After two days of frantic action in Basel, sixteen players remain standing ahead of the final day of the Swiss Darts Trophy.
There’s only been one Euro Tour tournament on Swiss soil before, therefore just one champion – Martin Schindler. And the German No.1 is still in contention to retain his crown after a comprehensive 6–2 victory over his well-below-par compatriot, Ricardo Pietreczko.
What promised to be a Deutsch ding-dong turned into a drab affair, with Pikachu nowhere near his best. Fair play to Schindi – he scored solidly and finished clinically, which was more than enough to see off his recent World Cup teammate.
The Wall now faces the task of running through player of the night, Jonny Clayton, who really turned on the style to beat Nathan Aspinall. Both men have lifted Euro Tour titles this year – twice in Asp’s case – but a colossal 105 average and sharp finishing saw the Welsh wizard triumph 6–4 in a cracking contest.
World No.1 Luke Humphries also cruised into the third round, comfortably dispatching Callan Rydz, who never found his rhythm. The Geordie is capable of brilliance on his day but, despite creating chances, he failed to convert.
Against the best in the world, that’s only ever going to end one way. Cool Hand now meets his good mate Ryan Searle.
Man in form Josh Rock suffered a rare blip, extinguished against the odds by Jermaine Wattimena. Everyone has a bad day at the office, and today it was the turn of the Northern Irish World Cup winner.
He couldn’t recover from an early 3–0 deficit, and it’s the Dutchman who causes a massive upset to advance and face Luke Woodhouse.
The Basel Barney Army – should such an entity exist – had plenty to sing about as their man edged Damon Heta in a thrilling last-leg decider.
The Aussie put himself in pole position at 3–1, but a resilient Raymond van Barneveld rallied back to force the shootout. With darts in hand, the Dutch legend completed the comeback and sent the Perthonian home.
By home, I mean the UK not Australia.
Another nail-biter opened the session, this time between James Wade and Ryan Joyce. The North East arrow-smith needed to dramatically improve on his first-round showing, and that’s exactly what he did. Locked at 4–4, Joyce held firm on throw to edge over the line and book a meeting with Dutch hotshot Gian van Veen.
To close the night – and round two – a pair of Premier League stars kept themselves in the hunt for Swiss glory. Once Stephen Bunting got his proverbial backside into gear, there was no stopping him.
A sluggish start saw him trail Chris Landman 2–0, but despite some dodgy doubling, the Liverpudlian scored heavily enough to turn it around. Next up for Bunting: The Polish Eagle.
Finally, Chris Dobey remains on the hunt for that elusive maiden Euro Tour crown. Mensur Suljovic gave him a terrific battle, but in the end of a high-quality affair, it’s Dobey who advances to face Cor Dekker.
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
James Wade 5-6 Ryan Joyce
Martin Schindler 6-2 Ricardo Pietreczko
Josh Rock 1-6 Jermaine Wattimena
Luke Humphries 6-2 Callan Rydz
Jonny Clayton 6-4 Nathan Aspinall
Damon Heta 5-6 Raymond van Barneveld
Stephen Bunting 6-3 Chris Landman
Chris Dobey 6-4 Mensur Suljovic
—–Ends—–
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