European Darts Matchplay 2023 | Day Three Preview and Order of Play

The 2023 European Darts Matchplay reaches its climax in Trier on Sunday as the 16 remaining players compete for the title.

A £30,000 top prize is on offer at the Trier Arena as 11 seeds and five qualifiers collide over two sessions.

The afternoon session plays host to the Third Round ties, before the Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and final follow in the evening.

Following Sunday’s action, the top 16 players on the PDC Order of Merit will join the next 16 highest ranked players from the ProTour Order of Merit in the draw for the World Matchplay.

Just one ProTour Order of Merit qualification spot for the World Matchplay remains up for grabs, with Steve Beaton and Brendan Dolan now assured of a place at the Winter Gardens.

Kim Huybrechts currently occupies the 16th and final ProTour Order of Merit spot, but the Belgian will make his Blackpool return unless Gian van Veen or Ryan Joyce lift the title on Sunday.

Van Veen has lit up the tournament with two spellbinding displays so far, and the Dutch sensation now looks to make it back-to-back Quarter-Final appearances on the Euro Tour by denying home favourite Martin Schindler.

Van Veen followed up a 104 average in his First Round win over Christian Kist with an incredible 114 average in whitewashing fourth seed Damon Heta on Saturday, while Schindler saw off Callan Rydz 6-3 in his opener.

Joyce is enjoying his best run on the Euro Tour this year, having thrashed Ted Evetts 6-1 before dumping out third seed Dave Chisnall 6-3, and the Tyneside thrower now aims to reach the Last Eight for the first time at the expense of Joe Cullen.

Cullen, a three-time Euro Tour event winner, averaged 100.5 in an impressive opening display to defeat Czech qualifier Vítězslav Sedlák 6-3 on Saturday.

Top seed Luke Humphries continues the defence of his title with a tie against world number 24 Stephen Bunting.

Humphries, winner of four Euro Tour titles last year, has finished runner-up four times this term and will be determined to return to the winner’s enclosure this evening.

Bunting overcame Luke Woodhouse 6-3 on Friday, before holding his nerve to edge out European Champion Ross Smith in a last-leg decider in Round Two.

Raymond van Barneveld looks to progress to a first Euro Tour Quarter-Final since 2017 when he faces world number 15 Ryan Searle.

Van Barneveld clinched a place in the World Matchplay courtesy of his First Round win over George Killington, before recording a first-ever Euro Tour success over his nemesis Michael van Gerwen on Saturday.

Searle, meanwhile, defied the partisan home crowd to knock out German number one Gabriel Clemens in a deciding leg and will head to the World Matchplay as a seed.

One of the stand-out ties of the Third Round sees world number one and World Champion Michael Smith take on World Youth champion Josh Rock.

Smith claimed the German Grand Prix title in April and will be hungry for a seventh European Tour crown in what is his first event using a new setup.

He averaged 101 in a dominant 6-2 defeat of Keane Barry on Saturday and now faces a red hot Rock – who landed five 180s and averaged 107.4 in whitewashing Northern Irish compatriot Brendan Dolan.

Rob Cross steps up his pursuit of a second successive Euro Tour title when he takes on ten-time major winner James Wade.

Cross had previously lost in seven finals prior to lifting the trophy in Sindelfingen in May, but now runs into a resurgent ‘Machine’ – who has averaged 101.5 and 107.4 in his respective wins over William O’Connor and Jonny Clayton so far this weekend.

Dirk van Duijvenbode, runner-up at the European Darts Open earlier this year, comes up against Premier League star Dimitri van den Bergh.

Van Duijvenbode opened up with a 100.7 average in a 6-2 success over UK Open champion Andrew Gilding, while Van den Bergh averaged 99.3 in a 6-3 win over Germany’s Ricardo Pietreczko.

Nathan Aspinall and Danny Noppert collide for the fourth time on the Euro Tour this season, with Noppert having won their first two meetings before ‘The Asp’ gained a degree of revenge.

Both players came through last-leg deciders to reach this stage, with Aspinall recovering from 4-1 down to deny Martin Lukeman, while Noppert punished a late mistake from James Wilson to snatch victory.

The action gets under way from 12pm BST, with Third Round and Quarter-Final ties to be contested over the best of 11 legs, Semi-Finals best of 13 and the final best of 15.

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European Darts Matchplay 2023 Day Three Schedule

All times BST (Local time +1 hour)

Sunday July 2

Afternoon Session (12pm-4pm)

Last 16
Raymond van Barneveld v Ryan Searle
Ryan Joyce v Joe Cullen
Michael Smith v Josh Rock
Dirk van Duijvenbode v Dimitri van den Bergh
Rob Cross v James Wade
Gian Van Veen v Martin Schindler
Nathan Aspinall v Danny Noppert
Luke Humphries v Stephen Bunting

Evening Session (6pm-10pm)

Quarter-Finals
Van Barneveld/Searle v Joyce v Cullen
M Smith/Rock v Van Duijvenbode/Van den Bergh
Cross/Wade v Van Veen/Schindler
Aspinall/Noppert v Humphries/Bunting

Semi-Finals

Final

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