Krakow flung open its medieval gates and ushered in the PDC’s aristocracy of tungsten for the nation’s inaugural European Tour spectacle – The Poland Open. A city more commonly associated with gothic grandeur now found itself vibrating to the thud of maximums and the collective intake of breath before a double attempt.
The opening afternoon session did not create any huge seismic upsets to rattle the cobbles, although two home nation qualifiers bowed out with commendable resistance, offering tangible proof that the competitive standard within Eastern Europe is no longer embryonic but ascendant.
Scotland’s Cameron Menzies secured the distinction of etching his name into the tournament’s embryonic history, becoming the first player to register victory in this freshly minted event. Cammy was expansive, expressive and ruthlessly efficient, peppering the board with nine maximums before dispatching former European Champion Ritchie Edhouse. The reward is a second-round engagement with James Wade – a meeting that promises strategic intrigue rather than reckless abandon.
Willie O’Connor, better known as The Magpie, is hardly a neophyte in these European Tour corridors, his debut stretching back to the competition’s inception in 2012. Yet despite his longevity, silverware has remained elusive; two finals reached, two final hurdles stumbled upon. The Limerick thrower navigated past the ever-dangerous Andreas Harrysson and, in a moment of post-match magnanimity, suggested the Swede merits a tour card. Next on his itinerary is a fellow Emerald Isle exponent, guaranteeing at least one Irish presence in the latter stages.
Boris Krcmar authored one of the afternoon’s more eyebrow raising outcomes, dismissing Ryan Joyce to engineer a confrontation with Germany’s premier standard bearer, Martin Schindler. Meanwhile, Harrow’s Luke Woodhouse continued his quiet consolidation, overcoming debutant Carl Sneyd to book a bout with stable mate Callan Rydz – a fixture laced with familiarity and subtext.
Niels Zonneveld encountered little resistance from qualifier Piotr Maciejczak, although the Dutchman’s composure was visibly tested by the partisan enthusiasm of the Polish crowd. Awaiting him is Stephen Bunting, who might as well possess honorary citizenship given the affection European audiences routinely lavish upon the Liverpudlian.
Andrew Gilding, a former UK Open champion whose languid rhythm belies his surgical accuracy, negotiated Jeffrey De Graaf with minimal fuss and now faces Dutch prodigy Gian van Veen. Jermaine Wattimena, by contrast, flirted with discomfort against the other home nation qualifier on show, Miroslaw Grudziecki before eventually asserting his authority. The Machine Gun will require greater precision when he collides with compatriot Danny Noppert.
Concluding the afternoon, Dave Chisnall’s vexing sequence of misfortune persisted as Daryl Pilgrim prevailed in a contest marred by profligacy on the outer ring. Pilgrim proved the marginally more clinical and thus earns the opportunity to test Nathan Aspinall’s resolve in the next phase.
A brief interlude now descends upon the EXPO Arena before the evening reconvenes to complete the opening round and, perhaps, inject the volatility that the afternoon politely deferred.
POLAND DARTS OPEN
Krakow (20-22 February)
Round One – Afternoon session
Cameron Menzies 6-4 Ritchie Edhouse
William O’Connor 6-4 Andreas Harrysson
Ryan Joyce 3-6 Boris Krcmar
Luke Woodhouse 6-2 Carl Sneyd
Niels Zonneveld 6-2 Piotr Maciejczak
Andrew Gilding 6-3 Jeffrey De Graaf
Jermaine Wattimena 6-4 Miroslaw Grudziecki
Dave Chisnall 4-6 Darryl Pilgrim
Round One – Evening Session
Wessel Nijman v Thomas Lovely
Daryl Gurney v Dawid Robak
Damon Heta v Connor Scutt
Krzysztof Ratajski v Mickey Mansell
Dirk van Duijvenbode v Adam Gawlas
Niko Springer v Cristo Reyes
Joe Cullen v Krzysztof Kciuk
Mike De Decker v Marvin Kraft
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC
