THE RACE to qualify for the BetVictor World Matchplay remains tight with just one event to go before the qualification cut-off.
The summer’s biggest tournament will see a 32-player field competing from July 21-29 at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, with a £500,000 prize fund on offer in the prestigious event as players compete for The Phil Taylor Trophy.
The top 16 players from the PDC Order of Merit will qualify by right for the World Matchplay, and will be joined by 16 qualifiers from the one-year ProTour Order of Merit.
This weekend's European Darts Matchplay in Hamburg marks the last chance for players to boost their ranking and jostle for position to grace the famous Winter Gardens stage before the 32-player field is confirmed.
Tuesday and Wednesday saw Players Championships 15 and 16 held in Barnsley, with a number of players performing well and pushing their way up the PDC Order of Merit and ProTour Order of Merit.
Former World Matchplay finalist Adrian Lewis backed up his Danish Darts Open semi-final berth with a last four appearance at Players Championship 16 to move up to number 15 on the PDC Order of Merit and tenth on the ProTour Order of Merit.
Richard North's runs to the last 32 on both days in Barnsley were enough to push him above Jelle Klaasen into the final provisional ProTour Order of Merit qualifying place.
However, Klaasen is amongst a host of players who will compete on Thursday night in the European and Host Nation Qualifiers in Hamburg to try and win a spot in this weekend's event.
The likes of Vincent van der Voort, Danny Noppert, Ron Meulenkamp, Gabriel Clemens, Martin Schindler and Dimitri Van den Bergh join Klaasen in still being able to snatch a Blackpool place if they qualify in Hamburg and progress throughout the weekend.
Chris Dobey, Ryan Joyce and Justin Pipe have all qualified for the European Darts Matchplay and could still qualify for the World Matchplay with a good run.
Alan Norris, who did not qualify to play in Hamburg, is currently in 16th place on the main PDC Order of Merit - but would be knocked out of a World Matchplay place if Kim Huybrechts wins his second round game on Saturday, or should a Joe Cullen, Klaasen, Benito van de Pas or Mervyn King win the European Darts Matchplay.
Tickets, hospitality packages and Thomas Cook Sport Breaks at the 2018 BetVictor World Matchplay are available now. Click here for more information.
Provisional PDC Order of Merit for BetVictor World Matchplay Cut-Off (after Players Championship 16):
Provisional ProTour Order of Merit for BetVictor World Matchplay Cut-Off (after Players Championship 16):
