Darts legend passes first test in bid for PDC return

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Darts legend passes first test in bid for PDC return image

PDC

A further 32 players edged closer to their PDC Pro Tour dream yesterday with the list including the legendary Steve Beaton as well as other star names Jeffrey De Zwaan and Boris Krcmar progressed through to the Final Stage of their respective Qualifying Schools on Tuesday, as Stage One continued in Milton Keynes and Kalkar, Germany. 

Day One of 2026 PDC Qualifying School saw the likes of Shane McGuirk, Jamie Hughes and current WDF Champion Jimmy Van Schie progress through to the Final Stage outright, with Wednesday being the final opportunity for players to secure their place, either automatically, or via their respective Order of Merit’s.   

UK Q School 

Former Lakeside Champion, Beaton, who relinquished his PDC Tour Card in January 2025, continued his quest to return to the professional circuit, as the 61-year-old was amongst the further 16 automatic qualifiers at UK Q School, as he recorded victories on the day against Kyle Manton, Declan Corcoran, John Brown, Keelan Kay and Darren Armstrong.  

THE PDC Q-SCHOOLHow to win a Pro Tour golden ticket

Former PDC Tour Card Holders Harry Ward and Ciaran Teehan were also amongst the automatic qualifiers, as the pair defeated Jarred Cole and Dale Gadsby respectively in their decisive ties. Elsewhere, further qualifiers included the likes of Chas Barstow, Niall Culleton and David Sharp, with the Scot averaging over 104 in his Last 32 victory against Jamie Kelling. 

European Q School  

Former World Matchplay Semi Finalist Jeffrey De Zwaan was amongst the further 16 automatic qualifiers at European Q School, as the Dutchman recorded victories on the day against DJ Van Klaveren, Tobias Limbach, Jens Kniest, Brian Raman and Mylo Michiels, dropping a total of five legs along the way.  

Croatia’s World Cup Star Boris Krcmar was also another automatic qualifier as he looks to regain his PDC Tour Card, with the 46-year-old recording victories against Jan Grootaerdt, Lukas Unger, Gergo Ascsillan, Sebastian Steinmetz and Dustin Straver. 

Elsewhere, the further automatic qualifiers included the likes of Cristo Reyes and David Cameron, both of which competed at the 2025/26 PDC World Darts Championship, as well as Former Tour Card Holder Jeffrey Sparidaans.  

The day also saw the first nine-dart leg hit on the 2026 PDC circuit by Jamie Owens at UK Q School during his second-round victory against Travis Baur.  

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2026 PDC Qualifying School continues on Wednesday, in the UK and Europe, with the final 32 automatic spots up for grabs, with the remaining spots to be offered out via the Order of Merit’s across both fields to make-up a 128-player field for the Final Stage commencing on Thursday 8 January. Play will commence in Europe at 12:00 CET and in the UK at 12:00 GMT. All live scores and results can be viewed at tv.dartconnect.com.   

2026 UK Qualifying School  

Stage One Day Two – Tuesday 6th January  

Last 32 

Niall Culleton 5-2 Sam Jackson  

Jack Aldridge 5-1 Ultan McDyer 

Steve Beaton 5-1 Darren Armstrong 

Shaun Carroll 5-3 Tommy Morris 

David Sharp 5-2 Jamie Kelling 

Harry Ward 5-3 Jarred Cole 

Damien Grimes 5-2 James Richardson 

Harrison Leigh 5-2 Alan Norris 

Stephen Rosney 5-1 Damien O’Driscoll  

Ryan Furness 5-1 Jack Male 

Ciaran Teehan 5-1 Dale Gadsby  

Thomas Cromwell 5-1 Danny Trueman 

Chas Barstow 5-3 Adam Leek 

Alfie Busby 5-0 Andrew Cass 

Daniel Ayres 5-0 John Henderson 

Jordan-Lee Rawlings 5-0 Aden Kirk  

 

2026 European Qualifying School  

Stage One Day Two 

Last 32 

Pal Szekely 5-1 Yorick Hofkens 

Damian Vetjens 5-2 Marcel Otter 

Nandor Major 5-3 Bruno Stoeckli  

Davy Proosten 5-0 Robin Pietsch 

Dennis Van Bergen 5-3 Ron Meulenkamp  

Ruben Lopez 5-2 Wesley Van Trijp  

Zvonimir Lesic 5-0 Maikel Verberk  

Jason Riedtke 5-2 Jonny Pedersen  

Jeffrey Sparidaans 5-2 Stef Kosters  

David Cameron 5-1 Liam Maendl-Lawrance 

Jeffrey De Zwaan 5-0 Mylo Michiels  

Bjorn Quoiffy 5-3 Jesus Noguera 

Luitsen Elzinga 5-2 Patrick Bulen  

Cristo Reyes 5-2 Marc Spalt 

Boris Krcmar 5-2 Dustin Straver 

Jeroen Caron 5-1 Richard Balogh 

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Editorial Team