YORKSHIRE hero Dennis Priestley will compete on the opening night of the 2011 Players Championship Finals at the Doncaster Dome on Thursday February 3.
Priestley, the two-time World Champion from Mexborough, will be amongst the 32 players competing for £250,000 prize money at the Doncaster Dome next month.
The four-day event, being staged for the third time, has moved to be held at The Dome in Doncaster, with tickets on sale now and priced at £20 and £25 through 01302 370777.
Half-price tickets for Thursday February 3 are available for NUS Card Holders.
The opening night on Thursday February 3 will feature Priestley taking on Derby-based Andy Hamilton among eight first round games, with the tournament featuring the top 32 from the 2010 Players Championship Order of Merit, comprised of prize money won in the 37 non-televised Players Championships.
Denis Ovens and Colin Osborne meet in the tournament's opening game, before Hamilton and Priestley clash, while Mark Walsh takes on debutant Steve Farmer, who won his maiden Players Championship last year.
World number eight Ronnie Baxter plays Andy Smith, Wayne Jones faces Kevin Painter and recent Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship runner-up Gary Anderson takes on Justin Pipe, before the final game of the evening sees Colin Lloyd come up against Jelle Klaasen.
Friday's games include 15-time World Champion Phil Taylor - the 2009 Players Championship Finals winner - up against Bristol's Steve Brown and new World Champion Adrian Lewis playing Steve Beaton.
The night's remaining first round games open with Holland's Vincent van der Voort against World Championship semi-finalist Terry Jenkins, before Mervyn King plays Co Stompe and Wes Newton meets Richie Burnett.
Wales' Mark Webster, another semi-finalist in the World Championship, plays St Helens' fellow left-hander Alan Tabern, number one seed Simon Whitlock - the winner of six Players Championships to top the 2010 Players Championship Order of Merit - plays Hartlepool's Tony Eccles and James Wade, ranked third in the world, meets Mark Dudbridge.
The second round will be played across two sessions on Saturday February 5, with the potential for Taylor to take on Wade in a repeat of the 2010 Premier League Darts final.
Sunday afternoon will see the quarter-finals played, with the semi-finals and final taking place in one session on Sunday evening.
Tickets for the Players Championship Finals are on sale now and priced at £20 and £25 through 01302 370777.
Players Championship Finals Schedule of Play
Thursday February 3 - 7pm-11pm
First Round
Denis Ovens v Colin Osborne
Andy Hamilton v Dennis Priestley
Mark Walsh v Steve Farmer
Jamie Caven v Barrie Bates
Ronnie Baxter v Andy Smith
Wayne Jones v Kevin Painter
Gary Anderson v Justin Pipe
Colin Lloyd v Jelle Klaasen
Tickets £20
Half-price tickets for Thursday February 3 are available for NUS Card Holders.
Friday February 4 - 7pm-11pm
First Round
Vincent van der Voort v Terry Jenkins
Mervyn King v Co Stompe
Wes Newton v Richie Burnett
Mark Webster v Alan Tabern
Simon Whitlock v Tony Eccles
James Wade v Mark Dudbridge
Phil Taylor v Steve Brown
Adrian Lewis v Steve Beaton
Tickets £25
Saturday February 5
Second Round
Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm)
Caven/Bates v Baxter/Smith
Walsh/Farmer v Ovens/Osborne
Anderson/Pipe v Jones/Painter
Lloyd/Klaasen v Hamilton/Priestley
Tickets £20
Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
Newton/Burnett v Webster/Tabern
Whitlock/Eccles v King/Stompe
van der Voort/Jenkins v Lewis/Beaton
Taylor/Brown v Wade/Dudbridge
Tickets £25
Sunday February 6
Quarter-Finals
Afternoon Session (1pm-5pm)
Whitlock/Eccles/King/Stompe v van der Voort/Jenkins/Lewis/Beaton
Newton/Burnett/Webster/Tabern v Taylor/Brown/Wade/Dudbridge
Anderson/Pipe/Jones/Painter v Caven/Bates/Baxter/Smith
Walsh/Farmer/Ovens/Osborne v Lloyd/Klaasen/Hamilton/Priestley
Tickets £20
Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
Semi-Finals & Final
Tickets £25
Format
First Round - Best of 11 legs
Second Round - Best of 15 legs
Quarter-Finals - Best of 17 legs
Semi-Finals - Best of 19 legs
Final - Best of 25 legs
There will be no tie-break in any game.
The order of play for the Semi-Finals will be decided by the toss of a coin.
Prize Fund
Winner: £60,000
Runner-Up: £24,000
Semi-Finalists: £15,000
Quarter-Finalists: £10,000
Second Round Losers: £6,000
First Round Losers: £3,000
Total: £250,000
Draw Bracket
Top Half
Simon Whitlock (1) v Tony Eccles (32)
Mervyn King (16) v Co Stompe (17)
Vincent van der Voort (8) v Terry Jenkins (25)
Adrian Lewis (9) v Steve Beaton (24)
Wes Newton (5) v Richie Burnett (28)
Mark Webster (12) v Alan Tabern (21)
Phil Taylor (4) v Steve Brown (29)
James Wade (13) v Mark Dudbridge (20)
Bottom Half
Gary Anderson (2) v Justin Pipe (31)
Wayne Jones (15) v Kevin Painter (18)
Jamie Caven (7) v Barrie Bates (26)
Ronnie Baxter (10) v Andy Smith (23)
Mark Walsh (6) v Steve Farmer (27)
Denis Ovens (11) v Colin Osborne (22)
Colin Lloyd (3) v Jelle Klaasen (30)
Andy Hamilton (14) v Dennis Priestley (19)