"Things are slowly starting to roll for the German players" - Progress show in recent times for German darters after deep ProTour runs

German darts is most certainly heading in the right direction. From heroics on the stage to steady improvement on the floor, they are propelling themselves up the order as they look to establish themselves as a darting force.

German commentator Basti Schwele and expert Robert Marijanovic examined the recent successes from their fellow countrymen, specifically on the floor. A German has appeared in the semi-final stage of the last three Player Championship events. The highlight was at Players Championship 14 when a rejuvenated Max Hopp stormed to the final but was thrashed by a rampant Wessel Nijman 8-1.

In the weeks that have followed, both Niko Springer and German number one Martin Schindler have appeared in the latter stages of floor tournaments. Schindler averaged over 108 the other day in a very respectable performance, only for him not to have a dart at double thanks to Michael van Gerwen averaging 122.34 in a tremendous display.

Schwele began by stating how positive a run that was for Schindler, despite not picking up a leg in the semi-final. “Despite all the hype around Michael van Gerwen — Schindi averages 108 and still loses 0–7 against him. The last two weeks have been very good for the German players,” Schwele stated on the SPORT1 show Madhouse.

Marijanovic was quick to agree with his colleague. “Yes, it’s been very good. We already mentioned Schindler with the semifinal, Springer with a semifinal, Clemens with a quarterfinal. Things are slowly starting to roll for the German players.”

It is not just those three making strides in the sport. Lukas Wenig reached the quarter-final of the Grand Slam of Darts last year, and the likes of Gabriel Clemens and Ricardo Pietreczko not at their best but a tricky challenge on their day – although the latter is suffering with dartitis.

“It’s really looking good right now,” Schwele said, adding another name to the list. “Leon Weber also deserves a quick mention. He’s currently very close to the World Championship qualification spots. If he picks up a few more good results, he’ll play in his first World Championship too. It really could become the year of the Germans.”

The results make for great reading. “It sounds good,” Marijanovic commented. “We’ve now had three German players in a row reach the semifinals at Players Championships. I think that’s fantastic.”

He did keep in mind that the competitions will be strong, noting the other darting powerhouses in the sport. However, strength comes depth in numbers. “With 15 Tour Card holders, criticism is still justified because the really huge results are still missing. But we also need to look beyond our own perspective.

“The English are brutal, the Dutch are brutal. Joe Hunt, the number one on the Challenge Tour, keeps getting called up for Players Championships and even beat Michael van Gerwen the day after his title win. We have a lot of potential, but the others are improving too.”

While there has been recent success, a large part of that may be due to many of the big guns pulling out of events amid a busy period in the calendar with Premier League Darts and Euro Tour commitments taking priority. “Without wanting to diminish the performances, we also had a lot of withdrawals from Premier League players,” Marijanovic explained. “At the last tournaments, seven out of eight Premier League players weren’t there, and sometimes there were up to 17 withdrawals. That naturally opens up the field more.”

Then again, you still have to take these opportunities. “Then of course it’s great when a German player steps into that gap and fills it. But it won’t always stay like this, so consistency is extremely important.”

Marijanovic went on to touch the competitive nature in German darts. “Sometimes I feel we stagnate a bit from time to time. That’s why competition among ourselves is extremely important. It’s not always peace, joy, and pancakes — quite the opposite. You’re opponents at the board, there are German matchups, and everyone wants to win. But that’s exactly what pushes you forward.”

Schwele concluded on a positive note. “The nice thing is that we’ve had four different names involved in these semifinals and finals. Step by step, there’s always someone there. What the Germans are doing on the floor currently looks really good.”