"Well, I was comfy on the couch, my eyes closed for a moment": Vincent van der Voort nodded off watching King v White Ally Pally clash

In the latest episode of Darts Draait Door, Damien Vlottes and Vincent van der Voort once again weighed in on Friday’s matches at the World Darts Championship. From the wins by Gian van Veen and Niels Zonneveld to the veterans’ clash between Ian White and Mervyn King, everything was covered.

When Vlottes asks who they want to start with, Van der Voort doesn’t need long to decide. “Zonneveld,” he says firmly. And that’s no surprise, as he played the first match of the afternoon session against Haupai Puha. “Great win. The first two sets were quite close of course, but when he had to deliver, he did. Twice a fifth leg where he threw a strong leg.” And in the third set everything clicked. “In the third set he was really free-flowing. Then you see how good he can be,” said Van der Voort.

However, he does notice a recurring pattern with several players on the Worlds stage. “You do notice those breaks play a part, that before them it’s a bit of a warm-up in those matches. And with him you really saw after that second break that he was off the leash.” What stood out most was Zonneveld delivering at the key moments. “You see in those first few legs there’s still some tension, but when it really mattered, the fifth leg of the first set, the fifth leg of the second set, he threw just fine. Just really good legs.”

The second match of the afternoon was between veterans Mervyn King and Ian White, a tie where Van der Voort struggled to stay sharp. “Well, I was comfy on the couch. My eyes closed for a moment. A set and a half later I thought: hey, I missed a bit. They were still at it, so I did see the last set.”

He mainly sees the physical battle for King. “You see Mervyn… Mervyn is no longer the fittest. Sighing, groaning. But he gave it everything, one hundred percent. He kept fighting. The man is 58, 59. It’s not that strange. And of course he’s carrying a bit of extra weight. We should be honest about that. I’m overweight too, but luckily I don’t have to do it anymore,” he says with a laugh.

The question then follows whether he still has a chance to win back his Tour Card via Q-School. “Well, if you can make it here, then he can survive Q-School too. Definitely. The only thing is: does he still want to go to all those tournaments?” Van der Voort openly wonders.

The reward for Ian White? A match against Rob Cross in the next round, as he beat a below-par Cor Dekker. “That went nowhere,” Van der Voort concluded of Dekker’s performance. “At one point he missed six or seven darts at double. You think, it’s only one leg. But that’s the moment that keeps him from getting into the match.”

“And what did you make of Cross? He averaged 91,” asked Vlottes. “It wasn’t bad. It wasn’t great either. If your opponent averages 82, it’s more than enough. He was never in trouble.” He also wrapped up the match with a flourish. “A nice 170 checkout. He had some energy about him and you saw him celebrate a bit at times. There’s always pressure and you’re relieved when the doubles go in.”

But who is the favorite in the next round? Cross or White? “Ian White is a dangerous player,” said Van der Voort. “Cross is the clear favorite… but whether it will be straightforward depends entirely on Cross himself.”

The last match of the afternoon was between Ryan Searle and Dutchman Chris Landman, who never really got into the game. “From what I saw, Landman wasn’t in top form. I believe in the third set he missed two darts at double twice. Those have to go in and it didn’t happen,” concluded Van der Voort.

This means he has now lost his Tour Card. “Odd, isn’t it?” says Vlottes. “Two consecutive World Championship qualifications. In the past that was enough to keep your Tour Card. That didn’t work this time.” Van der Voort then wonders if that’s really so bad. “You do hear more and more people saying they’d rather not have a Tour Card. Then they can play everything. If you’re a bit stuck in between.”

Van der Voort doesn’t know whether Landman will go back to Q-School in January to win it back. “I don’t know how he feels about it. I don’t know him well enough for that. But he’ll probably just go to Q-School.”

The evening session appealed to both men much more. “That was better than the afternoon session,” said Vlottes. Van der Voort immediately mentions a name that stood out. “I thought Ricky Evans made a very strong impression.” He played Man Lok Leung from Hong Kong, which was no easy draw. “He’s a very good player.”

The latter earns praise from Van der Voort, but also a tip. “I thought he was a bit too quick at times. Which meant he went along with Ricky Evans’ rhythm.” And that’s exactly how Evans can disrupt his opponents. The Dutchman does hope Lok Leung considers Q-School in January. “Hopefully he goes to Q-School at some point. That would be great… because he’s a terrific player.

The question, however, is whether this is feasible. “That’s really a financial equation for those lads. You can’t think from Asia: I’ll head over, and if I get through Q-School, we’ll see. You can’t keep flying back and forth. That costs far too much money.”

Another evening match that stuck was the one between the Swede Andreas Harrysson and Ross Smith. ‘Smudger’ played well but missed at the key moments. “Another crap Worlds for Ross… He was good, but he misses six, seven match darts or so. He’ll be absolutely gutted.” Harrysson also earns praise. “He’s simply a good darter, of course. He’s making his debut. It was nice to see him here for the first time. And he delivered, too.”

And then the highlight of Friday: the clash between European Championship winner Gian van Veen and Spain’s Cristo Reyes. “It was a cracking match, wasn’t it? For the first round. Possibly the best match of the first round,” said Van der Voort. The high standard stood out to him. “I thought the level was really good. I thought Reyes was throwing nice and tight as well. Sure, you can see he’s missing a bit of competition at that level. But when you hear he’s going to Q-School… then I think there’s still a lot of good stuff in him.”

Despite the fact Van Veen was never truly in trouble, there was one moment when the match could have turned. “He gets hit with that 167 and then loses the third set. After that it got a little nervy for a moment. Reyes misses that 158 for 2-2 in sets. Otherwise I’d have had to see it. Because then you really start to worry.”

That’s exactly why Van der Voort calls it an excellent win for his compatriot. “He also didn’t have much luck with the draw again. He gets someone throwing a 96 average against you. Many other players would have lost to Reyes,” he believes. In the past, Van Veen could lose when someone played well against him, but perhaps his recent European title was a turning point. “That was a bit the case before. That he often ran into players who played well, and then he couldn’t quite win. And now he had absolutely no problem with that.”

Van der Voort does think, however, that he shouldn’t get overly euphoric straight away. “You also have to make sure you’re not too euphoric. Because it’s still only the first round.” He links this to the expectations around the young Dutchman. “He’s seeded 10, so he should reach the last 16. At minimum.” With the bookmakers, Van Veen is one of the favorites for the title, behind names like Luke Littler and Luke Humphries. According to Van der Voort, he ‘lived up to’ that status on Friday night. “I thought he and Littler have been the ones to impress the most so far,” he concluded positively.