Monk and Sparidaans claim first Tour Cards of 2023 Q Schools
Report, Ranking after Day 1
Arron Monk and Jeffrey Sparidaans became the first players to win PDC Tour Cards at the 2023 Qualifying Schools on Thursday.
2011 World Youth Champion Monk was victorious at UK Q School in Milton Keynes, while surprise package Sparidaans reigned supreme at European Q School in Kalkar, Germany.
Monk, who first burst onto the scene in 2010, defeated Dom Taylor 6-3 in the final to regain his place on the professional circuit for the first time since 2019.
The 32-year-old posted averages over 95 in wins over Cliff Prior and Luke Smith en route to the quarter-finals, where he whitewashed Mark McGeeney 6-0. This was followed by a 6-1 rout of Stephen Burton in the semi-finals, before he averaged 94.6 to defeat Taylor and seal his Tour Card.
Elsewhere at the Marshall Arena, Fallon Sherrock reached the quarter-finals for the first time, while former World Championship runner-up Andy Hamilton also made it as far as the last eight.
At the Wunderland in Kalkar, Sparidaans won a Tour Card for the first time on just his second Q School appearance.
The Dutchman, whose only PDC experience came at 2020 Q Schools, defeated former Tour Card Holder Maik Kuivenhoven in the last 16, before averaging 101.62 in his semi-final win over Jacques Labre.
Sparidaans scored a 6-2 victory over veteran Ronny Huybrechts in the final to book his place on tour in 2023 and 2024.
Friday will offer a further chance for players to win Tour Cards, with play commencing at 1200 CET in Kalkar and 1200 GMT in Milton Keynes.
In addition to the daily Tour Card winners, a further 19 Tour Cards will be awarded on a pro-rata basis to players from the respective UK/European Qualifying School Final Stage Orders of Merit following Day Four - ten in Europe, and nine in the UK.
Arron Monk and Jeffrey Sparidaans became the first players to win PDC Tour Cards at the 2023 Qualifying Schools on Thursday.
2011 World Youth Champion Monk was victorious at UK Q School in Milton Keynes, while surprise package Sparidaans reigned supreme at European Q School in Kalkar, Germany.
Monk, who first burst onto the scene in 2010, defeated Dom Taylor 6-3 in the final to regain his place on the professional circuit for the first time since 2019.
The 32-year-old posted averages over 95 in wins over Cliff Prior and Luke Smith en route to the quarter-finals, where he whitewashed Mark McGeeney 6-0. This was followed by a 6-1 rout of Stephen Burton in the semi-finals, before he averaged 94.6 to defeat Taylor and seal his Tour Card.
Elsewhere at the Marshall Arena, Fallon Sherrock reached the quarter-finals for the first time, while former World Championship runner-up Andy Hamilton also made it as far as the last eight.
At the Wunderland in Kalkar, Sparidaans won a Tour Card for the first time on just his second Q School appearance.
The Dutchman, whose only PDC experience came at 2020 Q Schools, defeated former Tour Card Holder Maik Kuivenhoven in the last 16, before averaging 101.62 in his semi-final win over Jacques Labre.
Sparidaans scored a 6-2 victory over veteran Ronny Huybrechts in the final to book his place on tour in 2023 and 2024.
Friday will offer a further chance for players to win Tour Cards, with play commencing at 1200 CET in Kalkar and 1200 GMT in Milton Keynes.
In addition to the daily Tour Card winners, a further 19 Tour Cards will be awarded on a pro-rata basis to players from the respective UK/European Qualifying School Final Stage Orders of Merit following Day Four - ten in Europe, and nine in the UK.
