"It’s hard not to feel irritated” - Gian van Veen falls flat in front of home crowd at Dutch Darts Championship 2025
PDCSunday, 25 May 2025 at 11:00
There was no joy for Gian van Veen at the 2025 Dutch Darts Championship, as the 23-year-old Dutchman suffered a surprise first-round exit at the hands of Boris Krcmar. Despite strong home support in Rosmalen, Van Veen was edged out 6-5 in a tense encounter.
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The rising star received a rapturous reception at the Autotron venue, something he admitted was a new and emotional experience. “I was welcomed so warmly — it was a first for me,” Van Veen told Sportnieuws.nl. “Michael [van Gerwen] and Raymond [van Barneveld] are used to that kind of reception, but for me, it was overwhelming. I needed a moment to recover during those first two legs.”
The atmosphere reached fever pitch during Van Veen’s walk-on to ‘Losse Pols’, with the crowd’s cheers so loud that he couldn’t even hear his name being announced.
“There were so many people around me screaming that I just thought, ‘The music’s started — I guess I should walk.’ It was incredible, something you don’t experience often. Unfortunately, it only happened once this weekend. I needed to settle myself during the match, which made the loss even more frustrating.”
Gian van Veen in action
When asked whether he might add a dance to his walk-on in future, Van Veen chuckled.
“No, I’ll just stick to playing darts,” he said with a smile.
Van Veen had taken a 5-4 lead and looked to be in control, but Krcmar fought back to force a decider. In the final leg, the Croatian was loudly booed by the partisan Dutch crowd — an experience Van Veen is no stranger to himself when playing abroad.
“This time it was the other way around,” he reflected. “He was being booed, and I just thought, ‘Please miss that double two.’ But he hit it.”
The defeat clearly stung.
“I was just really frustrated with how I played today,” Van Veen admitted. “Especially in front of your home fans, you want to deliver a great performance. And when you don’t, it’s hard not to feel irritated.”
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Kieran WoodDarts Journalist
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.
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