Who Still Needs a Result? Leicester's Last Chance to Reach Minehead

There's more at stake in Leicester this week than another Players Championship title. With just two events left, a good run could mean a trip to Minehead. An early exit could mean watching the Finals from home.

Players Championship 33 and 34 take place at the Mattioli Arena on 4 and 5 November. Only the top 64 on the final Players Championship Order of Merit make it to the Finals, so there's very little room left to put a disappointing day right.

Gary Anderson, Nathan Aspinall and Josh Rock were all named among those still chasing qualification in the pre-event preview published on 2 November. Those are big names to have under pressure at this stage of the season. It also gives us a reason to follow the early rounds rather than just check who lifts the trophy.

More than the title to play for

For me, that's what makes these last two events interesting. A player can lose well before the final and still leave Leicester having done enough to reach Minehead. Someone else might play well, run into a tough opponent early and have very little to show for it.

It's worth keeping an eye on the players around the qualifying line as well as the favourites. Every extra round brings another chance to add to their total, and the cut-off can move as the other results come in. A good Wednesday won't necessarily mean the job is finished.

Thursday brings a separate tournament and another draw. For anyone who has a poor first day, that second chance could be crucial.

A busy November starts here

You can follow selected boards on PDCTV, with coverage reported from four boards. Your favourite player won't necessarily be on a stream, so check the results as well if you're following their progress.

After Leicester, the Players Championship Finals take place in Minehead from 27 to 29 November. There's plenty of darts before then, too: the Grand Slam qualifier is on 6 November, followed by the tournament itself in Wolverhampton from 14 to 22 November.

But first, there are places at Minehead to settle. The question I'm interested in isn't just who wins in Leicester. It's who does enough to keep their November going.

Sources: PDPA calendar; Mattioli Arena event details; Dave Sport's pre-event preview, 2 November.

Photo: Gary Anderson, Exeter 2016 — Jakob Gottfried / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Resized; adapted images under the same license.