World Seniors Darts 2022: Player-by-player guide and draw predictions as Phil Taylor, Martin Adams, Lisa Ashton and John Lowe eye glory

There are 11 players who have won a version of the world title during their careers, including 16-time champion Phil Taylor, so it’s no wonder why the inaugural edition at the iconic Circus Tavern is capturing the imagination of fans from different generations.

Paul Nicholson has played with virtually all those in the competition in years gone by – whether that’s in professional events or on the exhibition circuit – while he’s always got his finger on the pulse on all darting matters behind the scenes.

So who better than The Asset to update you on what these legends have been up to in recent times and also to guide you through each stage of the draw, with a predicted winner for each tie and the eventual champion.

Rounds one and two (Best of five sets)

• Fixtures listed in draw bracket order, first round winners to face a seeded player in the second

Peter Manley v Deta Hedman (Round One, Thursday evening February 3)

This should be a close match between players with bundles of experience – although you could say that about every fixture in this event!

Peter will be relishing the chance to get back on that famous stage, where he’s obviously had many incidents and great matches, but practice wise he won’t have had as much as Deta even though she has full-time work away from darts.

Peter will have been really busy as chairman of the Professional Dart Players Association (PDPA), especially at this time of year with the organisation of Q-School and the start of both the Challenge Tour and Pro Tour, so it’ll have been very tough to get the practice hours in.

Deta played at Q School recently and managed to get a couple of wins which is very important for her confidence heading into this tournament, despite not earning a Tour Card.

I think Deta will be more prepared and I think she’ll shade this one 3-2.

Phil Taylor v Peter Manley/Deta Hedman (Round Two, Friday evening February 4)

There’s two schools of thought about how high a standard Phil Taylor will play to this week.

Apart from playing a couple of online soft tip exhibition matches against Raymond van Barneveld and Fallon Sherrock in 2020, we haven’t seen him throw a dart since losing to Rob Cross in the 2018 World Championship final.

He did look pretty sharp against Barney and Sherrock but it was on a soft tip board in his own house, and we don’t really know what he’s been doing in the 18 months since.

However, he’s had plenty of time to prepare and focus for this event since his participation was announced in March last year and we know how good he is at being ready.

Towards the end of his career he missed several events to ensure he was in top condition for the ones he prioritised and he was never under prepared. And this will be no different.

I doubt his throw would have broken down too much – if at all – and I’m pretty sure he’ll win this game whoever it’s against.

Tony O’Shea v Kevin Painter (Round one, Thursday evening February 3)

This will be a superb match but I think Kevin Painter is a worthy favourite to come through here.

I used to be big fans of these players when I was a teenager and remember looking through pages of Darts World Magazine to see where they were playing next, but even now Kevin is still a very good dart player.

They know each other very well and I think they may have even played in the England squad together many years ago before Painter switched to the PDC in 2001.

Kevin loves this stage having famously reached the World Championship final here against Phil Taylor and I think he’ll edge this one based on the form he’s shown since retiring from the Pro circuit in 2021.

Wayne Warren v Tony O'Shea/Kevin Painter (Round Two, Friday evening February 4)

Wayne Warren may have been the most recent BDO champion but his career has been just as long and distinguished as that of Tony O’Shea and Kevin Painter.

One thing Wayne is lacking at the moment is competitive practice – he didn’t involve himself in the Live League towards the end of 2021 and didn’t go to any European-based tournaments when it was allowed.

I do believe this part of the draw belongs to Kevin Painter given the standards he has reached and if he takes out Tony O’Shea then he may well be too strong for Wayne.

Bob Anderson v Robert Thornton (Round One, Thursday evening February 3)

It’s fantastic to see Bob Anderson back on our TV screens and I’m sure I’m not the only one who regards him as one of their all-time heroes in the sport.

He was doing a lot of exhibitions in normal times and still throws some great darts but obviously that kind of work will have dried up for him over the last couple of years.

The current ability of Robert Thornton is on another level to many players in this line-up and he even made a Pro Tour semi-final in the last 12 months.

He also won a stage of the highly competitive Live League last year and at Q-School earlier this month he averaged over 90 and only just missed out on regaining his Tour Card.

