Schedule Friday night at Dutch Darts Championship 2025 | Cullen, Van Veen & Van Barneveld among star attractions as first round concludes

It’s Friday night at the Dutch Darts Championship 2025, and the stage is set for an exciting finale to the first round. Among the star names in action - Joe Cullen, Gian van Veen and the legendary Raymond van Barneveld.

Rosmalen now hosts what is the fifth edition of the Dutch Darts Championship. The tournament debuted in Maastricht in 2018, where Ian White claimed the title with an 8-5 win over Ricky Evans. Four years later, the event moved to Zwolle, where Michael Smith edged Danny Noppert 8-7 in a memorable final—still the only time a Dutchman has reached the final in this tournament’s history.

Since 2022, the Dutch Darts Championship has been a permanent fixture on the Euro Tour calendar, though its venue has changed frequently. In 2023, Leeuwarden played host, and Dave Chisnall lifted the trophy after beating Luke Humphries 8-5. Last year, the event moved to Rosmalen, where Josh Rock claimed the title by defeating Jonny Clayton 8-4—and he returns this year as the defending champion.
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The evening kicks off with an all-English showdown between Joe Cullen and Ryan Meikle. For Meikle, it’s his first Euro Tour appearance of the season. Cullen, on the other hand, has already featured in five events, making the final day in both Munich and Graz. The Rockstar also bagged a Players Championship title earlier this season, adding momentum to his campaign.

The first of the seven Dutchmen to take the stage is Maik Kuivenhoven, who qualified through the Tour Card qualifier last week. This marks his first Euro Tour appearance of the year—a much-needed opportunity after a quiet Pro Tour season so far.

Belgium is well represented too. Mike de Decker joins Kim Huybrechts and Mario Vandenbogaerde as the third Belgian in the draw. De Decker reached the Belgian Darts Open final earlier this season and has made two floor semi-finals. Although his form dipped slightly since, he bounced back with a quarter-final last week. He faces Mickey Mansell, who has had mixed results in his Euro Tour outings so far.

Scottish flair arrives in the form of Cameron Menzies. In top form on the Pro Tour, Menzies has reached three finals already this year and won his second PDC ranking title in April. Having quit his plumbing job to focus solely on darts, he’s aiming to take the next big step. He meets Wesley Plaisier, a Tour Card qualifier who’s had a subdued season compared to last year, when he made his mark as a non-cardholder.

He’s followed later by Gian van Veen, who was invited based on his ranking. Van Veen has shown flashes of brilliance, reaching the final at the German Darts Grand Prix earlier this year. However, his Euro Tour form has been inconsistent, with four second-round exits. Originally scheduled to face Gerwyn Price in the second round, Van Veen—or his opponent Boris Krcmar—will now take on William O’Connor following Price’s withdrawal.

Another familiar face returns to the Euro Tour after six years away: Jerry Hendriks, who made it through the Host Nation Qualifier. His reward? A matchup against Dutch legend Raymond van Barneveld. With World Matchplay qualification on the line, every win counts for Barney. The five-time world champion has already reached the final day at two Euro Tour events this season and will be eyeing another deep run on home soil.

Dirk van Duijvenbode, no longer needing to qualify thanks to his ranking, will also be in action. The 'Aubergenius' is coming off a semi-final run at the European Darts Grand Prix and two recent floor quarter-finals. He’ll be heavily favored against Teemu Harju, who earned his spot via the Nordic & Baltic qualifier.

The night concludes with Jermaine Wattimena taking on rising German star Niko Springer. 'The Machine Gun' has had a strong season on the floor, making at least the second round in 19 of 22 Pro Tour events, along with two quarter-finals and five last-16 finishes. Springer, a new Tour Card holder, is also making waves and looks well on track to qualify for the World Championship.

The tournament will be broadcast by PDC TV. As usual with Euro Tour tournaments, the Dutch Darts Championship consists of three tournament days. The afternoon sessions start daily at 12 p.m., while the evening sessions start at 6 p.m.

The first round will take place on Friday. The 16 Pro Tour players are then paired with one of the 16 players who managed to get through the various qualifying tournaments. The top-16 seeded players enter the tournament on Saturday in the second round. The denouement of the tournament follows on Sunday, with the third round first in the afternoon session. Sunday night the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals will follow.

All participants starting from the first round are guaranteed £1250 in prize money, while the top-16 enter from the second round and receive £2,500 anyway. This amount eventually rises to the grand prize of £30,000 for the winner.

An important detail is that players who are automatically seeded via the Order of Merit and lose their first match will not be awarded prize money on the various rankings. This does apply to qualifiers who are later designated as seeded by the withdrawal of others.

Joe Cullen v Ryan Meikle

Daryl Gurney v Maik Kuivenhoven

Mike De Decker v Mickey Mansell

Cameron Menzies v Wesley Plaisier

Gian van Veen v Boris Krcmar

Raymond van Barneveld v Jerry Hendriks

Dirk van Duijvenbode v Teemu Harju

Jermaine Wattimena v Niko Springer