Dutch Darts Masters 2019 preview and schedule - Friday evening session

There's a meeting between two Lakeside finalists, for one. Steve Beaton is a member of the world champions' guild. And he's also the form horse among the round one competitors at the Dutch Darts Masters. Beaton has been impressive in the European events - a title may not be far away. His first round opponent is Alan Norris, who performed well at the World Championship and has shown promise in early 2019 despite hugely trying circumstances away from the oche. This is a tough opener for Beaton. Dennis Nilsson flies the flag for the Nordic & Baltic region in a first round meeting with a home qualifier - Sweden's World Cup player takes on Dutch debutant Erik Hol. That's followed by an all-English affair, as Mervyn King locks horns with Luke Woodhouse. Krzysztof Ratajski versus Gerwyn Price would definitely be an interesting second round tie. The pair have some previous. But we're getting too far ahead of ourselves here. The Pole must first see off Ross Smith, something which plenty of top players have found tricky in recent months.

Unfortunately, there's a short delay before we get to enjoy a Vincent van der Voort post-match rant, as he has to play first. The Dutchman meets Andy Boulton, whose views on the PDC and tournament structure are as of yet unknown.
The first round tie that immediately stood out when it was drawn was Max Hopp's meeting with Nathan Aspinall. Hopp is a European Tour specialist - though that does a disservice to some excellent Players Championship performances. Aspinall, meanwhile, is a bona fide major champion, who has also sparkled on this tour. There should be plenty of big scores here.
Raymond van Barneveld is keen to go all the way at the Dutch Darts Masters. He has to start on the right note, and he does so against Eastern Europe hopeful Pal Szekely. The Hungarian is doing something this summer that Barney isn't; namely, attending the World Cup of Darts.
The evening's play ends with another home nation qualifier, Jimmy Hendriks, taking on Ritchie Edhouse. The winner of this tie will play Peter Wright on Saturday.
Click here for more information about the PDC European Tour, including the format, calendar and the prize fund breakdown.

Alan Norris v Steve Beaton Dennis Nilsson v Erik Hol Luke Woodhouse v Mervyn King Ross Smith v Krzysztof Ratajski Andy Boulton v Vincent van der Voort Max Hopp v Nathan Aspinall Pal Szekely v Raymond van Barneveld Ritchie Edhouse v Jimmy Hendriks