Take a bow, Jamai van den Herik. On his MODUS Super Series debut, the 22-year-old rising Dutch star may not yet be a household name – but if he carries on like this, he’ll be billboard-sized in neon.
It was a sensational showing across the opening three days, with Van den Herik winning 10 of his 15 group matches. And to make things even more impressive, he lost his first few games, making his recovery all the more remarkable.
If you were at a Challenge Tour event in Milton Keynes earlier this year, you might have caught a glimpse of what this lad can do – he nailed a perfect leg. Carl Sneyd certainly remembers it. He was on the receiving end. Dordrecht born Van den Herik currently sits 20th on the Development Tour Order of Merit, the fourth-highest ranked Dutch player – and that’s no small feat in a country brimming with tungsten talent.
Want more? He sealed top spot in style, averaging a staggering 103 in his final match, whitewashing a shell-shocked Kurt Parry. Parry still managed to finish fourth overall and can take solace in smashing in 27 maximums across the three days – most of them on Tuesday. He’ll get another shot in Group C to book a spot in Finals Night. Van den Herik can now kick back for a couple of days and watch the drama unfold to see who’ll be joining him for Saturday’s showdown.
Joining the party in Group B are Sam Spivey and Scott Campbell, who finished second and third respectively. Campbell, the Aberdeen arrow-smith, came flying out of the traps on Day One, winning four of five matches. His only loss of the afternoon? A tense final-leg defeat to Spivey in their head-to-head. The 29-year-old Englishman held his nerve to pip the Scot in a nail-biting decider.
Group B won’t be a stroll in the park. They’ll be joined by reigning WDF World Champion Shane McGuirk, last year’s MODUS nine-dart hero Lee Cocks, and Carl Wilson. Spivey and Campbell will have their hands full in what’s shaping up to be a textbook Group of Death. The action gets underway at 10:05pm tomorrow, as Lee Cocks faces Scott Campbell in the night’s curtain-raiser. Only the top three will progress – so every leg counts.
Over in Group C, Kurt Parry is once again reunited with Belgium’s Kevin Lankhuizen and the ever-entertaining Martyn Mutts Nutts Turner, both of whom ended the group phase with five wins apiece. The highly experienced 56-year old Turner will be hoping to live up to a variation of his nickname next time out. Entering proceedings alongside the trio are Scottish thrower David Sharp, Joe The Idol Bridle, and seasoned campaigner Mark Gladiator McGeeney, who may need to channel his inner Russell Crowe if he’s to battle into the top two. He is up first tomorrow at 1.05pm facing Lankhuizen.
So those are your runners and riders for the next two days of swashbuckling action on the South Coast. With five spots still up for grabs in Saturday’s Finals Night, Super Series 11 is bubbling up beautifully. Put the kettle on, Jamai. You’ve earned the rest – for now.
—–ENDS—-
Images: PDPA
