wikipedia european tour darts

• Live on Sky
• Get Sky Sports
• Sky Mobile App
• Kick It Out
• Black Lives Matter
• British South Asians in Football

Gary Anderson wins first PDC European Tour darts title in over a decade with victory over Ross Smith

Gary Anderson describes himself as "lucky" after beating Ross Smith to win European Darts Grand Prix in Germany; two-time world champion claims first European Tour title in over a decade; reigning world champion Luke Humphries falls to Rob Cross in quarter-finals in Sindelfingen

Monday 22 April 2024 17:19, UK

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Gary Anderson claimed his first PDC European Tour title in over a decade after beating Ross Smith 8-6 to win the NEO.bet European Darts Grand Prix in Germany.

The 53-year-old produced a 121 finish to take a 7-6 lead and then wrapped up victory in the next leg after Smith - who was looking to land his first European Tour trophy - squandered seven darts to take the match to a decider.

Anderson had come through a last-leg shootout earlier in the day to beat Josh Rock 6-5 in the quarter-finals and then knocked out defending champion Rob Cross 7-5 in the semis.

• Stream darts and more contract-free with NOW

When is Premier League Darts live on Sky?

• Nathan Aspinall boosts Premier League play-off hopes
• Will World Darts Championship leave Alexandra Palace?
• Listen to Sky Sports' Love The Darts podcast

𝑻𝒆𝒏 𝒀𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝑳𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 … 🏆😍 𝟐𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟒 - German Darts Championship ⏩ 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 - European Darts Grand Prix A 2nd Euro Tour Title for Gary Anderson after a 10 years wait ⌛️ pic.twitter.com/HbW22WUgDS — houseofdarts (@houseofdarts180) April 21, 2024

Speaking on stage after beating Smith, the two-time PDC world champion said: "My last three games, I've been so lucky. I've never been so lucky in my life playing darts. I don't know how I won tonight, to be honest."

Anderson, who took a seven-year hiatus from the European Tour until 2023, added: "Many years ago when I played in the European Tour the crowd was just starting to grow and since then it's just got bigger and bigger.

• Transfer Centre LIVE! Sterling, Merino, Ugarte latest
• Man United agree £50.7m deal to sign Ugarte from PSG
• Chiesa gives Barca deadline as Liverpool make enquiries for Juve winger
• Neville: Man Utd's balance isn't right - I expect changes vs Liverpool
• Chelsea sign teenage goalkeeper as Kepa nears Bournemouth loan move
• What every Premier League club needs ahead of Deadline Day
• Man Utd transfers: McTominay finalising exit terms ahead of Napoli move
• Brundle: Lando steps up F1 ladder of greatness as Max sends urgent message
• Howe: Newcastle can't sign winger and centre-back before deadline
• Ronaldo: I will end career with Al Nasser - but no plans for coaching
• Latest News

"Wherever you go now, people want to play darts and watch darts; these crowds are incredible."

Smith, who led Anderson 4-3 and 6-5, survived 10 match darts throughout the day including three as he pipped Michael van Gerwen 7-6 in the semi-finals, with Van Gerwen busting on double four and then missing double 18 twice in the final leg.

Will World Championship leave Ally Pally?

Listen to the Love The Darts podcast

Stream Sky Sports with NOW

The Englishman was taken to last-leg shootouts in each of his matches on Sunday, beating Ritchie Edhouse 6-5 in the last 16 and Damon Heta 6-5 in the last eight, before squeezing past Van Gerwen and being edge out by Anderson.

Smith said: "I can't complain, I'm gutted but I'll be back on the practice board and keep working hard.

"Congratulations to Gary, everyone knows how good he is; he's just Gary Anderson! I'll take getting to the final all day long and hopefully will go one better next time."

Reigning world champion Luke Humphries - who knocked out Luke Littler in the last 32 on Saturday night - was beaten 6-2 by Cross in the quarter-finals in a repeat match of the 2023 final.

