World Seniors Championship 2025 | Day Two Preview and Order of Play
The First Round action continues at the World Seniors Championship on Thursday with four former World Champions topping the bill.
The opening night of the over-45s showpiece produced a quartet of upsets, with former European Champion Simon Whitlock and former World Seniors Matchplay finalist Jim McEwan among the notable names to crash out.
Day Two at the Circus Tavern sees a host of household names kicking off their campaigns across two unmissable sessions.
With Vincent van der Voort having withdrawn from the event, Neil Duff receives a bye through to the Second Round, leaving just three games in the afternoon session.
Former PDC Tour Card holder Graham Usher marks his World Seniors debut with a clash against Welshman Richard Rowlands.
Usher dropped off the PDC circuit at the end of last season but has started the year strongly by coming through the Amateur Qualifiers to seal his spot in the UK Open, while also winning the first World Seniors Championship qualifying event to clinch his place in the main draw.
Rowlands was narrowly beaten in a deciding set by Neil Duff in last year’s World Seniors Championship and enjoyed a fine run to the semi-finals of the World Seniors Masters last November.
Two-time Dutch Open champion Ross Montgomery makes his World Seniors Championship debut against ten-time Women’s World Champion Trina Gulliver.
Montgomery, Lakeside quarter-finalist a decade ago, recently competed on the PDC circuit after winning a Tour Card at Q School in 2022, and will look to hit the ground running on his televised Seniors debut.
Gulliver is bidding for her first win in this event at the fourth attempt, having taken the first set against John Henderson last year before going down 3-1 to the eventual champion.
Former World Master Mervyn King takes to the World Seniors stage for the first time to face an in-form Derek Coulson.
King is one of a number of players competing in this event to have dropped off the PDC circuit at the end of 2024, but has crucially remained active on the ProTour thanks to a strong showing at the first Challenge Tour weekend.
The multiple PDC major finalist sits seventh on the Challenge Tour Order of Merit and featured in the midweek ProTour double-header in Rosmalen, and subsequently comes into this competition as one of the strong favourites for the title.
Coulson, meanwhile, makes his televised debut at the age of 56 as a two-time World Seniors Tour event winner, and the Welshman has also qualified for the upcoming UK Open in Minehead.
The evening session features the eagerly-anticipated arrival of Steve Beaton onto the World Seniors Championship stage.
The 1996 Lakeside Champion stepped away from the PDC circuit in 2024 after more than 20 years as a professional, winning three ranking titles and reaching the final of the European Championship during that time.
The 60-year-old comes into this event as the red hot favourite with the bookmakers to claim the crown on debut, and the Bronzed Adonis will be looking to put down a marker when he meets last year’s runner-up – Colin McGarry.
Northern Ireland’s McGarry defeated Leonard Gates, Richie Burnett, Mark Dudbridge and Lisa Ashton en route to last year’s final and will be eyeing another significant scalp here against a stalwart of the sport.
Meanwhile, 1995 World Champion Burnett starts out with a clash against former Players Champion Kevin Painter.
Burnett proved his pedigree once again aged 58 when he claimed a PDC Challenge Tour title last year, and the enigmatic Welshman also embarked on a sensational run to the quarter-finals of the UK Open as recently as 2023.
Burnett defeated Keith Deller in last year’s opening round before losing out to McGarry, but will be eyeing a deep run this weekend should he navigate his way through a tough opening test.
Painter reached the semi-finals of both the 2022 and 2023 World Seniors Championship before losing out to Henderson in Round Two last year, but the former PDC world finalist has since struggled with dartitis and has been seeking the help of a sports psychologist.
Three-time BDO World Champion Martin Adams opens up against former BDO World Trophy winner Darryl Fitton.
Adams finished runner-up in the inaugural World Seniors Championship in 2022 and has been a stalwart of the Seniors circuit since its inception, reaching a further three semi-finals.
At 68, ‘Wolfie’ is the oldest player in this year’s tournament but remains as fiercely competitive as ever, and will go head-to-head with his former BDO adversary – who reached the quarter-finals here two years ago.
The final match of the evening sees former PDC world finalist Mark Dudbridge face his close friend and former Lakeside semi-finalist – Chris Mason.
Dudbridge has reached the quarter-finals of this event in successive years, and this marks the 20th anniversary of his run to the PDC World Championship final – where he was denied by Phil Taylor on this very stage.
Mason, meanwhile, is gearing up for what could be his last ever appearance on a televised stage, having revealed this will be his final outing in a World Seniors event.
The 55-year-old reached the quarter-finals here last year, proving he still has pedigree on the big stage amid his regular TV punditry commitments.
The action gets under way from 1pm GMT, with First Round ties to be contested over the best of five sets. There is no tie break rule in operation.
WATCH THE WORLD SENIORS CHAMPIONSHIP STREAMED LIVE HERE
18+ | Geo Restrictions Apply | Gamble Aware
World Seniors Darts Championship 2025 Day Two Schedule
Thursday February 20
Round One
Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm)
Richard Rowlands v Graham Usher
Ross Montgomery v Trina Gulliver
Derek Coulson v Mervyn King
Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
Martin Adams v Darryl Fitton
Colin McGarry v Steve Beaton
Kevin Painter v Richie Burnett
Mark Dudbridge v Chris Mason
