Team Target at The Masters 2023

The Masters gets underway in Milton Keynes this week, with five members of Team Target looking to claim the first major title of the year since the World Championship.  It is normally the first time we get to see the top players in action since Alexandra Palace, but this year feels slightly different as it follows two televised World Series events in Bahrain and Copenhagen.  This means that we have already seen a handful of the players involved, and they have continued to be involved in competitive action.

With a total prize fund of £275,000 and spots available at the Grand Slam of Darts, there is once again the possibility of players forcing their way into the reckoning for a coveted Premier League spot this year - only elevating the stakes for the 24 player field at the Marshall Arena.

This is the 11th staging of the tournament, with Michael van Gerwen winning half of the previous events.  There has however, been a different winner in each of the last four years, with Jonny Clayton and Joe Cullen both becoming first-time major winners who went on to win and reach the final of the subsequent Premier League respectively.

Below we outline the opening games and prospects for each of the Target stars involved over the next three days in MIlton Keynes.

Ranking: 6

Previous best: Quarter-final 2018

Opening game: Last 16 v Van den Bergh/Anderson

“Voltage” is still searching for a truly successful campaign at The Masters, with only two victories in his previous five campaigns.  There have been increasingly convincing reasons for optimism over the last year though, including a superb set of displays at the World Championship which was only ended by a career-best performance from Chris Dobey in the last 16.

Cross has benefitted from being able to focus on the Pro Tour and major ranking events, after being overlooked for last year’s Premier League despite his European Championship victory - but he made a return to World Series action this month, and produced a run to the semis in Bahrain.

Whether Rob would actually want to book a return to the Premier League is up for discussion, but there is little doubt that he is in the kind of form which could force his way into the eight man line-up.  As world number six, he goes straight into the second round to face either Gary Anderson or fellow Target pro Dimitri Van den Bergh, with the potential of a quarter-final against Michael van Gerwen.  “Voltage” last faced MvG in the final in Minehead at the end of November, when he very nearly turned the match around to be crowned Players Champion. He feels his game is now back to where it needs to be to add to his haul of major titles.

Ranking: 9

Previous best: Semi-final 2020

Opening game: Last 24 v Stephen Bunting 

This would have been Nathan’s fourth consecutive appearance at the event, were it not for him being forced to withdraw through injury from last year’s tournament.  However, within days of missing out, worries about his career were dispelled by good news from his doctors regarding his arm injury, and he has been back to somewhere near his best since.  Major finals at the Grand Prix and Grand Slam have catapulted him back into the big time, and it was only an agonising defeat to Josh Rock at Alexandra Palace that denied him being among the world’s top eight (and entering at the second round stage).

“The Asp” would have been involved in the World Series events this month, had he not already booked a family holiday to Florida, so he will be hoping that a bit of rest and recuperation works in his favour ahead of an intriguing all-Target opening clash with Stephen Bunting.  The pair practised together regularly in preparation for the World Championship, which evidently had a good effect on “The Bullet”.

Many feel that Aspinall is already a shoe-in for the Premier League, something he has a burning desire to be a part of, but with so many contenders in line for a limited number of spots, he may need a run in Milton Keynes to guarantee his place there - and that could mean beating Bunting, then Danny Noppert, and possibly world number one Michael Smith in succession. 

Ranking: 11

Previous best: Last 16 2022

Opening game: Last 24 v Gary Anderson

2023 has already been pretty good for the Belgian number one, despite missing out on any titles at Alexandra Palace and the two World Series events.  A slight tinkering with his equipment has coincided with “The Dreammaker” rediscovering his phenomenal scoring power, but his doubling let him down in a defeat to the eventual Bahrain champion Michael Smith.  If his finishing starts to click, then he is quite capable of blasting his way to his second major title over the three days in Milton Keynes.

An opening game against Gary Anderson will hold no fears for Dimitri, having beaten “The Flying Scotsman” in five of their six televised meetings, but with Rob Cross to follow and then potentially Michael van Gerwen, it is a particularly tricky section of the draw to negotiate.  Should he earn a repeat meeting with MvG in the quarter-finals, he will have to shake-off any trepidation that may still linger after his thrashing at the hands of the Dutchman in the World Championship semi-finals.

This will only be a third appearance at The Masters for Van den Bergh, and he will be looking to improve on previous performances - but his game looks like it is in the place to not only do that, but achieve significantly more.

Ranking: 24

Previous best: Quarter final 2019

Opening game: :Last 24 v Nathan Aspinall

The brilliant run to the quarter-finals at Alexandra Palace not only saw Bunting protect most of the ranking money he won two years previously, but also maintain his spot just inside the world’s top 24 to keep his place in this year’s Masters.  This will be his fifth appearance at the event, with his first coming way back in 2016, but “The Bullet” has only recorded one victory during that time.

Last year’s Pro Tour form was spectacular in its consistency, but less spectacular in terms of deep runs in events - but it all came together once again at the World Championship.  There is no reason to think he will not continue to maintain his recent standards and give himself a shot at equalling or bettering his previous best in Milton Keynes.

Bunting has been playing with confidence and freedom for some time now, he threw his highest recorded average last year, and his performance in beating Dave Chisnall at the Worlds was one of the greatest of his career.  There are many reasons to be confident in “The Bullet” in Milton Keynes, and his clash with fellow Target star (and recent practice partner) Nathan Aspinall could be a highlight of the opening round.

Ranking: 19

Previous best: Last 24 2022

Opening game: Last 24 v Jose de Sousa

For so long with the German number one, the talk had been about his career plateauing and him being unable to break through to the next level, but Gabriel obliterated those concerns with a stunning run at Alexandra Palace.  “The German Giant” became the first player from his country to reach the World Championship semis, hammering world number one Gerwyn Price along the way, and he certainly had the eventual champion Michael Smith concerned for the opening few sets of their semi-final contest.

Injury problems earlier in the year had hampered Clemens, but with those issues now overcome, Clemens has a big few months ahead where he will look to capitalise on his recent success.  It has been more than three weeks since we saw him in action at Ally Pally, and it will be a big ask for him to simply slip into the same consistent level of performance that we saw in North London, but if he does, then 2023 could be the year that Gabriel Clemens really does start to deliver on his undoubted promise.

With the world’s top 24 players all in action, there are no favourable draws, but an inconsistent Jose de Sousa does offer a very realistic chance for the German’s first ever Masters win - but he would then have to follow it up by beating Michael van Gerwen, and that would truly be a statement of intent for the new year.