Just one Dutchman is seeded for the latest
European Tour installment. That happens to be the top seed, and winner of seven of the ten events played so far, Michael van Gerwen. A further six players from the Netherlands will descend upon Maastricht hoping to succeed on home soil. The question is; will Michael van Gerwen plow a lone furrow, or will more of the Dutch 'Magnificent Seven' launch an assault on the title?
Neither of the first two ties will feature a Dutch player. However, it's a cosmopolitan affair, with all four competitors hailing from different places. First is a Germany vs England clash, as Kevin Munch meets Darren Johnson. Then European Darts Matchplay finalist William O'Connor of the Republic of Ireland takes on Czech ace Karel Sedlacek. A win for O'Connor would set up a replay of that Hamburg final against van Gerwen.
Home fans can then start to get excited - Jelle Klaasen flies the flag first, meeting Welshman Barrie Bates. Rowby-John Rodriguez kicks off a few hours ahead of brother Rusty-Jake, and has a tough tie against Robert Marijanovic. Ryan Searle will want to bring his Players Championship 18 form to the Dutch Darts Championship - he plays Andy Boulton in round one.
Jan Dekker is the second Dutchman entering the fray. He'll take on Ricky Evans, with Toni Alcinas and Darius Labanauskas' match to follow. The Spaniard and Lithuanian make it nine nationalities represented in this opening session alone. The final tie of the afternoon wouldn't look amiss in a boxing ring; Josh Payne and Dirk van Duijvenbode are both big obstacles for the other to navigate.
Play starts at 12pm BST, and
PDC TV will be showing the action live (when the stream works, at least).
Click here for more information about this tournament.
12:00 Kevin Munch v Darren Johnson 12:30 Karel Sedlacek v William O'Connor 13:00 Barrie Bates v Jelle Klaasen 13:30 Rowby-John Rodriguez v Robert Marijanovic 14:00 Ryan Searle v Andy Boulton 14:30 Ricky Evans v Jan Dekker 15:00 Toni Alcinas v Darius Labanauskas 15:30 Josh Payne v Dirk van Duijvenbode