Australian players earned most of the opening night headlines at the SkyCity New Zealand Darts Masters but the Welsh contingent of Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton gave them a run for their money as many of PDC big guns hit their targets.
2022 champion Gerwyn Price will take on Damon Heta in the last eight, after the Welshman converted 67% of his attempts at double in his 6-1 demolition of Mark Cleaver.
Price will face Aussie Damon Heta in the last eight after The Heat produced a superb five-leg flurry to complete a comeback victory against Ben Robb, following up legs of 11 and 12 darts with a 105 kill to cap off a classy performance.
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Jonny Clayton, runner up back in 2022, also stepped up for the PDC representatives but he will have to remove the world number two if he is to progress, after the Welshman overturned a 4-2 deficit in accounting for home favourite Haupai Puha in a last leg shootout.
Top seed Gian van Veen impressed on his debut Down Under, averaging north of 97 in a 6-1 demolition of New Zealand’s World Cup star Jonny Tata. Despite only being reunited with his luggage on the day of the event.
Two more Australians also wrote themselves into the story with performances that left the favourites reeling. It was Raymond Smith who stole the show.
The Guru impressed many by averaging 99.81 and converting 86% of his attempts at double to dispatch third seed Stephen Bunting 6-2.
The experienced Australian was relentless on the outer ring, following up clinical 92 and 90 combinations with a superb 124 on the bullseye to confirm his progress.
“It feels pretty awesome. Eight years since I last played on a PDC stage, so I’m pretty stoked,” reflected Smith.
“I think I played really well. What we’re doing in the ADA, DPNZ and ANZ Premier League is setting us up for this sort of stuff.
“What the PDC is investing in the Oceanic region is showing in the results.”
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Leek also delivered on his World Series of Darts debut, surviving six match darts to sink Ross Smith in a dramatic last-leg decider.
Despite establishing a commanding 4-1 cushion, Smith faltered on the outer ring in the latter stages, as Leek won five of the last six legs to set up a fascinating showdown against his compatriot.
“It’s the best feeling in the world. I’m lost for words,” revealed the Australian number two.
“I tried to compose myself as much as I could, and thankfully that last dart went in.
“It’s a dream come true to play on this stage, so I’ll make sure I’m ready for the next one and we’ll see how we go.”
Elsewhere, Josh Rock and James Wade will also lock horns in the quarter-finals, following opening round wins against Simon Whitlock and Kayden Milne respectively.
Rock defied a valiant fightback from Australian icon Whitlock to close out a 6-4 success, while Wade marked his return to New Zealand with a six-leg whitewash over a struggling Milne.
The 2026 New Zealand Darts Masters reaches its climax on Saturday, as the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final takes place during a bumper final session at the Spark Arena.
Van Veen and Clayton will kick off the evening’s proceedings, before Wade and Rock battle it out for a place in the semi-finals.
Price – the only former champion in this year’s field – then faces Heta, with Smith and Leek rounding off the quarter-final action.
The 2026 New Zealand Darts Masters is being broadcast live on Sky in New Zealand and Fox Sports in Australia, through ITV4 in the UK, DAZN in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and on PDCTV in all other global territories (excluding DACH & Poland).
2026 SkyCity New Zealand Darts Masters
Friday August 14
Gerwyn Price 6-1 Mark Cleaver
Adam Leek 6-5 Ross Smith
James Wade 6-0 Kayden Milne
Josh Rock 6-4 Simon Whitlock
Gian van Veen 6-1 Jonny Tata
Jonny Clayton 6-5 Haupai Puha
Damon Heta 6-4 Ben Robb
Raymond Smith 6-2 Stephen Bunting
Saturday August 15 (1900 NZST)
Quarter-Finals
Gian van Veen v Jonny Clayton
James Wade v Josh Rock
Gerwyn Price v Damon Heta
Raymond Smith v Adam Leek
Best of 11 legs
Semi-Finals
Van Veen/Clayton v Wade/Rock
Price/Heta v Smith/Leek
Best of 13 legs
Final
v
Best of 15 legs
All Saturday matches to be played in Draw Bracket order.
Images: Stephen Parker/Photosport