Robert is the man to beat in this half of the draw and should progress although Bob will enjoy the occasion without any pressure on his shoulders.

Trina Gulliver v Robert Thornton/Bob Anderson (Round two, Friday evening February 4)

Curiously, Trina Gulliver only played one match at Q-school in which she averaged in the low 70s.

Whether that was just to give her the opportunity to play in some Challenge Tour events this season or if something went wrong with her throw, I’m not sure.

But if you compare her current ability levels and recent form of Robert Thornton, who I believe she’ll be playing, it is sadly a bit of a mis-match.

But don’t let that take the shine off how wonderful it will be to have the greatest woman of all time up on the televised stage again – I just wish it was the version from 2000-05 who was better than many male players.

She was a true trailblazer for the sport and if you dropped the 2000 Trina Gulliver into the world of darts now, she’d be making the same kind of impact as Fallon Sherrock, Lisa Aston and then some!

Paul Lim v Dave Prins (Round one, Friday afternoon February 4)

Paul Lim needs no introduction but Dave Prins will be an unfamiliar name to most viewers.

The left-hander from the north-east is nicknamed The Badger due to his black and white hair while he throws big bomber darts and is very meticulous with his throw.

He was drafted into this tournament after Kevin Burness, who finished ahead of him in a qualifying event, became ineligible due to winning a Tour Card at Q-School and Dave was next in line.

He didn’t play very well at Q-School, I’m sure he’ll agree, so he doesn’t really have any form advantage but hopefully it’ll be a better standard than when we last saw Paul Lim in action against Joe Murnan at the World Championship. That was not good!

Dave will have grown up probably never thinking he’d get to play a legend like Paul Lim so this is a great opportunity. I’m sure he’ll enjoy it as much as the crowd.

This could be an arduous match where the averages are around the high 70s or low 80s but I’m going to give Dave the edge.

John Lowe v Paul Lim/Dave Prins (Round two, Saturday afternoon February 5)

The romantics – including myself - will want John Lowe to be playing Paul Lim but I do think Old Stoneface will have to deal with the lesser name of Dave Prins.

John played in both of the first two World Championship finals and also won his three titles in different decades so it’s incredible to see him here and although he’s well into his 70s now, I’m sure he can play to a very capable level. Whether he can do it over as many as five sets, well that’s a different story.

He does plenty of exhibitions but he doesn’t play best of five sets, whereas Dave has had that experience very recently – as does Paul Lim. So whoever comes through that first-round encounter will probably beat John too.

Les Wallace v John Walton (Round one, Friday afternoon February 4)

Only four years separated Les Wallace’s Lakeside victory in 1997 with John Walton’s triumph in 2001 but their paths rarely crossed in the BDO.

I really hope Les wears his kilt and the Scottish rugby top again like he did during the 90s – even though that may work against him in terms of the crowd!

He actually lives near Portsmouth now so this isn’t a big trip for him whatsoever.

John will be relishing the opportunity having never played in the PDC, there are a lot of players in this tournament that he never played against.

He has been more active than Les in recent times towards the end of the BDO era and I fancy him to sneak through.

John Part v Les Wallace/John Walton (Round two, Saturday afternoon February 5)

John Part deserves a lot of credit for what he’s done over the past couple of months because he went to Q-School as practice for this.

He probably wasn’t realistically expecting to earn a Tour Card but just by competing he’s got himself ready for this as well as giving himself the opportunity to play in Challenge Tour events throughout the year.

John obviously had a huge commentary schedule for Sky Sports during the World Championship so that says a lot about his work ethic, but juggling all this with his Q School preparation may have tired him out somewhat.

However, it shows how much he wants it. He won here against Phil Taylor way back in 2003 and he’d love to do it again in 2022.

Terry Jenkins v Roland Scholten (Round one, Friday afternoon February 4)

There’s a little more information about Terry Jenkins than there is about Roland Sholten, who has spent several years doing media work in the Netherlands.

Terry played for a couple of weeks in the Live League in 2021 but apart from that, the last time I saw him was at an exhibition in Bahrain just before the pandemic hit!

He’ll have been busy doing all sorts of things with furniture and selling antiques in Herefordshire but this is maybe an opportunity for him to right a lot of wrongs in his darts career.

