Last month, Van Veen and Noppert they were draped in orange, trading high-fives and looking like the happiest World Cup teammates in darts. Tonight? Same nation, matching black-and-white kits, but not a handshake in sight – just pure Dutch-on-Dutch crime.
And when the chalk dust settled, it was the younger of the two, Gian van Veen, who continued his meteoric rise – looking every bit like a champion in waiting. Having already dumped out the world number one, Luke Humphries (no small task, unless you’ve accidentally brought Thor’s hammer to the oche), Van Veen then made light work of another major winner. This time it was Danny Noppert, who found himself facing the exit door courtesy of the reigning World Youth Champion.
Noppert started well, nicking the first two legs and looked incharget. But Van Veen clicked into gear – a silky 150 checkout helped create a 3-2 lead at the first break. From there, it was a bit of a battering. Gian rattled off four on the bounce, and but for a rare double-16 wobble, it could’ve been five.
The Freeze, at 7-3 down, needed to thaw out fast. He gave it a go, but Van Veen wasn’t in a generous mood. Clinical, composed, and completely in control – all things Noppert unfortunately wasn’t.
Between matches, you’d be forgiven for thinking Van Veen was glued to the practice board. Not quite.
“Just relaxing. A bit of practice yesterday, including a game of bullseye maths with the kids. Back on board today, and happy to be playing. After all, the point of being here is to enjoy the darts – not to take two days off. That sort of thing can be done back home.”
When he picked up his Tour Card in January 2023, even he didn’t imagine a rise this sharp.
“Two and a half years ago, if you’d told me I would be reaching the quarter-finals of the Matchplay or the Grand Slam, I’d have thought you were mad. Always saw myself as a decent player – but not this good. It’s been a massive rollercoaster, and I am loving the ride.”
There’s also a little side motivation to staying in Blackpool – a recently purchased house that apparently comes with a to-do list longer than a Lidl shopping one.
“Well… if she’s listening, then no. If she’s not – absolutely.”
And with Gian happy to admit he’s quite clumsy, every day spent in the tournament is another day the plumbing remains intact. Everyone’s a winner – especially the shelves back home.
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC / Taylor Lanning