European Darts Grand Prix - Sunday's results

Final Gary Anderson 8-6 Gary Ross Smith

Semi-Finals Gary Anderson 7-5 Rob Cross Ross Smith 7-6 Michael van Gerwen

Quarter-Finals Gary Anderson 6-5 Josh Rock Rob Cross 6-2 Luke Humphries Ross Smith 6-5 Damon Heta Michael van Gerwen 6-3 Gabriel Clemens

Last 16 Josh Rock 6-5 Michael Smith Gary Anderson 6-4 Gerwyn Price Rob Cross 6-1 Danny Noppert Luke Humphries 6-5 Stephen Bunting Ross Smith 6-5 Ritchie Edhouse Damon Heta 6-2 Scott Williams Michael van Gerwen 6-4 Jonny Clayton Gabriel Clemens 6-3 Dave Chisnall

Watch Night 13 of Premier League Darts, in Liverpool, live on Sky Sports Arena from 7pm on Thursday April 25 or stream with NOW .

Premier League Darts, Night 13, Liverpool - live on Sky Sports Arena from 7pm Thursday

Ad content | stream sky sports on now.

Stream Sky Sports live with no contract on a Month or Day membership on NOW. Instant access to live action from the Premier League and EFL, plus darts, cricket, tennis, golf and so much more.

Get Sky Sports on WhatsApp

You can now receive messages and alerts for the latest breaking sports news, analysis, in-depth features and videos from our dedicated WhatsApp channel. Find out more here...

• Upgrade Now

Stream the Premier League and 1000+ EFL games this season with NOW!

• Tournaments
• Galas and Shows
• FAQ’s
• Safety information
• East Europe Qualifier
• Host Nation Qualifier
• Tournament Series

Description of all tournament series

Find out all about the history and rules of the different tournaments

In the tournament series, the PDC distinguishes between the big major events that are broadcast on television and the events of the Pro Tour. The PDC Premier League Darts, the World Cup of Darts, the Champions League of Darts, The Masters and the World Series of Darts are invitational tournaments, the prize money is not included in the Order of Merit.

World Darts Championship The World Darts Championship has been held since 1994 and is the largest darts event in the world. From 1994 to 2007 the “Circus Tavern” in Purfleet was the home of the World Championship. 2008 followed the move to the “Alexandra Palace” in London, which is also affectionately called “Ally Pally”.

Participants: 96 32 players qualify via the Order of Merit and are seeded. 32 additional players qualify via the Pro-Tour Order of Merit. The 32 free seats will be played in worldwide qualifying tournaments. The PDC Europe awards five starting places for the first main round of the World Cup. The German starting place goes to the winner of the Superleague. Further places via PDC Europe will be played in Spain, the Netherlands, Austria and Eastern Europe.

World Matchplay The World Matchplay has the biggest tradition next to the World Championship. The Summer World Cup has been held since 1994 in the impressive “Empress Ballroom” in the “Winter Gardens” in Blackpool. In 2002 Phil Taylor threw the first 9-Darter in the match against Chris Mason, which was broadcast live on TV.

Participants: 32 The top 16 of the Order of Merit is set. There are also 16 other players via the Pro-Tour Order of Merit.

World Grand Prix The World Grand Prix has been held since 1998 and is the only darts event in the world where double-in, double-out is played. In 1998 and 1999 the event took place in Rochester, England. In 2000 the change to Ireland took place. After one year in Rosslare the “Citywest Hotel” in Dublin became the new home of the WGP.

Participants: 32 The top 16 of the Order of Merit is automatically qualified, seeded players are only the top 8, plus 14 additional players via the Pro-Tour Order of Merit and the two best Irish or Northern Irish players in the Order of Merit who are not already qualified.

UK Open Finals The UK Open is also called the “FA Cup of Darts” because of the way it is played and is the only major tournament where several boards are played in the first rounds. There is no seed list and each round is drawn by lot. The UK Open has been held since 2003, until 2013 the “Reebok Stadium” in Bolton was the venue. Since 2014 the “Butlins Resort” in Minehead is the venue.

Participants: 160 For the UK Open Finals there have been no separate qualifying tournaments since 2019. All 128 Tour Card holders are automatically qualified, plus 32 players who can play their way into the main draw via regional tournaments. Players placed higher in the rankings will not enter the tournament until the second, third or fourth round.

European Darts Championship The EDC was created in 2008 to give mainland European players the chance to compete against the best darts players in the world. The EDC is hosted by PDC Europe in cooperation with the PDC. The first event took place in 2008 in Frankfurt am Main.

