World Seniors Championship 2025 | Day One Preview and Order of Play

The 2025 World Seniors Championship gets under way on Wednesday with a host of decorated stars in action at the Circus Tavern.

The fourth staging of the event sees 28 players battling it out at the iconic Circus Tavern in Purfleet – the former home of the PDC World Championship.

The opening night features a clutch of star names looking to avoid an early exit and get their title quest off and running.

Former European Champion and World Cup of Darts winner Simon Whitlock marks his World Seniors Championship debut with a clash against Paul Hogan.

Whitlock is one of four players in this year’s competition to have dropped off the PDC circuit at the end of 2024, ending a memorable 14-year era.

The former World Championship finalist and Premier League star will feel he still has a point to prove after missing out on the World Championship for the first time since 2004.

The Aussie darting icon claimed World Cup glory alongside Damon Heta as recently as 2022 and remains as competitive as ever at the age of 55.

Hogan, meanwhile, reached the quarter-finals of last year’s World Seniors Championship and is a three-time BDO World Championship quarter-finalist, as well as a World Seniors Tour event winner.

The opening match of the tournament sees three-time World Champion John Part take on Scotland’s Jim McEwan.

Having first claimed glory at Lakeside back in 1994, Part famously triumphed against Phil Taylor to claim the PDC world title in 2003 before winning the first staging of the PDC World Championship at Alexandra Palace in 2008.

The Canadian legend has featured in all three previous stagings of the World Seniors Championship, reaching Round Two in 2022 and 2023, before losing out in straight sets to Richie Howson in Round One 12 months ago.

Part faces a tough opener against 57-year-old McEwan – who finished runner-up in the 2023 World Seniors Matchplay and has claimed two PDC Challenge Tour titles.

Three-time BDO world finalist Tony O’Shea opens up against four-time Women’s World Champion Lisa Ashton.

The pair previously met in the 2022 World Seniors Masters, where O’Shea prevailed by four sets to two at Lakeside.

O’Shea will be out to make up for lost time, having been forced to pull out of last year’s World Seniors Championship through injury, though he enjoyed a fine win over Howson in the World Seniors Masters last November.

Ashton comes into this event in a rich vein of form, having claimed the first PDC Women’s Series title of the year last weekend, before reaching the semi-finals of Event Two and the quarter-finals of Event Four.

The Lancashire Rose also boasts pedigree on this stage, having enjoyed a terrific run to the semi-finals of this event 12 months ago, defeating Mike Huntley, Scott Mitchell and Chris Mason along the way.

Welsh qualifier Huntley returns to take on English debutant Kevin Edwards, with fourth seed Leonard Gates awaiting the winner in Round Two.

Huntley was beaten in a deciding set by Keith Deller in 2023 before losing out to Ashton by the same scoreline 12 months later.

Edwards makes the short journey from his hometown of Great Bentley across Essex to grace this famous stage for the first time, having won a World Seniors ranking event title.

The action gets under way from 7pm GMT, with First Round ties to be contested over the best of five sets.

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World Seniors Darts Championship 2025 Day One Schedule

Wednesday February 19

Round One

7pm-11pm
Jim McEwan v John Part
Kevin Edwards v Mike Huntley
Paul Hogan v Simon Whitlock
Tony O’Shea v Lisa Ashton