“What are you doing, Dirk? It’s just self-destruction all the time” – Van Duijvenbode survives double chaos to edge Cross in Göttingen

Dirk van Duijvenbode once again showed in Göttingen why he is known as one of the most combative players on the PDC circuit. In a nerve-shredding contest, the Dutchman ultimately came out on top, though it certainly did not come easily. Despite never trailing at any point in the match, his opponent remained close throughout, forcing Van Duijvenbode to stay sharp right until the final dart.

In the second round of the European Darts Trophy, Van Duijvenbode eventually edged out Rob Cross 6–5. When the winning double finally landed, the relief was clear on the face of the flamboyant Dutchman. His reaction afterwards showed just how much the victory meant to him.

Afterwards, Van Duijvenbode was even able to laugh about it, though he admitted the winning dart landed on a double he normally has very little confidence in. “Yeah, of course,” he said afterwards. “Especially finishing on my worst double.”

He explained that double two has long been the one he trusts the least. “To be fair, double nine is also competing for my worst double at the moment,” he joked, “but double two has always been my worst double since I started playing.”

In fact, he sometimes has so little faith in that finish that he jokes about it with the referee beforehand. As Van Duijvenbode explained with a smile: “I even told the referee that if I hit double two, it’s probably luck because I’m so bad on that one.”

Van Duijvenbode nevertheless began the match strongly. With heavy scoring and confident finishing he quickly built a 3–0 lead. Yet his opponent showed no intention of giving in.

Leg after leg the gap remained narrow and the pressure on Van Duijvenbode stayed high. Although he held the initiative throughout, he could never quite shake Cross off. The statistics underlined just how close the contest had been, which made the victory all the more satisfying in the end.

One of the moments where the match nearly slipped away came when Van Duijvenbode had the chance to stretch his lead further. Instead, a missed opportunity opened the door for his opponent to stay in the contest.

“When I missed for 5–1 or 5–2 on the 80,” he explained, reflecting on the moment, “I always go tops because every other option isn’t good for me when my opponent is on a finish.”

The Dutchman has very clear preferences when it comes to doubles. “If my opponent isn’t on a finish, I go for 16s because I don’t like double ten,” he said.

This time, however, the visit did not unfold as he had planned. “I went for 20, hit a big 20 and suddenly I’m on double 20. I was thinking, ‘Oh, not good, not good.’”

That unexpected route eventually left Van Duijvenbode staring at double five, a target he admitted he likes even less than double ten. “I like double five even less than double ten,” he said frankly.

When he missed there as well, frustration started creeping in. “I thought, ‘What are you doing, Dirk? It’s just self-destruction all the time.’”

According to Van Duijvenbode, that moment should really have been the point where the match was settled. “Because if I take that chance out, the game is gone,” he said.

Instead, the tension remained until the very end. Yet those are often the moments where Van Duijvenbode’s fighting spirit shines through. Known for his intensity on stage and his ability to battle through difficult situations, he eventually managed to drag the match over the line. “But in the end I’m just happy with the win,” he concluded. “Sometimes it doesn’t really matter how.”