Unstoppable Gian van Veen claimed his first Winmau Development Tour title of 2024 as the year's opening weekend concluded on Sunday with Event Five.

Dutch ace Van Veen topped the 2023 Development Tour Order of Merit after claiming six event victories, and opened his tally for 2024 in style in Milton Keynes.

Having been the Event Two runner-up on Friday, Van Veen this time scooped the £2,500 top prize to end the year's opening weekend second on the Order of Merit behind double winner Keane Barry.

Van Veen was in dominant form throughout the day, winning four of his eight games without reply and dropping only six legs throughout the event.

Early wins over David Fidler, Lewis Gurney and Connor Arberry were followed by a 99 average in his whitewash of Colinn Haverkate as he booked a spot in the last 16.

Van Veen then defeated Owen Bates 4-2 and Dutch rival Wessel Nijman by a 5-1 margin after coming from a leg down, before averaging 100.20 in his 5-0 semi-final romp against Cam Crabtree.

He then secured the title with another whitewash in the final, against Irish left-hander Dylan Slevin, to end the day with 15 unanswered legs.

Slevin secured three whitewashes during his run to the final, and also overcame Dutch duo Owen Roelofs and Moreno Blom before claiming a 5-2 semi-final success against Daniel Stephenson.

Stephenson, a 16-year-old from North Shields, won six matches to conclude his maiden Development Tour weekend with a first semi-final on the circuit.

Crabtree was also appearing in his first semi-final of the year, while the Dutch trio of Nijman, Roes and Blom were joined in the last eight by Nathan Potter, who reached his first quarter-final since 2021.

The year's opening five Development Tour events had seen a bumper entry of over 360 players, with Irish ace Barry picking up two victories and Dutch duo Danny Jansen and Jurjen van der Velde also enjoying success.

Events Six-Ten will take place from May 3-5 at Halle 39 in Hildesheim, Germany. Entries are available through www.pdcplayers.com.