UK Open Darts 2024 | Day One Preview and Order of Play

The 2024 UK Open commences in Minehead on Friday with the opening four rounds to be contested across eight stages.

The prestigious event known as ‘The FA Cup of Darts’ takes place from March 1-3 with 158 players competing for a total prize fund of £600,000.

Round One of the multi-board tournament is comprised of Tour Card Holders ranked from 97-128 along with the top eight players from the 2023 Challenge Tour and Development Tour Orders or Merit, plus a further 16 Rileys amateur qualifiers.

Kicking off the action on the Main Stage is a clash between former Lakeside World Champion Jelle Klaasen and New Zealand’s Haupai Puha.

Klaasen reached the semi-finals of the 2016 UK Open and was also a semi-finalist in the recent WDF World Championship, while Puha is making his debut after coming through Qualifying School in January to secure a coveted Tour Card.

Poland’s Sebastian Białecki, who enjoyed a terrific run to the quarter-finals of this event two years ago, takes on 17-year-old Jenson Walker – who came through the Rileys Solihull qualifier.

Other notable First Round ties include a clash between former ProTour event finalist Connor Scutt and Challenge Tour qualifier Wesley Plaisier – a former World Masters winner and runner-up in this year’s Dutch Open.

Stage Two also features a tie between Austrian youngster Rusty-Jake Rodriguez and Dutch left-hander Ron Meulenkamp, while American ace Jules van Dongen faces French World Cup star and former WDF world finalist Thibault Tricole.

Danny Lauby, a former World Masters semi-finalist and quarter-finalist at Lakeside in December, meets Nathan Rafferty – a ten-time Development Tour event winner.

Scott Mitchell, the 2015 BDO World Champion, takes on former BDO World Youth Champion Leighton Bennett – who clinched a Tour Card at Qualifying School in January and has already landed a nine-darter on the ProTour.

Leonard Gates, a three-time televised World Seniors event winner in 2023, came through the Rileys Victoria qualifier to secure his UK Open debut – where former Challenge Tour event winner Conan Whitehead awaits on Stage Three.

Newly-crowned World Seniors champion John Henderson opens up with a tie against Northern Ireland’s Kevin Burness on Stage Four, while former World Youth champion Bradley Brooks plays Cameron Crabtree on Stage Six.

The Second Round sees the introduction of Tour Card Holders ranked 65-96, including in-form Steve Lennon – who meets Frenchman Jacques Labre on the Main Stage.

Christian Perez, who reached the semi-finals of Players Championship 4, marks his UK Open debut with a tie against Jeffrey Sparidaans, while Dutch duo Jurjen van der Velde and Jeffrey de Zwaan also collide on the Main Stage.

Reigning WDF World Champion Andy Baetens, now a PDC Tour Card holder, awaits the winner of the first round tie between Brett Claydon and Thomas Lovely.

Other confirmed Second Round ties include an all-Welsh battle between Callum Goffin and Nick Kenny on Stage Five and an all-Dutch affair between Berry van Peer and Maik Kuivenhoven on Stage Seven.

Meanwhile, former World Youth champion Arron Monk opens up against Irish left-hander Dylan Slevin on Stage Eight.

Tour Card Holders ranked 33-64 enter the fray in Round Three, including 59-year-old Steve Beaton – making his 22nd consecutive appearance in the UK Open in what is his final year on the PDC circuit.

Confirmed Third Round ties include Martin Lukeman versus Jermaine Wattimena on Stage Two, Boris Krcmar versus Ritchie Edhouse on Stage Three and Ian White versus Mickey Mansell on Stage Four.

Meanwhile, former World Cup of Darts finalist William O’Connor faces former Premier League star Mensur Suljovic on Stage Five.

The likes of Callan Rydz, Gian Van Veen, Ricardo Pietreczko, Simon Whitlock and 2007 UK Open finalist Vincent van der Voort also start their campaigns in Round Three.

The world’s top 32 enter the event in the evening’s Fourth Round, including defending champion Andrew Gilding, World Champion Luke Humphries, Luke Littler and former UK Open champions Michael van Gerwen, Peter Wright, James Wade, Gary Anderson, Nathan Aspinall and Raymond van Barneveld.

The draw for the Fourth Round will be made live on the Main Stage immediately following the completion of Round Three.

The action gets under way from 11am on the outer stages (11.45am main stage), with First Round, Second Round and Third Round matches to be contested over the best of 11 legs, while Fourth Round ties are best of 19.

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UK Open 2024 Day One Schedule

Friday March 1

Afternoon Session

Main Stage – 11.45am onwards
Haupai Puha v Jelle Klaasen (R1)
Sebastian Bialecki v Jenson Walker (R1)
Jeffrey Sparidaans v Christian Perez (R2)
Jacques Labre v Steve Lennon (R2)
Jurjen van der Velde v Jeffrey de Zwaan (R2)
Brooks/Crabtree v Van Dongen/Tricole (R2)
Rowby-John Rodriguez v Madars Razma (R3)
Steve Beaton v Payne/Rusty-Jake Rodriguez/Meulenkamp (R3)
Jim Williams v Gregory/Griffin/Whitehead/Gates (R3)

