Peter Wright, taking on Brendan Dolan was in dire need of a victory. After a disappointing start to the year that has seen Wright drop down to world number 3, Snakebite could use the win to gain some momentum. Dolan though had other ideas.
With both players not quite at their electric best, it was the Northern Irishman who took the advantage, moving into a 5-3 lead. Wright will always battle though even when not at his best and after pulling back to 5-4, Wright took out a fantastic 116 to level things up. A 17-dart leg in the decider was enough for Wright to complete the great escape and seal a 6-5 win.
In the next game, Michael van Gerwen, last week's winner on the European Tour was against the Belgian, Mike De Decker. Asserting his dominance early on, 'Mighty Mike' raced into a 2-0 lead. As De Decker began to settle though a succession of holds of throw meant he kept in touching distance and in leg 6 he punished some sloppy doubling by MVG to level up at 3-3.
Despite his faffing on the outer ring, van Gerwen's scoring supremacy was ensuring he had plenty of opportunities and soon he had reclaimed his advantage at 5-3. Although De Decker did get one more leg, it was the Dutchman who secured a 6-4 victory.
Euro Tour regular Joe Cullen, taking on the last remaining Czech hope Karel Sedlacek in front of a raucous Prague crowd. Much to their delight, it was Sedlacek who took an early lead, breaking the throw in the opening leg before a roof-raising 121 on the bull made it 2-0.
ADVERTISEMENT
Maintaining his advantage, 'Evil Charlie' as he's known continued to delight his home crowd, stretching his lead out to 4-1. After Cullen couldn't take out 96, Sedlacek was on hand to punish with a ruthless 64 finish and move a leg away from victory. As Cullen began to fight back the tension started to rise and 'the Rockstar was soon back to within touching distance at 5-4. After Cullen missed the bull for a match-levelling 170, a relieved Sedlacek secured the 6-4 win.
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.
WRIGHT WINS! 🏴
Relief for Peter Wright, who battles back from 5-3 down to dump out Brendan Dolan in a dramatic last-leg shoot-out!
Listen to the roar from this partisan Prague crowd!
🔜 Michael van Gerwen v Mike De Decker
📺 bit.ly/23EuroTourLive | #ET8