Hungarian Darts Trophy Saturday afternoon Round-up | Gary Anderson averages over 105, Rob Cross battles through as reigning champion exits

Day two of the Hungarian Darts Trophy saw a stacked lineup in store to delight the Budapest fans. This included former world champions Gary Anderson and Rob Cross taking to the oche with the reigning champion Niko Springer attempting to continue his title defence.

Gary Anderson had only played in two European Tour events this year, losing at the first hurdle in both of them. He finally got his first win in 2026 in some style, taking down Krzysztof Ratajski 6-2 while averaging 105.27 in a classy performance.

Anderson broke in the first leg before doubling his lead in a comfortable start. Similar to the first leg, Ratajski had darts at double to hold but could not find his intended target. A slip-up by the two-time world champion was not punished as double two secured him a double-break. Ratajski got on the board with a nice 81 checkout in two but was a passenger in the next leg as Anderson moved within one. He got over the line on tops in a statement return to the European Tour.

Cross again showed a lot of bottle and composure that was showed against Beau Greaves yesterday. Another 11-leg tussle went the way of the 2018 world champion who defeated an impressive Luke Woodhouse 6-5. After Cross began with a hold, four consecutive breaks followed. A 136 from Woodhouse to get back level was undone with some sloppy doubling with ‘Voltage’ reclaiming his lead. That did not last for long as Woodhouse ended the run of breaks with a 12-darter to leave the score at 3-3. Cross came perilously close to another 170 checkout as two legs later Woodhouse takes out another 136 outshot to break and move within one of the win.

Cross was unfortunate to face another world class performance in Budapest. He dealt with Greaves, and he would deal with Woodhouse as well thanks to a late flourish. He took out 72 in two after Woodhouse missed match darts before culminating events in a last-leg decider with a 130 finish on the bull.

Springer came to Budapest as the reigning champion after his heroic run from last year. That would not be repeated as Ryan Searle ended his chances of reclaiming the crown in Hungary with a 6-4 win. Springer exploded out of the blocks, but it was a 25-dart burst that saw Searle pin the bull for a 121 to break before backing it up with a 13-dart hold to lead 3-1. Two legs later and the 2025 winner was back level in a great response. ‘Heavy Metal’ got his break lead back as his tops hitting and big scoring was being shown to its fullest. A scrappy leg followed in which Searle moved one away from ending the title defence, and he got over the line on tops. This was only after Springer missed the bull for a 164 to set up a thrilling conclusion. That never occurred, and in blistering time Searle battles through.

Dave Chisnall was the second favourite coming into his clash against Wessel Nijman but rolled back the years with a fabulous 6-2 win while averaging over the ton mark in a relieving return to form. The former champion stormed out of blocks with a 3-0 lead his reward. Nijman could not keep up in the scoring phase, very uncharacteristically for the young Dutchman. A 13-dart hold got Nijman on the board, but ‘Chizzy’ stayed in control on throw. Chisnall eventually got out to a 5-2 lead and got over the line thanks to Nijman sloppily wasting attempts on the outer ring. Chisnall got back to winning ways with a commanding performance, and he will hope the first of many as he looks to get back to his best form.

From 4-0 down, Chris Dobey completed a commendable comeback against Tom Sykes to win 6-5. One of the best players not to win a European Tour, ‘Hollywood’ showed his fragile doubling as Sykes broke instantly. He secured a 3-0 lead with a terrific 104 finish on double 16 as he continued his cracking start. He dropped just one leg against Cameron Menzies the day before and threatened to produce a similar result with his first four doubles being pinned. Dobey rallied and won four legs in a row, breaking twice as he got on level terms with 'The Castleford Tiger.' Dobey made it five on the spin and led in an incredible turnaround. The Sykes level had plummeted and a steady Dobey showing was enough to seize the initiative. The comeback was complete as Dobey prolongs his quest for a maiden title on the European Tour.

After a disappointing World Series of Darts debut Down Under, Ross Smith battered William O’Connor 6-2 with a clinical display. O’Connor missed crucial chances that allowed Smith to blast ahead. He began with a 116 checkout before missed doubles for a 117 and 127 by the Irishman was capitalised by 100% checkout rate as ‘Smudger’ sprinted out into a 4-0 lead with a 112 outshot. Smith secured a third break before O’Connor got on the board with a 121 checkout on the bull. The comeback was eventually halted as Smith progresses with an eye-catching performance, averaging over 101 in the process.

After securing a third PDC ranking title in Leicester, Jermaine Wattimena continues his fine form with a 6-4 win against Andrew Gilding. The first seven legs of the match went the way of the person beginning the leg. Gilding had the first dart to break on the bull, but it was missed. A leg later, ‘The Machine Gun’ capitalised on an off leg for the former UK Open champion and took a 5-3 lead via double 16. His clinical showing on the outer ring was getting rewarded, but a match dart missed for a 108 checkout would get punished as Gilding instantly broke back. However, Wattimena shows his class by leaving 16 after nine and going out in 11 to wrap up proceedings.

More joy for the Dutch darters as Danny Noppert defied the former European champion Ritchie Edhouse 6-4 following a purple patch in the middle of the tie. The first four legs were holds, but from then Noppert upped the gears. A 13-dart break was backed with a 12-dart hold as he made it four legs on the spin in 53 darts to break once more, moving 5-2 to the good. ‘The Freeze’ buckled at the end with six missed match darts allowing Edhouse to close the gap to 5-4. However, in the end Noppert nailed tops as he targets to go one step further than last year.