Gordon Mathers, who first arrived in the UK in November ahead of his World Championship appearance, made his stay worthwhile by securing his Tour Card for the first time.
Boris Koltsov and Scott Mitchell won outright PDC Tour Cards with victory on the final day of the 2021 PDC Qualifying Schools, as Raymond van Barneveld secured his return to the professional circuit.
Koltsov created history as the first Russian player to win a PDC Tour Card after his win on Final Stage Day Four at the European Qualifying School in Niedernhausen.
Koltsov has qualified for four World Championships since 2014 and also competed five times in the World Cup of Darts during his emergence in the sport.
The 32-year-old will now get the chance to compete full-time on the PDC ProTour after securing an automatic Tour Card on the final day of the 2021 PDC Qualifying Schools.
Koltsov had already earned his Tour Card with his progression through Wednesday’s event, which included wins over Michael Rasztovits, Michael Unterbuchner and Adam Gawlas as he reached the final.
He then defeated Niels Zonneveld 6-4 to take victory on Day Four and seal his progression onto the professional circuit in style.
Dutchman Zonnveld, Germany’s Unterbuchner and Czech Republic ace Gawlas – a former World Youth Championship finalist – also secured their place on the PDC circuit amongst the eight players to win a Tour Card from the Order of Merit in Niedernhausen.
Five-time World Champion Van Barneveld, who came out of retirement ahead of Qualifying School, will return to the PDC circuit after securing his Tour Card with a run to Wednesday’s quarter-finals.
Martin Schindler landed a nine-darter during his last 16 tie with Van Barneveld, although the German star had already secured his immediate return to the circuit after losing his Tour Card at the end of 2020.
Austria’s Zoran Lerchbacher, Greece’s John Michael and Germany’s Robert Marijanovic were the other players to secure a Tour Card in Europe – with Austrian brothers Rowby-John and Rusty-Jake Rodriguez just missing out despite reaching the quarter-finals on Wednesday.
The race for Tour Cards in the UK Qualifying School, where 13 were on offer from the Order of Merit in addition to the day’s winner securing professional status, also went down to the wire – as Danny Baggish dramatically sealed his spot on the ProTour alongside eventual victor Scott Mitchell.
Baggish had entered Day Four without a point after the opening three days, but repeated his miraculous form under pressure – having come through First Stage on Day Three – to claim a Tour Card.
He needed just one leg in the final against Mitchell, which he took to level at one-all before the former Lakeside Champion pulled away to claim a 6-2 win to celebrate his spot on the PDC circuit in style.
He needed just one leg in the final against Mitchell, which he took to level at one-all before the former Lakeside Champion pulled away to claim a 6-2 win to celebrate his spot on the PDC circuit in style.
Former Lakeside Champion Mitchell had begun the final day of action with just one ranking point, but saw off Alan Norris, Gary Butcher, Graham Usher, Shaun McDonald, Carl Wilkinson and Andrew Gilding in his run to the final.
Gilding, a former UK Open semi-finalist, and Peter Hudson secured their Tour Cards with runs to the semi-finals on Wednesday, while Eddie Lovely’s quarter-final finish was enough to seal his spot on the PDC ProTour.
John Brown, a 21-year-old from Bristol, joins father Steve on the professional circuit after he claimed the 12th spot in the rankings, while Brett Claydon, Jonathan Worsley, Joe Murnan and Alan Soutar also secured their Tour Cards on Wednesday.
Jack Main, Martin Lukeman and Lewis Williams were the other Tour Card winners, having already secured their progression after three days of action at Milton Keynes’ Marshall Arena.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FINAL 2021 QUALIFYING SCHOOLS ORDERS OF MERIT.
In the UK, the 13 places available from the Order of Merit went to:
Jack Main
Andrew Gilding
Martin Lukeman
Lewis Williams
Eddie Lovely
Alan Soutar
Joe Murnan
Gordon Mathers
Peter Hudson
Jon Worsley
Brett Clayton
John Brown
Danny Baggish
In Europe, the eight places on offer from the Order of Merit went to:
Martin Schindler
Niels Zonneveld
Raymond van Barneveld
Zoran Lerchbacher
Adam Gawlas
Michael Unterbuchner
John Michael
Robert Marijanovic
See match stats with DartConnect.
Visit the Match Centre for full results:
UK Qualifying School Final Stage Match Centre
European Qualifying School Final Stage Match Centre
European Qualifying School Final Stage Day Four
Last 16
Rowby-John Rodriguez 6-1 Kenny Neyens
Adam Gawlas 6-3 Owen Roelofs
Boris Koltsov 6-4 Michael Rasztovits
Michael Unterbuchner 6-3 Stefan Nilles
Niels Zonneveld 6-3 Patrick Bulen
Raymond van Barneveld 6-4 Martin Schindler
Robert Marijanovic 6-5 Lukas Wenig
Rusty-Jake Rodriguez 6-5 Christian Kist
Quarter-Finals
Adam Gawlas 6-2 Rowby-John Rodriguez
Boris Koltsov 6-5 Michael Unterbuchner
Niels Zonneveld 6-5 Raymond van Barneveld
Robert Marijanovic 6-3 Rusty-Jake Rodriguez
Semi-Finals
Boris Koltsov 6-2 Adam Gawlas
Niels Zonneveld 6-4 Robert Marijanovic
Final
Boris Koltsov 6-4 Niels Zonneveld
UK Qualifying School Final Stage Day Four
Last 16
Eddie Lovely 6-2 Sam Cankett
Peter Hudson 6-5 Kevin McDine
Shane McGuirk 6-5 Liam Meek
Danny Baggish 6-2 Matt Jackson
Scott Mitchell 6-2 Shaun McDonald
Carl Wilkinson 6-4 Jim Williams
Andrew Gilding 6-2 Jamie Clark
Mark Dudbridge 6-4 Kevin Garcia
Quarter-Finals
Peter Hudson 6-3 Eddie Lovely
Danny Baggish 6-5 Shane McGuirk
Scott Mitchell 6-3 Carl Wilkinson
Andrew Gilding 6-3 Mark Dudbridge
Semi-Finals
Danny Baggish 6-2 Peter Hudson
Scott Mitchell 6-4 Andrew Gilding
Final
Scott Mitchell 6-2 Danny Baggish
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