Fans packed into Arena MK were treated to a proper afternoon feast, four matches stitched together by drama, defiance, and darting nerve as round two, part one detonated into life.
The fairytale continues to gather pace for newly crowned Dutch number one Gian van Veen, who survived and conquered an engrossing, emotionally charged duel with Nathan Aspinall. Early doors, the stage belonged to the Mancunian.
The Asp tore into the treble 20 with ruthless intent, raining down scoring bursts that suggested separation was imminent. Yet darts has a habit of humbling certainty, and despite that blistering purple patch, the contest was inexplicably level at the interval.
Breaks can fracture rhythm or forge momentum. For van Veen, it was the latter. He returned transformed, assertive, imposing, and suddenly in control. Within ten minutes the Dutchman had engineered a 3-1 advantage, helped in no small part by Aspinall’s growing anguish on the doubles. True to reputation, the former Matchplay and UK Open champion refused to vanish quietly, clawing back a set to halve the deficit.
But van Veen stood firm, steadied his breathing, trusted his throw, and closed it out with composure beyond his years. Waiting next is James Wade, after The Machine finally exorcised a long-standing demon.
After more than a decade of frustration, Wade at last overcame Gary Anderson in a PDC televised ranking major. Between these two bespectacled Unicorn icons sits a trophy cabinet so full it borders on obscene. On paper, it was impossibly tight. On the oche, it delivered exactly that.
Anderson struck first, bursting into a 2-0 lead with the authority of a man determined to preserve the narrative. Wade responded, clicking into gear with renewed venom, his outer-ring precision dragging him past his esteemed rival. Back came the Flying Scotsman, forcing a decider. The opening leg went Wade’s way. Then came the moment. Anderson, poised to force a dramatic final-leg shootout, bust. A gasp. Wade accepted the invitation with surgical calm, mopping up 48 and finally stepping through a door that had remained stubbornly locked for years.
Opening the session, Chris Dobey kept his ambitions for a second Masters crown alive after surviving a ferocious revival from Damon Heta. On this very stage three years ago, Hollywood claimed what remains his only PDC TV major, and after a sluggish opening, he appeared to be cruising again as he surged into a 3-1 lead. Then the script flipped. Heta ignited, producing darts reminiscent of his sharpest days, suddenly transforming the match into a scrap.
Ultimately, the Geordie regrouped, steadied the ship, and edged the deciding set, likely exhaling deeply as the final dart landed. Credit to The Heat, fresh from Australian shores, who leaves with positives despite defeat. Dobey, however, marches on.
That left the question of Welsh opposition. The answer was Gerwyn Price, who edged out compatriot Jonny Clayton in a Welsh derby that burned from first dart to last. Clayton, haunted by a miserable recent record against Price, flipped the script early, claiming the opening two sets to seize control. But The Iceman does not yield easily. Price clawed back, equalised when The Ferret looked destined for a 3-1 cushion, then surged ahead himself.
Still it would not settle. Level again. Deciding set. First chalk to Gezzy on throw. The next leg should have been the end, but five match darts were squandered, dragging the contest into sudden-death chaos. This time, Price did not blink. The dart landed. The roar followed. Another Welsh classic etched into the memory. Darts at its most unforgiving. And at its most magnificent.
Saturday 31st January – Afternoon Session
Round Two – Results
Chris Dobey 4-3 Damon Heta
James Wade 4-3 Gary Anderson
Gian van Veen 4-2 Nathan Aspinall
Gerwyn Price 4-3 Johnny Clayton
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC / T Lanning
