Woodhouse Hits Nine-Darter as Price and Van Veen Advance at European Championship
By Lucas Fernandez – World Editor
Dortmund Night Opens With Woodhouse Nine-Darter as Van Veen Ends Eight-Year Tournament Curse
While Woodhouse electrified the crowd with the perfect leg against Dirk van Duijvenbode, several seeded players faced fierce challenges. Van Veen’s victory ended a drought that had prevented any reigning European Championship titleholder from winning their opening match for eight years.
The opening match of the evening saw Luke Woodhouse defeat Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-3 with a 99.11 average to the Dutchman’s 84.82. Woodhouse had missed several break darts at 36 rest in the second leg before Van Duijvenbode equalized on double eight, but in the fourth leg Woodhouse threw two 180s and checked out 141 on double twelve for the nine-darter and a 3-1 lead. Van Duijvenbode pulled it back to 3-5 with a 79 finish, but Woodhouse closed out the match with an 89 checkout on the bullseye.
Price Dominates Cross While Wade Suffers Late Collapse Against Heta
Price maintained an average of 99.26 against Cross’s 90.90 to secure a second-round meeting with Cameron Menzies, who advanced past Niels Zonneveld with a 6-3 victory. Menzies capitalized on a crucial break in the third leg after Zonneveld had opened with a 109 outshot, eventually sealing the win with an 87 checkout on the bull.
James Wade suffered a rare and bitter defeat, squandering a 5-3 lead and missing four matchdarts to allow Damon Heta a path back into the match. Heta capitalized on the errors to claim a 6-5 win, finishing with a 91,48 average compared to Wade’s 96.48, and setting up a second-round clash with top seed Ross Smith. Smith himself struggled heavily on the outer ring, missing multiple doubles before eventually overcoming Karel Sedlacek 6-4 with a 23-dart hold.
Huybrechts Capitalizes on Late Call-Up and Bunting Survives Decider
Kim Huybrechts seized an unexpected opportunity in Dortmund after entering the tournament on the day of the event following Luke Humphries’ withdrawal.
Stephen Bunting survived a dramatic deciding leg against Danny Noppert. After both players missed opportunities to close out the match, Bunting checked out 160 under severe pressure to seal a 6-5 victory.
| Player | Opponent | Score | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luke Woodhouse | Dirk van Duijvenbode | 6 – 3 | 99.11 – 84.82 |
| Gerwyn Price | Rob Cross | 6 – 2 | 99.26 – 90.90 |
| Kim Huybrechts | Ryan Searle | 6 – 1 | 103.81 – 98.59 |
| Gian van Veen | Andrew Gilding | 6 – 4 | 95.21 – 93.62 |
| James Wade | Damon Heta | 5 – 6 | 96.48 – 91.48 |
Second Round Fixtures and Broadcast Schedule in Dortmund
Fixtures include Ryan Joyce against Jermaine Wattimena, Krzysztof Ratajski against Dave Chisnall, Nathan Aspinall against Cristo Reyes, Jonny Clayton against Niko Springer, Luke Littler facing William O’Connor, and Kevin Doets meeting Michael van Gerwen, alongside Josh Rock facing Chris Dobey. Live broadcasts are available via DAZN and Sport1, with tournament prize money totaling £750,000, including £150,000 awarded to the eventual champion, £80,000 for the runner-up, £50,000 for the semi-finalists, £35,000 for the quarter-finalists, and £20,000 for the last 16. Match formats span Best of 11 Legs for the opening round, Best of 19 Legs for the second round and quarter-finals, and Best of 21 Legs for the semi-finals and final.
Whether Gian van Veen can sustain his momentum through the longer formats of the weekend—moving to Best of 19 Legs in the second round—will be clear as the tournament progresses toward the finals on October 25, 2026.