Hildesheim gets a double dose of “Hollywood”: Chris Dobey beats Martin Schindler in the final and completes back-to-back exhibition triumphs in front of over 4,000 fans

The legendary Halle39 in Hildesheim made its comeback on the big darts stage last weekend. At the premiere of the Winamax Hildesheim Darts Gala, the storied venue, which had to bid farewell to the PDC calendar in October 2025 with the last German Darts Championship for the time being, returned to the spotlight in style with a star-studded double-header.

One player, above all, took center stage across both gala nights: Chris Dobey. He stamped his authority on the weekend and clinched the title on both Friday and Saturday in front of over 4,000 fans.

The opening night began with the group matches. In Group A, Martin Schindler launched the tournament with a commanding 4-0 win over Devon Petersen. At the same time, Raymond van Barneveld opened his evening in Group B with a 4-2 victory over compatriot Dirk van Duijvenbode.

Petersen’s tough start continued shortly afterwards. The South African also lost heavily to Chris Dobey, going down 0-4. In Group B, crowd favorite Nathan Aspinall then took to the stage and edged out van Barneveld 4-3 in a tight contest.

The showdown between the two leaders followed in Group A. There, Dobey beat Germany’s number one Martin Schindler 4-2 to secure top spot in the group. In Group B, van Duijvenbode won the final match 4-3 against Aspinall, who still topped the group.

The first semifinal pitted English compatriots Nathan Aspinall and Chris Dobey against each other. Dobey held the upper hand 4-2 to reach the final. There he faced Martin Schindler, who had edged Raymond van Barneveld 4-3 in a thrilling second semifinal.

The final turned into a close affair. In the end, Dobey edged “The Wall” 4-3 to secure the title on the first gala night in Hildesheim.

Chris Dobey remained the benchmark on Saturday as well. In Group A, Devon Petersen first suffered another clear defeat, losing 0-4 to Dirk van Duijvenbode. In Group B, Arno Merk was the German Tour Card holder this time. He lost his opening match 1-4 to Raymond van Barneveld.

Petersen’s unfortunate weekend then continued. In his fourth and final match across the two days, he again failed to win a leg and lost 0-4 to Dobey once more. Merk fared much better against Nathan Aspinall but also came up just short, losing narrowly 3-4.

Group A was wrapped up by another strong display from Dobey. With a 4-0 over van Duijvenbode, the he again secured the group wins. In Group B, van Barneveld beat Aspinall 4-2 to advance to the knockout phase as group winner.

In the first semifinal, Dobey followed up his previous day’s triumph with another show of force. “Hollywood” swept past Aspinall 4-0 to reach the final again. Shortly after, Dirk van Duijvenbode completed the lineup with a 4-2 victory over van Barneveld.

Dobey left no doubt in the final either. With a clear 4-0 win over van Duijvenbode, the Englishman sealed the double and crowned himself undisputed champion of the debut weekend at the Winamax Hildesheim Darts Gala.

Following the events in Wetzlar, Frankfurt, Leipzig, at the Nürburgring, in Neu-Ulm, Bamberg, Magdeburg, and Mannheim, the Hildesheim Darts Gala was already the ninth stop of this year’s PDC Europe gala series. While these events carry no ranking or competitive status, many top players still use the evenings specifically to gain stage reps and connect with the crowd.

In 2026, PDC Europe will continue its gala series as well. After the successful stop in Hildesheim, fans can look forward to events in Bremen, Jena, Cologne, and another double-header in Lingen, among others.