Danny Noppert followed compatriots Gian van Veen, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Raymond van Barneveld into the last sixteen at the
European Darts Matchplay in Trier on Saturday night.
Although Noppert himself missed some crucial doubles earlier in the match, he did get some unintentional help from his opponent James Wilson in the final stages of the match.
In the final leg, Wilson had three darts in his hands to win the match, but he failed to win through.
Indeed, Wilson had 10 left after 12 darts, and decided to split this finish. However, that went completely wrong. The first dart ended up in the double 2. Wilson then wanted to try to split again but accidentally put his second arrow in the triple 2, no score. That gift was unwrapped by Noppert, who hit 78 for the match.
Martin Schindler provided the only German success in the second round. After defeats to Ricardo Pietreczko and Gabriel Clemens, Schindler won 6-3 and was too strong for Callan Rydz in the last 32.