More misery unfolded for two multiple major darts champions who once again suffered opening-round exits on the Players Championship stage, this time in Milton Keynes. While another former World Champion sees the green shoots of recovery sprouting.
It has been a particularly torrid spell for Raymond van Barneveld and Dimitri Van den Bergh, both of whom are desperately seeking a momentum-shifting run to reignite their respective campaigns. Unfortunately, this latest outing only compounded their frustrations, with another premature conclusion to proceedings.
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Early signs were ominous for the Dutch legend during his encounter with Tom Sykes, as he ultimately bowed out having secured just a solitary leg, accompanied by a decidedly underwhelming 83.33 average. In mitigation, Sykes was in imperious form, soaring beyond the ton mark with remarkable fluency, meaning that even a more polished display from RVB may not have altered the outcome.
For Van den Bergh, the whitewash inflicted by Connor Scutt was arguably more severe on paper, yet the Belgian’s overall performance offered marginally greater encouragement. Nevertheless, darts remains an unforgiving, results-driven arena, and without scoreboard superiority, positives tend to ring hollow. Much like Barney’s tie, he encountered an opponent operating at an exceptionally elevated level.
The Order of Merit continues to present a concerning narrative for supporters of The Dreammaker, who now finds himself entrenched in a genuine relegation scrap, currently occupying a perilous position within the drop zone. Across the campaign, Van den Bergh has managed consecutive match victories on just a single occasion, and perhaps more alarmingly, has yet to secure qualification for a European Tour event in 2026. The earliest opportunity to rectify that statistic arrives at the ninth event of the season in Slovakia.
Of the current Premier League Darts cohort, only four competitors were in attendance at Arena MK, and following the opening round, that number was halved as both Josh Rock and Stephen Bunting exited at the first hurdle. Rock suffered a surprise defeat to Adam Leek – notable given the Australian’s prior modest tally of just three match wins this season – while Bunting’s narrow last-leg defeat to Ricky Evans ensured a swift return to the hotel.
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Elsewhere, a handful of Tour Card holders continue to endure a frustrating wait for a maiden victory this season. For Oskar Lukasiak and Pero Ljubic, that elusive breakthrough remains out of reach. In the Croatian’s case, his absence from the event ensured no change to that narrative, while Lukasiak’s continued struggles remain somewhat surprising given his evident ability.
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On a more positive note, several players achieved personal best deep runs into the tournament, including a particularly high-profile name. Obviously Michael Smiths return to the final was noted, but , Gian van Veen, largely absent in recent weeks due to illness, returned to action and produced his most accomplished showing of the campaign thus far. While still short of his lofty standards, it marked tangible progress.
Another to find some rhythm was Dennie Olde Kalter, who had previously endured a sequence of nine consecutive first-round exits before finally breaking that hoodoo in Wigan. Building on that breakthrough, he progressed even further in Arena MK before eventually bowing out in the third round.
There was also a maiden quarter-final appearance of the season for former World Champion Rob Cross, who will feel aggrieved that a superb 105-plus average proved insufficient for progression. The explanation? He collided with a rampant Beau Greaves, who once again underlined her extraordinary calibre.
Speaking of the Doncaster ace, Greaves continued her record-breaking trajectory – surpassing her own previous benchmarks – as she joined Michael Smith in reaching the final, both recording their furthest runs of the season. More on that duo follows in the overall report.
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Images: PDC
