THE NEWS & VIEWS OF the Cash Converters Players Championship Finals TAKEN FROM - THE PDC WEBSITE MICHAEL VAN GERWEN will begin his defence of the Cash Converters Players Championship Finals title against Raymond van Barneveld, while top seed Gary Anderson takes on another Dutchman, Christian Kist, at the Butlins Minehead Resort when the tournament begins on Friday. Van Gerwen claimed last years title in the ITV4-televised event with a thrilling comeback victory over reigning champion Phil Taylor in the final, before also going on to succeed Taylor as World Champion a month later. The Dutch ace will enter this years event as the number two seed after finishing second to Anderson on the 2014 PDC ProTour Order of Merit, having missed last weekends Players Championship events in Coventry with flu. He will take on 31st seed van Barneveld in Fridays first round, having also met the five-time World Champion in the European Championship and The Masters in recent months. Scottish star Anderson saw his seventh PDC ProTour win of the year on Sunday, when he edged out Peter Wright in the Players Championship final, jump him above van Gerwen to top the 2014 standings with £113,250 prize money. Anderson will take on Hollands Christian Kist in the first round, with the former Lakeside Champion having finished 31st in the ProTour Order of Merit in his debut year on the PDC circuit. Michael Smith, a European Tour winner in Germany in September, finished third in the rankings and meets Andy Smith in the first round at Butlins Minehead. World Championship finalist Wright matched his world ranking of fourth with his final position in the ProTour Order of Merit, as he earned a first round meeting with another Dutch debutant, Benito van de Pas. Resurgent James Wade finished fifth in the final ProTour rankings after taking two titles during the year, and he opens up against Jelle Klaasen, while number six seed Robert Thornton meets Darren Webster. Number seven seed Brendan Dolan takes on 2011 champion Kevin Painter, with former finalist and number eight Mervyn King taking on East Anglian rival Andrew Gilding. Three-time Players Championship Finals winner Taylor will open up against Ronnie Baxter, while two-time semi-finalist Justin Pipe - the number ten seed - meets Wes Newton. Saturdays Players Championship winner Ian White, who ended the year 11th in the Order of Merit, takes on Jamie Caven, with Simon Whitlock meeting Dean Winstanley and Austrian Darts Open winner Vincent van der Voort playing Andy Hamilton. Adrian Lewis, the number 14 seed who hit his second Players Championship nine-darter of the year on Sunday, plays Dave Chisnall as the Stoke ace bids to continue his winning streak on the Minehead stage, after taking Marchs UK Open title at the venue. Number 15 seed Kim Huybrechts, the 2012 Players Championship Finals runner-up, takes on Terry Jenkins - a finalist in the UK Open and European Championship this year - while debutant Stephen Bunting plays Steve Beaton in a clash of current and former Lakeside Champions. The first round will be played across two sessions at the Butlins Minehead Resort on Friday November 28. The second round will take place on Saturday November 29, with the quarter-finals taking place in Sundays afternoon session and the semi-finals and final held in the evening session. The schedule of play will be confirmed in due course. Cash Converters Players Championship Finals First Round Draw & Tournament Bracket Gary Anderson (1) v Christian Kist (32) Stephen Bunting (16) v Steve Beaton (17) Mervyn King (8) v Andrew Gilding (25) Phil Taylor (9) v Ronnie Baxter (24) James Wade (5) v Jelle Klaasen (28) Simon Whitlock (12) v Dean Winstanley (21) Peter Wright (4) v Benito van de Pas (29) Vincent van der Voort (13) v Andy Hamilton (20) Michael van Gerwen (2) v Raymond van Barneveld (31) Kim Huybrechts (15) v Terry Jenkins (18) Brendan Dolan (7) v Kevin Painter (26) Justin Pipe (10) v Wes Newton (23) Robert Thornton (6) v Darren Webster (27) Ian White (11) v Jamie Caven (22) Michael Smith (3) v Andy Smith (30) Adrian Lewis (14) v Dave Chisnall (19)
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 10:18:42 +0000
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