PDC Players To Compete In IDL

FIVE players from the Professional Darts Corporation will take part in the International Darts League, which will take place in Holland in May.

The tournament will be staged at the Triavium in Nijmegen, Holland from Saturday 6 to Sunday 14 May.

The top four players from the PDC world rankings at 3 January 2006 - Colin Lloyd, Phil Taylor, Ronnie Baxter and Roland Scholten - have been invited to take part in the tournament.

Raymond van Barneveld - the winner in 2003 and 2004 - has also been invited to play in the event, which is played in two stages.

The 32 competing players are split into eight groups of four, which are played in a round robin format.

The top two in each group then progress to the last 16, which plays down to find the eventual winner.

"This is fantastic news for both the players and fans of darts," said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn.

"Darts fans in Holland will now get to see the very best players in the professional game, as will viewers of SBS6, the leading Dutch broadcaster.

"This move shows the increasing popularity of the Professional Darts Corporation and I'm sure these five players will figure strongly in the final stages."

The tournament will be screened by SBS6 in Holland, but will not be available to a UK audience.