UK Open Darts 2022 | Day One Preview and Order of Play

The 2022 UK Open gets under way in Minehead on Friday with the opening four rounds taking place across eight stages.

A total of 158 players will compete for a £450,000 prize fund in the ‘FA Cup of Darts’ at the Butlins Minehead Resort from March 4-6.

PDC Tour Card Holders ranked from 97-126, along with the eight Challenge Tour qualifiers, eight Development Tour qualifiers and 16 Rileys Amateur Qualifiers will enter at the First Round stage.

First Round ties on the Main Stage include 2016 semi-finalist Jelle Klaasen against Mark Rice in a battle of two Rileys Qualifiers, while former World Youth Champion Bradley Brooks takes on fellow young gun Rowby-John Rodriguez.

Stage Two matches from Round One include Canada’s Matt Campbell against Polish youngster Sebastian Bialecki – who hit a nine-darter in last year’s UK Open.

Two new Tour Card Holders collide as Belgium’s Mario Vandenbogaerde faces America’s Jules van Dongen, while Hong Kong’s Kai Fan Leung faces 16-year-old German debutant Fabian Schmutzler.

USA star Danny Lauby faces Germany’s Niko Springer – who reached the Last 16 of the recent International Open, as World Youth Champion Ted Evetts takes on veteran Nick Fullwell.

Also on the outer boards, former World Champion Richie Burnett marks his return to the UK Open with a clash against Tony Martinez – whose Spanish compatriot Jose Justicia faces former top 16 star Darren Webster.

Stage Five sees former BDO World Masters champion John O’Shea take on 22-year-old Nathan Rafferty – who reached the Last 16 of the 2021 Grand Slam.

Former BDO world finalist Jim Williams, now a PDC Tour Card holder for the first time, faces Scotland’s Ryan Murray – who dropped off the tour at the end of last season but qualified via Rileys.

Players ranked 65-96 on the PDC Order of Merit will start out in Round Two, including emerging Irish star Keane Barry – who faces David Evans on the Main Stage.

Lewy Williams, who reached the Last 16 of the opening European Tour event last weekend, faces German ace Martin Schindler, while Greece’s John Michael and USA’s Danny Baggish go head-to-head on Stage Two.

The 32 Second Round winners are then joined by Tour Card Holders ranked 33-64 in Round Three, including two-time champion Raymond van Barneveld – who has been drawn to face World Championship nine-dart hero Willie Borland.

Former European Tour event winner Max Hopp faces an in-form Ritchie Edhouse, while Latvia’s Madars Razma faces 2019 Czech Open winner Jamie Hughes.

Former World Champions Adrian Lewis and Steve Beaton also enter the fray in Round Three, alongside the likes of Kim Huybrechts, Alan Soutar and Ricky Evans.

The world’s top 32 enter the event in the evening’s Fourth Round, including reigning champion James Wade, world number one Gerwyn Price and former UK Open champions Peter Wright, Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson and Nathan Aspinall.

The action on Stages 2-8 commences from 11am GMT, with the Main Stage getting under way from 11.45am.

First, Second and Third Round matches are to be contested over the best of 11 legs, while Fourth Round ties are best of 19 legs.

At the conclusion of the Third Round, an open draw will be made live on the Main Stage for the Fourth Round.

WATCH DAY ONE OF THE UK OPEN STREAMED LIVE HERE (18+)

UK Open 2022 Day One Schedule

Friday March 4

Afternoon Session (11.45am-5pm on Main Stage, 11am start on Stages 2-8)

First, Second & Third Rounds

Bradley Brooks v Rowby-John Rodriguez (R1)
Jelle Klaasen v Mark Rice (R1)
David Evans v Keane Barry (R2)
Lewy Williams v Martin Schindler (R2)
Connor Scutt v Vandenbogaerde/Van Dongen (R2)
Wilson/Wilkinson v John Henderson (R2)
Florian Hempel v Good/Kay/Warner/Wenig (R3)
Raymond van Barneveld v William Borland (R3)
Adrian Lewis v Andersen/Clayson/Leung/Schmutzler (R3)

Stage Two
Kai Fan Leung v Fabian Schmutzler (R1)
Matt Campbell v Sebastian Bialecki (R1)
Mario Vandenbogaerde v Jules van Dongen (R1)
Danny Lauby v Niko Springer (R1)
Jon Worsley v Niels Zonneveld (R2)
John Michael v Danny Baggish (R2)
Evetts/Fullwell v Jack Main (R2)
Brooks/Rowby-John Rodriguez v Gordon Mathers (R2)
Madars Razma v Jamie Hughes (R3)
Kciuk/Claydon v Ross Smith (R3)
L Williams/Schindler v Jeff Smith (R3)
Kim Huybrechts v Peters/Marsh/De Vos (R3)

