Belgian Darts Open Saturday evening Round-Up | Littler, Humphries and Van Gerwen survive tests as Rock's woes confounded by Huybrechts brilliance in Wieze
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Luke Littler, Luke Humphries and Michael van Gerwen all made it through to the final day of action at the Belgian Darts Open in Wieze albeit all were made to work for it in tough examinations some of which was of their own making.
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While James Wade and Stephen Bunting were the big casualties. Mike de Decker too didn't give the home crowd at the Belgian Darts Open much to shout about as he was beaten by Niels Zonneveld.
Littler faced off against Boris Krcmar and not a certain Raymond van Barneveld after the Croat strutted his stuff last night but he looked to be strutting to the airport as Littler acted as baggage handler in the opening few legs to ease to the brink.
He opened with a 16-darter and a 12-dart break for 2-0 followed. But he was 5-0 up in no-time at all as he hit a 94 checkout and 119 en route to going one away but Krcmar wasn't done yet and prolonged his stay for at least a few legs. He hit a 125 to avert the whitewash and had freedom from there. He broke and was throwing for 5-3. But despite that, Littler managed to slam the door shut of any revival as he moves into the final day comfortably albeit with some late leg drama.
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Van Gerwen and Humphries through after tricky tests
Michael van Gerwen too wasn't at his free flowing best but he faced an opponent like Krcmar who is a bit of a one to watch always in Mickey Mansell. Albeit it seems Mansell had his spring in his step when facing Michael Smith who he continued his war of words with this morning on social media and while MVG watched on by his daughter Zoe wasn't at his free flowing best, he was still pretty comfortable.
To start, A 161 checkout from Mansell was missed on the bull but MVG missed 102 on double 16 and Mansell hit double two for 1-1. Mansell missed 71 but more golden chances went for MVG and Mansell pinned double 12 though by accident chasing double 20 and MVG returned only to miss double 10 again. Mansell finally hit double 20 for 2-1.
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Mansell made it 2-2 but missed 161 on the bull again. Van Gerwen returned for 60 to make it 3-2 and break throw. Double 10 saw Van Gerwen go 4-2 up and he held for 5-3 with a 70 checkout before completing the job with a 114 checkout.
Michael van Gerwen through to final day.
Luke Humphries saw off Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-4 but it didn't really tell the full story as 'Cool Hand Luke' underwent a bit of an examination in the later stages with The Titan who averaged 77 to start the game initially falling way behind before finally finding his game.
This coincided with Humphries semi-wilting and his gamed didn't show the signs it did early. But he managed to get over the line lamenting that he can't hit the heights of 105-107 while still actually playing pretty steady darts. To start Humphries was given a nice freebie as Van Duijvenbode lamented missed chances. Double eight pinned and a break for Humphries saw him go 2-0 up. Double 16 for Humphries saw him go 3-0 up holding throw and halfway to the finish. Double 18 followed as he snuck 4-0 ahead and was two away from the win as Van Duijvenbode was averaging just 77.
A 63 checkout for Van Duijvenbode followed who was finally on the board with a break. A 180 too started the next leg but Van Duijvenbode was broken as Humphries went 5-1 up.
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Humphries missed three darts at 80 and back came Van Duijvenbode to break again for 5-2. Van Duijvenbode held with a 60 checkout to make it 5-3 to answer the question again. Van Duijvenbode missed the bull for 132 but Humphries couldn't pin 160 so suddenly Van Duijvenbode broke for 5-4 and was throwing for a decider but Humphries missed 128 not pinning the second double 18. He left it handy in case Van Duijvenbode didn't hit 112. He got the treble and took aim at double 16 but missed it and Humphries hit double 20 to win.
Mixed fortunes for home hopes and big names
To start the night, James Wade was well beaten as the revival of the Spartan, Cristo Reyes continues. A 95 average for the Spaniard who hit two 180's and 6/13 on the doubles and is into the final day. His combination finishing in particular was a sight to behold as he hit 87 and 58 to go 2-1 up and despite missing 75, he returned to break for 3-1. A 97 checkout for Reyes saw him surge into a 4-1 lead as Wade was sinking fast. A break back for Wade followed but his revival was cut short as Reyes won 6-2.
Jonny Clayton has led the Premier League this season and has even through gout been utterly brilliant but he was nearly bolted from the tournament as Sebastian Bialecki handed him a scare. He ended up winning through 6-3 after being 3-2 down with The Ferret having to pull the afterburners out the tank to win the last few legs.
Jonny Clayton continues form just about.
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But the main results apart from the big names came from the Belgian contingent. Mike de Decker was slumped out by Niels Zonneveld, Kim Huybrechts came through past Josh Rock. While Andy Baetens delighted with Stephen Bunting again losing to a home hero just as he did last time to Niko Springer.
