The second round line-up continues to take shape at the European Championship with Jonny Clayton continuing his form with a superb victory over Chris Dobey as Friday night begins in Dortmund.
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Clayton impressed last week in Prague with his finishing in particular setting the tournament alight and was a welcome sight for fans of the Welshman. He finished with a flourish with an 84 on the bull.
But he pinned 7 180's and sealed the win 6-4 against 'Hollywood'. He broke immediately in the tie going 2-0 up and continued to build on that. Albeit he missed chances to go 4-1 up albeit he won the legs on his throw hitting a 96 checkout with Dobey looming large for 4-2. A 76 checkout saw Clayton go one away and he finished it on his next throw with that 84.
While Danny Noppert has qualified for the second round at the European Darts Championship for the fourth year in a row. ‘The Freeze’ joined Michael van Gerwen and Dirk van Duijvenbode in the last sixteen by winning his opening match against Joe Cullen.
It is the sixth time Noppert has competed in the European Darts Championship. In his first two participations in 2018 and 2020, the darter from Joure was eliminated in the first, but after that Noppert made it to at least the quarterfinals each time. Last year, the former UK Open champion even reached the semi-finals.
However, that was also the last time Noppert achieved a good result at a ranking major. This season, he won just one match at the UK Open, while at the World Darts Championship, the World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix it was instant exit.
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Noppert broke Cullen right away in the first leg with a 40 finish, and after Cullen missed chances for a rebreak, it became 2-0 for the Frisian. That margin remained in place for a while, until Noppert posted a second break in the seventh leg for a 5-2 lead. The Dutchman then held his own leg, allowing him to take on Josh Rock or Mike de Decker in the second round of this tournament.
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CLAYTON UP AND RUNNING 💪
Jonny Clayton sees off Chris Dobey in the opening round of the Machineseeker European Championship with a 6-4 victory.
An 84 checkout on the bull to win it 🎯
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