9 darter from Smith not enough as van Gerwen will lead home hopes

Dimitri Van den Bergh survived a nine-darter and a comeback from Ross Smith at the Elten Safety Shoes Dutch Darts Championship on Saturday, while Michael van Gerwen will lead the home hopes in Rosmalen on Finals Day.

Former European Champion Smith had already reached perfection on the European Tour in Gibraltar a decade before, joining Luke Humphries and Luke Littler in striking a nine-darter in the seventh leg of their tie.

Smith recovered from four legs down to level, but Van den Bergh regained his calm to take the next two legs and the match.

Van Gerwen is one of four Dutch players who advanced from Saturday’s second round at Autotron, joining Danny Noppert, Jermaine Wattimena, and Gian van Veen on the last day of action at home.

Van Gerwen, a three-time World Champion, defeated fellow countryman Kevin Doets in their second-round match, winning six doubles from nine tries and sealed victory with a 108 checkout.

Noppert and Wattimena will face in the last 16 after both advanced in a deciding leg of Saturday’s second round.

Noppert escaped a missed match dart from Andrew Gilding, who was unable to strike double 12 for a 141 finish in a thrilling end to their tie, after Wattimena had already put out 127 to seal victory against Ricardo Pietreczko.

Van Veen survived after Dom Taylor missed two match darts in a tense climax to their 11-leg fight, returning to win with his fifth dart at a double to face Gerwyn Price.

Van Gerwen’s third-round opponent will be Chris Dobey, who also had a clean sweep on Saturday, denying Dutch youngster Moreno Blom a double to advance to the Finals.

Price, the 2021 World Champion, also refused to drop a leg as he advanced, defeating Mickey Mansell with a 101 average.

Reigning champion Dave Chisnall began his title defence with a strong 6-2 victory against Niels Zonneveld, averaging above 100 and advancing to a last-16 match against Jonny Clayton.

Clayton defied five 180s from Host Nation Qualifier Marvin van Velzen to secure his place, while Ryan Searle reeled off four straight legs to defeat James Wade with a ton-topping average.

Searle will now face Dutch-born Swede Jeffrey de Graaf, who was the first player to advance to the round of 16 in Rosmalen after defeating Masters champion Stephen Bunting 6-3.

Ritchie Edhouse converted 150 and 164 checkouts to defeat second seed Damon Heta in an epic battle to maintain his outstanding European Tour form this year, while Luke Woodhouse averaged 99 to sink Daryl Gurney’s hopes of World Cup qualification.

Martin Schindler of Germany survived Brendan Dolan’s 145 checkout to retain his hopes of a second European Tour triumph in 2024 with a 6-4 second round victory, moving on to meet Van den Berg.

Northern Irish number one Josh Rock defeated Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-3, grabbing a 3-0 lead and maintaining it.

Cameron Menzies won his all-Scottish match against Peter Wright, another former World Champion, after defeating Raymond van Barneveld in the first round on Friday.

Wright led 3-1 early on, but Menzies won the next five legs without reply, advancing to Finals Day for the second time in 2024.

The £175,000 event concludes on Sunday at Autotron in Rosmalen, with the third round taking place in the afternoon, followed by the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final in the evening.

Results

Afternoon Session

Jeffrey de Graaf 6-3 Stephen Bunting

Luke Woodhouse 6-4 Daryl Gurney

Ritchie Edhouse 6-5 Damon Heta

Dave Chisnall 6-2 Niels Zonneveld

Jonny Clayton 6-4 Marvin van Velzen

Jermaine Wattimena 6-5 Ricardo Pietreczko

Danny Noppert 6-5 Andrew Gilding

Ryan Searle 6-3 James Wade

 

Evening Session

Chris Dobey 6-0 Moreno Blom

Gerwyn Price 6-0 Mickey Mansell

Josh Rock 6-3 Dirk van Duijvenbode

Michael van Gerwen 6-0 Kevin Doets

Martin Schindler 6-4 Brendan Dolan

Cameron Menzies 6-3 Peter Wright

Dimitri Van den Bergh 6-4 Ross Smith – Ross Smith hits nine-dart finish

Gian van Veen 6-5 Dom Taylor