All those near-misses, what a storyline it would be if he was to win this?! It would make a lot of people smile.

These two played each other many times in ranking events and the Premier League down the years and I’m going to side with Terry in a mid-80s average game.

Lisa Ashton v Terry Jenkins/Roland Scholten (Round two, Saturday afternoon February 5)

There’s a lot of people who fancy Lisa Ashton to go on a deep run – and I’m one of them, especially given the half of the draw she’s in.

If it was the other half, I wouldn’t be so sure but she looks a much stronger horse in this one, starting with either Terry or Roland.

Lisa averaged 87 at Q School over the four days and won five games which isn’t bad at all despite missing out on a Tour Card. For context, John Part was averaging around 82 and Kevin Burness, who would have been in this event had he not earned a card, managed 90.

If she can reproduce that kind of form then she can beat anyone in this half of the draw – except perhaps Martin Adams in what would be an incredible semi-final.

She’s also been competing competitively for many years and has been on the PDC circuit for the last two so she hasn’t had that big gap like the others in this field.

Alan Warriner-Little v Larry Butler (Round one, Friday afternoon February 4)

These two come from the same era, with Alan making the final of the Lakeside in 1993 and Larry Butler winning the first World Matchplay in Blackpool a year or so later.

They’ll know each other well but they went in different directions over the past 25 years.

Larry continued to play to a very good level until he suffered a heart attack aged 60 back in 2018 but he has recovered very well, which is fantastic.

He reached the Las Vegas Open quarter-finals in January, losing narrowly to Kevin Yasenchak 4-3 so he definitely has the edge when it comes to competitive match practice.

Like we said about Peter Manley earlier, Alan is busy with his work for the PDPA to ready everyone for the season while he’s also been on commentary duty for the Masters on ITV4.

I’m therefore going to side with Larry.

Keith Deller v Alan Warriner-Little/Larry Butler (Round two, Saturday afternoon February 5)

Keith Deller told me back in December how much work he’s putting in for the World Seniors and he’ll turn over every stone to get another win on the TV stage.

You can’t underestimate how much he wants this title. There’s a little piece of him that’s sick of being known as the man who won the 1983 world title against Eric Bristow – he wants to add something to that.

If he’s practicing as hard as he says he is then his rivals need to watch out.

The only time I’ve ever played him was in an exhibition, he beat me and I was surprised at the level he was operating at. So I’m going with Keith in this one.

Darryl Fitton v Richie Howson (Round one, Thursday evening February 3)

Not many people will know much about Richie Howson, who came through a qualifying event very well to book his spot in this tournament.

I know him quite well so I can tell you he’s an amazing fisherman and a great artist, who even does a lot of commissioned drawings of peoples’ pets!

Put a rod in his hand and he’ll catch anything and as a dart player, he’s also very handy. He gets the darts to land very Taylor-like in the board and I do know he’s been putting in a lot of hours. He did play in the PDC a few years ago without any headline making success so he does have some experience of playing against top players. This is also a ‘home’ tournament for him considering he lives in the south east and he must play that card to his advantage.

Darryl hasn’t played a great deal in recent times and although he did compete in some Live League events in 2020 and 2021, I do fancy Richie to come through it.

Martin Adams v Darryl Fitton/Richie Howson (Round two, Friday evening February 4)

At the bottom of the draw we have Martin Adams and although many people will be hoping he comes up against Darryl in a throwback Lakeside tie, I do think his opponent will be Richie.

However, whoever he plays, Wolfie will be heavily expected to come through his opening fixture considering the levels we’ve seen from him over the last couple of years, including some WDF events and the Live Leagues at least once per month.

Each time, he’s dangerous and we’ve even seen him hit nine darters and produce high averages – including some as high as 111!

He’s a genuine contender for the title so you I can’t look past him in this match.

Potential Quarter-finals (Best of 5 sets)

Obviously if any of the above predictions go wrong then some of these fixtures won’t materialise but here’s a glimpse at how I feel the tournament will pan out. All these matches will take place on Saturday February 5 from 7pm.