Participants: 32 The Top 32 of the European Order of Merit qualify for the EDC. There is no draw, the tournament schedule is based on the ranking position (1-32, 2-31 etc.). The European Order of Merit only includes the prize money of the European Tour events.

World Cup of Darts The World Cup of Darts is the only team event in the tournament calendar and is hosted by PDC Europe in cooperation with PDC. The first WCoD took place in England in 2010. In 2012, the second Team World Championship took place for the first time in Germany. The event was played for three years in the “Alsterdorfer Sporthalle” in Hamburg. From 2015, the “Eissporthalle” in Frankfurt am Main was home to the World Cup of Darts for four years. In 2019, the event returned to Hamburg, where it now plays in the “Barclaycard Arena”.

Participants: 32 32 nations with two players each will be invited to the WCoD by the PDC. The eight best nations will be seeded according to the rankings of the two invited players. Grand Slam of Darts The Grand Slam of Darts is the only major event where professionals from the PDC and BDO (British Darts Organisation) participate. Home of the GSoD since 2007 is the “Civic Hall” in Wolverhampton. The Aldersley Leisure Village is the venue in 2018 and 2019 due to renovation work.

Participants: 32 The Top 8 of the PDC Order of Merit is set. The first round is played in eight groups of four, one seeded player is drawn in each group. The two best players of each group advance, from the second round on the KO system is played. Up to 16 additional places will go to the finalists of the PDC Major Events. Free places will be played in a separate qualification tournament. 8 starting places will go to BDO players, one BDO player will be drawn in each group.

Players Championship Finals Since 2009, the Players Championship Finals are a final tournament for the best players of the PDC Pro Tour. In the first two years was played in the “Circus Tavern”. In 2011 the Players Championship Finals took place twice. The first three editions of the finals took place at the beginning of a year according to the final ranking of the previous year. Since 2011, the Players Championship Finals have been held at the end of the season. Since 2012, the “Butlins Resort” in Minehead has been the only venue home to two PDC Major events.

Participants: 64 In 2016 the number of participants in the Players Championship Finals was doubled. The Players Championship Order of Merit will only include the prize money from the Players Championship events. The 64 best players in this ranking will qualify for the final round. There will be no draw, the tournament schedule will be based on the ranking position (1-64, 2-63 etc.).

The Masters The Masters is one of the PDC’s more recent events and is an invitation tournament at the beginning of a year. 2013 and 2014 were played in Edinburgh, 2015 followed the move to the “Arena MK” in Milton Keynes.

Participants: 16 The Top 16 of the PDC will be invited. There is no draw, the tournament schedule is based on the ranking position (1-16, 2-15 etc.).

World Series of Darts The World Series of Darts was launched in 2013 to make darts more popular around the world. The first event in the series was the Dubai Darts Masters in 2013. 2016 the World Series made station in Dubai, Auckland, Shanghai, Tokyo, Sydney and Perth. In 2017, the PDC returns to the USA with an event as part of the World Series. Since 2017 there has also been a World Series event in Germany.

Participants: 8 to 16 Six players qualify via the Order of Merit, two additional starting places are awarded via wildcards. These eight players compete in all World Series events of a year. In some events, the eight PDC pros face eight local players.

World Series of Darts Finals In 2015 a World Series of Darts Final was held for the first time. Since 2018 the event is organized by PDC Europe in cooperation with PDC.

Participants: 24 The top eight players of the separate World Series Order of Merit are seeded and will enter the final in the second round. In addition, four more players will be entered via the Order of Merit, and eight participants will be invited by the PDC. Four more places will be played in a separate qualifier.

Premier League Darts The Premier League Darts is the biggest road show of the PDC. On 15 match days, the four participants in the final of the Premier League are determined. The Premier League is played in Great Britain and Ireland, since 2016 there is also a matchday in Rotterdam. 2018 was the first time the event was played in Germany, since then the “Mercedes-Benz Arena” in Berlin has been part of the Premier League.

In 2005 and 2006, 7 players took part in the Premier League, from 2007 to 2012 there were 8 participants. Since 2013, the Premier League has comprised 10 participants. After nine match days (Judgement Night), the last two players in the table are eliminated. The top 4 after fifteen match days qualify for the final. The Top 4 of the Order of Merit after the World Cup is automatically qualified. Six additional starting places will be awarded with wildcards.

