PERTH DARTS MASTERS WILDCARDS ANNOUNCED - ANDERSON BROTHERS JOIN MAJOR CHAMPIONS IN INAUGURAL EVENT
FIVE-TIME World Champion Raymond van Barneveld and seven-time major winner James Wade will be joined as Wildcards in the Perth Darts Masters in August by Australian brothers Kyle and Beau Anderson, Paul Nicholson and the DPNZ National Champion.
The stars will join the world's top six players and four other qualifiers in the new World Series of Darts event, which be held at the Challenge Stadium in Perth from August 22-24.
PDC Wildcards van Barneveld and Wade will be joined by World Champion Michael van Gerwen, 16-time World Champion Phil Taylor, UK Open champion Adrian Lewis, Australian ace Simon Whitlock and major finalists Dave Chisnall and Peter Wright in travelling to compete in Perth.
The first round will see the eight PDC stars face eight stars of the circuit in Australia and New Zealand, with four Wildcard selections to be joined by four qualifiers.
The Anderson brothers are the highest-profile darts stars from the Perth area, with elder sibling Beau still based in the region and competing on the DPA's Australian Grand Prix circuit - having won last year's DPA Oceanic Masters before reaching the last 32 of the 2014 World Championship.
Younger brother Kyle was last year's AGP Order of Merit winner as he qualified for a second successive World Championship - and he made history with a stunning nine-darter at Alexandra Palace.
Kyle has since won a PDC Tour Card and moved to the UK to compete full-time on the professional circuit, but will return to his homeland in August to be a part of the biggest event ever seen in Perth.
"We've been hoping to get an event like this in Perth for years and it's great that it's finally happening, and for me to be a part of it is something you can only dream of," said Kyle, 26.
"It's a huge step for darts in Western Australia and will really widen the audience for darts there, and to walk up on stage in front of 4,000 fans will be a big highlight for me personally.
"To have my brother Beau in there too in our home town is the stuff of dreams. It'll be a huge extravaganza of darts anyway but it would be amazing if we could have a final involving the brothers!"
The brothers are joined in competing in Perth by Paul Nicholson, the former AGP champion and a World Cup of Darts finalist for Australia.
Nicholson made his breakthrough whilst living in Melbourne before returning to the UK, where he has won the Players Championship Finals since moving onto the PDC circuit full-time.
The DPNZ New Zealand National Champion, who will be crowned on July 13, will also receive a Wildcard to compete in Perth, with the remaining four places on offer across two days of qualifying at the Esplanade Hotel Fremantle on August 16 & 17.
The Perth Darts Masters Qualifiers are open to residents of Oceanic countries and will cost $20 per day to enter, with two players qualifying from Saturday's event and two winning through on Sunday. For further information about the Qualifiers, visit www.dartplayersaustralia.com.
The eight qualifiers will be drawn against eight PDC stars for the Perth Darts Masters' first round, which will take place on Friday August 22, before the quarter-finals are held on Saturday August 23, with the semi-finals and final seeing the event conclude on Sunday August 24.
Tickets for the Perth Darts Masters are now on sale and can be purchased online through http://www.ticketmaster.com.au/Perth-Darts-Masters-tickets/artist/1981791.
For VIP and Floor table seating, email sales@downunderevents.com.au or call 0416 120 765.
Perth Darts Masters
Friday August 22 (7pm)
First Round
Tickets $69.95 and $49.95
Saturday August 23 (7pm)
Quarter-Finals
Tickets $69.95 and $49.95
Sunday August 24 (5pm)
Semi-Finals & Final
Tickets $69.95 and $49.95
Season Ticket (all three days)
$209.85 and $149.85
Competitors
Michael van Gerwen - Reigning World Champion & 2013 Dubai Darts Masters champion
Phil Taylor - 16-time World Champion & 2013 Sydney Darts Masters champion
Adrian Lewis - Two-time World Champion & reigning European Champion & UK Open champion
Simon Whitlock - 2012 European Champion
Peter Wright - 2014 World Championship finalist
Dave Chisnall - 2013 World Grand Prix finalist
James Wade - Seven-time major champion
Raymond van Barneveld - Five-time World Champion
Kyle Anderson - 2013 DPA Australian Grand Prix winner
Beau Anderson - 2013 DPA Oceanic Masters winner
Paul Nicholson - 2010 Players Championship Finals winner
DPNZ New Zealand National Champion
Plus Four Qualifiers
Details of ticket sales and the format for the Sydney Darts Masters, which will be held in the week following the Perth Darts Masters, will be confirmed in due course