New Zealand Darts Masters 2023 | Day Two Preview and Order of Play
The 2023 New Zealand Darts Masters draws to a close in Hamilton on Saturday as the eight remaining hopefuls bid to be crowned champion.
A dramatic opening day of the season’s fifth World Series event saw two seeded stars suffer early exits at the hands of Kiwi opposition.
However, a host of decorated stars remain in the running to scoop the £20,000 title at the Globox Arena – which will play host to the Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and final in one bumper session.
Reigning champion Gerwyn Price steps up the defence of his title with a show-down against former UK Open champion Danny Noppert.
Premier League finalist Price has picked up the World Series Finals title on two occasions and finished runner-up in the opening two World Series events earlier this year.
He began his campaign here with a 6-1 rout of Simon Whitlock, averaging 97.2 to make light work of the former World Cup of Darts winner.
Noppert, meanwhile, launched his first Oceanic campaign with an impressive 6-2 win over New Zealand number one Ben Robb, averaging 98 with three 180s and 55 per cent on the doubles.
The Dutchman was famously on the receiving end of a nine-darter from Price when the pair met in the Semi-Finals of last year’s World Matchplay.
Jonny Tata’s reward for his shock scalp of Peter Wright is a tie against another former World Champion – Rob Cross.
Tata, a truck driver by day making his big stage debut, took advantage of an out of sorts ‘Snakebite’ to prevail 6-3 on Friday.
Tata had only confirmed his place in a first televised event when he came through last month’s DPNZ Qualifiers in Christchurch, but has already made an immediate impression on the big stage and will be out to pull off another famous upset.
Cross came through a cagey contest to defeat Kiwi veteran Warren Parry 6-3 despite an average of 82.8 and will be eyeing a marked improvement as he bids to end a five-year wait for a World Series title.
Haupai Puha, who dumped out Dimitri van den Bergh in Round One, now comes up against newly-crowed World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall.
Puha, whose World Series pedigree also saw him defeat Jonny Clayton last year, averaged 96.2 and landed three ton-plus finishes in dispatching Van den Bergh 6-2 but now faces another formidable challenge.
Aspinall returned to action following his fairy-tale triumph in Blackpool a fortnight ago by defeating New Zealand youngster Kayden Milne 6-2 and is targeting a second World Series title to add to the 2019 US Masters.
Reigning World Champion Michael Smith continues his quest for a second World Series crown of the year when he faces Aussie number one Damon Heta.
Smith secured the Bahrain Masters title in January little over a week after becoming World Champion, and has also added a European Tour and Players Championship title this term.
The world number one held his nerve to edge out former Tour Card holder Darren Penhall in a deciding leg on Friday and will be poised for a similarly close-run battle with the former World Cup of Darts winner.
Heta, who reached the Quarter-Finals of the recent World Matchplay, opened up with a comfortable 6-2 victory over Darren Herewini and knows what it takes to capture a World Series title, having done so at the 2019 Brisbane Masters.
The action gets under way from 8am BST, with Quarter-Final matches to be contested over the best of 11 legs, Semi-Finals best of 13 and the final best of 15.
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New Zealand Darts Masters 2023 Day Two Schedule
All times BST (local time +11 hours)
Saturday August 5
8am-12pm
Quarter-Finals
Gerwyn Price v Danny Noppert
Jonny Tata v Rob Cross
Michael Smith v Damon Heta
Haupai Puha v Nathan Aspinall
Semi-Finals
Price/Noppert v Tata/Cross
Smith/Heta v Puha/Aspinall
Final
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