THE 2007 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship will include a player from South Africa for the first time among the International Representatives.

The tournament will once again feature 64 players from around the world competing at the Circus Tavern, Purfleet, for £500,000 in prize money.

The top 32 players in the World Rankings will be joined by 16 PDPA Qualifiers and 16 International Representatives in the event.

After New Zealander Warren Parry won the 2005 Oceanic Masters to qualify for Purfleet, the country has now earned its own place, with National Singles champion Warren French set to travel to the UK.

He will again be joined by the Oceanic Masters winner and the champion of the Australian Grand Prix series of events in travelling from the southern hemisphere, along with a South African player.

That will be the winner of the Emperors Palace South African Masters, which will take place on 30 September in Johannesburg.

"Last year's decision by our sponsors Ladbrokes.com to increase the prize fund to a new record level was fully justified with a fantastic tournament," said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn.

"The international reach of the tournament means that, following the debuts of players from Germany and New Zealand last year we can now welcome a representative of South Africa for the first time.

"The progress of professional darts in North America has also continued this year and I look forward to seeing all the players challenging at the Circus Tavern."

The winner of the Caribbean and South American Masters, Viv Dyal, will be entered into the PDPA Qualifiers for the tournament.

The PDPA Qualifiers will take place on Saturday 2 December in The Holte Suite at Villa Park in Birmingham, the home of Aston Villa FC.

Prize money will be awarded at the PDPA Qualifiers, with the 16 "losing finalists" winning £1,000 and the 32 "losing semi-finalists" winning £500.

Limited tickets for the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship are available for the days up to 27 December only, except the evening session of 22 December. Tickets are available on 01708 864001 or 01708 867271.

The International Representatives will be as follows:
USA: John Kuczynski, Bill Davis
Canada: Brian Cyr, Ron Miller, Gerry Convery
New Zealand: Warren French
Oceanic Masters Champion: Mitchell Clegg
Winner of Australian Grand Prix events: Anthony Fleet
Japanese Qualifying Event Winner: Tetsuya Wada
Chinese Qualifying Event Winner: Shi Yongsheng
German Qualifying Event Winner: (25 November)
DSF Wildcard: Tomas Seyler
Leading Eligible Player in DDF Rankings: Rico Vonck
Dutch Wildcard: Josephus Schenk
Winner of South African Masters: Wynand Havenga
Danish Qualifier: Per Laursen

Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship - Prize Money
Winner: £100,000
Runner-Up: £50,000
3-4th: £20,000
5-8th: £12,500
9-16th: £8,500
17-32nd: £5,000
33-64th: £3,500
Total: £500,000