Baetens did his best to throw it away but just about got over the line. He missed three darts to break but he returned finally on double 18. A 50 checkout from Baetens who made it 2-0. Bunting though finally held on double one for 2-1. Baetens pinned double 10 to make it 3-1 to hold but Bunting was back to hold himself on double 16 for 3-2 down.
A 76 checkout for Baetens to go 4-2 up followed. Bunting broke back with an 81 checkout to make it 4-4 and he was now throwing for 5-4. But missing chance after chance, Baetens missed two at double 18 but returned eventually for double four. Baetens missed 124 on the bull to win. But he returned after Bunting missed two darts to stay in it to seal the win.
De Decker lost to Zonneveld who keeps rising and rising as of late with a 6-5 loss for the former World Grand Prix champion. De Decker went 3-2 up after early breaks and held for 4-2 on double 17. But a 70 checkout saw Zonneveld hold for 5-4 and he hit 87 to break and send it all the way at 5-5. A 54 checkout then saw him win it.
Kim Huybrechts brilliance in Wieze.
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While in the last game of the night, it looked very likely that Josh Rock would win early on against Kim Huybrechts but his owes continue after his Premier League winless run against a player who himself had a horror show on the darting roadshow.
Rock missed 102 on double 16 for a break and Huybrechts pinned double two for a hold to go 1-0 up. A 92 checkout and double 16 for Rock who held and broke for 2-1. A 77 checkout for an 11-darter for Rock to go 3-1 up but he missed 97 for 4-1 and Huybrechts held for 3-2 down.
A 17 darter on double five for Rock to make it 4-2 saw him go two away but the twist came. Rock missed 116 for a break and eventually after missing dart after dart, Huybrechts held on double two. 4-4 for Huybrechts who broke on double 16. From so good for Rock to potential trouble. Huybrechts was throwing for 5-4 which he got.
Rock missed three darts to hold but Huybrechts missed a dart to win and Rock returned only to miss darts to send it all the way and Huybrechts won on double 20.
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- Ultimately it is a bye for whoever draws Barney. It will be another stroppy and sulky performance once he goes behind. Barney was excellent but really must completely call it a day now.richieburnettrocks07-11-2026
- I'm disappointed he was not able to secure a spot at the Grand Slam. With Carl Sneyd taking care of Daryl Gurney, he would have had to beat Andy Boulton before facing the winner of Sneyd vs Mensur Suljović for a Grand Slam spot. Unfortunately, after beating Filip Bereza comfortably, he succumbed to Boulton, and the board would ultimately be won by the highly inconsistent Carl Sneyd. Since he could instead have been drawn against the likes of Cristo Reyes, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Stephen Bunting, I think once Gurney was out of the picture he would have been favourite to win his board, and it seems like a massive missed opportunity to put 5 grand on his ranking and seal another major TV appearance ahead of the Worlds. The highs and lows of following Raymond van Barneveld!Deduce635806-11-2026
- Probably i will receive a lot of backlash and hate for this reaction, but well, so be it. I am more than sick and tired of those lies of you Barry Hearn. How dare you defend yourself over the back of Fallon’s son! He has a disability and not an illness, so let me correct that for you! I know because I have the exact same disability. I have tried to reach out to Fallon in the past, and offered her to help her and her son, because I was struggling with the same problems, and I understood the boy. I wanted him to have finally someone who understood him. However she told me that she did not want my help, and I have respected Fallon’s choice. I have never asked Fallon for money. They don’t need money in that case. I only ever wanted the best for Fallon and Rory, but I have to be honest about the situation. Fallon should tell the true story and not be forced to tell lies. I don’t hate Fallon, and I don’t begrudge or envy a single penny that she gets, but this situation/case is just not fair. I hate the lies and the dishonesty and injustice. I don’t want Fallon to be hated because there is an unfair disadvantage created. Don’t proclaim your false lies over the back of Rory! I only stand for integrity and justice. I am precisely the one who always sticks up for Fallon. And you don't, you don't give a damn about them. You were never there for them, and now you only want to save your own position! You are just trying to talk your way out of your own bad behavior at the expense of someone with a disability. And to Fallon, I don’t know if this may ever reach you, and you read it, but I want you to know I love you and I love your son Rory very much, I am sorry how things developed and went. I hope you and Harriet are still friends. I am sorry if I were too persistent to you, or you experienced it that way, but it was never my intention. Please understand I have autism as well. As Barry Hearn would say, I am only just a human being too, and I also make mistakes and misjudge things sometimes. I promise you I did everything out of the deepest love and care for you and Rory. If I were you, I should just keep all the money, only please never be dishonest or tell lies anymore for Barry Hearn, or anyone else. I hope you have the best life, and I wish nothing more than the best for you. I have always loved the two of you. Farewell.Hiddo05-11-2026
- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026