2018 UK Open Preview: Day Two

Has there ever been a madder day in the history of darts?

First, there was the drama of the storm. The Premier League was the first victim. Then 10 of the UK Open competitors. After them, incredibly, was the fans. Butlin's decided there was no room at the inn. In a dramatic twist, Martin Schindler's on-again, off-again pilgrimage to Minehead came to a positive conclusion. And then the darts started flying.
Dave Chisnall crashed out. So too did Adrian Lewis and Dimitri van den Bergh. Raymond van Barneveld and Simon Whitlock fell by the wayside. Then the huge shocks happened. Peter Wright bombed out, the defending champion undone by 18-year-old Nathan Rafferty. Then the unsinkable Michael van Gerwen was given a surprise of titanic proportions. Jeffrey de Zwaan did what so few have done recently. In doing so, he has blown this tournament wide open.
So what's to come? Day two sees the 32 players who have survived the storm, the snow and the shocks whittled down to eight. The fourth round features in the afternoon session, with the final 16 ties played in the evening. There are plenty of intriguing ties in the afternoon.

Coming up:

On the main stage, two big-scoring talents go head-to-head. Rob Cross, in search of his second major, takes on Kyle Anderson. That comes after a tie between fellow maximum machines Daryl Gurney and Kim Huybrechts, plus Gary Anderson and Ricky Evans looking to break land speed records. Corey Cadby rounds off the main stage action, as he looks to end the Martin Schindler fairytale.
Away from the glitz and glamour of a half-deserted Red's Bar, there's plenty of interesting fixtures. Jamie Hughes, who had the luck of receiving a bye yesterday, takes on Whitlock-felling Ian White. Jeffrey de Zwaan and Nathan Rafferty continue their campaigns against last amateur standing, Paul Hogan, and Robert Owen respectively. John Part is capturing the imagination too after a return to winning ways at a major; Ron Meulenkamp will fancy his chances, but so too will Darth Maple.
Click here for a full breakdown of the UK Open prize money.

Fourth Round fixtures

Main Stage - Red's

Daryl Gurney v Kim Huybrechts
Gary Anderson v Ricky Evans
Rob Cross v Kyle Anderson
Corey Cadby v Martin Schindler

Board Three

Chris Dobey v Jason Lowe
Mervyn King v Jonny Clayton
Ryan Meikle v Michael Smith

Board Four

John Part v Ron Meulenkamp
Robert Owen v Nathan Rafferty
David Pallett v James Wade

Board Five

Steve West v Matthew Edgar
Keegan Brown v Krzysztof Ratajski
Dirk van Duijvenbode v Gerwyn Price

Board Six

Jamie Hughes v Ian White
Stephen Bunting v Jermaine Wattimena
Paul Hogan v Jeffrey de Zwaan