Phil Taylor v Kevin Painter

This would be an incredible tie and a repeat of the 2004 final but unlike that occasion, I have a sneaky feeling Painter will beat Taylor.

They’ve never been the best of friends so the narrative behind such a fixture is endless. Can you imagine the strut of Kevin Painter if he defeats Taylor on this stage?!

I really do think it can happen.

Robert Thornton v Dave Prins

Based on form and ability level, you have to fancy Robert to march on into the semi-finals and potentially beyond.

His experience of winning the World Masters, UK Open and World Grand Prix will also give him a further advantage over Dave Prins, who won’t be used to an occasion like it.

Although everyone wants the big names to come through and rekindle old memories with throwback matches, it would also be quite some fairytale in its own right if a lesser-known player like Dave goes on a long run.

But this will be incredibly tough for him should he get this far.

John Part v Lisa Ashton

I’d have to go for Lisa Ashton against whoever she plays at this stage for reasons already mentioned.

Not only will she have crowd support but she did average five points higher than John during their respective Q School campaigns (87 v 82) and that’s no real surprise considering she has been a Tour Card holder over the past two years.

Keith Deller v Martin Adams

As already alluded to, Martin Adams is the strongest player in the bottom half of the draw and I’d fully expect him to beat Keith Deller – or any other possible opponent – at this stage of the tournament.

Keith might be talking a great game at the moment but we have a lot more evidence to suggest Martin is more like to produce one.

Potential Semi-finals (Best of 7 sets)

• The semi-finals and final will take place on Sunday February 6

Phil Taylor/Kevin Painter v Robert Thornton

I don’t want to hang too much on stats and recent form but they do outweigh a lot of things – especially reputation and how well people say they’re practicing. The fact is, we know that Robert is playing well to a 90 average level and I think that will be good enough to win this tournament.

Also, when we get into the longer format of seven sets in the semi-finals and final, the form becomes even more important against those who haven’t had much competitive match practice.

Those who have put themselves out there over the past few months will have an advantage and for me, Robert Thornton is at the top of the tree in this half of the draw.

Whether he’s playing Phil Taylor or Kevin Painter here, I’d expect Robert to come through and book his place in the final.

Lisa Ashton v Martin Adams

This is not only the semi-final I think will happen, but it’s the one I’d most like to see: Two former Lakeside world champions battling it out for a place in the inaugural World Seniors final.

As well as we know Lisa can perform, I’d have to go with Wolfie especially over the longer format of best-of-seven sets.

Despite his age, he can sustain a high standard in this length of match no bother and has more experience of it than any woman has, including Lisa. And that’s only down to the BDO being negligent in giving women longer matches – even the Lakeside finals were only best of five sets.

Adams has also enjoyed some rest since we last saw him in action back in November and he will have spent a lot of that time readying himself for this challenge.

Who will win the title?

The two players I expect to see in the final are Robert Thornton and Martin Adams, despite the title favourite predictably being Phil Taylor.

I really don’t feel the Power should be as short as even-money considering we’ve hardly seen him play since retirement – but just imagine if it is a Taylor v Wolfie final?

It would inevitably be billed as PDC v BDO just like the 1990s again but I really do think Robert will make it through.

There are so many potential ‘dream finals’ in this tournament but my personal favourite would be Taylor v Ashton, with the Lancashire Rose to win it!

That would be a headline-grabbing way to end to this tournament more than any other.

World Senior Darts Championship Odds

• Phil Taylor (1/1)
• Robert Thornton (5/1)
• Martin Adams (9/1)
• Wayne Warren (11/1)
• Paul Lim (14/1)
• Terry Jenkins (14/1)
• Lisa Ashton (18/1)
• Darryl Fitton (20/1)
• Keith Deller (25/1)
• Kevin Painter (25/1)
• Richie Howson (33/1)
• Tony O'Shea (33/1)
• John Part (40/1)
• Dave Prins (80/1)
• John Walton (80/1)
• Roland Scholten (80/1)
• John Lowe (100/1)
• Larry Butler (100/1)
• Les Wallace (125/1)
• Bob Anderson (150/1)
• Deta Hedman (150/1)
• Peter Manley (150/1)
• Alan Warriner-Little (200/1)
• Trina Gulliver (250/1)

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