2025 New Zealand Darts Masters

Last updated
2025 SkyCity New Zealand Darts Masters
2025 New Zealand Darts Masters.webp
Tournament information
Dates15–16 August 2025
Venue Spark Arena
Location Auckland
CountryFlag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand
Organisation(s) Professional Darts Corporation (PDC)
Format Legs
Prize fund£100,000
Winner's share£30,000
High checkout170 Luke Littler
Champion(s)
Flag of England.svg   Luke Littler
«2024 2026»

The 2025 New Zealand Darts Masters (known for sponsorship reasons as the 2025 SkyCity New Zealand Darts Masters) [1] was the fifth staging of the professional darts tournament by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), and the seventh and final event in the 2025 World Series of Darts before the World Series Finals. [2] The tournament, sponsored by SkyCity, featured 16 players (eight elite PDC players and eight Oceania representatives) and was held at the Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand on 15 and 16 August 2025. [3]

Contents

Luke Humphries was the defending champion after defeating Damon Heta 8–2 in the 2024 final. [4] [5] Luke Littler won the tournament by beating Humphries 8–4 in the final. The victory was Littler's second World Series title of the year and his second successive title in 2 weeks, as well as the fourth World Series title of his career.

Overview

Format

Eight elite PDC representatives were drawn to play eight Oceania representatives in the first round on Friday 15 August; the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final all took place on Saturday 16 August. All matches were in leg play format, with the number of legs required to win increasing as the tournament progressed: [6]

Prize money

The winner received £30,000. The total prize fund was £100,000. [7]

Position (no. of players)Prize money
(Total: £100,000)
Winner(1)£30,000
Runner-up(1)£16,000
Semi-finalists(2)£10,000
Quarter-finalists(4)£5,000
First round(8)£1,750

Broadcasts

The tournament was broadcast on the PDC's streaming service, PDCTV, in the United Kingdom, with delayed coverage airing on ITV4 and ITVX. Other broadcasters included Sky Sport in New Zealand; Fox Sports in Australia; DAZN in Germany, Austria and Switzerland; FanDuel in the United States and Canada; Viaplay in the Netherlands and Scandinavia; Nova in Czechia and Slovakia; and Sport1 in Hungary. It was also available on PDCTV to international subscribers. [8]

Qualifiers

The PDC announced the first six players participating as their elite representatives on 14 May, with two more players to be confirmed. Michael van Gerwen, Rob Cross and Nathan Aspinall were absent from the lineup due to family reasons. [9] On 15 July, 2025 World Cup winner Josh Rock and 2024 World Grand Prix winner Mike De Decker were announced as the final two PDC representatives, with both making their World Series debut the week prior at the Australian Masters. [10]

The seedings are based on the 2025 World Series rankings after six events:

  1. Flag of England.svg   Stephen Bunting (quarter-finals)
  2. Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg   Gerwyn Price (semi-finals)
  3. Flag of England.svg   Luke Littler (champion)
  4. Flag of England.svg   Luke Humphries (runner-up)
  5. Flag of England.svg   Chris Dobey (semi-finals)
  6. Flag of Belgium (civil).svg   Mike De Decker (quarter-finals)
  7. Flag of Australia (converted).svg   Damon Heta (quarter-finals)
  8. Ulster Banner.svg   Josh Rock (quarter-finals)

The first two Oceania representatives announced were Simon Whitlock, who has competed in every World Series event held in Oceania, and Haupai Puha, who was the first player from New Zealand to earn a PDC Tour Card. [9] [11] They were joined by the three highest-ranked players on the Dartplayers New Zealand (DPNZ) Order of Merit: Jonny Tata, Mark Cleaver and John Hurring. [12] Ben Robb and Dean Reyland qualified for the tournament through DPNZ qualifiers. [13] The final place was claimed by Gordon Mathers, who won the Dartplayers Australia (DPA) qualifier. [14]

QualificationPlayer
Invitees Flag of Australia (converted).svg   Simon Whitlock (first round)
PDC Tour Card holders Flag of New Zealand.svg   Haupai Puha (first round)
DPNZ qualifiers Flag of New Zealand.svg  Jonny Tata(first round)
Flag of New Zealand.svg   Mark Cleaver (first round)
Flag of New Zealand.svg   John Hurring (first round)
Flag of New Zealand.svg   Ben Robb (first round)
Flag of New Zealand.svg  Dean Reyland(first round)
DPA qualifier Flag of Australia (converted).svg   Gordon Mathers (first round)

Summary

First round

Top seed Stephen Bunting (pictured) won his opening match 6-3 against Ben Robb. He later guaranteed his place as the number one seed at the World Series Finals. 2025-04-03 Premier League Darts Berlin 2025 by Sandro Halank-049.jpg
Top seed Stephen Bunting (pictured) won his opening match 6–3 against Ben Robb. He later guaranteed his place as the number one seed at the World Series Finals.