PDC Pro Tour Events The PDC Pro-Tour includes the Players Championship Events and the European Tour Events. The prize money from these events will all go towards the Pro-Tour Order of Merit. While the events of the European Tour will be held in front of spectators, the Players Championship Events will be held without public audiance.

Players Championship Events The Players Championship Events will be held in Great Britain. Since 2019 there are also events in Germany. The field of participants is limited to 128 holders of a PDC Pro-Tour-Card. Free places due to cancellations by players will be filled according to the Challenge Tour Order of Merit.

European Tour Events The European Tour has been organised since 2012 and is the tournament series of the PDC Europe with events in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Gibraltar.

Participants: 48 The top 16 of the Pro-Tour Order of Merit is set. 32 additional starting places will be played in various qualifying tournaments. In the first main round, the 32 qualifiers determine the opponents of the top 16 who will enter the tournament on the second day.

Development Tour The Development Tour is the newcomer series of the PDC. The minimum age for participation is 16 years. Players who were under 24 years of age on 02 January are also eligible. Each season, 20 tournaments will be held on five weekends as part of the Development Tour. In 2016, the Development Tour made its first stop in Germany. The top 72 of the Development Tour Order of Merit as well as 24 other qualifiers determine the World Youth Champion. In the final round of the 96 best players, the finalists will be determined. The final of the World Youth Championship will take place in the Players Championship Finals.

Challenge Tour The Challenge Tour is the perfect foundation for the Players Championship events. Ambitious players can gain valuable competition experience here, while former top players have the opportunity to play their way back. Each season, 20 tournaments are held on five weekends as part of the Challenge Tour. Every participant of the Q-School is entitled to participate in the Challenge Tour, Tour Card holders are not allowed to participate.

PDC Qualifying School The Q-School is the ticket to the professional darts sport. At the beginning of a new season all free PDC Tour-Cards will be played on four days. The four semi-finalists have a Tour-Card for sure. All other available Tour Cards will be issued on the basis of the separate Q-School Order of Merit. Any player who participated in the Q-School and did not receive a Pro Tour Card is eligible for the Challenge Tour. In addition to the Q-School in England, there has been a European Q-School in Hildesheim since 2018. All players who are not from Great Britain or Ireland are allowed to participate.

PDC Tour-Card Only holders of a PDC Tour-Card may participate in the Players Championship Events. The top 64 of the Order of Merit after the World Cup will automatically receive a Tour-Card. The Tour Card is valid for two years, so players who have dropped out of the top 64 will be allowed to enter the Players Championship for another year. Additional Tour Cards will be awarded to the best players on the Development and Challenge Tour. All available seats will be played through the Q-School. Only 128 Tour Cards will be awarded each year.

• Privacy Statement

• European Tour
• Live Scores
• Bonus Codes

"It's been a very long time" - Gary Anderson returns to winning ways on big stage at European Darts Grand Prix

Gary Anderson has won the European Darts Grand Prix . 'The Flying Scotsman' defeated Ross Smith 8-6 in the final to end a 10-year trophy drought on the European Tour .

For Anderson, it is the first tournament win on the European Tour since 2015. "It's been a very long time since winning a stage title," said Anderson, who climbs to 21st in the world rankings thanks to this tournament victory. "I don't know how I've won it tonight; my last three games I've never been as lucky in darts."

PDC European Tour Order of Merit: Luke Humphries regains top spot, Gary Anderson flies to third

Anderson has only been playing on the European Tour again since last year, after a seven-year absence. Since then, he has seen a lot of things evolve.

"Many years ago when I played in the European Tour the crowd was just starting to grow and since then it's just got bigger and bigger," the Scot recalls. "Wherever you go now, people want to play darts and watch darts; these crowds are incredible."

Glorious Gary Anderson sparkles in Sindelfingen to take first Euro Tour title in a decade

Read more about:, place comments.

You are currently seeing only the comments you are notified about, if you want to see all comments from this post, click the button below.

Confirmation

Are you sure you want to report this comment?

