VAN VEEN & VAN DER VELDE TO COMPETE FOR WORLD YOUTH GLORY

Dutch duo Gian van Veen and Jurjen van der Velde will go head-to-head in the 2024 PDC Winmau World Youth Championship final next month, after winning through a bumper 128-player field in Wigan on Monday.

Van Veen – a runner-up to Luke Littler in last year’s event – will have another opportunity to lift the coveted title when he takes on his younger compatriot at Butlin’s Minehead Resort on November 24.

The £100,000 event began with a round-robin format on Monday, as 128 of the world's top youth talents were split into 32 groups of four, with the winners advancing to the knockout phase.

Owen Bates, Owen Roelofs and Paul Krohne were among the Tour Card Holders to exit in the group stage, as Danny Jansen, Cam Crabtree and Rusty-Jake Rodriguez also suffered early exits.

However, Van Veen underlined his status as top seed with a series of terrific performances at the Robin Park Leisure Centre.