After a brace of Players Championship events in Germany, the dust settled just long enough to figure out who’s booked their tickets for the next stops on the Euro Tour.
The Czech Darts Open takes place in the capital from 5–7 September, and ten players have officially stamped their boarding passes.
Some strolled through, others clawed their way over the line – but all of them are in. Here’s who made the cut:Niko Springer: The young German showed nerves of steel – and maybe a slight Belgian allergy. He took out two-time major champ Dimitri Van den Bergh 6–4, then matched that scoreline twice more, including another Belgian scalp in Andy Baetens. Niko won’t be holidaying there anytime soon.
Ritchie Edhouse: Reigning European Champion and reigning master of understatement. He whitewashed Jelle Klaasen before rattling off back-to-back ton-plus averages to dispatch Wesley Plaisier and Thomas Lovely. Ruthless from MadHouse.
Brendan Dolan: The History Maker secured his third straight Czech Darts Open appearance with a composed 6–2 win over James Hurrell. No fuss, no drama – just chilled out Brendan casually gettting business done.
Willie O’Connor: No need for a standby ticket this time. The Limerick man beat Scott Williams, newly crowned PC winner Sebastian Bialecki, and Darren Beveridge 6–3 to seal the deal. He’ll be bringing the passion and an Irish jig.
Ian White: Once the Euro Tour’s unofficial landlord, Diamond turned back the clock with a vintage display. Took out Rob Owen, Stefaan Henderyck, and Max Hopp with high-90s averages. The diamond continues to shine.
Kevin Doets: Hawkeye hit the mark again – qualifying for his fourth Euro Tour event this year. The Dutchman, now based in Sweden, beat Connor Scutt, Keane Barry, and Andy Boulton without blinking – quite literally. He just doesn’t.
Cor Dekker: Not his most dazzling day, but enough to get the job done. Edged Danny Lauby in a last-leg decider, then got past Jim Long and Madars Razma with workmanlike averages. Passport stamped.
Maik Kuivenhoven: Bagelled Willie Borland, then survived two tight deciders – over Lukas Wenig and Mario Vandenbogaerde – to book his spot. Nevers of steel when it counted.
Krzysztof Ratajski: The Polish Eagle took flight once more with wins over Brett Claydon, Christian Kist, and a tense 6–5 over Dylan Slevin. Two-time Euro Tour winner – will surely make it a hatrick sooner or later.
Richard Veenstra: One of three Dutchmen to qualify, Flyers clipped the wings of Ryan Meikle, swatted aside Viktor Tingström, and outlasted fellow countryman Berry van Peer to round off a solid afternoon.
No time for sightseeing – after Prague was sorted, attention quickly turned to Budapest, where ten golden tickets were up for grabs for the Hungarian Darts Trophy, set for 19–21 September.
Another qualifier, another flurry of hopefuls, and ten players now have flights to book and suitcases to pack. Here are your lucky winners:
Rob Owen: The Welshman is off to his second Euro Tour event of the year, having last appeared at the International Darts Open in April. A calm and collected 6–2 win over Viktor Tingström saw him safely through.
Ritchie Edhouse: No surprises here – two-for-two on the day for the tireless Essex man who’s practically got his own locker on the Euro Tour. It’s been a lean year results-wise, but a 6–1 win over an off-colour Thomas Lovely means he’s heading to Hungary.
Niko Springer: The German made it a double shift as well, adding Budapest to his Prague plans. A recent Euro Tour finalist, Springer got past Richard Veenstra 6–4 to seal another chance to shine on the continental stage.
Jim Williams: Another Welshman heading east, The Quiff barely broke sweat. He dropped just six legs across the entire qualifier – half of them in his final match against Dutchman Dennie Olde Kalter. Efficient, ruthless, and still immaculately coiffed.
Cam Crabtree: A solid week for Shazam, who backed up his semi-final run in the first Players Championship event with another strong showing. Martin Lukeman, Dylan Slevin, and Andy Boulton were all brushed aside as Cam booked his place in Budapest.
Tom Bissell: Top marks for Bissell, who breezed past Radek Szaganski, smashed in a monster 103.66 average to whitewash Dom Taylor, then edged Owen Bates in a last-leg thriller. If that doesn’t earn you a passport stamp, nothing will.
Thibault Tricole: France will be on the map in Hungary, thanks to The French Touch. Tricole didn’t trouble the 90 average barrier much, but he didn’t need to – steady wins and a deciding-leg victory over Willie O’Connor were more than enough. Stylish and strategic.
Lukas Wenig: Still riding high from his first Players Championship final, the German keeps the momentum rolling. His standout moment? A ridiculous average just shy of 105 to dismiss Nathan Rafferty. What a week for Wenig.
Darren Beveridge: The Scot did it the scenic way – two final-leg shootouts and a narrow 6–4 win in between. He scraped past Adam Lipscombe, outlasted Maik Kuivenhoven, and sealed it in style against Kim Huybrechts. Not easy, but effective.
Leon Weber: One of three Germans to qualify for Hungary, Weber navigated past Tavis Dudeney, Cor Dekker, and countryman Kai Gotthard to book his trip. Quietly solid, no-nonsense darts from the young talent.
So there you have it – ten more names on the guest list for Budapest. From whitewashes to last-leg drama, they’ve all earned it.
The rest? Better luck next qualifier.
—–Ends—–
Images: PDC
