Top names from the world of darts are preparing for The Spectre Cheltenham Masters by stepping up to the oche in Germany tonight.
Twelve thousand fans will pack into Berlin’s Mercedes-Benz Arena to witness a top-of-the-table Unibet Premier League clash between Simon Whitlock and Michael Smith.
Whitlock is among four players competing in Germany who are then due to go head-to-head at Cheltenham Racecourse on Saturday night. The quartet will be joined at the racecourse by three other darts stars who aren’t competing in Berlin.
Here, Park Life Sport takes a closer look at the seven players who will be competing for the accolade of being named The Spectre Cheltenham Master.
Michael Van Gerwen
The World Number One will head to Cheltenham as the obvious favourite for the tournament after earning over £1 million more than any other player over the last two years.
Van Gerwen is a two-time PDC champion following victories in 2014 and 2017, whilst winning every ‘major’ tournament except the Champions League at-least twice in a scintillating career.
The ‘Green Machine’ recently won his 101st PDC ranking title by taking home the Players Championship and he will be eagerly wanting to add Cheltenham to his ever-growing list.
Speaking ahead of tonight’s match with Daryl Gurney in Berlin, he said: “I’ve had Rob Cross, Peter Wright and Gary Anderson and four points is not too bad but I want to be top of the table and I’m not, so that gives me something to chase.”
Simon Whitlock
The current surprise package in this year’s Premier League, Simon Whitlock currently sits top of the table after a perfect start to the competition from the first three rounds.
Australian born, Whitlock was a surprise inclusion in this year’s competition having dropped out of form over the last six months, but has certainly silenced his critics with a fast start.
The ‘Wizard’ most notably won the European Championship in 2012, although has been runner-up in both the World Championship and the World Cup.
Speaking ahead of his titanic clash with Michael Smith, Whitlock commented: “It’s going to be amazing this week and I can’t wait. I’m feeling confident too, and I’ve got the desire inside me to be one of the best.”
Raymond Van Barneveld
The five-time world champion heads to Cheltenham on Saturday in search of a much needed tournament win following an absence of a major victory since 2014.
The Dutchman has slipped out of the world’s top-eight following a poor run of form in the past year, although will be hoping that a victory in Cheltenham will provide him with the perfect platform to start challenging for the major titles once again.
In addition to his five world titles, he has won every major honour in the BDO (Beginners Darts Organization) and also has his name on the World Cup and UK Open trophies in the PDC.
Barney plays Rob Cross tonight and commented: “I’ve got three points from the first three weeks but I want to hopefully get a couple more points tomorrow and I’m confident.”
Gerwyn Price
The Welshman is the final competitor of the Cheltenham Masters that will also be taking part in Berlin tonight.
The former rugby player has propelled himself into contention for many tournaments since switching allegiances in 2014.
He was selected as a wildcard for this year’s Premier League competition and will head to Cheltenham desperate for a victory after several semi-final defeats already this year.
He said ahead of facing Mensur Suljovic: “The last few weeks have been brilliant, especially in Cardiff, but in Berlin it’s going to be immense. I’m up against someone who the Germans will probably support.
“Sometimes when the crowd’s against me it spurs me on. I’ve played against Gary Anderson in Glasgow and I seem to play well against the German players in the European Tour events. It’s going to be exciting.”
Andy Jenkins
Jenkins heads to Cheltenham as a clear underdog after taking himself out of the limelight recently by focusing on exhibition events instead of televised competition.
He was a semi-finalist at the World Championship in 2007, alongside reaching the last four at the UK Open and the World Grand Prix.
Jenkins hasn’t participated in a ranking event since March 2016 so heads into the Spectre Masters on Saturday as somewhat of an unknown entity.
Mark Webster
The former World Youth and World Champion heads to Cheltenham looking to propel himself back up the rankings after missing out on selection for the Premier League.
He was a surprise casualty in the first-round of the Worlds to qualifier Paul Lim, one of many first-round defeats in 2017, including the World Grand Prix and the Las Vegas Desert Classic.
Interestingly, Webster has suffered from “dartitis” in recent years so a win in Cheltenham could possibly persuade him to make a return to more televised tournaments in the future.
Daryl Fitton
The ‘Dazzler’ will be looking towards Cheltenham as the perfect way to mark his move into the PDC from the BDO having joined the flagship organisation just under a month ago.
He won the World Trophy and Finder Masters before switching allegiances, and will get his first test of playing against the best-in-the-world on Saturday.
Another underdog heading into the event, a victory on the weekend would certainly be capable of striking fear into the rest of the PDC ahead of his official switch in May ahead of the World Grand Prix.
Tournament information
Tickets are still available for the event at Cheltenham Racecourse.
The VIP section at The Centaur is sold out but balcony seating is still available at £27.50. Click here for information on how to buy tickets.
Spectators are allowed into the event from 6pm, with the first shout of ‘Game On’ coming at 7:30pm.
Fancy Dress is allowed at the event!
