The AFAS Live was rocking this afternoon as the Round Two action delivered drama, high averages and a proper Dutch darts party. The 2026 World Series of Darst Finals witnessed two home heroes marching into the quarter-finals, world No. 2 Luke Humphries being sensationally dumped out, with the partisan crowd making their presence felt from the first dart to the last.
World Series of Darts Finals: Match-by-Match Action
Josh Rock 10–7 Ryan Searle
Rock got the afternoon underway with a solid, professional job. The Northern Irishman averaged 95.11 and always looked the more clinical of the two. Searle (90.60) hung in gamely but couldn’t quite find the gear to trouble Rock in the latter stages. A clean and efficient win that keeps Rock’s strong form rolling.
Ross Smith 10–5 Daryl Gurney
“Smudger” was in no mood for sentiment. Fresh from seeing off Kevin Doets in Round One, Smith produced a clinical 100.30 average to brush aside the man who had sensationally ended Michael van Gerwen’s title defence. Gurney (94.57) never really got going and was always chasing. Smith looked sharp, purposeful and every bit the in-form player he’s been on the European Tour this year.
Gian van Veen 10–7 Karel Sedláček
This was the pick of the pure darts. Both men averaged over 101 (van Veen 101.52, Sedláček a cracking 103.30) and between them they smashed in 13 maximums.
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Big finishes flew in – including a 160 and a 147 – and the Dutch No. 1 had to dig deep against a very dangerous Czech. The home crowd roared every treble and every double as van Veen eventually edged a high-quality contest to reach the last eight for the first time at this event.
Dirk van Duijvenbode 10–9 Luke Humphries
And then came the moment of the afternoon.
Humphries looked in complete control, reeling off six legs on the bounce to lead 6–3. The world No. 2 appeared set for a comfortable afternoon… until “The Titan” flipped the switch. Van Duijvenbode, buoyed by a raucous Amsterdam crowd that cheered every one of his darts and every miss from Humphries, staged a superb comeback.
The scoring power returned, the doubles started to go in, and suddenly it was 9–9. In a tense deciding leg the atmosphere was described as “insane”. Van Duijvenbode held his nerve to take the match 10–9 (averaging 101.14 to Humphries’ 98.34) and send the AFAS Live into raptures. A genuine shock and a brilliant individual performance from the Dutchman.Points of Interest
Afternoon Session Results
- Josh Rock 10–7 Ryan Searle (95.11 – 90.60)
- Ross Smith 10–5 Daryl Gurney (100.30 – 94.57)
- Gian van Veen 10–7 Karel Sedláček (101.52 – 103.30)
- Dirk van Duijvenbode 10–9 Luke Humphries (101.14 – 98.34)
The evening session now awaits with Littler, Price, Wade and Clayton all in action. But this afternoon belonged to the Dutch and to a remarkable comeback from Dirk van Duijvenbode. What a session.
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Images: PDC Europe / Kelly Deckers
