Raymond van Barneveld keeps his World Grand Prix fate in his own hands as Chisnall hangs by a thread
Raymond van Barneveld keeps his World Grand Prix fate in his own hands as Chisnall hangs by a thread
Raymond van Barneveld remains in contention for the World Grand Prix spot after edging Damon Heta in a deciding leg. The five-time world champion defied two huge finishes from the Australian to keep his hopes alive. His next opponent is Ritchie Edhouse, who received a bye to the third round following Ross Smith’s withdrawal. A win for Van Barneveld would confirm his qualification, while Edhouse must triumph to keep his European Championship defence alive.
Martin Schindler kept his title defence on track at the Swiss Darts Trophy with an impressive opening victory in Basel, setting up a third-round showdown with Jonny Clayton on Finals Day.
The German number one, who lifted the trophy in the tournament’s inaugural edition last year, made a confident start to his campaign by overcoming close friend and World Cup teammate Ricardo Pietreczko. Schindler was clinical on the outer ring, hitting six of his eight double attempts to secure a 6-2 victory and underline his credentials as one of the key contenders this weekend.
His next opponent, Jonny Clayton, was equally impressive. The Welshman averaged just shy of 106 in a high-quality contest with Nathan Aspinall, closing out a 6-4 win that featured three sensational 11-dart legs. The result sets up a mouth-watering third-round clash between two in-form players on Sunday afternoon.
The second day of action at the St Jakobshalle produced several major upsets, with six seeded stars bowing out of the penultimate European Tour event of the year. As the race for qualification for both the World Grand Prix and European Championship intensifies, a number of players produced standout performances to keep their hopes alive.
Among them was Luke Woodhouse, who delivered arguably the performance of his career. The Englishman averaged a blistering 110.69 in a 6-2 victory over Dave Chisnall, finishing 121 and 160 combinations along the way to extend Chisnall’s frustrating run of results on the European Tour.
Jermaine Wattimena followed with a dominant display of his own, averaging 107.35 in a commanding 6-1 win over Josh Rock. Rock has reached two European Tour finals this season, but the Dutchman’s relentless scoring and sharp finishing left him with few opportunities.
Chisnall’s early exit leaves his World Grand Prix qualification hopes in serious jeopardy, while Krzysztof Ratajski confirmed his place in next week’s double-start event thanks to a gritty deciding-leg victory over Mike De Decker. The Polish star survived three match darts before sealing the win, setting up a meeting with Stephen Bunting in the last 16. Bunting booked his place with a late surge against Chris Landman, reeling off three rapid legs of 13, 11 and 11 darts to close out a 6-3 triumph.
World number one Luke Humphries showed his class in a 6-2 win against Callan Rydz. The reigning world champion missed just one dart at a double, hitting six of seven attempts and finishing 117, 108 and 136 combinations in a commanding display. His next test comes against Ryan Searle, who came through a thrilling battle with Niels Zonneveld. Searle averaged 101 to Zonneveld’s 102, sealing the deal with 114 and 136 finishes to advance.
Danny Noppert continued his strong recent form, averaging 104 in a narrow win over William O’Connor that ended the Irishman’s hopes of reaching the World Grand Prix. Noppert, who finished runner-up in Hungary a week ago, now faces Rob Cross after the former world champion swept past Richard Veenstra to boost his European Championship qualification chances.
Gian van Veen also impressed with a 102 average and a spectacular 170 checkout during his whitewash win over Dirk van Duijvenbode. He’ll meet Ryan Joyce in the last 16 after Joyce overcame third seed James Wade in a tight encounter.
Elsewhere, Chris Dobey produced a strong 101 average to defeat Mensur Suljovic, booking a third-round tie against Norway’s Cor Dekker. Dekker earlier caused a stir by beating Peter Wright to reach Finals Day of a European Tour event for the first time in his career.
Sunday promises a dramatic conclusion in Basel, with the third round taking place in the afternoon before the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final unfold in a blockbuster evening session at the St Jakobshalle.
Raymond van Barneveld keeps his World Grand Prix fate in his own hands as Chisnall hangs by a thread
Ryan Searle 6-3 Niels Zonneveld
Luke Woodhouse 6-2 Dave Chisnall
Cor Dekker 6-3 Peter Wright
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-5 Mike De Decker
Rob Cross 6-2 Richard Veenstra
Gian van Veen 6-0 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Danny Noppert 6-5 William O’Connor
Ritchie Edhouse Bye (Ross Smith withdrawn)
Evening Session
Ryan Joyce 6-5 James Wade
Martin Schindler 6-2 Ricardo Pietreczko
Jermaine Wattimena 6-1 Josh Rock
Luke Humphries 6-2 Callan Rydz
Jonny Clayton 6-4 Nathan Aspinall
Raymond van Barneveld 6-5 Damon Heta
Stephen Bunting 6-3 Chris Landman
Chris Dobey 6-4 Mensur Suljovic
Sunday September 28
Afternoon Session (1200 local time, 1100 BST)
Round Three
Luke Humphries v Ryan Searle
Jermaine Wattimena v Luke Woodhouse
Jonny Clayton v Martin Schindler
Chris Dobey v Cor Dekker
Stephen Bunting v Krzysztof Ratajski
Raymond van Barneveld v Ritchie Edhouse
Ryan Joyce v Gian van Veen
Rob Cross v Danny Noppert
Evening Session (1800 local time, 1700 BST)
Quarter-Finals
Semi-Finals
Final
Sunday’s games played in Draw Bracket order
