Double Delight For Davenport, Winning the NPL and UKPL Player of the Year
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It has been a memorable 2024 on and off the felt for British grinder Matthew Davenport. The Macclesfield native's incredible performances at the felt saw him become the National Poker League (NPL) and UK Poker League (UKPL) Player of the Year, earning him a £75,000 sponsorship package from Grosvenor Poker and $10,000 worth of 888poker LIVE packages.
Those who frequented Grosvenor Poker and 888poker UKPL events this year will almost certainly have bumped into Davenport. You may have busted, but Davenport will have been making his way to another final table.
Davenport won the NPL in 2022 and has captured the 2024 edition. Throughout 2024, Davenport's results in Grosvenor-run live events were nothing short of phenomenal. He racked up 81 cashes, 36 saw him reach the final table, four were runner-up finishes, and five were outright victories. In all, Davenport cashed for around £278,000.
For his efforts, Davenport will become a fully-fledged member of the Team Grosvenor stable. His £75,000 sponsorship package consists of £40,000 worth of live tournament credit, a £15,000 Las Vegas package, and £20,000 worth of credit with MainEventTravel. That's bad news for Grosvenor regulars because it means Davenport will be a regular feature on the circuit in 2025!
Speaking exclusively to PokerNews, Davenport said, "I’m thrilled to be part of Team Grosvenor once again! This year’s NPL was the toughest yet, and both Callum and Cal pushed me all the way. I’m grateful to Sinéad for being there with me every step of the way, and I’m so proud of her for being the first-ever female to finish in the top ten."
Gordon and Morreale Bag £30,000 Packages
Callum Gordon finished second in the NPL, earning a £30,000 Diamond Package, including £20,000 of live credit. Gordon cashed in 75 tournaments, navigated to 30 final tables, and banked £160,000.
Third place was claimed by another familiar face, Calogero Morreale. He won the NPL in 2023 and continued his rich vein of form by finishing in the money 58 times and winning six tournaments for a combined £175,000. Morreale also collected a £30,000 Diamond package.
The NPL's First-Ever Female Top Ten Finisher
A special mention must go to the eighth-place finisher, Sinead Davenport. Known as Sinead Priestley for most of 2024, she and Matthew Davenport married in August and created the United Kingdom's poker power couple. Sinead's 45 cashes, 20 final tables, and two wins earned her £116,000. The leaderboard points she collected were enough for her to become the first-ever female player to finish in the NPL top ten.
No female player has ever won a GUKPT Main Event in the tour's 17-year history. Mrs Priestley will be going all out in 2025 to change that fact, and who would bet against her?
2024 National Poker League Package Winners
| Rank | Player | Points | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Davenport | 955.42 | £75,000 Sponsorship Package |
| 2 | Callum Gordon | 843.03 | £30,000 Diamond Package |
| 3 | Calogero Morreale | 765.89 | £30,000 Diamond Package |
| 4 | Robert Douras | 684.12 | £15,000 Diamond Package |
| 5 | Abdulkadir Ahmed | 631.97 | £15,000 Diamond Package |
| 6 | Thomas Clack | 597.74 | £10,000 Diamond Package |
| 7 | John Bousfield | 540.16 | £10,000 Diamond Package |
| 8 | Sinead Davenport | 533.04 | £10,000 Diamond Package |
| 9 | Yucel Eminoglu | 514.81 | £10,000 Diamond Package |
| 10 | Alex Montgomery | 490.17 | £10,000 Diamond Package |
| 11 | Glen Gains | 487.23 | £10,000 Diamond Package |
| 12 | David Johnson | 457.95 | £10,000 Diamond Package |
| 13 | Lin Chen | 412.66 | £10,000 Diamond Package |
| 14 | Christopher Johnson | 410.31 | £10,000 Diamond Package |
| 15 | Sebastien Jung | 404.99 | £10,000 Diamond Package |
| 16 | Ravi Sheth | 374.94 | £10,000 Diamond Package |
| 17 | Zhicheng Miao | 360.31 | £10,000 Diamond Package |
| 18 | Michael Rosaman | 348.84 | £10,000 Diamond Package |
| 19 | Alex Todd | 343.90 | £10,000 Diamond Package |
| 20 | Joshua Wooldridge | 305.43 | £10,000 Diamond Package |
Players who finished in 21-95th place will fight it out in a live playoff tournament for a £5,000 Platinum Package, with those who finished 96-209th locking horns online for a share of £10,000 worth of NPL tournament tickets.
Davenport Comes Out On Top in the 888poker UKPL
Davenport shone brightly not only in the GUKPT and other Grosvenor Poker events but also in the 888poker UKPL. During the UKPL, he left a trail of supremely talented individuals in his wake, finishing top of the tree and scooping five 888poker LIVE packages worth a combined $10,000.
As was the case in the NPL, Callum Gordon was the runner-up. His prize is main event entries for an entire year of the UKPL.
Alex Montgomery finished third and helped himself to $1,585 worth of 888poker XL tickets, giving him more chances of a big score in the online poker realm.
888poker UKPL 2024 Leaderboard
| Rank | Player | Points | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Davenport | 283.70 | 5x 888poker LIVE packages ($10,000) |
| 2 | Callum Gordon | 191.39 | Yearly Subscription to UKPL Main Events ($4,750) |
| 3 | Alex Montgomery | 185.22 | 2x $525, 1x $320, and 1x $215 888poker online tickets |
| 4 | Christopher Johnson | 173.82 | 1x $525 and 1x $320 888poker online tickets |
| 5 | Calogero Morreale | 171.90 | 1x $525 and 1x $215 888poker online tickets |
| 6 | Robert Douras | 171.39 | 5x $109 888poker online tickets |
| 7 | Abdulkadir Ahmed | 150.57 | 5x $109 888poker online tickets |
| 8 | Sinead Davenport | 134.97 | 4x $109 888poker online tickets |
| 9 | Yucel Eminoglu | 113.42 | 20x $20 BLAST tickets |
| 10 | Thomas Clack | 111.96 | 10x $20 BLAST tickets |
A New NPL Season is Underway
The 2025 NPL season is underway in Coventry, with points available in the £250,000 guaranteed Behemoth. Points are available in all live and online editions of the GUKPT, 25/50, Mini Fest, UKPL, UK Open, and Goliath.
Some changes have been made to the 2025 NPL. First, only a player's best 20 results count earn points. Second, the top 18 finisher will be invited to a playoff where £100,000 will be won. Will that stop Davenport from running riot again? Probably not.
