Players Championship Finals: Draw amendments made due to withdrawal of Canadian Smith

The draw for the upcoming Players Championship Finals has been amended following the withdrawal of Canadian Jeff Smith, with Michael van Gerwen now facing Darius Labanauskas.

Defending champion was originally scheduled to face two-time BDO world champion Scott Waites due to their positions on the Players Championship Order of Merit.

However, the world number one will now take on Lithuania’s Darius Labanauskas, with all players situated below Smith in the rankings being moved up a position in the seedings.

Van Gerwen is on a collision course to go head-to-head with Premier League champion Glen Durrant in the third round, though, the likes of Jonny Clayton and Mensur Suljovic are also in that section of the draw.

Top seed Peter Wright faces Ryan Meikle – who acts as Smith’s replacement, while Gerwyn Price takes on Scotsman John Henderson.

Meanwhile, former major champions collide in the opening round as Adrian Lewis and Simon Whitlock lock horns, with the winner facing world champion Wright.

Michael Smith and his former mentor Gary Anderson could clash in the second round, but the esteemed pair will have to come through tricky tests in Boris Krcmar and Keegan Brown beforehand.

The Players Championship Finals will take place from November 27-29 at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, away from its Minehead home for the first time in nine years.

The schedule of play will be confirmed in due course, with the opening three rounds contested across the Friday and Saturday and the quarter-finals onwards played on the final day.

2020 PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS


November 27-29
Ricoh Arena, Coventry
Coverage shown on ITV4

Draw Bracket
(1) Peter Wright v (64) Ryan Meikle
(32) Adrian Lewis v (33) Simon Whitlock
(16) Ryan Searle v (49) Dimitri Van den Bergh
(17) Daryl Gurney v (48) Callan Rydz
(8) Michael Smith v (57) Boris Krcmar
(25) Gary Anderson v (40) Keegan Brown
(9) Jose De Sousa v (56) Mike De Decker
(24) Vincent van der Voort v (41) Derk Telnekes
(4) Nathan Aspinall v (61) Scott Waites
(29) Ross Smith v (36) Kim Huybrechts
(13) Damon Heta v (52) Maik Kuivenhoven
(20) Stephen Bunting v (45) Ryan Murray
(5) Krzysztof Ratajski v (60) Karel Sedlacek
(28) Madars Razma v (37) Chris Dobey
(12) Danny Noppert v (53) Steve Beaton
(21) Dave Chisnall v (44) Mervyn King
(2) Gerwyn Price v (63) John Henderson
(31) Ricky Evans v (34) Jamie Hughes
(15) Jermaine Wattimena v (50) Steve Lennon
(18) Devon Petersen v (47) Luke Humphries
(7) Ian White v (58) William Borland
(26) Gabriel Clemens v (39) Martijn Kleermaker
(10) Joe Cullen v (55) Adam Hunt
(23) Rob Cross v (42) Jason Lowe
(3) Michael van Gerwen v (62) Darius Labanauskas
(30) Jonny Clayton v (35) Mickey Mansell
(14) Glen Durrant v (51) Wayne Jones
(19) Mensur Suljovic v (46) Jeffrey de Zwaan
(6) James Wade v (59) Niels Zonneveld
(27) Dirk van Duijvenbode v (38) William O’Connor
(11) Brendan Dolan v (54) Luke Woodhouse
(22) Ryan Joyce v (43) Andy Boulton

Schedule of Play
Friday November 27
Afternoon Session (1pm GMT)

16 x Round One (two stages)

Evening Session (7pm GMT)
16 x Round One (two stages)

Saturday November 28
Afternoon Session (1pm GMT)

16 x Round Two (two stages)

Evening Session (7pm GMT)
8 x Round Three (two stages)

Sunday November 29
Afternoon Session (1pm GMT)

Quarter-Finals (one stage)

Evening Session (7pm GMT)
Semi-Finals & Final (one stage)


(Featured Image: Chris Sargeant/Tip Top Pics)

About The Author

Ben Hudd Ben is a dedicated sports writer and has been covering all forms of darts for a number of years, from the grassroots to professional level.

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