Raymond van Barneveld ensured he will be at Alexandra Palace next month as the final Players Championship event took place in Leicester; Tommy Morris stunned Luke Humphries in the final to also book a World Championship spot while Ricky Evans will need to come through qualifying
Five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld has secured a spot at this year's World Darts Championship, while non-tour card holder Tommy Morris stunned Luke Humphries to win the final Players Championship event.
England's Morris defeated Humphries 8-5 in the final of Players Championship 34 by winning the last three legs, sealing victory with a 161 checkout.
It means he has qualified for the Grand Slam of Darts, which takes place from November 14-22, and next month's World Darts Championship, both live on Sky Sports.
"You have no idea, I'm so happy!" said Morris, who was overcome with emotion.
"I've come from nothing. I haven't even got a tour card. For me to come here and do that, I'm just flying my flag from where I live and doing it for my family. I don't even know what's going on.
"I had a target at the start of the year to reach the Worlds and now my next target is to get a tour card and be with these boys full time. I've won nothing. For me to win one of these PDC events is very overwhelming for me."
Tommy Morris wins Players Championship 34! 🤩 Morris becomes just the sixth non-Tour Card Holder to win a ranking title, defeating Luke Humphries 8-5 in the final! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/BGoAwGBitO
Earlier on, darts legend Van Barneveld ensured he will be at Alexandra Palace by securing his place in the top 40 on the ProTour Order of Merit.
Van Barneveld beat Dutch compatriot Jimmy van Schie in his opening match, which was enough to reach the World Championship for a record 34th time in his career.
However, crowd favourite Ricky Evans will need to come through a tour-card-holder qualifier to be at Alexandra Palace after an early exit on Thursday.
Evans needed a strong run but lost 6-0 in the second round to Morris, while Dutch players Wesley Plaisier and Jeffrey de Zwaan will also need to come through qualifying matches.
The Players Championship Finals will take place at Butlins in Minehead from November 27-29.
The winner of the event takes home £130,000, with a total prize pot of £750,000 on the line for the 64 players.
The World Youth Championship final between Cam Crabtree and Jan Schmidt will be played on the same weekend on November 29.
Sky Sports remains the home of darts with the Grand Slam of Darts (November 14-22) and World Darts Championship (December 11-January 3) all live. Stream darts and more through NOW with no contract.
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Source: Sports
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