2025 European Darts Open got underway in Leverkusen with a rare England versus Latvia encounter to kick things off.
MADARS RAZMA 3-6 DARRYL PILGRIM
Crystal Palace fanatic Darryl Pilgrim, still floating somewhere above South London after his team’s euphoric FA Cup triumph, picked up just his second Euro Tour win with a 6–3 victory over an out-of-sorts Madars Razma. It’s unclear which football team the Latvian supports – if any – given ice hockey tends to steal the spotlight back home. Either way, he likely won’t be queuing up to rewatch this one.
The Croydon chucker, decked out in a slick new black ensemble that would make a decent Eagles away kit, broke clear after both players held their opening two throws. In patches, Mr P produced some tidy darts – but truthfully, he was greatly helped by Razmatazz’s ongoing battle with the outer ring. For now, Darryl’s glad all over. But with Peter Wright awaiting in round two, will the feel-good factor survive a meeting with the mohawked maestro?
RITCHIE EDHOUSE 6-2 PETR KRIVKA
Reigning European Champion Ritchie Edhouse got his campaign up and running with a comfortable 6–2 win over Eastern European qualifier Petr Krivka. The Czech chucker may have the build of a man who could juggle tanks, but he’s clearly just as handy with a set of darts.
It wasn’t vintage Edhouse, but it was a solid, composed performance. And with Krivka’s imposing presence on stage acting as a natural deterrent, Ritchie didn’t have to worry about any stray boos from the crowd. We’ll be seeing Krivka again very soon at the World Cup, where he’ll team up with the wonderfully named Evil Charlie. They may not be favourites to lift the trophy, but they’re certainly in contention for the most aesthetically intimidating duo in the tournament. As for Ritchie, a tougher test awaits tomorrow in Danny Noppert.
WILLIAM O’CONNOR 5-6 MICKEY MANSELL
Unflappable evergreen Mickey Mansell booked his place in round two after edging out travel companion William O’Connor in a dramatic last-leg shoot-out. The Magpie has been treating the Euro Tour reserve list like a weekly supermarket shop lately – grabbing wins off the shelf with casual ease. But this time, he couldn’t quite bag the Clonoe Cyclone as just another item on special offer.
Mansell looked in control at 4–1, but O’Connor clawed his way back into contention with a late rally. Ultimately, though, the throw proved decisive, and it was the Northern Irishman who claimed the spoils. Mansell’s reward is a second-round clash with the enigmatic Aussie number one, Damon Heta.
NIELS ZONNERVELD 5-6 LUKAS WENIG
The volume inside the Ostermann-Arena cranked up a few notches as the crowd welcomed their first home representative of the event, Lukas Wenig, to the stage. And it nearly ended in heartbreak, as Niels Zonneveld threatened a brilliant comeback from 5–2 down that would’ve thoroughly annoyed the Leverkusen faithful.
The Marburg man exploded out of the blocks, opening with a sensational 180 and following it up with a 147 checkout to set the tone. Four legs in, with the spoils equally shared, gym-loving German Lukas Wenig shifted up a gear and powered into what looked like a match-winning lead.
Triple Z, however, wasn’t done just yet. He forced his way back into the contest, applying real pressure, but couldn’t land the crucial break. In the end, Wenig – spurred on by the home crowd – just about crawled over the line. He’ll need that home crowd support again tomorrow when he faces the highly decorated James Wade
On a side note, new Darts World columnist Huw Ware was on refereeing duties for the second of his two-match stint. And with George Noble having hung up the mic, perhaps the ever-composed Welshman is ready to take over as the go-to voice for those nerve-shredding deciding legs.
MATT CAMPBELL 6-4 ALAN SOUTAR
Sole North American representative Matt Campbell battled past Alan Soutar in a match he’ll likely walk away from wondering how, exactly, he managed to win it. The answer, as ever in darts, lay in the doubles. Soutar – normally as dependable on the outer ring as a Swiss watch – suffered an uncharacteristic meltdown, leaving him scratching his shiny head and muttering questions only the darting gods could answer.
