Stars to collide in Bahrain Darts Masters spectacle

TDT | Manama                                                     

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The 16-player field that will be competing in the 2024 Bahrain Darts Masters has been announced, with newly crowned World Champion Luke Humphries and teenage sensation Luke Littler set to headline the highly anticipated darts spectacle.

Luke Humphries, the world number one, defeated Luke Littler in a record-breaking World Championship final at Alexandra Palace last week.

Sixteen-year-old Littler’s exploits caught the imagination of the world with his debut performance, attracting mass global media attention.

That incredible World Championship run has seen him rewarded with a World Series debut in Bahrain for his first competition since reaching the Ally Pally final.

The event is scheduled to take place 18 and 19 January at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) as the first stop on this year’s World Series of Darts calendar.

Humphries and Littler will be amongst eight PDC superstars who will take on eight Asian representatives across the twoday event.

BIC and CBX have teamed up with the PDC to bring the World Series of Darts back to Bahrain in partnership with Bahrain Tourism and Exhibition Authority.

Tickets to the 2024 Bahrain Darts Masters are currently on sale with a 20 per cent discount, which will end this Thursday.

Tickets start from BD20 after discount for a two-day pass, with premium seating, including stage-side tables, from just BD32 for two days.

Reigning champion

Humphries and Littler will compete alongside reigning champion Michael Smith, who won the inaugural Bahrain Darts Masters 12 months ago with victory over Gerwyn Price.

Wales’ reigning World Cup winner Price also returns in 2024, while three-time World Champion Michael van Gerwen will make his highly-anticipated Bahrain bow.

Two-time World Champion Peter Wright has also been included in the star-studded line-up, alongside World Matchplay winner Nathan Aspinall and 2018 World Champion Rob Cross.

The eight Asian representatives are headlined by Philippines’ World Cup star Lourence Ilagan, who made his eighth World Darts Championship appearance last month after topping the 2023 PDC Asian Tour Order of Merit.

Ilagan will compete alongside his compatriots Paolo Nebrida and Reynaldo Rivera, while Japan’s PDC Asian Champion Haruki Muramatsu will make his World Series return following a seven-year hiatus.

Muramatsu’s countryman Tomoya Goto will also feature after his impressive World Darts Championship debut, with Hong Kong’s Man Lok Leung included following his sensational win over Gian van Veen at Alexandra Palace.

The 16-player field is completed by Bahrain duo Abdulla Saeed and Hasan Haji, who won through last month’s Host Nation Qualifiers to confirm their televised debuts.

The World Series of Darts circuit will also visit the Netherlands, the US, Denmark, Poland, Australia and New Zealand in 2024, before the season-ending World Series of Darts Finals takes place in Amsterdam.