“You think about everything… and then you hit it” — Jeffrey Sparidaans survives Lakeside thriller to claim first win in seven years

Jeffrey Sparidaans finally claimed his first ever win on the iconic Lakeside stage on Saturday night, battling past Belgium’s Brian Raman 3–2 in a dramatic opening-round match at the 2025 WDF World Championship. What began as a comfortable 2–0 lead disintegrated into a tense, nerve-fraying contest — but the Dutchman found the decisive dart in the final leg.

“You think about everything: the 2–0 lead, the comeback, the last leg… and then you hit it,” he said, reflecting on the moment that finally delivered his long-awaited Lakeside breakthrough.

Sparidaans controlled the early phases, scoring fluently and finishing confidently. But momentum swung sharply as Raman surged back with big checkouts and sharp timing. “I don’t know what happened,” Spaaridans admitted. “I felt confidence after being two up. I was relaxed, but when I didn’t take my chances in the sets and he took his chances to take the legs… I was still thinking.”

Raman’s pressure told. “I know he’s a good player and I know what he can do,” Sparidaans said. “I missed a couple of doubles in a few legs, and double 12… that was maybe the important one. And he checks one, a high checkout, for the win.”

With the match suddenly level at 2–2, the tension tightened. “Then it’s not easy to watch your leg,” he said. “You’re nervous. You think about the score, you think about the missed chances… everything comes at once.”

In the final leg of the last set, the pressure inside Lakeside was unmistakable. Sparidaans had to reset mentally, recalibrate, and hope the next chance would fall his way.

“Yeah… finally the double,” he exhaled. “You think about everything: the 2–0 lead, the comeback, the last leg… and then you hit it.”

That dart sealed a win seven years in the making.

“Yeah, finally,” he said with a smile. “I was here seven years ago and I played Dennis Nilsson, and he played brilliant, and I lost 3–0 in sets. But I think in a couple of years I got a lot of experience. In that seven years this finally has paid out.”

The long road back — packed with domestic tournaments, international trips and hard lessons — shaped the resilience on display in his opening match.

Despite lifting the Dutch Open earlier in the season, Sparidaans explained that 2025 had not been a straightforward campaign.

“I didn’t play too much after Dutch Open champion,” he said. “I played a lot of competition and local tournaments in the Netherlands.”

Preparation for Lakeside even included a recent setback. “I was two weeks ago in Malta for the WDF and I missed 10 match darts for the last 16,” he said. “I was really angry. I changed my darts at that moment, and I practised now for two weeks before Lakeside, and yeah… this is what happened.”

In round two, Sparidaans faces another Belgian, Francois Schweyen, and his mindset remains calm and measured.

“I will now take some relax and we’re looking forward to the next one,” he said.

Whether Saturday’s dramatic win becomes a springboard for a deep run remains to be seen — but after seven years of waiting, Sparidaans has finally announced himself at Lakeside.