Preview Friday afternoon German Darts Championship: Menzies, Gilding and Nijman in action

From Friday, October 17 to Sunday, October 19, the last Euro Tour tournament of this season is coming up. As the fourteenth event, the German Darts Championship in Halle 39, Hildesheim, is the final of the European Tour. This is also the last chance for players to qualify for the European Darts Championship next week.

In total, the field of participants consists of 48 players and there is a total prize pool of 175,000 pounds to be divided. The winner will go home with an amount of 30,000 pounds. Last year, Peter Wright won the title by defeating Luke Littler 8-5 in the final.

Below we preview all eight matches from the first round scheduled for Friday afternoon, Oct. 17. With the European Darts Championship just around the corner, it promises to be a crucial weekend for some players. And with four Dutchmen on the oche in the afternoon session, there is plenty to look forward to.
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Wesley Plaisier takes on Cameron Menzies to start. Plaisier has only been to a Euro Tour tournament once before this year, and coincidentally Menzies was his opponent in the first round then as well. Back then, the Scot narrowly won the match 6-5. Menzies is ranked 22 on the European Tour Order of Merit and is therefore already sure of participation in the European Darts Championship. So both can play freely this weekend.

Niels Zonneveld also known as Triple Z' will take on Darius Labanauskas in his first match. For the Dutchman it will be his sixth tournament on the European Tour this year, but other than a spot in the last 16 during the fourth event he could not impress. The only way he could still qualify for the European Darts Championship is if he wins the tournament. For Labanauskas, like Plaisier, it will be his second participation this year. Like the Dutchman, the Latvian lost in his previous participation directly in the first round.

Next up is Dutch Swede Jeffrey de Graaf, who will battle Steve Lennon. De Graaf managed to win a Players Championship tournament this year, but on the European Tour he had only one participation. He was immediately eliminated in the first round. For Steve Lennon his Euro Tour season was not much different. He too played only one tournament this year and went down immediately in the first round.

Wessel Nijman will take on Martin Kramer. Nijman is one of the most successful Dutchmen on the Euro Tour this year. With a 15th place on the Order of Merit, he is right behind Gian van Veen and Michael van Gerwen, and is long assured of participating in the European Darts Championship next week. With a good result this weekend, he could improve his position slightly and possibly meet a more favorable opponent in the first round. Then he will first have to deal with the German Kramer, whom he already faced in the first round once before this year on the European Tour during the Baltic Sea Darts Open. The Dutchman was 6-3 too strong for his eastern neighbor.

After all this Dutch violence, it's time for an English showdown, as Ryan Joyce crosses swords with Justin Hood. Joyce is having a solid year on the European Tour. 'Relentless' missed only two tournaments this year and managed to reach the semi-finals and even the final once. This puts him in 16th place on the Order of Merit and makes him more than certain of participating in the European Championship. For Hood there is little at stake this weekend. The Englishman only played the Baltic Sea Darts Open this year, and managed to win one game there as well against Joe Cullen. However, he then lost 6-1 to Josh Rock.

Next up, two English players face off again. Luke Woodhouse and Tom Bissell will compete. For Woodhouse the same applies as for Joyce. He also had a great year on the European Tour and did not even miss a single tournament. To top it off, he even managed to reach the final of the last Euro Tour tournament, although he lost. But with a 17th place on the Order of Merit, he is already assured of a place at the European Darts Championship. Bissel has played twice before this year on the Euro Tour, and also won his first match. However, the Englishman did not make it past the second round, so there is little at stake for him this weekend.

Someone for whom the stakes are very high is Krzysztof Ratajski. The Pole currently occupies 32nd place on the European Tour Order of Merit, the last place that entitles him to a starting spot for the European Championship. However, he feels the hot breath of names such as Dave Chisnall, Joe Cullen and William O'Connor breathing down his neck. So the Pole will want to win at least one or two pots this weekend to increase his chances of participating next week. With Felix Springer, not Niko who recently won a Euro Tour tournament, 'The Polish Eagle' seems to have drawn the perfect player for this weekend. For the German it will be his debut on the European Tour, so we can't tell much about him. Either he succumbs to the pressure that allows Ratajski to whistlingly advance to the second round, or he plays freely and the Pole gets a real showdown. 'The Polish Eagle' will be hoping for the former with an eye on the European Championship next week.

Perhaps the top tie of the first afternoon session. Why? Because of their positions on the European Tour Order of Merit. Gilding is currently ranked 31 and is thus far from certain of a starting spot at the European Darts Championship. One of his challengers? Exactly: William O'Connor. The player who wins this match can keep hope of participating in the major tournament next week. The player who loses can almost certainly put the European Championship out of his mind. In the case of O'Connor, this is certainly the case. Should the Irishman lose, he can permanently fall out of the top-32. Should Gilding lose, he will need a minor miracle. If 'Goldfinger' loses, Ratajski and/or Chisnall must also lose their first match. Cullen then remains the only danger for the former UK Open winner. Should 'Rockstar' reach the quarterfinals, he could also pass Gilding with a first-round exit. So for both Gilding and O'Connor this is a real all-or-nothing match.