McGeeney and Baker secure Tour Cards on Day Two of Qualifying School

Lakeside stars Mark McGeeney and Scott Baker both secured coveted PDC Tour Cards on Day Two of 2019 UK Qualifying School in Wigan on Friday.

 

The second of four days of action saw almost 400 players battle it out, with the final two winning a Tour Card automatically and ranking points allocated to other players to form the UK Q School Order of Merit.

 

Competing in his first Q School, former BDO number one McGeeney came agonisingly close to winning a Tour Card on the first day of action, suffering defeat in the Semi-Finals, but went one better on Day Two.

 

The Stockport thrower’s day began with victories over Dave Prins, Scott Dale, Martin Atkins, Andy Chalmers and Mark Hickey as he reached the last 16.

 

McGeeney then recorded back-to-back 5-2 wins over Matt Clark and Jamie Bain, before edging out Carl Wilkinson 5-4 to attain his all-important Tour Card.

 

“It’s a huge relief for me, my whole year has been building up to this,” said McGeeney.

 

“Everyone said Q School would be tough but for me this is why I play the game, I want to compete with the best of the best.

 

“I loved playing in the Grand Slam and now my goal is to play at Ally Pally and the Winter Gardens and test myself against the world’s top players.”

 

Baker, who took Glen Durrant to a deciding set in the recent BDO World Championship, was also successful in his first attempt at Q School.

 

Back-to-back whitewashes of Mark Esposito and women’s world finalist Lorraine Winstanley got Baker’s day off to a perfect start before a sensational 107.7 average saw him overcome David Adshead 5-2.

 

Victories over former Tour Card holders Barrie Bates, Stephen Burton and Jonathan Worsley followed, before a 5-2 success over Lakeside Championship semi-finalist Jim Williams put him within one win of glory.

 

A convincing 5-1 triumph over American Danny Lauby confirmed Baker’s status as a full-time professional on the PDC circuit for 2019 and 2020.

 

“I’m absolutely buzzing, I’m on top of the world right now,” said Baker.

 

“I was playing well yesterday but today I managed to produce that little bit extra to get through.

 

“The setup here is worlds apart from what I’m used to and I surprised myself a bit with how well I played. Now I can’t wait to get started on the ProTour.”

 

It was a second day of disappointment for reigning Lakeside Champion Durrant, three-time World Champion John Part and Brazil’s World Cup star Diogo Portela, who all exited before the last 64 stage.

 

Former World Championship finalist Andy Hamilton and experienced Welshman Barrie Bates both went out in the Last 64, while former Players Championship Finals winner Kevin Painter exited in the last 32.

 

Despite suffering defeat at the final four stage, Lauby and Wilkinson are both well placed to claim Tour Cards via the Q School Order of Merit, should they not claim an automatic Tour Card in the remaining two days.

 

A total of four further automatic Tour Cards will be won over the next two days, with a further 11 places available via the UK Qualifying School Order of Merit.

 

Last 128 defeat: One point

Last 64 defeat: Two points

Last 32 defeat: Three points

Last 16 defeat: Four points

Last Eight defeat: Five points

Last Four defeat: Six points

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RESULTS LIST

 

Last 128

Darlow, Antony 5-1 Smith, Justin

Cameron, David 5-3 Askew, Dave

Baxter, Mark 5-2 Hall, Rees

Bent, Christopher 5-4 Evans, Lee

Lauby, Daniel 5-4 Mitchell, Tony

Dowling, Kevin 5-3 Carlin, Gavin

Burton, Ben 5-2 Redfern, Paul

Menzies, Cameron 5-0 Portela, Diogo

Cook, William 5-1 Withers, Ian

Gregory, Thomas 5-4 Joey Palfreyman

Lynskey, Patrick 5-3 Landon, Jamie

Tipple, Vince 5-4 Durrant, Glen

Evans, Kieran 5-3 Taylor, Scott

Collins, Robert 5-1 Mcfarlane, Ian

Borland, William 5-3 McGuirk, Shane

Boulton, Andy 5-3 Foster, Andrew

Cross, Zak 5-3 Rooney, Keith

Murnan, Joe 5-2 Derry, Nathan

Williams, Jim 5-4 Atkins, Martin (Leeds)

