Belgium, darling Belgium… land of waffles, fine beer, and once-promising tungsten dreams. But at this year’s Paddy Power World Championship? The Belgians haven’t so much stumbled out of the gate as faceplanted into the first hurdle, rolled into a ditch, and set the ditch on fire. You can almost here the classic ‘It’s A Knockout’ game show commentary.
Calling it a rough start would be like calling the Titanic a mildly disappointing boat trip. You didn’t even have time to unwrap your first mince pie before the chaos began. Opening match of the entire tournament – match one, session one, moment one – and up steps Kim Huybrechts, the elder statesman of Flemish ferocity. His opponent? Ando Merk, a debutant fresh off the PDCE DACH Super League conveyor belt. What happened next? Huybrechts 1 – Merk 3.
Had Hurricane Kim showed up with anything stronger than a stiff breeze, he’d have been fine. But no — the German didn’t need fireworks, lasers, or stat-padding heroics. He just needed to be competent. Kim’s B-game didn’t appear, his C-game went missing, and the D-game phoned in sick. Result? Belgium already reaching for the emergency chocolate.
Fast forward to Sunday morning and the fresh misery buffet continues: Mario Vandenbogaerde vs David Davies. Davies — the reigning Red Dragon Champions of Champions winner — had earned his London seat through a brutal Wigan shootout. Those who know the darting underworld quietly fancied his chances. But even then… Mario is experienced. Mario knows the stage. Mario is big. Surely he’d get a set? Nope. Whitewash. Wales 3 – Belgium 0. Davies becomes an overnight Welsh folk hero; Mario becomes an answer in future pub quizzes titled “Unexpectedly Lopsided Results.”
At this point Belgium’s campaign resembles a collapsing soufflé. But wait — salvation still lurks in the wings. Three Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free cards remain, and they’re premium editions: Mike De Decker. Dimitri Van den Bergh. Andy Baetens. Belgium’s top two plus a former Lakeside champ. Not bad.
BUT… form? Let’s just say: patchy at best, terrifying at worst. De Decker hasn’t followed up last year’s big Grand Prix win with anything resembling momentum. And Dimi? After months away dealing with personal upheaval, he openly admits it’s been “torrid.” But class is permanent, trophies are timeless, and these two own three big PDC majors between them. You don’t suddenly forget how to throw tungsten.
Then there’s Andy Baetens — a genuinely classy operator who could easily steady the ship, if not start a full-scale Belgian renaissance.
As for their opponents, it’s a delightful mixed bag of the unknown, the dangerous, and the “depends what mood he’s in.”
De Decker gets David Munyua, the first ever Kenyan to walk onto the Ally Pally stage. The African qualifier can absolutely play — sometimes breathtakingly so. If Mike turns up, he wins. If he doesn’t? Munyua may decide to plant a Kenyan flag on the oche.
Dimi draws Darren Beveridge — a solid performer who needs a deep run to keep his tour card. Normally, Van den Bergh brushes this aside with room to spare. Normally. But “normal” hasn’t been anywhere near the Dreammaker in months. The good news? He loves the big stage. The bad news? There isn’t a bigger one than this.
Baetens? He gets Dirk. Big, powerful, explosive Dirk van Duijvenbode. If you’re picking with a cold, neutral mind, you probably lean Dutch. But Baetens is exactly the type to flip the script, drag it the distance, and turn the final set into a full-blown psychological horror film.
So here’s the state of the Belgian nation so far: Played: 2 Won: 0 Lost: 2. Mood: somewhere between “mild panic” and “national crisis.”
But three big chances remain. Three serious players. Three opportunities to stop the bleeding. Belgium hasn’t fallen yet.
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC
