Kayden Milne, Darren Herewini and Jonny Tata secured their qualification for August’s New Zealand Darts Masters, as the 2023 DartPlayers New Zealand season continued last weekend.
The year’s fifth weekend of DPNZ action saw Herewini and Tata win through the respective World Series of Darts qualifiers at Christchurch’s Black Horse Hotel, to secure their spots in next month’s showpiece alongside Milne.
Hamilton’s GLOBOX Arena will play host to the New Zealand Darts Masters on August 4-5, as eight of the PDC’s biggest names take on eight local representatives across two days of competition.
Herewini – who competed in the 2017 Auckland Darts Masters – defeated Milne 7-5 in Saturday’s decider, defying a late rally from the 23-year-old to triumph with a superb 130 checkout.
Milne won the pair’s first showdown of the weekend in the round-robin phase, but Herewini recovered in some style, kicking off the knockout stages with consecutive 95 averages in wins over Jordan Whyte and Max Dallimore.
The 31-year-old then demolished Tata and Jaymie Hilton-Jones for the loss of just three legs in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively, clinching his World Series return after a six-year hiatus.
Meanwhile, Tata will make his televised debut in the third staging of the New Zealand Darts Masters, after overcoming Jonty Reede in Sunday’s second qualifier.
Tata also dumped out former World Darts Championship participant Bernie Smith on his way to qualification, before averaging over 101 to whitewash Whyte in the quarter-finals.
The 30-year-old survived match darts to edge out Darren Dummigan in a dramatic semi-final tie, before reeling off three straight legs to defeat Reede 7-4 and confirm his big stage bow.
Emerging star Milne - who beat Fallon Sherrock to reach last year’s NZ Darts Masters quarter-finals – will also feature in next month’s 16-player event, sealing his spot as the top-ranked non-qualified DPNZ player.
Australia’s former World Cup of Darts winners Damon Heta and Simon Whitlock are among the eight Oceanic representatives, alongside Ben Robb and Haupai Puha – the top two on the DPNZ Order of Merit.
The top-ranked player on the DPA Order of Merit following next Sunday’s Event 21 will make up the 16-player field, with two places still available in the PalmerBet NSW Darts Masters on August 11-12.
John Hurring defied a remarkable 102 average from Robb en route to sealing his qualification for the NSW Darts Masters, dispatching Josh Roberts 5-1 in Saturday’s finale.
Hurring – an Auckland Darts Masters qualifier in 2018 – also saw off Jamie Roberts, Freddie Granada and Josh Walters earlier in the event, before booking his place in Wollongong in emphatic fashion.
Mal Cuming, Darren Penhall and Dave Marland will also compete at the WIN Entertainment Centre, with Heta and Whitlock set to take centre stage on home soil.
The remaining two spots will be allocated to the winner of next Saturday’s fourth DPA Qualifier in Warilla, with the top-ranked non-qualified player on the DPA Order of Merit also assured of qualification.
World Champion Michael Smith will headline the contingent of PDC superstars, alongside reigning World Series of Darts Finals champion Gerwyn Price and world number two Peter Wright.
Two-time World Cup winner Jonny Clayton – a winner in Wollongong last year – will make his return to Australasia, with former World Champion Rob Cross and Belgian number one Dimitri Van den Bergh also set to feature.
Former UK Open champions Nathan Aspinall and Danny Noppert will make their debuts Down Under, with 2023 US Masters champion Michael van Gerwen and world number six Luke Humphries missing the August double-header for family reasons.
2023 World Series of Darts
NZ Darts Masters
August 4-5, GLOBOX Arena, Hamilton
PDC Representatives
Michael Smith
Peter Wright
Gerwyn Price
Rob Cross
Jonny Clayton
Danny Noppert
Nathan Aspinall
Dimitri Van den Bergh
Oceanic Representatives
Damon Heta
Simon Whitlock
Ben Robb - DPNZ Number One
Haupai Puha - DPNZ Number Two
Darren Herewini - DPNZ Q1
Jonny Tata - DPNZ Q2
Kayden Milne - Top-Ranked player on DPNZ Order of Merit on July 2 following DPNZ Qualifiers
DPA Qualifier - Top-Ranked player following Event 21 (July 9)
PalmerBet NSW Darts Masters
August 11-12, WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong
PDC Representatives
Michael Smith
Peter Wright
Gerwyn Price
Rob Cross
Jonny Clayton
Danny Noppert
Nathan Aspinall
Dimitri Van den Bergh
Oceanic Representatives
Damon Heta
Simon Whitlock
Mal Cuming - DPA Q1
Darren Penhall - DPA Q2
Dave Marland - DPA Q3
DPA Q4 - July 7, Warilla
John Hurring - DPNZ Qualifier
Top-ranked player from DPA Order of Merit following Event 21 (July 9)