Qualifying Hotting Up

THE qualifying places for the 2011 World Grand Prix will be finalised over the next two PDC ProTour weekends, with four Players Championships remaining before the cut-off for Dublin spots.

Derby's Moorways Leisure Centre will host the first two of those decisive Players Championships this coming weekend, with over 110 players taking part in each £35,000 event.

Whilst world number one Phil Taylor is assured of his place in the World Grand Prix alongside reigning champion James Wade, World Champion Adrian Lewis and their rivals inside the world's top ten, there remains a battle for places inside the top 16 of the main PDC Order of Merit for automatic qualifying spots.

Vincent van der Voort, who at present would qualify via the Players Championship Order of Merit, is one Players Championship victory away from returning to the world's top 16, with Ronnie Baxter currently in 16th place.

His Dutch compatriot Co Stompe currently holds the 14th Players Championship qualifying place, having earned £7,000 this year - and is just £200 ahead of Steve Beaton and Colin Osborne.

Scott Rand sits on £6,800 - just £400 behind Stompe - while Sweden's Magnus Caris sits on £5,200, effectively needing a run to a semi-final or final to pressure the players in the current qualifying places.

William O'Connor and Brendan Dolan currently occupy the two places reserved for players from Ireland & Northern Ireland, ahead of Michael Mansell, Shane O'Connor and Aodhagan O'Neill.

The final two Players Championships will be held in Nuland, Holland on September 24 and 25, after which the 32-player field will be confirmed.

Further Players Championships will be held in Dublin, Killarney, Gladbeck, Benidorm, Crawley and Wigan during the autumn as players battle for places in December's Players Championship Finals and the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship.


Current World Grand Prix Qualifiers
PDC Top 16

1	Phil Taylor
2	Adrian Lewis
3	James Wade
4	Gary Anderson
5	Simon Whitlock
6	Raymond van Barneveld
7	Wes Newton
8	Mark Webster
9	Terry Jenkins
10	Paul Nicholson
11	Andy Hamilton
12	Mervyn King
13	Wayne Jones
14	Mark Walsh
15	Colin Lloyd
16	Ronnie Baxter

Players Championship Order of Merit Qualifiers (Top 14 non-qualified players)

Pos	Name	£ Won
1	John Part	£25,600
2	Vincent v d Voort	£16,600
3	Jamie Caven	£14,000
4	Andy Smith	£13,600
5	Justin Pipe	£12,400
6	Denis Ovens	£10,600
7	Kevin Painter	£10,400
8	Peter Wright	£10,000
9	Alan Tabern	£9,400
10	Dave Chisnall	£9,200
11	Steve Brown	£9,000
12	Mark Hylton	£9,000
13	John Henderson	£8,200
14	Co Stompe	£7,000
	Steve Beaton	£6,800
	Colin Osborne	£6,800
	Scott Rand	£6,600
	Magnus Caris	£5,200

Ireland/Northern Ireland Qualifiers (Top two non-qualified players)

Pos	Name	£ Won
1	William O'Connor	£3,800
2	Brendan Dolan	£3,200
	Michael Mansell	£2,600
	Shane O'Connor	£2,200
	Aodhagan O'Neill	£1,800