It's time for the last sixteen of the European Darts Championship. Saturday afternoon the first four matches from the second round will be played and what a wonderful program awaits us.
A former Lakeside champion and seven PDC major winners appear on stage Saturday afternoon in the Westfalenhallen. The first match is immediately one to make your mouth water; Chris Dobey against Stephen Bunting. Two players who are currently in excellent form and both will see a good chance to reach the quarterfinals of a major tournament.
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Then it is the turn of multiple European Champion, Rob Cross. He faces Danny Noppert who showed top form in the first round by beating Andrew Gilding 6-0 thanks to an average of 106. Cross sent Dimitri van den Bergh home in his opening match.
The third match of the afternoon is a cracker between Gerwyn Price and Nathan Aspinall, two players who have been able to bring out the best in each other on more than one occasion. It will already be the eighth clash between Price and Aspinall in 2023. Of the previous seven encounters, five were won by "The Iceman," including the last four clashes between them.
Peter Wright and Michael Smith face each other in the final match of the afternoon. Smith was responsible for the elimination of Raymond van Barneveld in the first round, while Wright recorded a fine comeback against Gabriel Clemens. The Scot and the Englishman also met seven times this year. Wright won four, while 'Snakebite' leads 32-17 against 'Bullyboy' in the overall head-to-head.
This week's European Championship will be broadcast live by ITV. The 2023 European Darts Championship begins on Thursday, Oct. 26, at 6 p.m.. On this evening, the first eight matches from the first round will be played. A day later, the remaining eight matches from the first round are scheduled.
Saturday the second round will be completed, divided into an afternoon session and an evening session. The quarterfinals are on Sunday afternoon, followed by the semifinals and finals in the evening.
The PDC has provided £500,000 in prize money for this event. All 32 participants are guaranteed a £6,000 starting premium.
With a win in the first round, the proceeds rise to £10,000. This eventually rises further to £120,000 in prize money for the winner of the European Darts Championship.
Saturday, Oct. 28
Afternoon session (from 12 p.m.)
Second round (4x)
Chris Dobey v Stephen Bunting
Rob Cross v Danny Noppert
Gerwyn Price v Nathan Aspinall
Michael Smith v Peter Wright