The first round was played on 15 August. [15] All eight PDC representatives advanced to the quarter-finals. [16] Defending champion and world number one Luke Humphries began his title defence with a 6–3 win over Haupai Puha but admitted that he was unhappy with his recent performances. Having lost his opening match at the World Cup of Darts and the World Matchplay, he called his form after winning the Premier League "depressing". [17] [18] He hoped that he could "be the Luke Humphries that everybody knows" the following night. [16] New Zealand representative Mark Cleaver came back from 3–0 down against reigning world champion Luke Littler to level their match at 4–4, but Littler took the next two legs to win 6–4. The Englishman commented that Cleaver was "not the quickest player" and thus found it difficult to maintain rhythm throughout the match. [17] Gerwyn Price, who won the tournament in 2022, missed double 12 for a nine-dart finish in the fifth leg of his match with Jonny Tata before securing a 6–4 victory, recording a three-dart average of 103.60 in the process. [16] 56-year-old Dean Reyland, owner of a kiwifruit orchard in Katikati, made his World Series debut in a 6–1 losing effort to 2024 runner-up Damon Heta. [19] [16] Top seed Stephen Bunting beat Ben Robb 6–3, while Chris Dobey defeated Simon Whitlock 6–4 with a high checkout of 154. [20] Josh Rock averaged 99.87 in his 6–2 win over John Hurring and Mike De Decker defeated Gordon Mathers 6–1 to complete the quarter-final lineup. [16]

Quarter-finals, semi-finals and final

Luke Littler (pictured) completed a World Series double Down Under by winning the Australian Masters and the New Zealand Masters. 2025-04-03 Premier League Darts Berlin 2025 by Sandro Halank-130.jpg
Luke Littler (pictured) completed a World Series double Down Under by winning the Australian Masters and the New Zealand Masters.

The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final were played on 16 August. [21] Chris Dobey won the opening quarter-final match 6–3 against Stephen Bunting in a high-quality contest; Dobey defied a 108 average from Bunting while averaging 110.36 himself. Bunting remained at number one on the World Series Order of Merit despite the loss, guaranteeing he would be top seed at the World Series Finals. [21] Luke Littler produced a 170 checkout in the third leg of his match with Mike De Decker before advancing with a 6–2 victory, registering his sixth consecutive win against the Belgian. [22] Gerwyn Price and Josh Rock went to a deciding leg that resulted in a 6–5 win for Price, while Luke Humphries continued his run by beating Damon Heta 6–2. [23] In the semi-finals, Littler only conceded two legs once more as he defeated Price 7–2, with Humphries beating Dobey 7–4 to set up a final between Littler and Humphries. [23] Defending champion Humphries looked to retain the title he won in 2024, while Littler aimed to complete a World Series double after winning the Australian Masters the week prior. [24]

Littler opened the final with a 3–0 lead, but missed attempts at double allowed Humphries to pull it back to 3–2. [23] Littler won the next three legs to lead 6–2. [25] Humphries reduced his deficit to two legs as he held throw twice, but Littler produced successive 11-dart legs to secure an 8–4 victory. [21] [25] It was Littler's second World Series title of 2025 and his fourth overall. [21] He finished the match with an average of 115.02 – the highest average recorded in a World Series event final. [24] It was also his fourth consecutive win against Humphries, with the career head-to-head between the two becoming 8–7 in Littler's favour. [23] [24] In his post-match interview, Littler acknowledged his "shaky start" against Mark Cleaver in his opening match but said that he knew he had to "switch it on" for finals night. He likened the atmosphere in the Spark Arena to a Premier League night, stating that he "felt unbeatable up there" on the stage. [25] Humphries commented that "when you run into a 115 average, there's not much you can do". [23]

Draw

The draw was announced on 14 August. [6] Numbers to the left of players' names show the seedings for the top four in the tournament. The figures to the right of a player's name state their three-dart average in a match. Players in bold denote match winners. [26]

First round
(best of 11 legs)
15 August 		Quarter-finals
(best of 11 legs)
16 August 		Semi-finals
(best of 13 legs)
16 August 		Final
(best of 15 legs)
16 August
            
