“Normally that thought actually gives me some peace of mind” – Thoughts of his young son leave Dirk van Duijvenbode unexpectedly nervous at the Dutch Darts Championship

Dirk van Duijvenbode made a convincing start to his Dutch Darts Championship campaign. The Dutchman beat James Hurrell 6-1 in front of his home crowd, against an opponent who had beaten him several times already this season. After the match, Van Duijvenbode told Viaplay that he had especially enjoyed the crowd’s support, although he also had a notable moment of distraction.

Van Duijvenbode did not make the start he had hoped for, but the Dutch darts fans soon got behind him. “It didn't start brilliantly, but the crowd gave me a bit of energy at the beginning, which was good,” he said afterwards.

The Dutchman then opened up a comfortable 5-0 lead, but nerves began to creep in just as victory came within reach. “I went 5-0 up, and in a way, I got a little nervous. Those were some really bad darts to win the match with. But I'm happy that I recovered from that by hitting a 12-darter. I don't think that's bad from me.”

Surprisingly, his young son played a part in the missed match darts. As he threw, Van Duijvenbode was thinking about his son, who was watching the match at home.

“There are things going through your head that might distract you a little bit. To be honest, I thought about my little boy watching me. I thought, 'Let's finish this off for him.' For some reason, that distracted me, because normally that thought actually gives me some peace of mind."

The solution, according to the Dutchman, was simple. “So I thought, 'We're not going to think about that any more.' I put it to one side, and then I threw a 12-darter, which was obviously great.”

Van Duijvenbode had also expected Hurrell to put up considerably more resistance. The Englishman had often had the better of him this season. “I expected to play a bit better in this match because he beats me quite often. I've lost to him three or four times this year, so I expected him to play well. When he didn't, that was actually a surprise, because you prepare yourself for that.”

That also changed his mindset during the match. “Perhaps that gives you a different mindset, and you start thinking, 'Okay, then I've got to roll him over.'"

Van Duijvenbode also praised the supporters in attendance. The crowd was not especially large, he said, but its enthusiasm more than made up for that. “It's fantastic. In terms of numbers, it wasn't a particularly big crowd, but they were really passionate and enthusiastic, which I loved. And you can see your friends sitting there. Sometimes there might only be 20 people watching, but if a few of your friends are there, that already makes it worthwhile."

“This time, everyone was enthusiastic, and I could see my friends too. You just get that lovely feeling,” a satisfied Van Duijvenbode concluded.