PREVIEW World Seniors Darts Champion of Champions: Raymond van Barneveld makes Seniors debut

The World Seniors Darts Champion of Champions takes place this Sunday in Portsmouth, with the title on the line in what promises to be a thrilling event. Defending champion Richie Howson returns, but much of the spotlight will be on Raymond van Barneveld, who has received a special exemption from the PDC to compete.

The 58-year-old Dutchman enters the tournament as the fourth seed and receives a bye into the quarter-finals. He’s joined there by Ross Montgomery, Richie Howson, and John Henderson, who are also automatically through to the last eight.

Trina Gulliver v Steve Beaton

The afternoon kicks off with a clash between two former world champions. Trina Gulliver, a ten-time BDO Women’s World Champion and a true legend of the sport, faces another iconic name in Steve Beaton. Now 61, Beaton retired from the PDC earlier this year, but the 1996 BDO World Champion isn’t quite ready to hang up his darts. He remains ambitious and is eager to claim his first title on the Seniors Tour—perhaps even today. The winner of this match will face top seed Ross Montgomery, who won the World Seniors Championship earlier this year.

Martin Adams v Neil Duff

Two players who spent their careers in the BDO/WDF system square off next: Martin Adams and Neil Duff. Both are former world champions—Adams lifted the BDO world title three times, while Duff triumphed at the WDF World Championship in 2022. Now nearly 70, Adams is hoping for one last magical run, but Duff is a tough first-round opponent. The winner of this showdown will go on to face Van Barneveld in the quarter-finals.

Mervyn King v Kevin Painter

Mervyn King, who lost his PDC Tour Card at the end of last year, has been performing well on the Challenge Tour in 2025 and could well return to the PDC next season. Until then, he’s focused on the Seniors circuit, though he suffered a surprise first-round exit at the Seniors World Championship earlier this year. In Portsmouth, King opens his campaign against fellow veteran Kevin Painter. The pair shared many battles across both the BDO and PDC during their careers. The winner of this encounter will face defending champion Richie Howson in the quarter-finals.

Richie Burnett v Simon Whitlock

The final first-round tie sees two more familiar names square off. 58-year-old Richie Burnett, best known for winning the BDO World Championship in 1995—beating a young Raymond van Barneveld in the final—faces Simon Whitlock. The Australian has reached world finals in both the BDO and PDC but is still chasing that elusive major title. Just two years younger than Burnett, Whitlock held a PDC Tour Card as recently as last year and is considered the favourite heading into this match. Earlier this month, he showed he's still got it, teaming up with Damon Heta for an impressive World Cup of Darts campaign, which ended in the quarter-finals against Germany. The winner here will go on to face John Henderson in the last eight.