Partners in the World Cup of Darts this past week, they both surged through with Noppert freezing out Michael van Gerwen who looked good after returning earlier than planned from surgery but fell in a 6-4 defeat with six 180's for 'The Freeze'.
Noppert began with a 46 checkout on double 18 in 11 darts before Van Gerwen replied with a 141 checkout at 1-1. The former hit a 120 checkout to make it 2-1 with both averaging over 110.
Van Gerwen hit double eight to hold again at 2-2. Noppert had a look at the nine-darter but a scruffy visit allowed MVG some hope as the former only got down to 105.
‘The Freeze’ finally missed a double but Van Gerwen couldn’t hit 170 so he hit double 10 to make it 3-2. A 90 checkout saw Noppert break to go 4-2 up.
He missed double 20 from 71 for a 5-2 lead and Van Gerwen picked his pocket with a 72 checkout to break back. It was parity with a 62 to make it 4-4.
Noppert went one away by pinning double 12 at 5-4. Noppert left 81 on the Van Gerwen throw after nine darts and missed the bull for the match only for MVG to screw up 35 and hand ‘The Freeze’ the match.
While it was Peter Wright who was defeated by Van Duijvenbode who like his World Cup partner delighted the home crowd with a superb 6-3 win.
This featured six 180's, a 95 average despite only 28.6% on the doubles for the pumped Dutchman.
A 92 checkout saw Van Duijvenbode lead early with a hold of throw. He had darts to break and go 2-0 up but missed three at double eight which allowed Wright back to hold.
‘The Titan’ returned and hit a 180 to kick off his throw. Van Duijvenbode missed the bull for a 123 checkout but wasn’t punished and returned for a 25 checkout to go 2-1 up.
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He was on a nine dart finish following that but missed treble 19 before throwing the dart in the air and catching it. Before he finally hit double eight for a 13-darter to make it 3-1. Van Duijvenbode went 4-1 up hitting double 16.
Van Duijvenbode continued to play superbly only to miss chances to break again and Wright pinned 86 on the bull to make it 4-2.
A 180 followed by 46 saw Van Duijvenbode get his surge back on track as he went one away. Both exchanged 180’s but a 135 left 47 for Van Duijvenbode who sealed the deal at 6-3.
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
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NOPPERT WINS!!
A horrible missed dart from Michael van Gerwen as he looks to save himself, and Noppert keeps his cool to round out a 6-4 victory!
Some performance from the UK Open champion!