UK Qualifying School Order of Merit after first day
| Rank | Name | Leg-Diff | Legs Won | Points |
| 1 | Dom Taylor | 16 | 39 | 5 |
| 2 | Stephen Burton | 8 | 31 | 4 |
| 3 | Christian Perez | 8 | 25 | 4 |
| 4 | Andy Hamilton | 14 | 26 | 3 |
| 5 | Fallon Sherrock | 9 | 29 | 3 |
| 6 | Graham Usher | 5 | 27 | 3 |
| 7 | Mark McGeeney | 2 | 24 | 3 |
| 8 | John Henderson | 10 | 23 | 2 |
| 9 | Nick Kenny | 9 | 23 | 2 |
| 10 | Luke Smith | 7 | 22 | 2 |
| 11 | Scott Baker | 6 | 22 | 2 |
| 12 | Andy Boulton | 5 | 22 | 2 |
| 13 | Owen Bates | 5 | 20 | 2 |
| 13 | Nathan Girvan | 4 | 22 | 2 |
| 15 | Ryan Harrington | 3 | 23 | 2 |
| 16 | Adam Hunt | 8 | 17 | 1 |
| 17 | Dan Read | 5 | 16 | 1 |
| 18 | Graham Hall | 5 | 16 | 1 |
| 19 | Shane Hayward | 5 | 16 | 1 |
| 20 | Scott Walters | 4 | 17 | 1 |
| 21 | Dylan Slevin | 4 | 15 | 1 |
| 22 | Scott Mitchell | 3 | 15 | 1 |
| 23 | Thomas Lovely | 3 | 14 | 1 |
| 24 | Lee Budgen | 2 | 14 | 1 |
| 25 | Mark Challenger | 1 | 17 | 1 |
| 26 | Robert Thompson | 1 | 15 | 1 |
| 27 | Shanes McGuirk | 1 | 14 | 1 |
| 28 | Conan Whitehead | 1 | 13 | 1 |
| 29 | Adam Lipscombe | 0 | 15 | 1 |
| 30 | Cliff Prior | 0 | 15 | 1 |
| 31 | David Pallett | -1 | 12 | 1 |
European Qualifying School Order of Merit after first day
| Rank | Name | Leg-Diff | Legs won | Points |
| 1 | Ronny Huybrechts | 22 | 38 | 5 |
| 2 | Jacques Labre | 9 | 34 | 4 |
| 3 | Niels Zonneveld | 8 | 31 | 4 |
| 4 | Pascal Rupprecht | 11 | 27 | 3 |
| 5 | John Michael | 9 | 28 | 3 |
| 6 | Thibault Tricole | 9 | 27 | 3 |
| 7 | Owen Roelofs | 4 | 28 | 3 |
| 8 | Maik Kuivenhoven | 10 | 19 | 2 |
| 9 | Marcel Hausotter | 9 | 23 | 2 |
| 10 | Richard Veenstra | 9 | 23 | 2 |
| 11 | Andy Baetens | 8 | 23 | 2 |
| 12 | Max Hopp | 7 | 23 | 2 |
| 13 | Franz Roetzsch | 7 | 22 | 2 |
| 13 | Robbis Knops | 6 | 20 | 2 |
| 15 | Jeffrey de Zwaan | 4 | 21 | 2 |
| 16 | Jeroen Mioch | 8 | 17 | 1 |
| 17 | Jose Marques | 7 | 17 | 1 |
| 18 | Jacob Taylor | 7 | 15 | 1 |
| 19 | Jelle Klaasen | 6 | 17 | 1 |
| 20 | Daniel Klose | 6 | 16 | 1 |
| 21 | Gian van Veen | 6 | 16 | 1 |
| 22 | Ricardo Perez-Ibarra | 5 | 15 | 1 |
| 23 | Arjan Konterman | 4 | 16 | 1 |
| 24 | Teemu Harju | 3 | 16 | 1 |
| 25 | Toni Alcinas | 3 | 15 | 1 |
| 26 | Derk Telnekes | 2 | 15 | 1 |
| 27 | Benito van de Pas | 0 | 15 | 1 |
| 28 | Patrick van den Boogarrd | -1 | 13 | 1 |
| 29 | Patrick Tringler | -1 | 9 | 1 |
| 30 | Roemer Mooijman | -2 | 14 | 1 |
| 31 | Nick Crouwel | -2 | 13 | 1 |