Danny Noppert’s Blackpool seed picture has tightened before the next Leicester ProTour deadline, with the Dutchman sitting 10th in the live World Matchplay race.
The latest World Matchplay race table, updated after ET9, lists Noppert on £596,500. That leaves him just behind Stephen Bunting and ahead of Ryan Searle, Gary Anderson and Chris Dobey in a seed group where small ranking swings still matter before the July 8 cut-off.
Why Leicester still matters for Noppert
Noppert’s wider position looks secure, but the seed line is not just about qualification. His ProTour form is part of the reason he remains dangerous: the same ranking table has him seventh on the ProTour Order of Merit, with £148,250 banked across the rolling campaign.
The next pressure point is administrative as much as sporting. The PDPA calendar lists Players Championships 23 and 24 for Leicester on July 6 and July 7, with the entry deadline set for Monday, June 29 at 14:00 GMT.
That double-header is also a clear marker for those around him. Searle, Anderson, Dobey and Wessel Nijman are all inside the top 14 of the race, while Nathan Aspinall currently occupies 16th. Noppert therefore has a cushion, but not one that allows the section to go cold.
For more Blackpool context, NineDartNews has also tracked how the race has affected Nathan Aspinall’s World Matchplay seeding grip.
Noppert’s ceiling remains obvious. He has already produced televised peaks this season, including a UK Open nine-darter, and the Blackpool format rewards players who can hold a rhythm across longer legs rather than survive one short burst.
The next week will not define his whole Matchplay campaign. It will, however, decide whether Noppert arrives at the Winter Gardens as a top-10 seed with momentum, or simply as another high-class contender dragged into a crowded draw conversation.