Stage Two – 11am onwards
Connor Scutt v Wesley Plaisier (R1)
Rusty-Jake Rodriguez v Ron Meulenkamp (R1)
Jules van Dongen v Thibault Tricole (R1)
Danny Lauby v Nathan Rafferty (R1)
Geert Nentjes v Pascal Rupprecht (R2)
Karel Sedlacek v Robert Owen (R2)
Andy Baetens v Claydon/Lovely (R2)
Gregory/Griffin v Whitehead/Gates (R2)
Martin Lukeman v Jermaine Wattimena (R3)
Van Peer/Kuivenhoven v Simon Whitlock (R3)
Gian van Veen v D Taylor/Western/Burness/Henderson (R3)
Brooks/Crabtree/Van Dongen/Tricole v Cameron Menzies (R3)

Stage Three – 11am onwards
Christian Kist v Patrick Geeraets (R1)
Leighton Bennett v Scott Mitchell (R1)
Matthew Dennant v Jeffrey de Graaf (R1)
Conan Whitehead v Leonard Gates (R1)
Owen Roelofs v Stephen Burton (R2)
Van der Wal/Haines v Mario Vandenbogaerde (R2)
Josh Payne v Rusty-Jake Rodriguez/Meulenkamp (R2)
Wenig/Lonsdale v Roes/Reus (R2)
Boris Krcmar v Ritchie Edhouse (R3)
Goffin/Kenny v Matt Campbell (R3)
Alan Soutar v Baetens/Claydon/Lovely (R3)
Ricky Evans v Toonders/Landman/L Evans (R3)
Bates/Boulton/Usher v R Huybrechts/Lane/Gruellich (R3)

Stage Four – 11am onwards
Dom Taylor v Brandon Western (R1)
Lukas Wenig v Tom Lonsdale (R1)
Kevin Burness v John Henderson (R1)
Owen Bates v Andy Boulton (R1)
Daniel Klose v Adam Warner (R2)
Ronny Huybrechts v Lane/Gruellich (R2)
Niels Zonneveld v Sumner/Nijman (R2)
Hogg/Beveridge v Bennett/Mitchell (R2)
Mickey Mansell v Ian White (R3)
Ryan Meilke v Nentjes/Rupprecht (R3)
Van der Wal/Haines/Vandenbogaerde v Florian Hempel (R3)
Van der Velde/De Zwaan v Smith-Neale/Kist/Geeraets (R3)

Stage Five – 11am onwards
Jack Male v Martijn Dragt (R1)
Ashley Coleman v Tim Wolters (R1)
Brett Claydon v Thomas Lovely (R1)
Bradly Roes v Benjamin Reus (R1)
Callum Goffin v Nick Kenny (R2)
James Hurrell v Croft/Borland (R2)
Toonders/Landman v Lee Evans (R2)
D Taylor/Western v Burness/Henderson (R2)
William O’Connor v Mensur Suljovic (R3)
Sedlacek/Owen v Kevin Doets (R3)
Mike De Decker v Zonneveld/Sumner/Nijman (R3)
Scutt/Plaisier/Puha/Klaasen v Klose/Warner (R3)

Stage Six – 11am onwards
Jitse van der Wal v Johnny Haines (R1)
Bradley Brooks v Cam Crabtree (R1)
Paul Krohne v Michael Taylor (R1)
Christopher Toonders v Chris Landman (R1)
Adam Smith-Neale v Kist/Geeraets (R2)
Killington/Szaganski v Robbie Knops (R2)
Pilgrim/Richardson v Keegan Brown (R2)
Male/Dragt v Lauby/Rafferty (R2)
Luke Woodhouse v Monk/Slevin (R3)
Keane Barry v Hurrell/Croft/Borland (R3)
Adam Gawlas v Turetta/Grundy/Cole (R3)
Bialecki/Walker/Coleman/Wolters v Ryan Joyce (R3)

Stage Seven – 11am onwards
George Killington v Radek Szaganski (R1)
Darryl Pilgrim v Joshua Richardson (R1)
Joe Croft v William Borland (R1)
Jason Hogg v Darren Beveridge (R1)
Berry van Peer v Maik Kuivenhoven (R2)
Dennant/De Graaf v Danny van Trijp (R2)
Turetta/Grundy v Jarred Cole (R2)
Scutt/Plaisier v Puha/Klaasen (R2)
Vincent van der Voort v Sparidaans/Perez (R3)
Mervyn King v Killington/Szaganski/Knops (R3)
Wenig/Lonsdale/Roes/Reus v Callan Rydz (R3)
Ricardo Pietreczko v Krohne/M Taylor/Hall (R3)

Stage Eight – 11am onwards
Harry Lane v Dominik Gruellich (R1)
Harry Gregory v Rhys Griffin (R1)
Michele Turetta v Robert Grundy (R1)
David Sumner v Wessel Nijman (R1)
Arron Monk v Dylan Slevin (R2)
Krohne/M Taylor v Graham Hall (R2)
Bates/Boulton v Graham Usher (R2)
Bialecki/Walker v Coleman/Wolters (R2)
Roelofs/Burton v Richard Veenstra (R3)
Pilgrim/Richardson/Brown v Jamie Hughes (R3)
Male/Dragt/Lauby/Rafferty v Labre/Lennon (R3)
Dennant/De Graaf/Van Trijp v Hogg/Beveridge/Bennett/Mitchell (R3)

Evening Session (7pm-11pm)

Fourth Round
8x Stages, 4 Matches per board