Campbell, for his part, didn’t set the world alight statistically. In fact, his average hovered just below 83 – a figure more commonly associated with a first-round defeat than progression. But this was a tale of grit over gloss. The Ginger Ninja – a nickname as ironic as it is enduring, given his martial arts skills are non-existent – won’t care one bit about how it looked. It’s the name on the next round bracket that counts.
He took advantage of every slip from Soutar in a contest that may not have been pretty but ultimately effective. That said, Campbell knows he’ll need to find a few extra gears if he’s to trouble former European Champion, Ross Smith tomorrow.
JERMAINE WATTIMENA 6-0 JOSHUA HERMANN
This always looked like a game Jermaine Wattimena was going to win – and win it at a canter he did. From the opening leg, he controlled proceedings with the confidence of a man who knew he had it in the bag. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the match wasn’t the scoreline, but how the home nation qualifier, Hermann, managed to stay upright. His extremely pronounced throwing action saw him leaning so far to the right, you half-expected him to tumble over.
It was a tough – perhaps even cruel – big-stage debut for Hermann the German, who’s currently studying business psychology (whatever that is). He’s shown much more in other events and will no doubt come back stronger with a bit more experience under his belt. But let’s not take anything away from The Machine Gun – he was rock solid throughout, firing in a steady 97 average and barely putting a foot wrong. Business-like, clinical, and quietly ruthless.
Shockingly, despite all his firepower and consistency, last year’s European Championship runner-up Wattimena has never been beyond the quarter-finals of a Euro Tour event. If he’s to finally break that hoodoo, he’ll need to overcome Jonny Clayton, who’s riding high after his triumph at last week’s Dutch Darts Championship
ANDREW GILDING 6-1 KEVIN KNOPF
From a man who leaned heavily to the right came one who toed the oche on the far left – Andrew Gilding. And for Goldfinger, it was business as usual as he eased into round two with a professional and impressive display that he somehow managed to make look entirely effortless. There were no fireworks, just solid, composed darts from a player who’s made a career out of doing the basics brilliantly.
Unfortunately for Knopf, on this occasion, his scoring never looked likely to threaten Goldfinger. The 28-year-old Berliner – nicknamed The Button – found himself out-gunned and outpaced, never really coming close to unfastening the former UK Open Champion, who cruised through the gears with minimal fuss. A bigger challenge now lies in wait for the Norfolk thrower, as he prepares to face his heavy-scoring and heavy tungsten-carrying compatriot Ryan Searle tomorrow.
WESSEL NIJMAN 6-3 BRENDAN DOLAN
The opening session wrapped up with last weekend’s semi-finalist, Wessel Nijman, getting the better of this year’s lesser-spotted Brendan Dolan. For The History Maker, the Euro Tour drought sadly continues. Making his first appearance of the season – his latest start to a Euro campaign since its inception in 2012 – the wait for a breakthrough goes on.
Credit to Nijman, who delivered a solid 94 average. Far from his peak, but more than enough on the day. After Dolan raced into an early 2–0 lead, the young Dutchman woke up and rattled off four consecutive legs. He did briefly nod off, allowing the 51-year-old veteran to nearly claw his way back to parity, but Nijman re-focused and closed out the match comfortably.
We did get two glimpses of Brendan’s famous 180 helicopter fingers – one in the first leg, another in the last – but the victory went to Nijman, who now sets his sights on derailing The Flying Scotsman in the next round.
SUMMARY
All in all, this won’t go down as the most electrifying opening session in Elten Safety Shoes sponsored Euro Tour history. Still, there were some standout performances – notably from Wattimena, Gilding, and Nijman as the curtain came down. Plenty more action to come this evening, where things are surely set to heat up in Leverkusen.
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC Europe
