The MODUS Super Series line-up rarely disappoints. Every Thursday, when the list lands in my inbox, talent-wise it’s more stacked than the pile of plastic beer glasses at the end of a PDC ProTour.
The upcoming squad is no different. It’s the penultimate week before we discover the dozen players who will battle it out at Champions Week for the Series 14 title and, perhaps, a nice little photo on the Live Lounge Hall of Honour. Or maybe not.
Right then, it’s quite the mix. We’ve got a Welsh fella who kicks like a mule when he throws, an African sex god and a bloke who looks suspiciously like Chewbacca. Shall we crack on?
DEVON PETERSEN (Group A)
The impeccably groomed South African returns to Portsmouth, the scene of one of his greatest oche triumphs. Back in 2024, Big Dev became the inaugural ADC Global Champion, so he clearly enjoys competing at the Live Lounge. Or at least he did for that fortnight.
More recently, Petersen launched a fantastic initiative, the IDSL (International Darts School League). It’s a global youth development platform that combines darts with education to help develop mathematical skills, strategic thinking and sportsmanship among students aged nine to 18. Perhaps if something like this had existed when Jonny Clayton was a youngster, he wouldn’t leave himself on bogey numbers quite so often. Kudos to you, my finely bearded warrior.
ADRIAN GRAY (Group A)
From one arrow-smith who takes great pride in his appearance to another – a rare trait in darts, where many players seem to wake up, crawl out of bed, demolish a full English, spray on a bit of Lynx and call themselves ready. Adrian goes well beyond the old Mexican shower routine and, when it comes to beard maintenance, rivals Devon. Trust me, that takes some doing I assure you.
Hailing from St Leonards-on-Sea in East Sussex, Gray is now 45 years old and still hasn’t discovered it’s no longer fashionable for blokes his age to wear earrings. Over an impressive career, Adrian has earned more than £130,000 in prize money – roughly what he and Petersen spend each year on grooming products.
If you’re wondering where you recognise him from, perhaps you were around in 2014 and 2015 when he won the Soft Tip Dartslive titles at both the Singapore Open and Asian Open. Or perhaps not. But will Aide, like his moniker suggests, conquer in Portsmouth? Time will tell.
RICHIE BURNETT (Group B)
Now we come to the enigmatic Prince of Wales himself, former Lakeside champion Richard Burnett. There are characters in darts, and then there’s this weirdly wonderful bloke.
Aside from being an amazingly gifted player on his day, stand too close behind him while he’s throwing and you’re in serious danger of receiving a kick to the family jewels, ending any future plans of fatherhood. Basically, Burnett is an oche vasectomy.
Surprisingly, for someone with such an illustrious amateur career, Richie only ever claimed a single PDC Players Championship title, back in 2011. That said, he has a few Challenge Tour triumphs and a rake of other tournament wins to his name.
Above all else, he’s simply one of the genuinely nice guys in darts. Welsh through and through, can’t sing, and, as far as I’m aware, doesn’t own any sheep.
JOHN O’SHEA (Group C)
I’m going on record here and saying John O’Shea is the greatest darts player County Cork has ever produced. Certainly one of Ireland’s finest and, when he’s on song, a match for absolutely anyone.
Nicknamed The Joker, John is actually a pretty funny bloke. Mind you, I lived in Cork for many years, and that particular bar isn’t exactly set sky high. In fact, when I left, the city’s average amusement level dropped considerably.
Nowadays, O’Shea dedicates plenty of his time to developing the next generation through his own Joker Academy, giving young Irish players a fantastic platform and first-class guidance to build their careers. Another one of the genuine good guys in the sport.
When he isn’t coaching or spending time with his family, you’ll often find him accompanying stablemates Josh Rock and Rob Cross around Europe. Either the Corkonian has accumulated an incredible stash of air miles, or manager Rab Bain simply likes his boys to have someone to play Monopoly or Connect Four with. I’m guessing it’s the latter.
There you have it. Plenty more quality players are in action too, including Lee Evans – who I never rated much as a comedian anyway. If he’s as bad at darts as he is at making people laugh, he won’t be there on Saturday.
Best of luck to everyone competing.
GROUP A
Carl Wilson
Scott Taylor
Adrian Gray
Devon Petersen
Lewis Pride
Meinte Hibma
GROUP B
Ron Meulenkamp
Richie Burnett
Lee Evans
GROUP C
John O’Shea
Kevin Painter
James Marcroft
