Cash Converters Players Championship Finals

THE schedule of play for the Cash Converters Players Championship Finals has been confirmed ahead of the £300,000 tournament, which will be held at the Butlins Minehead Resort from November 27-29.

The three-day event, televised live on ITV4, sees the leading 32 players from this year's PDC ProTour Order of Merit - comprised of prize money won in UK Open Qualifiers, Players Championships and European Tour events - battling for the £65,000 first prize.

Reigning champion Gary Anderson will begin his defence of the title with a crunch clash against three-time winner Phil Taylor on Friday evening, with the first round split across two sessions on the opening day.

Two former semi-finalists, Justin Pipe and Vincent van der Voort, will kick off the action on Friday afternoon before Players Championship Finals debutants Alan Norris and Gerwyn Price play Terry Jenkins and Jelle Klaasen.

Dutch youngster Benito van de Pas then takes on Stephen Bunting, Austria's Mensur Suljovic plays Mervyn King and Norther Irish star Brendan Dolan faces top Australian Simon Whitlock.

Number two seed Michael Smith, a two-time European Tour winner this year, then plays Jamie Caven before former Players Championship Finals runner-up Kim Huybrechts rounds off the afternoon session against Northern Ireland's Daryl Gurney.

Friday's evening session kicks off as Dave Chisnall faces debutant Joe Murnan - who won his first Players Championship this year - while left-handers James Wade and Mark Webster then clash.

2014 Players Championship Finals runner-up Adrian Lewis takes on Scotland's John Henderson before World Grand Prix champion Robert Thornton comes up agaisnt Jamie Lewis.

Top seed Michael van Gerwen, who dominated this year's ProTour rankings and won the 2013 Players Championship Finals, plays World Youth Champion Keegan Brown before Anderson kicks off his title defence against Taylor.

Ian White then plays Holland's Raymond van Barneveld before Peter Wright's clash with Steve Beaton rounds off the opening day.

The second round is split across two sessions on Saturday, with the quarter-finals on Sunday afternoon and the semi-finals and final to follow on Sunday evening alongside the final of the PDC Unicorn World Youth Championship between Max Hopp and Nathan Aspinall.

Cash Converters Players Championship Finals
Friday November 27
Afternoon Session (12.45pm-5pm)
First Round
Justin Pipe (16) v Vincent van der Voort (17)
Terry Jenkins (11) v Alan Norris (22)
Jelle Klaasen (10) v Gerwyn Price (23)
Benito van de Pas (13) v Stephen Bunting (20)
Mensur Suljovic (15) v Mervyn King (18)
Brendan Dolan (14) v Simon Whitlock (19)
Michael Smith (2) v Jamie Caven (31)
Kim Huybrechts (5) v Daryl Gurney (28)

Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
First Round
Dave Chisnall (8) v Joe Murnan (25)
James Wade (4) v Mark Webster (29)
Adrian Lewis (6) v John Henderson (27)
Robert Thornton (9) v Jamie Lewis (24)
Michael van Gerwen (1) v Keegan Brown (32)
Gary Anderson (12) v Phil Taylor (21)
Ian White (7) v Raymond van Barneveld (26)
Peter Wright (3) v Steve Beaton (30)

Saturday November 28
Afternoon Session (12.45pm-5pm)
Second Round
Smith/Caven v Suljovic/King
Lewis/Henderson v Jenkins/Norris
Wade/Webster v van de Pas/Bunting
Chisnall/Murnan v Thornton/Lewis

Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
Second Round
White/van Barneveld v Klaasen/Price
Wright/Beaton v Dolan/Whitlock
Huybrechts/Gurney v Anderson/Taylor
van Gerwen/Brown v Pipe/van der Voort

Sunday November 29
Afternoon Session (12.45pm-5pm)
Quarter-Finals
Smith/Caven/Suljovic/King v White/van Barneveld/Klaasen/Price
Lewis/Henderson/Jenkins/Norris v Wright/Beaton/Dolan/Whitlock
van Gerwen/Brown/Pipe/van der Voort v Chisnall/Murnan/Thornton/Lewis
Huybrechts/Gurney/Anderson/Taylor v Wade/Webster/van de Pas/Bunting

Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
Semi-Finals
Final

PDC Unicorn World Youth Championship Final
Max Hopp v Nathan Aspinall
Best of 11 legs
To be played between semi-finals and final of main event on Sunday evening.

Format
First Round - Best of 11 legs
Second Round - Best of 19 legs
Quarter-Finals - Best of 19 legs
Semi-Finals - Best of 21 legs
Final - Best of 21 legs
There is no tie-break in any game.

Prize Fund
Winner £65,000
Runner-Up £35,000
Semi-Finalists £17,000
Quarter-Finalists £11,500
Second Round Losers £7,000
First Round Losers £4,000
Total £300,000
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