The defending European Champion has lost in the first round the last four years ❓2023 … Pietreczko🇩🇪 🏆2022 R. Smith🏴 ❌2022 5-6 Wade🏴 🏆2021 Cross🏴 ❌2021 3-6 Hempel🇩🇪 🏆2020 Wright🏴 ❌2020 3-6 Kleermaker🇳🇱 🏆2019 Cross🏴 ❌2019 0-6 Clayton🏴 🏆2018 Wade🏴
Recent curse threatens defending champion Ross Smith at European Championship
PDCTuesday, 24 October 2023 at 19:00
Ross Smith is the defending champion at the European Championship this week. 'Smudger' managed to take the title in surprising fashion last year in Dortmund by defeating Michael Smith in the final.
Smith showed good form last weekend ahead of his hunt for title prolongation by winning the 28th Players Championship tournament of the season in Barnsley.
For the Englishman, the 2023 European Championship begins on Friday night with a first-round match against Ricardo Pietreczko. In doing so, Smith hopes to rid himself of a curse that defending champions at the European Championship have faced in recent years.
Indeed, the four previous winners of the European Championship were invariably eliminated in the first round of the subsequent edition. James Wade was the best in 2018, but lost in the first round to Jonny Clayton in 2019.
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Rob Cross took the title in 2019, but could draw a line in 2020 right away after a defeat against Martijn Kleermaker. The 2020 edition was won by Peter Wright, who then lost to Florian Hempel in 2021. Cross again captured the title at the European Darts Championship in 2021, but then went down against Wade in the first round in 2022.
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- I completely agree with Vincent's comments on "whistlegate". It's great to have someone with Vincent's exprience address this issue, so hopefully clearer and stricter guidlelines can be given to referees, security and members of the crowd. No whistling during throws, and something like: whistlers evicted and fined a hefty sum.
UndartedWaters19-11-2024 - Luke Littler played incredible darts yesterday in the semi-final and the final, heralding a new era of darts (along with some of the other brilliant young players who are emerging). And yet, at Luke's celebration feast, de Decker's ghost is Banquo to Littler's Macbeth, mournfully looking on.UndartedWaters18-11-2024
- Am not outraged and as said above i dont like anyone from any country doing it to anyone from any country. Whoever is going for a double should have best of order.Mysstree17-11-2024
- Say what? It happens in other countries; Littler in January - this year (Holland), go and watch the evidence on YouTube. If it is going to be done to English players, then we are more than entitled to dish the same back when players face off in England. When it happened to Littler in Holland in January... where was your outrage then? ABE attitude.MrYnyslas197117-11-2024
- I dont like individuals or crowds trying to put any player off when they are trying to check out, how anyone can think its okay for the crowd to whistle or shout as someone is throwing for a double is beyond me but it does seem to have become part and parcel of the modern game. I no longer play now, darts is as good as dead at a local level round my way but when i did play many years ago, no matter how intense the rivalry you never shouted out or whistled when an opponent from the other team was throwing for a double.Mysstree17-11-2024