Greaves Gets Kist: Three Minehead Matches I Want to See

Published 8 Nov 2026 1

Beau Greaves against Christian Kist. That's one of the matches I'll be looking out for when the Players Championship Finals get going in Minehead later this month.

Greaves makes her tournament debut as the eighth seed. For me, that seeding is as interesting as the debut itself. The field comes from the season's Players Championship rankings, so this is a place earned through results across the floor events.

The bracket was confirmed on 5 November, after the last Players Championship of the year. With play at Butlin's Minehead Resort from 27 to 29 November, there's still time to look through the opening matches before we start picking winners.

First seed against the last player through

Wessel Nijman faces Henry Coates in a match that puts the two ends of the qualifying table together. Nijman is the top seed after winning six Players Championship titles this season. Coates took the final place by just £250.

On paper, those are very different routes to the same tournament. But once the first match starts, the question is much simpler: who plays well enough on the day? I'd be careful about treating that one as a formality just because the numbers beside their names are one and 64.

Then there's Ross Smith against Michael Smith. A first-round match between those two doesn't need much selling. It's the sort of tie that makes me read the whole bracket rather than skip straight to the names I expect to see on Sunday.

Greaves has earned her place in this conversation

What I want to see from Greaves against Kist is the same thing I'd look for in any of these matches: a good start, pressure on the opponent's throw and doubles when they matter. Being a debutant adds interest, but the eighth seed deserves to be discussed as a serious part of the field.

There are familiar names elsewhere, too. Michael van Gerwen opens against Connor Scutt, while Luke Humphries plays Darryl Pilgrim. Gary Anderson, who came through the closing qualification battle, starts against Karel Sedlacek.

After following the race to reach Minehead, it's good to have actual match-ups to think about. Greaves–Kist, Nijman–Coates and Smith–Smith are my three to pick out for now. Which one would you put first?

Photo license: CC BY 3.0.

Sources

Image: Beau Greaves, 22 July 2024 (source; CC BY 3.0).