RONNIE BAXTER is on course to return to the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts in 2010.
The Evesham-based thrower will provisionally move up to sixth in the PDC Order of Merit after the 2010 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship - when the top six earn an automatic Premier League place.
Baxter's rise has been aided by runs to the semi-finals of both the Blue Square UK Open and stanjames.com World Matchplay this summer.
Baxter previously competed in the 2006 Premier League, only missing out on a play-off place when denied by Colin Lloyd on a dramatic final league night at Reading which went to the final game.
The provisional PDC Order of Merit for January - comprising prize money won in a two-year period from January 2008 - would see four-time Premier League winner Phil Taylor remain at the head of the rankings.
Defending Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts champion James Wade would hang on to second place ahead of Raymond van Barneveld, with Terry Jenkins and Mervyn King sat third and fourth.
John Part, currently ranked fourth in the PDC Order of Merit, would drop from the top 16 should he not enjoy success during the autumn.
Colin Osborne, the UK Open runner-up, would currently need to bridge a £17,000-plus gap to jump above Baxter and earn a Premier League debut.
The autumn of 2009 sees the televised Skybet World Grand Prix and European Championship, alongside 11 Players Championships, the PDC US Open and German Darts Championship.
Those ranking events are followed by the £1 million Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship, which will pay a record £200,000 to the winner.
The top six will be joined in the 2010 Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts by two Wildcard selections.
Dates and venues for the 2010 Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts will be announced in due course, with tickets going on sale in the autumn.
Provisional PDC Order of Merit Following Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship
|
Position |
Name |
Prize Money |
|
1 |
Phil Taylor |
£688,588 |
|
2 |
James Wade |
£200,033 |
|
3 |
Raymond van Barneveld |
£186,037 |
|
4 |
Terry Jenkins |
£134,787 |
|
5 |
Mervyn King |
£134,179 |
|
6 |
Ronnie Baxter |
£130,850 |
|
|
|
|
|
7 |
Colin Osborne |
£113,204 |
|
8 |
Colin Lloyd |
£112,637 |
|
9 |
Dennis Priestley |
£112,637 |
|
10 |
Alan Tabern |
£108,987 |
|
11 |
Mark Walsh |
£108,004 |
|
12 |
Robert Thornton |
£102,758 |
|
13 |
Adrian Lewis |
£101,829 |
Tickets for the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship are on sale now - click here for full details