Gabriel Clemens is running out of runway in the 2026 World Matchplay race, with Leicester now carrying far more weight than a routine ProTour double-header.
The PDPA calendar lists Players Championship 23 and 24 for Leicester on July 6 and July 7, with entries closing at 2pm GMT on Monday, June 29. That puts Clemens on the clock before the Blackpool qualification cut-off lands on July 8.
Dartsrankings currently has Clemens down at £42,500 on the ProTour Order of Merit section of the Matchplay race, well adrift of the provisional last qualifying places. That is why the Leicester pair matters: it is one of the final live chances to turn pressure into money before the Winter Gardens field locks.
Leicester Becomes Clemens’ Last Clean Swing
Clemens does not need a polite week. He needs a heavy run, and preferably more than one. Damon Heta’s current cushion was already under the microscope in NineDartNews’ latest Blackpool race check, but the wider squeeze is even harsher for players trying to come from deeper in the table.
The German’s route is blunt: enter, win early, and force the race to move. A shallow return in Leicester would leave him relying on movement above him rather than anything he has controlled himself.
For Clemens, this is the difference between still being in the Blackpool conversation and watching the Matchplay picture close without him.
Player entries have been released ahead of next week’s Players Championship double-header, as the 2026 PDC ProTour season continues in Leicester …
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 2026
