Humphries and Clayton into Dutch Darts Quarterfinals

Two former World Champions got the final day of the Dutch Darts Championship underway in Rosmalen, with Luke Humphries and Michael Smith setting the tone for what promised to be an electric Sunday.

Matches between the reigning World Cup-winning duo have been tight in the past, but this time around, BullyBoy was well off the pace. Cool Hand Luke produced a typically clinical, ton-plus performance to whitewash Smith and cruise into the next round. Humphries has seven Euro Tour titles under his belt, but none on Dutch soil – claiming one here would be a timely confidence boost ahead of the Premier League play-offs.

Willie O’Connor is making the most of Gerwyn Price’s late withdrawal, booking his spot in the quarter-finals with a solid 6–3 win over Ritchie Edhouse. The Magpie soared into a 4–0 lead before seemingly getting distracted by Edhouse’s game rather than focusing on his own. Once he snapped back into gear, he saw the job through. He’d be wise to keep all eyes on his own game when he meets Luke Humphries later.

Ferrets are known for digging deep, and Jonny Clayton did just that in clawing his way back from 4–1 down to send Ross Smith packing. Smudger looked in control early on, but the Welshman found his rhythm and turned the match on its head. Clayton was last year’s beaten finalist here – he’ll be desperate to go one better this time.

The Autotron crowd welcomed home favourite Danny Noppert, the first of three remaining Dutchmen in the draw, and he delivered in dramatic fashion with a last-leg decider win over Australia’s Damon Heta. The match ebbed and flowed throughout, but Noppie rallied from 5–4 down to take the final two legs and seal victory. It’s been a quiet Euro Tour season for The Freeze, but this run to the quarters matches his effort on this very stage twelve months ago. He’ll face Jonny Clayton in a few hours time as the Dutch and Welsh World Cup captains collide.

Ryan Searle breezed into the final session with a clinical 6–0 demolition of a lacklustre Mickey Mansell. The Northern Irishman never got going, bowing out with with tournament stats saying bye then goodbye. Heavy Metal already has half a dozen ProTour titles to his name but is still chasing that elusive European crown – tonight could be the night.

The Battle of the Orange between two men dressed in black ended in a nail-biting triumph for Wessel Nijman, who survived three match darts to edge out Dirk van Duijvenbode in a last-leg thriller. Nijman raced to a 4–1 lead before the Aubergenius battled back to force a decider. Wessel narrowly missed the bull for a 164 finish; Dirk returned the favour on double five for a 130. After both flirted with disaster, it was the 24-year-old Nijman who finally got over the line. A win over Searle later would earn him a semi-final spot and mark his deepest run on the Euro Tour to date.

Niko Springer produced a sensational performance in the all-German clash with Martin Schindler, booking his first European quarter-final appearance. A ton-plus average and a monster 170 checkout – the big fish – were enough to reel in Schindi 6–2 and make a serious statement in Rosmalen a stake his claim for the crown.

And to round things off, Ricardo Pietreczko joined his compatriot Niko Springer in the last eight after a gripping encounter with Superchin, Daryl Gurney, who bowed out heroically after a contest that went the distance. With more holds than an Olympic wrestling final, the pair finally broke each other’s throw to force a tantalising last-leg decider. In the end, it was the 2023 German Darts Champion who held his nerve and sets up another all-German clash later this evening as Pikachu goes head-to-head with Springer.

We’re guaranteed a new name on the Dutch Darts Championship trophy tonight, with a cosmopolitan quarter-final line-up featuring players from five different nations. It promises to be a finale as thrilling as it is diverse