THREE-time World Championship finalist and former Las Vegas Desert Classic winner Peter Manley heads over 300 players who go back to school this week - darts' Qualifying School.

Manley will be joined by a record number of 311 competitors in the PDC's Qualifying School in Wigan from January 17-20, where Tour Cards to compete full-time on the PDC's £5 million circuit are up for grabs.

Four players from each of the four days of play will win Tour cards automatically, with an additional nine places on offer from the Qualifying School Order of Merit, which will be formed based on players' performances over the four days.

Manley - who also works as Chairman of the Professional Darts Players' Association - won the Las Vegas Desert Classic in 2003 and was still inside the world's top 16 four years ago before he began to drop down the rankings

"It's going to be incredibly tough at Qualifying School," said Manley. "It's like a big tournament itself, just without the top players from the world's top 64.

"I'm still not fully recovered from the heart problems I had and I'm still getting myself back to full health, and with having a double capacity at Qualifying School with the PDPA role then it makes it extra hard.

"I've not put enough into the game in the last couple of years and that's why I'm finding myself at Qualifying School. I'm a firm believer that you get out of the game what you put into it.

"Once I get on the board, though, I'm as competitive as ever and I'll be giving it my best shot."

Manley will be joined at Qualifying School by another former World Championship finalist, Kirk Shepherd, as well as other former top 32 players Barrie Bates and Alex Roy and 2008 Grand Slam of Darts semi-finalist Kevin McDine.

Northern Ireland's Daryl Gurney, who was a narrow second round loser at the World Championship last month, will be joined in competing by a number of other players who played at Alexandra Palace, notably Germany's Andree Welge, South Africa's Charl Pietersen and German teenager Max Hopp.

The four Lakeside Championship semi-finalists, Scott Waites, Tony O'Shea, Wesley Harms and Richie George, declined the opportunity to take Tour Cards following their success in that event last week.

Five other players who had held Tour Cards - Devon Petersen, Dave Smith, Liam Kelly, Les Wallace and Gary Butcher - have resigned their PDPA membership, meaning that additional places from the Q School Order of Merit will be available this weekend.

Results updates will be available at www.pdc.tv throughout each event, with play on each day commencing at 12pm

I was really hoping Scotty would go over to the PDC

I think he'll do better in the PDC. Better players and a bigger challenge

Well they are big boys so can make their own mind up as to whats best for them.

Good luck to Manley and Gurney though.

A lot more money available in the PDC, but obviously with that comes a lot more competition.

No big shock at all - and no real shock none of the top BDO players are going to Q School either.

Waites - would have to give back the 100k he has just won
O'Shea - likes playing for England too much, plus I think he is now too old to start afresh on the PDC tour
George - too young and only been playing serious darts for a short while
Harms - just signed a sponsorship deal with Mariflex which enabled him to give up his day job - he would lose that straight away if he were to switch (as would O'Shea I believe)

All very valid reasons Mike.

I wonder is there a time limit on Waites having to pay back the 100k if he switches?

contracted to defend his title grip

The PDC would pay it for him if they really wanted him.

I heard Waites was waiting till hes bald not long now then lol
All us darts fans would love to see him against the big boys every week his match against Taylor and Gerwen were cracker i would love to see more not just in the grandslam once a year

I see, so he has a long while to wait. He may not want to switch over really.

I really think the BDO should be pushing for more TV coverage though, there most be a lot of potential darts fans out there that dont have access to sky tv who would enjoy seeing more darts on the freeview channels.

I wouldn't watch bdo. In the old days with smoking and drinking on set and rowdy fans yea. These days watching pdc is like watching a boxing match with all of the trimmings. Watching BDO is like tuning in to watch Gary Kasporov play chess minus the intellectual subtly. Ted Hankey was really the only reason to watch it I think. Averages aren't there and neither is the atmosphere. To be honest, I only tuned in for the women at lakeside.

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atomasphere is superb when your there live and much better fans than half the idoits who go to the pdc games

yeah guess that is the different between watching it on the teley and in person. I'm a tely watcher myself

getagrip wrote:

I really think the BDO should be pushing for more TV coverage though, there most be a lot of potential darts fans out there that dont have access to sky tv who would enjoy seeing more darts on the freeview channels.

From what I have read elsewhere there are things going on behind the scenes with regards to this - hopefully this additional airtime is forthcoming as it would definitely improve the BDO "brand".

Well better coverage would be a big help, and I know the atmosphere on the sky coverage of the PDC seems better, but I have gotten sick of the moronic chanting on their so wouldn't mind a little bit of quiet.

Its ok when the players are not throwing but I feel it has gone overboard now.

Totally agree Darren - if I had to choose which of the World's to go to it would be Lakeside all the time. Take the PDC back to the Tavern and that might change, but not at Ally Pally

Isn't it true that the BDO worlds get quite a few more viewers? Sky sports announced they had 1.5 million viewers for the PDC worlds. I think the BBC pulls in more than that?

I dont know as most of the coverage was just highlight late at night, the final may have had a good total though.

In the 80's it probably had 10 million or more.

Quite possibly - everyone with a tv in the UK can get the BBC whereas not everyone has Sky or cable

bdo needs to stop acting scared of the pdc by saying if you leave we keep your prize money if they was doing a better job then pdc players would want to come to them.yes they have good players and games but the bdo is run like a joke.