Andrew Gilding is targeting a run to his third PDC final this weekend to secure a spot at the BetVictor World Matchplay later this month.
The world number 27 needs a productive weekend in Barnsley to push himself into a qualifying place via the Pro Tour Order of Merit.
A Players Championship double-header gets underway at the Barnsley Metrodome tomorrow, with the cut off for this year’s World Matchplay field at the end of this weekend.
Austria’s Rowby-John Rodriguez currently occupies the last qualifying spot in the Pro Tour Order of Merit with £19,500, while Gilding trails behind by £3,500 on £16,000.
“It’s going to be tough to get in now,” he admitted. “I’m going to need to get several thousand to stand a chance but fingers crossed I can have a good weekend.
“I think I’ll need a runner-up in one of the two events, or get to a couple of semi-finals.
“It would be great to get to Blackpool again. I beat Mervyn King in a thriller in the first round last year. It is a lovely venue.”
The 45-year-old made his debut at the Winter Gardens in 2014, where he came up against an in-form Adrian Lewis, who averaged over 110 to whitewash the Suffolk thrower 10-0.
Last year Gilding notched his first win on the Blackpool stage, beating fellow East Anglian ace Mervyn King 10-8 in the last 32.
Gilding’s previous two finals in the PDC both came back in 2014, with a 6-5 defeat to Stephen Bunting in a UK Open Qualifier followed by a deciding leg defeat to Gary Anderson in a Players Championship event.
His best run so far this year was a Players Championship quarter-final in April, which included a 6-5 win over Michael Smith.
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