
European Tour action returns later today with the Belgian Darts Championship taking place in Hasselt for the first time.
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Two sessions await on Friday which see the unseeded qualifiers go head to head for a chance to face the seeded players such as Michael van Gerwen, Peter Wright and Gerwyn Price all on Saturday night at the Belgian Darts Championship.
The afternoon session today includes lots of well known faces including the return of 'The Hammer' Andy Hamilton, Steve Beaton and Luke Humphries.
It all starts off though with Darren Penhall, a recent PDC Tour Card winner who will make his immediate debut on the European Tour but will have a new first time ranking event winner in Ryan Searle - who of course claimed victory at Players Championship 3 recently. Can Searle continue that form or will Penhall spring a shock?
Then like alluded to we will see the return of Andy Hamilton - it is a return for the first time since late 2017 and he will take on Andy Boulton who is of course hugely experienced on the European Tour.
Kai Fan Leung is an intriguing player and one who based off his Q-School run and previous exploits has the tendency to throw a massive average.
He will also make his debut this weekend and he will face Steve Beaton - who when he is not seeded qualifies for every event still through the qualification route. Two Quarter-Final appearances on the Players Championship are Beaton's best this season so far and he will hope for another good run this weekend.
Humphries takes on Ronny Huybrechts who plays in this event after coming through the Associate Member Qualifier yesterday. Can 'Cool Hand' live up to his promise and win a European Tour title for the first time this year?
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Another debutant is Damon Heta who again like many in this field will make his immediate debut on the European Tour and the Brisbane Darts Master will hope for similar heroics this weekend.
He takes on Michael Barnard who has finally started to pick up wins again after not having the best time of it over the past year results wise and a player who is a tricky customer so shouldn't be counted out.
Then it is Dutchman Wesley Plaisier who takes on Benjamin Pratnemer. The latter of course impressed against Justin Pipe at the PDC World Championship this past December and he now gets the chance to impress on the European Tour.
Martijn Kleermaker against Stephen Bunting follows that in what will be a fast paced game and potentially game of the day. The Dutchman will hope to take his prowess onto the stage against Bunting who is one of the most dangerous non seeds in the draw, expect a cracking game.
Then finally to round it all off we get Justin Pipe and Mervyn King in a match up between two of the most experienced players on the tour and one which could go the distance to end proceedings off.
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Click here for more information about the PDC European Tour, including the format, calendar and the prize fund breakdown.
Belgian Darts Championship schedule:
Friday February 28
First Round
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 GMT)
12:00 Darren Penhall v Ryan Searle
12:30 Andy Boulton v Andy Hamilton
13:00 Kai Fan Leung v Steve Beaton
13:30 Luke Humphries v Ronny Huybrechts
14:00 Michael Barnard v Damon Heta
14:30 Wesley Plaisier v Benjamin Pratnemer
15:00 Martijn Kleermaker v Stephen Bunting
15:30 Justin Pipe v Mervyn King
12:30 Andy Boulton v Andy Hamilton
13:00 Kai Fan Leung v Steve Beaton
13:30 Luke Humphries v Ronny Huybrechts
14:00 Michael Barnard v Damon Heta
14:30 Wesley Plaisier v Benjamin Pratnemer
15:00 Martijn Kleermaker v Stephen Bunting
15:30 Justin Pipe v Mervyn King
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Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
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