Baltic Sea Darts Open Friday evening Round-Up | Cameron Menzies sweeps Cross with 108 average as Cullen, Bialecki and O'Connor star
PDC
Cameron Menzies v Rob Cross headlined Friday's evening session in Kiel at the Baltic Sea Darts Open. Other ties included O'Connor v Reyes, Joe Cullen in action as well as Dirk van Duijvenbode involved.
ADVERTISEMENT
Menzies produced the best performance of the night as he saw off Rob Cross in a 6-4 win. In the tie, he averaged over 108 and hit six 180's as well as a high checkout of 170 with 6/15 on the doubles.
Cross started off with a break on double eight. But it was Menzies who was straight back on double 16 making it 1-1. Cross broke again on double 10 but the decisive moments followed as Menzies hit a 13-darter on double 20 then held with a 12-darter on double 16 with Cross way back for 3-2.
He made it 4-2 on double 10. Then pinned 170 for a great salvo as he headed towards the finish. Cross broke back for 5-3. But the Scot claimed the win on double 20 in the end. A player who now doubts will take a lot of confidence from this win, given he will make his World Cup of Darts debut in two weeks.
Dirk van Duijvenbode was also pretty emphatic as he saw off Paul Krohne, but he didn't need to be at his pure best as the German, who is often described as a bit of a dangerman who just doesn't commit to the sport, was poor. He was easily beaten 6-0 with a 78 average in the end.
Read also
He opened with a 92 checkout to seal the opening leg before doubling his tally on double 10 after Krohne had multiple darts to hold. But that kind of summed up Krohne's game as the German was then broken again as Van Duijvenbode went 4-0 up pinning 56 despite a 180 from Krohne. Van Duijvenbode was then afforded multiple opportunities to seal the 5-0 lead and eventually claimed it on double five. But he sealed the win on double 18 with Krohne not getting a single leg.
To start the session, it was Niels Zonneveld who also won through from a Dutch perspective as he saw off Richard Veenstra 6-4. Veenstra was broken early at 1-0 as Zonneveld took early impetus. He held on double 10 from there and continued to consolidate his break as he went 3-1 up on double 20. He went 4-2 up pinning 96 to go two away from the finish. Eventually he went one away at 5-3 but concluded on double eight to move through.
ADVERTISEMENT
Kevin Doets also moved through to continue his brilliant form. He saw off Lukas Wenig in a 6-3 win. Doets lost his throw early doors though as Wenig took out 160 to seal the opening leg. But immediately Doets broke straight back on double 16.
A 180 and double 14 for Doets followed by 66 to break for 3-1 saw the Dutchman go halfway to the finish. Doets was broken suddenly but he hit back immediately with Wenig unable to hold on his throw. Doets missed 81 for 5-2 but returned for the target and then sealed the win on 87 with Wenig unable to hit back as 'Hawkeye' upped the anti towards the end.
Cullen, O'Connor and Bialecki star
Joe Cullen also sealed the win as he saw off Marcel Hausotter. He claimed a 6-1 win over the German with one of the best performances of the session, averaging 92 in the process.
Cullen opened up with a 60 checkout then immediately broke throw pinning 112 to do so in style with Hausotter missing 101 to do so himself and Cullen picked his pocket for the lead. He held from there on 54 before breaking for 4-0 on 65 again with Hausotter missing darts to hold.
ADVERTISEMENT
He went 5-0 up from there but Hausotter spared his blushes to go 5-1 down only for Cullen to finish it with a 72 checkout. Cristo Reyes though is out falling in a horror draw to William O'Connor who won through 6-4 in the end with a 94 average.

Cristo Reyes out.
O'Connor went 2-1 up with a 170 checkout to break and despite being broken straight back, he managed to take it back when it mattered most at the end hitting 41 after Reyes had hit a 180 to leave 112 and he hit 41 to go 4-3 up. Broken again, he pinned 54 with Reyes missing darts to hold and he managed to seal the deal from there on double 20. Other wins to complete the session saw Sebastian Bialecki see off James Hurrell with a 100 average in a superb performance averaging 100 in the process while Niko Springer ended the night seeing off Nandor Major 6-2 to complete proceedings in Kiel.

Milly ThomsonLive Darts Blogger
Milly Thomson is an aspiring journalist with a deep-rooted passion for a wide range of sports, including football, darts, and cricket. She recently completed her university studies, earning a BA (Hons) in Football Business and Media—a degree that has given her a solid foundation in both the commercial and communications aspects of the sporting world.
Milly combines her academic background with her genuine enthusiasm for sports to produce engaging and insightful coverage across multiple disciplines. Her writing reflects a strong understanding of the games she follows, as well as a keen interest in the stories behind the athletes and events.
As she continues to grow in the field of journalism, Milly is committed to using her voice to inform, entertain, and connect with fellow sports fans. With a clear focus on developing her skills and expanding her portfolio, she is excited to contribute meaningful content to the wider sporting community.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- 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






