Chris Dobey will begin his title defence of the Cazoo Darts Masters as he takes on Andrew Gilding on the opening night in Milton Keynes. The winner of this will take on three-time World Champion Michael van Gerwen.
The tournament’s opening match will see Dirk van Duijvenbode go head-to-head with Ryan Searle, with the winner facing the reigning World Matchplay Champion Nathan Aspinall on Saturday evening.
Johnny Clayton and Poland’s number one Krzysztof Ratajski will make their first competitive appearance of 2024 in a stand-out tie, which sees the winner face a struggling Peter Wright.
The 2022 Masters Champion, Joe Cullen, will take on 22-year-old Josh Rock, with the winner playing Daryl Gurney on Saturday afternoon.
James Wade will play Belgium’s number one Dimitri Van den Bergh for the right to play top of the Premier League Michael Smith. On the other side of the draw, Damon Heta will play Gabriel Clemens for the right to play Rob Cross in the second round.
Clemens’s World Cup partner Martin Schindler will take on two-time runner-up Dave Chisnall, whilst former UK Open Champion Danny Noppert will await the winner for an encounter on Saturday afternoon.
Former European Champion Ross Smith will also take to the Milton Keynes stage as he takes on fan favourite Stephen Bunting. The winner will go toe-to-toe with the newly crowned World Champion, Luke Humphries.
Schedule of Play
Friday February 2
First Round:
Dirk van Duijvenbode v Ryan Searle
Jonny Clayton v Krzysztof Ratajski
Dave Chisnall v Martin Schindler
Damon Heta v Gabriel Clemens
Dimitri Van den Bergh v James Wade
Chris Dobey v Andrew Gilding
Joe Cullen v Josh Rock
Stephen Bunting v Ross Smith
Saturday February 3
Afternoon Session
Second Round:
Danny Noppert v Dave Chisnall/Martin Schindler
Rob Cross v Damon Heta/Gabriel Clemens
Peter Wright v Jonny Clayton/Krzysztof Ratajski
Daryl Gurney v Joe Cullen/Josh Rock
Evening Session
Second Round:
Nathan Aspinall v Dirk van Duijvenbode/Ryan Searle
Luke Humphries v Stephen Bunting/Ross Smith
Michael van Gerwen v Chris Dobey/Andrew Gilding
Michael Smith v Dimitri Van den Bergh/James Wade
Words By Harry Tovey
HTSPORTSNEWS 