Cole, Jarred 5-4 Dickinson, Jack

Nakanishi, Eikichi 5-4 Burksfield, Joshua

Cankett, Sam 5-2 Ladley, David

Lovely, Thomas 5-1 Ashton, Lisa

Gray, Adrian 5-4 McKinstry, Kyle

Bates, Barrie 5-3 Robinson, Reece

Baker, Scott 5-2 Adshead, David

Burton, Stephen 5-2 McKirdy, Jimmy

Thomas, Kevin 5-2 Williams, Paul

Barilli, Mark 5-3 Budgen, Lee

Glass, Kris 5-4 Hayden, Rhys

Worsley, Jonathan 5-2 Lam, Royden

Smith, Damien 5-4 Smith, Dennis

Parody, Dyson John 5-3 Large, John

Whitehead, Conan 5-4 Part, John

Corner, Richard 5-1 Frost, Mark

Johnson, Darren 5-0 Phillips, Paul

Lever, Ian 5-3 Barton, James

Wilkinson, Carl 5-2 Preston, Simon

Lynn, Barry 5-2 Gallimore, Stephen

Coulson, Derek 5-4 Owen, Dean

Bridle, Shaun 5-4 Mcgurn, Lewis

Rydz, Callan 5-1 Scrivens, Roger

Hamilton, Andy 5-1 Baulcomb, Max

Davey, John 5-2 McGrath, Mark

Nash, Terry 5-2 Lawson, James

Edhouse, Ritchie 5-1 Whittaker, Grant

Day, Daniel 5-0 O’Driscoll, Damien

Hammond, Curtis 5-4 Crooks, Logan

Griffin, Rhys 5-3 Fitzpatrick, Allan

Rafferty, Nathan 5-4 Gilding, Andrew

Geraghty, Keith 5-4 Lane, Kevin

Padgett, Matt 5-1 Williams, Darren

Bain, Jamie 5-4 Smith, Steven

Meek, Liam 5-4 Woods, Brian

Hanvidge, Paul 5-2 White, Chris

Painter, Kevin 5-3 Palmer, Ryan

89.8 Herewini, Darren 5-3 Dennant, Matthew

Hickey, Mark 5-3 Wilson, David

Chalmers, Andy 5-3 Walker, Paul

McGeeney, Mark 5-2 Atkins (Wigan), Martin

Clark, Matt 5-2 Todd, Mick

Howson, Richie 5-4 Carragher, Francis

Teehan, Ciaran 5-3 Neate, Paul

Bowles, John 5-1 Smith, Gavin

Last 64

Darlow, Antony 5-4 Cameron, David

Bent, Christopher 5-0 Baxter, Mark

Lauby, Daniel 5-1 Dowling, Kevin

Burton, Ben 5-4 Menzies, Cameron

Gregory, Thomas 5-4 Cook, William

Lynskey, Patrick 5-2 Tipple, Vince

Collins, Robert 5-4 Evans, Kieran

Boulton, Andy 5-0 Borland, William

Murnan, Joe 5-3 Cross, Zak

Williams, Jim 5-0 Cole, Jarred

Cankett, Sam 5-1 Nakanishi, Eikichi

Gray, Adrian 5-1 Lovely, Thomas

Baker, Scott 5-2 Bates, Barrie

Burton, Stephen 5-4 Thomas, Kevin

Barilli, Mark 5-2 Glass, Kris

Worsley, Jonathan 5-0 Smith, Damian

Parody, Dyson John 5-3 Whitehead, Conan

Johnson, Darren 5-0 Corner, Richard

Wilkinson, Carl 5-0 Lever, Ian

Lynn, Barry 5-3 Coulson, Derek

Rydz, Callan 5-0 Bridle, Shaun

Davey, John 5-1 Hamilton, Andy

Edhouse, Ritchie 5-4 Nash, Terry

Hammond, Curtis 5-4 Day, Daniel

Griffin, Rhys 5-0 Rafferty, Nathan

Padgett, Matt 5-1 Geraghty, Keith

Bain, Jamie 5-2 Meek, Liam

Painter, Kevin 5-3 Hanvidge, Paul

Hickey, Mark 5-4 Herewini, Darren

McGeeney, Mark 5-1 Chalmers, Andy

Clark, Matt 5-4 Howson, Richie

Bowles, John 5-3 Teehan, Ciaran

Last 32

Darlow, Antony 5-2 Bent, Christopher

Lauby, Daniel 5-3 Burton, Ben

Lynskey, Patrick 5-0 Gregory, Thomas

Collins, Robert 5-4 Boulton, Andy

Williams, Jim 5-3 Murnan, Joe

Gray, Adrian 5-3 Cankett, Sam

Baker, Scott 5-1 Burton, Stephen

Worsley, Jonathan 5-4 Barilli, Mark

Johnson, Darren 5-1 Parody, Dyson

Wilkinson, Carl 5-1 Lynn, Barry

Rydz, Callan 5-3 Davey, John

Hammond, Curtis 5-4 Edhouse, Ritchie

Padgett, Matt 5-3 Griffin, Rhys

Bain, Jamie 5-3 Painter, Kevin

McGeeney, Mark 5-0 Hickey, Mark

Clark, Matt 5-4 Bowles, John

Last 16

Lauby, Daniel 5-2 Darlow, Antony

Collins, Robert 5-4 Lynskey, Patrick

Williams, Jim 5-1 Gray, Adrian

Baker, Scott 5-2 Worsley, Jonathan

Wilkinson, Carl 5-3 Johnson, Darren

Rydz, Callan 5-1 Hammond, Curtis

Bain, Jamie 5-4 Padgett, Matt

McGeeney, Mark 5-2 Clark, Matt

Last Eight

Lauby, Daniel 5-0 Collins, Robert

Baker, Scott 5-2 Williams, Jim

Wilkinson, Carl 5-0 Rydz, Callan

McGeeney, Mark 5-2 Bain, Jamie

Last Four

Scott Baker 5-1 Daniel Lauby

Mark McGeeney 5-4 Carl Wilkinson