Stage Three
Ted Evetts v Nick Fullwell (R1)
Ryan Harrington v Rusty-Jake Rodriguez (R1)
Richie Burnett v Tony Martinez (R1)
Darren Webster v Jose Justicia (R1)
Martin Thomas v Kenny Neyens (R1)
Berry van Peer v Kevin Doets (R2)
Burness/Hall v Andrew Gilding (R2)
Peter Hudson v O’Shea/Rafferty (R2)
J Williams/Murray v Van der Velde/Mansell (R2)
Max Hopp v Ritchie Edhouse (R3)
McDonald/Clark/Lukeman v Adam Hunt (R3)
Jason Lowe v Klaasen/Rice/Menzies (R3)
Andy Boulton v Hogan/Taylor/Lauby/Springer (R3)

Stage Four
George Killington v Reece Robinson (R1)
Dan Read v Diogo Portela (R1)
Josh Rock v Damian Mol (R1)
James Wilson v Shaun Wilkinson (R1)
Good/Kay v Warner/Wenig (R2)
Klaasen/Rice v Cameron Menzies (R2)
Burnett/Martinez v Harrington/Rusty-Jake Rodriguez (R2)
Jeffrey de Zwaan v Evans/Barry (R3)
Steve Beaton v Burness/Hall/Gilding (R3)
Hudson/O’Shea/Rafferty v Maik Kuivenhoven (R3)
Webster/Justicia/Lovely v Gawlas/Killington/Robinson (R3)
Jermaine Wattimena v Montgomery/Colley/Read/Portela (R3)

Stage Five
Matt Good v Keelan Kay (R1)
Jim Williams v Ryan Murray (R1)
John O’Shea v Nathan Rafferty (R1)
Jurjen van der Velde v Mickey Mansell (R1)
Geert Nentjes v Jake Jones (R2)
Plaisier/Szaganski v Scott Waites (R2)
Webster/Justicia v Eddie Lovely (R2)
Hogan/Taylor v Lauby/Springer (R2)
Keegan Brown v Campbell/Bialecki/Murnan (R3)
Steve West v Brown/Rock/Mol (R3)
Steve Lennon v Burnett/Martinez/Harrington/Rusty-Jake Rodriguez (R3)
Van Peer/Doets v Worsley/Zonneveld (R3)

Stage Six
Ricardo Pietreczko v Scott Taylor (R1)
Vladimir Andersen v Steve Clayson (R1)
Paul Hogan v Dom Taylor (R1)
Prakash Jiwa v Toni Alcinas (R1)
Krzysztof Kciuk v Brett Claydon (R2)
McDonald/Clark v Martin Lukeman (R2)
Scott Mitchell v Jansen/Meek (R2)
Peters/Marsh v Geert De Vos (R2)
Ron Meulenkamp v Michael/Baggish (R3)
Mitchell/Jansen/Meek v Ricky Evans (R3)
Darius Labanauskas v Wilson/Wilkinson/Henderson (R3)
J Williams/Murray/Van der Velde/Mansell v Alan Soutar (R3)

Stage Seven
Darren Beveridge v Jimmy Hendriks (R1)
Wesley Plaisier v Radek Szaganski (R1)
Ross Montgomery v Reece Colley (R1)
Danny Jansen v Liam Meek (R1)
Pietreczko/Taylor v Zoran Lerchbacher (R2)
Campbell/Bialecki v Joe Murnan (R2)
John Brown v Rock/Mol (R2)
Andersen/Clayson v Leung/Schmutzler (R2)
Ryan Joyce v Mike De Decker (R3)
Luke Woodhouse v Evetts/Fullwell/Main (R3)
Martijn Kleermaker v Jiwa/Alcinas/Heaver (R3)
Nentjes/Jones v Thomas/Neyens/Beveridge/Hendriks (R3)

Stage Eight
Adam Warner v Lukas Wenig (R1)
Shaun McDonald v Jamie Clark (R1)
Kevin Burness v Graham Hall (R1)
Luc Peters v Paul Marsh (R1)
Adam Gawlas v Killington/Robinson (R2)
Montgomery/Colley v Read/Portela (R2)
Jiwa/Alcinas v Jason Heaver (R2)
Thomas/Neyens v Beveridge/Hendriks (R2)
Boris Krcmar v Pietreczko/Taylor/Lerchbacher (R3)
Scutt/Vandenbogaerde/Van Dongen v William O’Connor (R3)
Brooks/Rowby-John Rodriguez/Mathers v Ryan Meikle (R3)
Brian Raman v Plaisier/Szaganski/Waites (R3)

Evening Session (7pm-11pm)

Fourth Round (Play across eight stages)