Meikle Cuts Down Cullen

After a gentle afternoon session The 2025 Dutch Darts Championship opened with a lively Friday evening session at the Autotron in Rosmalen, delivering upsets, drama, and the a good sprinkling of last leg deciders.

The evening kicked off with a stunner, as two-time Euro Tour winner Joe Cullen was convincingly defeated 6–1 by Ipswich’s finest, Ryan Meikle. The Barber trimmed Cullen’s chances with clinical precision, never allowing the Rockstar to find a rhythm. Meikle’s never gone beyond a Euro quarter-final, but after this, he’s sharpened his scissors for a Ryan derby clash with Mr Searle.

Daryl Gurney, who hasn’t lifted a European title since 2019, got off to a flyer. Without needing to find top gear, The Northern Irish World Cup regular saw off Maik Kuivenhoven 6–4. Now he faces Hollywood’s finest, Chris Dobey. Should be a belter.

Reigning World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker came unstuck in a last-leg nail-biter against Mickey Mansell. The Clonoe Cyclone held his nerve, taking full advantage of every throw-first leg, in what felt like a match designed by statisticians. His reward? Just a casual date with Michael van Gerwen. Good luck with that, Mick.

Scotland’s sweetheart Cameron Menzies pulled off a storming comeback against Wesley Plaisier, recovering from 4–1 down to nick it 6–5. The Glaswegian now gets the pleasure of facing world number one Luke Humphries. Expect to see Cammie lying down on the oche if he wins this one.

Dutch youngster Gian van Veen fell short against Boris Krcmar, despite a quality display from the big Croatian. Krcmar threw in five 180s and checked out with the brilliance of a seasoned Tescos worker. He’ll now clash with fellow muscle mountain, Gerwyn Price.

Dutch legend, Raymond van Barneveld rolled back the years with a 6–5 win over home nation qualifier, Jerry Hendriks. Despite a hefty scoring average, Barney was pushed all the way before showing he’s still got the class that brought him five world titles. Next up: a tasty second-round clash with former European champion, Ross Smith.

Dirk van Duijvenbode steamrolled Teemu Harju 6–0, posting a blistering 103.66 average. The Nordic and Baltic qualifier barely had time to unpack before Dirk had packed him off again. he Aubergenius opens up this evening’s session with the best leftie the sport has ever seen, James Wade.

And a great night of thrilling tungsten flinging was night wrapped with Niko Springer quieting the home crowd by dispatching Jermaine Wattimena 6–3. The German prospect now turns his attention to crowd favourite Stephen Bunting. Expect fewer cheers and more tension in that one.

With the seeds now joining the party, things are about to get spicy in Rosmalen. Five Dutch hopes remain – whether any of them can become a home hero remains to be seen. Play resumes at 12pm BST. Have your popcorn ready.