Dutch Darts Championship Sunday Afternoon Round-up | Gian van Veen leads title charge as Price and Aspinall crash out

The final day of the 2026 European Tour began at the Dutch Darts Championship. It was a lively atmosphere in Maastricht with eight last-16 ties being played. The quarter-final lineup has been confirmed, with a lot of Dutch representation on home soil while some more top names falling short of the prize.

After averaging 120.24 yesterday, Gian van Veen was on top of the world. He was again back in action against a home crowd and had no issue in disposing of Brendan Dolan 6-1.

He would not reach the record-breaking numbers of yesterday, but it was still a commendable performance. ‘The History Maker’ came off the reserve list after Rob Cross pulled out and made an impression in the first leg with a break of throw. That was the only leg van Veen has lost in this tournament, and he took it personally. He broke back instantly before a 75 checkout put him 3-1 to the good. Two legs later, a brilliant 146 finish saw him move one away, and he had no issue in getting it done.

There was more Dutch delight as Niels Zonneveld stunned Gerwyn Price 6-4 to send one of the big title favourites packing. ‘The Iceman’ trailed 3-1 in the early stages, but a 109 checkout got him back on throw before making it three legs on the spin to lead 4-3. He had darts to lead 5-3 and 5-4, but they were wasted as ‘Tripple Z’ made him pay. It is the first time Zonneveld has made Sunday in his last 10 European Tour appearances, and it is a fourth quarter-final in 2026.

Stephen Bunting’s European Championship aspirations were confirmed after defeating Cameron Menzies 6-2 in the second round. He was looking to reach the last session in a European Tour event for the first time since the Poland Darts Open at the start of 2026, and did so with a commanding 6-1 victory against Nathan Aspinall

After a brace of holds, Aspinall almost took out a stunning 170 finish, narrowly missing the bull to break. He wasted more chances to nick the upper hand as Bunting cleaned up 25. A 70 checkout in two was backed up with a commendable hold, and ‘The Bullet’ stormed into a 4-1 lead. ‘The Asp’ was not playing at his best level, and Bunting was all over it. Two missed darts for an 89 checkout was Aspinall's last involvement in the tie as Bunting pinned double six to remain in contention for a third European Tour title.

There will be more English involvement in the evening session. Ryan Searle did brilliantly to keep his cool in the second round against Dirk van Duijvenbode and a partisan Dutch crowd. He repeated those heroics in another hard fought 6-4 win over Ross Smith. The first six legs were holds, with a 104 checkout from ‘Smudger’ getting him back on level terms. Then, he found what could have been the pivotal break. This was not the case. A terrific 150 from Searle was then followed up before threatening a nine-darter. This timely burst ended on double 19 as ‘Heavy Metal’ secured a spot in the quarter-finals.

Danny Noppert and Jermaine Wattimena are two of the players in the field searching for a maiden European Tour title. In the Dutch derby in Maastricht, it was Noppert who keeps his hopes alive after a 6-3 win. The solitary break of throw went the way of ‘The Freeze’ in the fourth leg in the midst of a three-leg burst which ended with a 145 checkout to lead 4-1. Wattimena was unable to muster up a response, and a 12-dart hold culminated proceedings.

He sets up a last-eight fixture against Luke Woodhouse, who is setting his sights on a second European Tour title after seeing off William O’Connor 6-4. ‘Woody’ got a break of throw from the off, as he extended his lead to 3-1. A 134 finish by the Irishman closed the gap, but the break deficit was still there. It finally vanished in the eighth leg, but Woodhouse fought back and would throw it out. O’Connor missed darts on the outer ring to send it the distance, and it is a fourth quarter-final in 2026 on the European Tour.

Wessel Nijman averaged 88 yesterday compared to Cristo Reyes’ 110.26. However, it was a new day, and Nijman was able to up his game to win 6-3. The pair traded blows in the opening legs with breaks of throw a piece. An 81 finish by Nijman made it three breaks from four and he blasted himself ahead. ‘The Spartan’ was not able to find any sort of response against the throw and Nijman reached a first quarter-final on the PDC Tour since the end of August.

Martin Schindler will leave Maastricht satisfied with the work put in. He secured a return to the European Championship, but his Dutch Darts Championship campaign ended at the hands of Damon Heta in a 6-4 loss, despite averaging over 104. Schindler began with a 10-dart hold before breaking. Heta responded and restored parity at 2-2 before making it three on the spin on double 10. ‘The Wall’ managed to get himself back in contention, moving 4-3 ahead. From then, the Aussie produced some tidy checkouts of 81 and 97 before taking out 59 on tops to end Schindler’s run with a 102.5 average.