LiveDarts interview with Gary Anderson.

[Westernbulldog]

The BBC really pushing the champions league of darts by having stories on trans gender cycling and Aussie women’s cricket on the sport website and not a sausage on darts they covering on a main channel this afternoon.

[ChrisW]

Has been cancelled due to breaking brexit coverage

[greatkingrat]

It's moved to BBC2.

[ILAD]

Dan Dawson talks some shite.