Stevenson to face Dutchman Dekker

SIMON Stevenson will have the privilege of contesting the first match tonight when the Ladbrokes World Series of Darts finals begins at the Braehead Arena, Glasgow and will be televised throughout its entirety by ITV4.

A 24-player field will compete for a share of the £250,000 prize money with the first-round losers picking up £4,000, through to the winner who will be presented with a cheque for £50,000.

Stevenson’s first round opponent in the best of 11 legs encounter will be 27-year-old Dutchman Jan Dekker and on present form, the Mirrorman has every chance to progress.

SIMON STEVENSON: The Mirrorman will meet Jan Dekker in the opening match of the Ladbrokes World Series of Darts finals which will be shown live on ITV4 tonight.

The pair have only met once before on the PDC circuit, with Dekker gaining a 6-3 victory when contesting Players Championship 5 in April 2016, but Stevenson will have his thoughts on reversing that scoreline in front of the TV cameras tonight.

The full line-up is:

Simon Stevenson v Jan Dekker

Justin Pipe v Dave Chisnall

Max Hopp v Adrian Lewis

Michael Smith v Dimitri Van Den Bergh

Corey Cadby v Jelle Klaasen

Mark Webster v Simon Whitlock

Chris Dobey v Mensur Suljovic

Jonny Clayton v Rob Cross

Should Stevenson be successful, he would then face James Wade when round two commences at 7pm tomorrow night, again over the best of 11 legs.