World Seniors Darts Championship 2025 | Day Three Preview and Order of Play

The Second Round action takes centre stage at the 2025 World Seniors Championship on Friday as the top four seeds enter the fray.

The opening two days of the over-45s showpiece have seen a number of big names suffer early exits at the Circus Tavern, including two of last season’s PDC Tour Card holders.

An unmissable double session on Day Three sees the top four seeds begin their campaigns, including defending champion John Henderson.

Henderson whitewashed Colin McGarry in last year’s final to claim the crown on his debut, and ‘The Highlander’ is looking to follow in the footsteps of Scottish compatriot Robert Thornton – who successfully retained the title in 2023.

Former World Cup of Darts winner Henderson, who featured regularly on the ProTour last season as a Challenge Tour top-up, opens up against former Lakeside semi-finalist Chris Mason.

Mason revealed prior to the tournament that this will be his last televised outing as a player, and the 55-year-old battled past his close friend Mark Dudbridge on Thursday night to extend his swan song.

Steve Beaton narrowly avoided becoming the third of last year’s Tour Card holders to crash out on debut when he recovered from two sets down and survived a match dart to snatch a sudden death victory over McGarry in Round One.

The 1996 Lakeside Champion, who has been installed as favourite for the title, now comes up against the vastly experienced Paul Hogan – who sent former European Champion Simon Whitlock packing in Round One with a 3-1 success.

Richie Burnett, the 1995 Lakeside Champion, also came through a sudden death grueller on Thursday night having trailed 2-0, battling back to deny former Players Champion Kevin Painter.

The enigmatic Welshman now meets home hero Richie Howson – who makes the short journey from Rainham looking to go one better than his runner-up spot two years ago.

Winner of last year’s Champion of Champions, Howson is the number three seed in the draw and will be out to delight his vocal support in the crowd in Purfleet.

The evening session commences with a clash between former WDF World Champion Neil Duff and former PDC Tour Card holder Graham Usher.

Duff received a bye through to Round Two following the late withdrawal of Vincent van der Voort, and the Northern Irishman is vying to surpass the quarter-final stage of this event for the first time.

Usher enjoyed a fine debut on the World Seniors stage after coming through the qualifiers to reach the main draw, brushing aside Richard Rowlands in straight sets with an 86 average.

The afternoon session features a showdown between three-time World Champion John Part and former Dutch Open winner Ross Montgomery.

Part, who famously triumphed here to claim the PDC world title in 2003, rolled back the years and defied the odds to defeat Jim McEwan in a deciding set on opening night.

Montgomery, meanwhile, produced one of the stand-out performances of Round One as he averaged 93 on his televised World Seniors debut to see off ten-time Women’s World Champion Trina Gulliver in straight sets.

Derek Coulson looks to follow up his magnificent debut display on Thursday when he comes up against three-time Lakeside finalist Tony O’Shea.

Welsh qualifier Coulson registered the highest average of the opening round (96.36) to dump out former World Master Mervyn King 3-1 in a high quality contest which featured 14 maximums.

O’Shea came through his opener in contrasting fashion, averaging 74 to scrape past Lisa Ashton in a deciding set, having missed out on last year’s event through injury.

Three-time World Seniors major winner Leonard Gates gets his latest quest for a maiden World Seniors Championship title under way with a tie against Welshman Mike Huntley.

Gates claimed the Champion of Champions, World Masters and World Matchplay titles on the Seniors circuit in 2023 and featured in last year’s Grand Slam of Darts and PDC World Championship – where he lost out to Nathan Aspinall in Round Two at Ally Pally.

Following successive First Round exits in last-set deciders, Huntley made it third time lucky at the Circus Tavern as he edged out Kevin Edwards 3-2 on Wednesday night to break new ground.

Two-time World Seniors Champion Thornton begins his bid to regain the crown when he meets former BDO World Trophy winner Darryl Fitton.

Thornton went unbeaten in the first two years of this competition and also claimed the World Seniors Matchplay title in 2022, but saw his reign ended by Andy Hamilton in Round Two here last year.

Fitton, 62, punished an out of sorts Martin Adams to clinch a commanding straight sets victory on Thursday night with an 85 average and reach Round Two for the second successive year.

The action gets under way from 1pm GMT, with Second Round ties to be contested over the best of five sets. There is no tie break rule in operation.

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World Seniors Darts Championship 2025 Day Three Schedule

Friday February 21

Second Round

Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm)
Ross Montgomery v John Part
Derek Coulson v Tony O’Shea
Darryl Fitton v Robert Thornton
Mike Huntley v Leonard Gates

Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
Graham Usher v Neil Duff
Chris Mason v John Henderson
Steve Beaton v Paul Hogan
Richie Burnett v Richie Howson