UNDER_ARTICLE

Mon 26 Aug 2024

Tue 27 Aug 2024

Anderson secures first European Tour win in seven years

Gary Anderson secured his first win on the European Tour in seven years, as he beat Krzysztof Ratajski 6-1 on the opening day of the 2023 Blåkläder Belgian Darts Open in Wieze, Belgium. The Scot, who has largely abstained from playing on the European Tour since 2016, returned to the continent last weekend in the Dutch Darts Championship - only to suffer a first round exit to outsider Roman Benecky However, there was no mistake this time around from Anderson, as he blew away Poland’s number one Ratajski, setting up a second round showdown against his practice partner Ryan Searle. For the Belgian stars playing on home soil, it was a day of mixed fortunes at the Oktoberhallen. Kim Huybrechts suffered a devastating 6-0 whitewash defeat at the hands of Ricky Evans, whilst Francois Schweyen lost 6-3 to Jose de Sousa. Andy Baetens secured the first Belgian success of the day and his first win in a PDC ranking event by defeating Jermaine Wattimena 6-3. Meanwhile, in the final game of the night, Belgian number one Dimitri Van den Bergh delighted the strong home crowd as he showed his class in a 6-1 victory over Ian White.  Like Van den Bergh, Chris Dobey also recovered in the perfect manner from his Premier League defeat on Thursday by defeating Czech Republic’s Dalibor Smolik 6-3. Elsewhere, five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld continued his resurgence with a convincing 6-3 victory over James Wade. Both were evenly matched throughout, but Van Barneveld’s superior finishing saw him set up a second round clash with compatriot Dirk van Duijvenbode. It was a largely successful day for Dutch players, with Martijn Kleermaker defeating reigning European Champion Ross Smith 6-4, whilst Damian Mol edged past Jeff Smith 6-5 in the afternoon session.

Richard Veenstra was beaten in the opening game of the day however, with former World Youth Champion Bradley Brooks running out a 6-3 victor. There were also 6-3 victories for Matt Campbell and Daryl Gurney, who overcame Callan Rydz and Dylan Slevin respectively. Germany’s number one Gabriel Clemens celebrated the other whitewash victory of the day as he thrashed Graham Usher 6-0, landing a tournament high 148 finish in the process. Victories also came for Ted Evetts (6-2 vs Dennis Nilsson), Keane Barry (6-1 vs Sven Hilling) and Stefan Bellmont (6-4 vs Robert Owen).

The action continues with another double-session on Saturday at the Oktoberhallen, as the 16 seeded players enter the tournament.

The tournament is being broadcast live on Viaplay, DAZN and PDCTV (excluding Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and through bookmakers' websites worldwide.

PDCTV subscription options include Event Pass and Day Pass packages, as well as Annual and Monthly Subscriptions.

Click here to follow live scores and match stats.

2023 Blåkläder Belgian Darts Open Schedule of Play Friday May 5 First Round Afternoon Session    Bradley Brooks 6-3 Richard Veenstra Ted Evetts 6-2 Dennis Nilsson Damian Mol 6-5 Jeff Smith Keane Barry 6-1 Sven Hilling Gabriel Clemens 6-0 Graham Usher Jose de Sousa 6-3 Francois Schweyen Stefan Bellmont 6-4 Robert Owen Andy Baetens 6-3 Jermaine Wattimena

Evening Session Matt Campbell 6-3 Callan Rydz Daryl Gurney 6-3 Dylan Slevin Martijn Kleermaker 6-4 Ross Smith Gary Anderson 6-1 Krzysztof Ratajski Raymond van Barneveld 6-3 James Wade Ricky Evans 6-0 Kim Huybrechts Chris Dobey 6-3 Dalibor Smolik Dimitri Van den Bergh 6-1 Ian White

Saturday May 6 Second Round Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST) Andrew Gilding v Andy Baetens Rob Cross v Stefan Bellmont Joe Cullen v Matt Campbell Danny Noppert v Ted Evetts Damon Heta v Damian Mol Martin Schindler v Daryl Gurney Ryan Searle v Gary Anderson Jonny Clayton v Keane Barry

Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST) Nathan Aspinall v Martijn Kleermaker Luke Humphries v Bradley Brooks Dave Chisnall v Ricky Evans Dirk van Duijvenbode v Raymond van Barneveld Peter Wright v Gabriel Clemens Michael van Gerwen v Jose de Sousa Michael Smith v Dimitri Van den Bergh Josh Rock v Chris Dobey

European Tour