1 Flag of England.svg   Stephen Bunting 92.336
Flag of New Zealand.svg   Ben Robb 88.903
1 Flag of England.svg   Stephen Bunting 108.003
Flag of England.svg   Chris Dobey 110.366
  Flag of England.svg   Chris Dobey 88.716
Flag of Australia (converted).svg   Simon Whitlock 84.554
  Flag of England.svg   Chris Dobey 98.644
4 Flag of England.svg   Luke Humphries 102.437
4 Flag of England.svg   Luke Humphries 89.476
Flag of New Zealand.svg   Haupai Puha 86.293
4 Flag of England.svg   Luke Humphries 97.956
  Flag of Australia (converted).svg   Damon Heta 90.432
  Flag of Australia (converted).svg   Damon Heta 86.696
Flag of New Zealand.svg  Dean Reyland 72.291
4 Flag of England.svg   Luke Humphries 102.314
3 Flag of England.svg   Luke Littler 115.028
2 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg   Gerwyn Price 103.606
Flag of New Zealand.svg  Jonny Tata 96.814
2 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg   Gerwyn Price 94.496
Ulster Banner.svg   Josh Rock 96.075
  Ulster Banner.svg   Josh Rock 99.876
Flag of New Zealand.svg   John Hurring 85.772
2 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg   Gerwyn Price 103.032
3 Flag of England.svg   Luke Littler 108.817
3 Flag of England.svg   Luke Littler 95.606
Flag of New Zealand.svg   Mark Cleaver 87.734
3 Flag of England.svg   Luke Littler 100.036
  Flag of Belgium (civil).svg   Mike De Decker 89.132
  Flag of Belgium (civil).svg   Mike De Decker 94.406
Flag of Australia (converted).svg   Gordon Mathers 79.061

References

  1. ↑ Allen, Dave (12 May 2025). "New Zealand Darts Masters given boost with SkyCity sponsorship". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  2. ↑ "New Zealand Darts Masters: Draw, schedule, results for World Series of Darts event with Luke Littler, Luke Humphries in action". Sky Sports. 14 August 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  3. ↑ "PDC Darts 2025 season: Tournament calendar, fixtures and results". Sporting Life. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  4. ↑ "Humphries claims maiden World Series title in NZ". BBC Sport. 17 August 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  5. ↑ "Luke Humphries stuns Luke Littler with New Zealand Masters semi-final comeback en route to title". Sky Sports. 17 August 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  6. 1 2 Gorton, Josh (14 August 2025). "Humphries to begin NZ Darts Masters title defence against Puha". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  7. ↑ "New Zealand Darts Masters 2025". Mastercaller. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  8. ↑ Gorton, Josh (14 August 2025). "Where to watch the 2025 SkyCity New Zealand Darts Masters". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  9. 1 2 Gorton, Josh (14 May 2025). "Humphries & Littler to headline World Series double-header Down Under". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  10. ↑ Gorton, Josh (15 July 2025). "Rock & De Decker to make World Series debuts Down Under". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  11. ↑ Wall, Jamie (14 August 2025). "Teenage sensation Luke Littler headlines Auckland Darts Masters". RNZ. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  12. ↑ Gorton, Josh (27 May 2025). "Puha & Tata clinch DPNZ ProTour titles in Hamilton". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  13. ↑ Gorton, Josh (7 July 2025). "DPNZ trio secure World Series of Darts qualification". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  14. ↑ "Gordon Mathers Secures a Return to the PDC World Series of Darts Stage". dartplayersaustralia.com. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  15. ↑ Gorton, Josh (15 August 2025). "Price wins through Tata thriller on Day One of NZ Darts Masters". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 "Luke Littler edges through in New Zealand Darts Masters as Luke Humphries and Gerwyn Price also win in Auckland". Sky Sports. 15 August 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  17. 1 2 Keogh, Frank (15 August 2025). "Littler through, Humphries unhappy at NZ Masters". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  18. ↑ Veal, Jonathan (15 August 2025). "Luke Humphries says form is 'depressing' after struggling to win in New Zealand". The Independent. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  19. ↑ Francis, Ben (5 August 2025). "NZ Darts Masters: Dean Reyland feeling 'apprehensive' ahead of TV debut" . The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  20. ↑ Prescott, Connor (15 August 2025). "Luke Littler struggles through against Mark Cleaver as Gerwyn Price and Luke Humphries also through at New Zealand Darts Masters". dartsnews.com. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  21. 1 2 3 4 Gorton, Josh (16 August 2025). "Mesmerising Littler topples Humphries to win NZ Darts Masters". Professional Darts Corporation. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  22. ↑ "Geen stunt voor Mike De Decker: 'The Real Deal' moet opnieuw meerdere erkennen in Luke Littler op New Zealand Darts Masters" [No upset for Mike De Decker: 'The Real Deal' must once again acknowledge superiority in Luke Littler at the New Zealand Darts Masters]. HLN. 16 August 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 "Luke Littler beats Luke Humphries to complete World Series double in New Zealand and Australia". Sky Sports. 16 August 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  24. 1 2 3 Ramsdale, Ben (16 August 2025). "Littler completes World Series double at NZ Masters". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  25. 1 2 3 "Luke Littler overcomes 'shaky start' to win New Zealand Darts Masters title". RTÉ. Press Association. 16 August 2025. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  26. ↑ "Results of New Zealand Darts Masters 2025". mastercaller.com. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
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