TAYLOR TO MEET NEWTON AS DUTCH DUO CLASH IN UNIBET MASTERS FIRST ROUND
PHIL TAYLOR will begin his bid to retain The Unibet Masters title on Saturday November 1 against Wes Newton, while World Champion Michael van Gerwen faces a massive all-Dutch clash with Raymond van Barneveld at Edinburgh's Royal Highland Centre.
The second staging of the £160,000 tournament will see the world's top 16 players do battle across two days, live on ITV4, on November 1-2.
The opening day will feature the eight first round games split across two sessions at the Royal Highland Centre, with two of the event's Scottish stars in action in the afternoon session on Saturday November 1.
World Championship finalist Peter Wright, the current Scottish number one who was born in Lothian, will take on Justin Pipe in the tournament's opening fixture, before Ayrshire's former UK Open champion Robert Thornton meets Premier League star Dave Chisnall.
The afternoon's third game sees Australian number one Simon Whitlock take on Mervyn King - a European Tour winner in September - before two-time World Champion Adrian Lewis, last year's Masters runner-up, faces leading Belgian Kim Huybrechts.
The evening session kicks off as in-form James Wade, who reached the World Grand Prix final recently and won a Players Championship on Saturday, takes on Northern Ireland's Brendan Dolan.
Reigning champion Phil Taylor, the 16-time World Champion, will then meet two-time major finalist Wes Newton before the eagerly-awaited all-Dutch meeting between World Champion Michael van Gerwen and Premier League Darts champion Raymond van Barneveld.
Scottish star Gary Anderson, the former Premier League champion who has won six ranking titles during 2014, then takes to the stage for the final first round game, as he meets 2012 World Championship finalist Andy Hamilton.
"We've thrown up some very special games for darts fans during this event," said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn.
"This event is the best versus the best - the top 16 in the world - and it's an event not to be missed."
World number one Michael van Gerwen, who won the World Grand Prix earlier in October, is the 9/4 pre-tournament favourite with sponsors Unibet, with Phil Taylor 11/4 to claim back-to-back Unibet Masters titles in Edinburgh.
James Wade's resurgence in recent months sees him rated as 8/1 joint third favourite alongside in-form Gary Anderson, with last year's runner-up Adrian Lewis 9/1 to go one better next month. For full odds and betting markets, visit www.unibet.com.
The quarter-finals will be held in Sunday's afternoon session at the Royal Highland Centre, with the semi-finals and final taking place on Sunday evening, with the tournament screened live on ITV4.
Tickets for The Unibet Masters are still available and can be purchased from pdc.seetickets.com and by calling 0844 871 8807.
Tickets are also available through www.secc.co.uk and by calling 0844 481 8898.
The Unibet Masters
First Round Draw & Tournament Bracket
Michael van Gerwen (1) v Raymond van Barneveld (16)
Dave Chisnall (8) v Robert Thornton (9)
Simon Whitlock (5) v Mervyn King (12)
Peter Wright (4) v Justin Pipe (13)
Phil Taylor (2) v Wes Newton (15)
Gary Anderson (7) v Andy Hamilton (10)
James Wade (6) v Brendan Dolan (11)
Adrian Lewis (3) v Kim Huybrechts (14)
Click below to see Barry Hearn's video with The Unibet Masters draw
Schedule of Play
Saturday November 1
Afternoon Session (12.45pm-5pm)
First Round x4
Peter Wright v Justin Pipe
Dave Chisnall v Robert Thornton
Simon Whitlock v Mervyn King
Adrian Lewis v Kim Huybrechts
Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
First Round x4
James Wade v Brendan Dolan
Phil Taylor v Wes Newton
Michael van Gerwen v Raymond van Barneveld
Gary Anderson v Andy Hamilton
Sunday November 2
Afternoon Session (12.45pm-5pm)
Quarter-Finals
Whitlock/King v Wright/Pipe
Wade/Dolan v Lewis/Huybrechts
Taylor/Newton v Anderson/Hamilton
van Gerwen/van Barneveld v Chisnall/Thornton
Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
Semi-Finals
Final
Format
First Round - Best of 19 legs
Quarter-Finals - Best of 19 legs
Semi-Finals - Best of 21 legs
Final - Best of 21 legs
* NB - Format amended October 26 2014
Qualified Players
1 Michael van Gerwen - World Champion & two-time World Grand Prix winner
2 Phil Taylor - Reigning Unibet Masters champion & 16-time World Champion
3 Adrian Lewis - two-time World Champion & 2014 UK Open winner
4 Peter Wright - 2014 World Championship finalist
5 Simon Whitlock - 2012 European Champion
6 James Wade - Two-time World Grand Prix & UK Open champion
7 Gary Anderson - Former Premier League Darts champion
8 Dave Chisnall - 2013 World Grand Prix finalist
9 Robert Thornton - 2012 UK Open champion
10 Andy Hamilton - Three-time major finalist & three-time ranking event winner
11 Brendan Dolan - 2011 World Grand Prix finalist & five time ranking event winner
12 Mervyn King - Former World Masters & International Darts League winner
13 Justin Pipe - Six-time PDC ranking event winner
14 Kim Huybrechts - 2012 Players Championship Finals runner-up
15 Wes Newton - Two-time major finalist & eight-time ranking event winner
16 Raymond van Barneveld - Reigning Premier League champion & five-time World Champion
Unibet Pre-Tournament Odds
9/4 Michael van Gerwen
11/4 Phil Taylor
8/1 James Wade
8/1 Gary Anderson
9/1 Adrian Lewis
18/1 Simon Whitlock
20/1 Peter Wright
22/1 Raymond van Barneveld
25/1 Kim Huybrechts
25/1 Robert Thornton
25/1 Dave Chisnall
33/1 Mervyn King
40/1 Andy Hamilton
40/1 Justin Pipe
50/1 Wes Newton
50/1 Brendan Dolan
For full odds and tournament markets, visit www.unibet.com.